The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,24

you think it should. My body makes more messes." I lifted a brow, waiting for her to realize what I was talking about. "I stain the sheets and you do not seem to mind. I ruin clothes and need to wash things because of it. Please do not be ashamed because you are a woman. I just want to help."

"I don't want this to be a big deal," she groaned.

"You are a big deal, and I do not like thinking that you are uncomfortable. Lay on your stomach, my sunset, and I will rub so you can sleep easier."

She shifted, doing like I asked. "Where's Nick?"

"He's taking the trash to Earth, so you do not have to worry about it."

I eased the blanket lower, taking in the panties she was wearing. They looked like the ones Luke and I had picked out for her. Each one was marked with a number as if it was for a sports team. Her shirt did not match. It was black, but soft, and cut low in the back to make room for her tiny little fairy wings.

The moment my hands found her lower back, she made the kind of sound a man loved to hear. It was a groan, and the honest sort. Her eyes slipped closed, those auburn lashes lying against her cheeks even as her lips parted slightly. Clearly, she liked that.

"I will do this any time you want," I said softly. "To touch you is a pleasure, even if it's just like this. You are so beautiful, my kartem."

"When did you learn to give massages?" she grunted, her breath rushing out as my hands slid up her spine.

"A very long time ago." I paused. "Aviyah! That was her name."

"Whose?" Sia asked, turning to see me.

But I kept rubbing. "I think she was my third wife. I married her because they wanted to stone her to death. Her village thought she was possessed because once a month, her body would be wracked with spasms as the creature tried to escape. She would cry and pray, but God did not help her, so they were convinced there was only one way to keep themselves safe."

"Cramps?" Sia asked.

I nodded. "She could not talk about it with the men who made the rules. She could only suffer. I paid two goats to marry her. It was an insult, but she was not beautiful like you. She was shy and timid. Her nose was large and her eyes were small, but her smile was like the sun in the sky. Her laughter filled our house with joy. She was small and delicate."

"Is that when you got that fetish?" Sia teased.

"I have always liked small and delicate. Before there were women, I liked men I could hold against me, but most men are smaller than me. All, I think."

She paused to sigh as I hit the spot that was bothering her. I could see from the look on her face that it was working, and her shoulders tensed only to relax right after. So I focused my hands there. Sia's skin was so soft and silky. The new rune on her back begged me to kiss it, but not tonight. Later, though, I would.

"Did you have kids with her?" she asked.

"No. She was pregnant a few times, but never long enough to have the baby. They did not have medicine to understand, and we had not yet thought about ways to prevent children. Instead, she raised children when their parents died. It was not uncommon back then." I paused, hearing the door open. "But I learned how to ease her body. I convinced her - which took years - to tell me what it felt like."

"What did she say it felt like?" Nick asked as he moved to the other side of the bed.

I looked over Sia's body and met his eyes. "She had me lay like this, on my belly, and put a fist on either side of my back, and then leaned all of her weight on her hands. Then she just stayed there. I told her it was not bad, but she didn't move. That was when I understood. It does not ease. It is not insurmountable, but it is persistent."

"Yes!" Sia breathed, rolling over beneath my hands. "Like a sore muscle, but I can't help but move the way that makes it hurt the most."

So I bent to kiss the soft skin across her belly. "Does this mean we do not have