want to run away.”
“We all have a past, Ozi. I have my demons too.” I was starting to think that he actually might care about me beyond just the sex.
He pulled away and sat up, gazing down at me with his haunting brown eyes. “That’s what I’m talking about. I don’t have demons. Raven…I am the demon.”
I shuddered as soon as he said it. “What do you mean?”
He got out of bed and pulled on his pants. “I don’t want to scare you away. Not when I’ve only just found you. There are things I will tell you in time. But just know that no matter what happens, I will never hurt you. Just promise me, you’ll keep an open mind.”
He wasn’t making any sense. I definitely got the dramatic vibe from him, but the way he was talking was bizarre. “Look, I want to get to know you better. In just one night, you’ve made me feel more alive than I have in years. I feel safe with you, so…stop calling yourself a demon.”
Ozi went to the window and pulled back the velvet drapes. The moonlight shining on his face only highlighted the shadows in his eyes. “In time, you will learn things about me. Things you might not like. But I’m not the same as I once was.”
“Ozi, I am the last person who would judge you for your past. I have things I’m not proud of either. I get it…I’m afraid too. If you are having second thoughts about me—”
“No. Never.” He rushed to my side and cupped my face in his hands. “It is you that may have regrets someday. In my long existence, I have never been more sure. If I were a selfless man, I’d order you to leave right now. But I’m none of those things.”
And yet I couldn’t make myself get up and leave. I wanted to stay in this room forever with him. What had gotten into me? I wasn’t myself. Maybe he was just being over dramatic with poetic metaphors. “Ozi, you don’t have to hide who you are with me. You’ll see.”
He picked me up and lifted me onto the floor. I backed up as he pressed me into the wall. His lips hovered over mine as his eyes searched my face. “Raven, I’m not a typical man. This won’t be a typical relationship. You are free to walk away whenever you choose. Can you handle that?”
“And what is a typical relationship? The kind where the one you love cheats on you? I am done with typical. I want different. I’m not going anywhere.” I held his gaze.
He let out an exasperated sigh and pulled me to his bare chest, cupping the back of my head in his hands. “We will take this as slow or as fast as you want. I am not good at relationships but for you I want to try.”
I was still unsure as to why he was being so cryptic. What could he possibly tell me about himself that would make me want to run? I wasn’t so naïve to guess that he probably had a troubled past. He was a powerful billionaire and status like that didn’t come without a price. But no matter what he did or didn’t do, one thing I was certain of. The one thing that I felt in my bones without any rational explanation was that I had to play this out. Even if it ended. It would be worth it just to feel this way again.
“I know you have the next few days off. Stay here for the weekend. We can talk, eat, drink…fuck some more. I’ll have whatever you need sent over.” His eyes pleaded with me.
I had just promised him I would try to open up, to get to know him, so I couldn’t run off now. I hadn’t felt this vulnerable since I left Maplewood with my heart shattered into a million pieces. “Okay. I can do that.”
His face lit up. “Belissimo. Now, let’s get back into bed.” He winked and my stomach flipped. The twinkle in his eye was the only indication I needed to let me know that I wasn’t going to get any sleep and he was going to make me come all night.
I stifled a yawn and rolled over to find the space next to me empty.
Sitting up, I saw he had laid out an outfit for me on the bed—skinny jeans, a yellow cashmere sweater similar to the one