Chapter 84: They’re Only Naked

Blair wished she could suddenly break down into dust and blow straight out the window to somewhere far far away.

What did he mean by a ’virgin virgin’? she panicked, pressing her hands tightly over her burning face. It wasn’t like she was completely clueless! She had read romance novels. Sure, most of the spicy scenes usually faded to black, but she grasped the concept of intimacy.

Plus, she had already experienced her first orgasm when he touched her at the ice rink. The memory of his warm fingers rubbing through her panties was burned into her brain. That had to count for something, right?

Caught in her spiraling, Blair didn’t even notice Daemus stand up until a smack echoed across the floor.

His towel had dropped.

"Lesson one: the male body," Daemus announced smoothly. "Look at me."

Blair shook her head, keeping her hands plastered over her eyes. "No!"

She let out a squeak when Daemus easily wrapped his large hands around her wrists, gently pulling her hands away from her face. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

"You need to calm down," Daemus murmured, his voice a low, soothing rumble. "I’m only naked."

"Beastmen don’t wear clothes in the Beast World," Blair muttered defensively, her eyes still squeezed shut. "Clothes are what is normal in the human world."

"Then let’s just pretend we’re in the Beast World," Daemus countered effortlessly. "Which means, you have to get naked too."

Blair’s eyes snapped open, but she snapped her head sideways, staring intently at a hockey poster on the wall to avoid looking at him. Her hands were still trapped in his gentle grip. She shook her head rapidly. "No."

Instead of arguing, Daemus pulled her hands forward, pressing her palms flat against his bare chest.

Blair gasped softly. Beneath the smooth, hot skin of his chest, she could feel the frantic, erratic hammering of his heart. It was beating just as wildly as her own.

Slowly, she looked up.

Daemus met her gaze, his silver eyes dark and incredibly intense.

"I want to be the one to teach you about all the pleasures your body can give you," Daemus told her softly.

He released her wrists, letting his hands drop to rest gently on her waist.

"You aren’t a little girl at the church anymore," Daemus whispered, stepping just a fraction closer. "You’re a woman." His hands slid slowly, agonizingly up the sides of her waist. "A beautiful, sexy woman."

Daemus reached around her, his fingers finding the zipper at the back of the wool dress.

He began pulling the zip down.

Blair didn’t stop him. The panic was still there, buzzing at the base of her skull, but her infamous curiosity...the very trait that had gotten her into so much trouble anywhere she went was taking the wheel. She wanted to know what would happen if she let him have his way.

Her breath hitched sharply as the dress slipped off her shoulders and fell to the floor. The cool air of the bedroom hit her warm, exposed skin.

Blair stood in front of him, dressed only in a pair of simple, white cotton panties.

On instinct, she crossed her arms, trying to cover her chest. But before she could hide herself, Daemus caught her arms.

He stepped around her, placing his hands on her bare shoulders, and gently guided her toward a large, full-length mirror standing in the corner of the room.

"Your body is nothing to be ashamed of," Daemus murmured from behind her.

His fingers deftly pulled the pins from her bun. Her dark hair tumbled loose, cascading down her back and spilling over her shoulders. Daemus gently swept the locks to the side, exposing the delicate curve of her neck.

Blair shivered, feeling the heat of his breath fanning across her skin.

"Take your panties off," Daemus whispered into her ear.

Blair’s hands trembled as she reached down to the waistband. She kept her eyes averted, staring firmly at the messy pile of gym bags on the floor beside the mirror.

"Look at yourself as you do it," Daemus commanded softly.

Blair bit her bottom lip. Slowly, she forced her gaze up to the mirror. But instead of looking at her own reflection, she found Daemus’s heated gaze staring right back at her in the glass.

Holding eye contact with him in the mirror, Blair slid the cotton panties down her legs and stepped out of them.

She stood completely bare before him.

"See?" Daemus said, his voice husky. "Wasn’t that difficult, was it?"

Blair kept his gaze in the mirror, shaking her head slightly, a deep blush still coloring her pale cheeks.

"What now?" Blair asked, her voice incredibly quiet.

Daemus smirked. "Someone’s eager to learn more."

He gently caressed her bare arms, humming thoughtfully. "Since you are now comfortable with your own body, you need to be comfortable seeing someone else’s."

Blair let out a tiny squeal as Daemus suddenly spun her around.

She was suddenly face-to-face with his muscular chest. Daemus dropped his hands from her arms, gesturing to himself with a low chuckle.

"This is the body of a beastman," Daemus introduced himself. He paused, his smirk widening. "Well, a horny beastman."

Blair finally let herself look. Up close, he was built like a Greek statue. The definition of his muscles was flawless, his tanned skin practically glowing in the dim light of the bedroom.

Unconsciously, Blair raised a hand, wanting to feel the hard lines of his chest. But right before her fingertips brushed his hot skin, she froze, quickly pulling her hand back.

"You can touch me," Daemus told her. "If you want to."

Blair swallowed hard. "Okay," she whispered.

She reached out again, placing her hand flat against his bare chest. She dragged her soft palm down, tracing the deep cut of his abdominal muscles.

A ragged breath escaped Daemus’s lips. The innocent, exploring touch of her hand was pure torture, turning him on even more than he already was.