That was scary, knowing that someone you saw every day, who thought you were a nice and normal human, could turn on you so quickly once he or she realized that wasn’t what you were. And God forbid if the general populace learned how onyx and diamond, or even a low-dose Taser, could affect us.

Things weren’t easy or perfect, and the future seemed shaky at times, but life wasn’t wrapped up in neat little bows.

I ran my fingers over the multicolored tabs poking out of the tops of the magazines that marked pages with the gowns, decorations, and cakes I liked.

Daemon wasn’t much of a planner when it came to the whole wedding thing, even though it had been his idea, but whenever I dragged out one of those thick magazines, he didn’t moan and complain as I thumbed through it.

Although he seemed disturbingly fascinated with the selection of garter belts.

When I lifted my gaze, he watched me intently, in that all-consuming way that always made me feel like I was stripped bare for him.

A rush of warmth flowed through my veins. I bit down on my lip as I glanced at the clock on the wall.

“We have time,” Daemon said, voice rough as sandpaper.

I arched my brow even as my heart skipped a beat. “Time for what?”

“Uh-huh. Don’t play coy with me.” He walked around my abandoned chair, causing my stomach to dip in the most pleasant way as he stalked toward me. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“Do not.” I took a step back, my toes digging into the carpet.

“Do too,” he murmured, one side of his lips kicking up.

“That’s just your overactive ego and your wishful thinking talking.”

Dark eyebrows rose. “Is that so, Kitten?”

Fighting a grin, I nodded as I glanced at the clock again. We so had time. I shrugged.

Challenge flared, deepening the hue of his eyes to a forest green, and a burst of excitement went off inside me like a firecracker. “I think I can prove that’s not the case.”

“Whatever.”

In the blink of an eye, Daemon was in front of me. I started to yell at him, because I still hated that, but he captured my mouth in a searing kiss that went straight to my knees.

“All I need is ten minutes,” he said, voice gruff.

“What happened to only needing two minutes?”

Daemon chuckled as he reached down, caught the hem of my shirt, and tugged it over my head. “Well, what I plan to do is going to take a little longer than that.”

He was remarkably skilled at taking my clothes off in record time. Before I knew it, I was standing there, feeling a wee bit exposed.

Daemon stepped back, as if he was admiring his handiwork. “If I haven’t told you this before . . .” He dragged his gaze up, lingering on my chest until it felt like a physical touch. “I want you. I’ll always want you.”

“Always?” I whispered.

He stepped forward again, his hands closing around my arms as he lowered his head, brushing his lips along the curve of my cheek. “Always.”

My chest rose, grazing his. The sensation rocked me. He made a deep sound in the back of his throat that twisted up my insides. He kissed me again as his hands skimmed down my arms to settle around my waist. I shivered, and at this rate, I didn’t think he’d even need two minutes.

Daemon lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. Not once did he break the kiss, and by the time my back hit the mattress, I was breathless with a thousand different kinds of wants.

“How many minutes do we have left?” he asked as he shucked off his jeans.

I smiled as he climbed over the top of me, and as he leaned down, the edges of his hair tickled my cheek. “I’ve totally forgotten about the minute thing.”

“Wow. Already?” he murmured against my lips and curled an arm around my waist, lifting me up so our bodies were pressed together at all the amazing points. “I’m a little amazed by my own skill.”

A laugh burst out of me, and he caught the sound with a grin and kiss, and then there really wasn’t room for laughing. He trailed a path of hot, tiny kisses across my forehead and then down, way down, where he lingered until he completely erased the whole idea of time and the fact we had things to do.

When he rose again, my body was shaking as our hips met. “Kat, God . . . I love you.”

There would never come a time when I’d grow tired of hearing those words or experiencing just how much he truly did love me. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, raining kisses across his cheek, his lips, and when his control shattered, I went along with it.

I don’t know how long he moved while I was awash in a riot of sensations, but when I opened my eyes and his face was pressed against my neck, his brilliant light flickered over the ceiling.

A lazy, contented smile pulled at my lips as he lifted his head and placed a kiss to my damp temple, and I fell in love all over again. When he rolled onto his side, he tugged me right along with him, and I rested my head on his chest, listening to the rapid thrum of his heart matching the pace in my chest.

At some point, Daemon looked over his shoulder and cursed under his breath. “We have ten minutes before they show up.”

“Holy crap!” I shot up, smacking his chest.

He laughed as I scrambled off the bed. “Where are you going?”

“I need to shower.” I tugged my hair out of the ponytail and then twisted it high up. Hurrying around the bed, I shot him a look.

His gaze was trained way below my face. “You don’t need to shower.”