A Legacy of the Damned: Daughter of Astaroth

Chapter 34 - Of Making A Negotiation

I wake up in his bed again this morning and among the first things that I see when I open my eyes are my suitcases by the closet door.

I lay there for a minute, dumbly staring at the suitcases before I look at the clock on the bedside table. It's still early and I know that he's in the gym by the sound of it.

A few minutes later, the sound of the machine stops, followed by the sound of his approaching footsteps in the hallway. I'm still lying in bed when he opens the bedroom door.

He's only in his gym shorts with a towel slung over his shoulders. His sculptured body is damp with sweat and his hair is ruffled, sticking to his face and at the nape of his neck.

He looks like he just steps out of a sports magazine spread or something while I'm not so sure if I'm looking all that great. He has no right to look that good after a morning workout.

"Good morning, sexy," he says, leaning down to drop a lingering kiss on my bare shoulder then on my forehead. He sounds like he's in a very good mood.

His scent fills my nose and I sigh. Even his sweat smells good.

He straightens up and I clear my throat to get my morning voice to work. "Sacha, why are my suitcases here?"

"Because now you live here," he says in a matter-of-fact tone before stepping back to toss the towel into the hamper.

"No, Sacha..." I struggle to sit up, then make a grab at the sheet that tries to slip down my body as he watches me with amusement. "I brought them to the other room yesterday, Sacha. Why are they here in your room now?"

"Because I want you here," he says with the voice and attitude of a man used to getting what he wants.

I frown and say, "But I want my own room."

"Why? You slept in my bed just fine last night...and the night before."

"Yeah, but maybe some nights I'd rather sleep on my own," I argue and he frowns.

The truth is, I never slept or spent a whole night with anyone before Sacha.

Somehow, sleeping in the arms of someone feels too intimate, more so than the act of sex itself. It's a vulnerable position. I never trusted or felt comfortable enough with anyone to do that.

You can have sex with anyone without any feelings involved and that's what I did. After all, they were merely tasks Astaroth set me to do. Not that Sacha isn't a task. But he doesn't feel like one. He's...more than that and that's dangerous.

Normally, I'd had enough and got bored with a man after an hour or two together. Some even before they opened their mouths. But I haven't feel bored with Sacha after two nights together. If anything, I can't get enough of him. In fact, the more time I spend with him, the more I'm addicted to him.

"But I want you in my bed every night," he says, watching me yanking the sheet off the bed to stand up. The corners of his lips curl up in amusement again as he watches me struggle to keep the sheet around my shoulders.

"We need to negotiate," I tell him. But the heated look in his eyes as he rakes them over me suggests that he's not paying attention to what I'm saying.

"I've seen your body underneath that sheet, why bother trying to hide it from me?" he asks advancing toward me. Yep, he's clearly not listening to me.

"Nope! Stop right there, mister." I raise a hand with the palm up to him while another hand is gripping the cloth from slipping off. "We really need to talk." Mercifully, he stops, but the surly expression on his face tells me that he's not happy about it. "Let's make a negotiation."