SERAPHINA'S POV
Raising a brow, I watch as he waves the movie in his hands, a smile plastered on his face. He looks like an excited kid, trying to hold back the underlying urge to chuckle.
"A horror movie? That's your punishment?"
"Why? You scared of a little horror?" He asks, walking over to his laptop and putting the flash drive in, setting everything up and pausing to look at me.
"Or were you expecting something riskier and more devious?" He winks at me mischievously, and I roll my eyes, ignoring the second statement.
"I eat and breathe horror. It's the best genre in my opinion." I say as a fact, walking closer to the stack of duvet and sitting on it.
It's surprisingly comfortable.
"Oh, wow. The human girl isn't scared of demons and zombies. I'm impressed." He comments with a light chuckle, turning to me, actually surprised by my answer.
A little bit of pride washes through me before I shake it off. Not like I need his praise to feel like a big shot.
Who cares if he thinks it's cool that I enjoyed them?
"What's your favorite?" He prods further.
I remain silent, not knowing if continuing this conversation is necessary, not wanting myself to relax while in the lion's den. Still, I feel compelled to either way.
"I'm into the classics, actually. The Exorcist and Nightmare On Elm Street."
He sucks in his breath, shaking his head slowly in disapproval, and I raise a brow. What self-proclaimed fan of horror doesn't have those two in their top 10?
"Honestly... 'IT' was my best."
My jaw drops instantly.
"No fucking way. That's no one's best, especially the second part."
"Actually, I preferred the second part to the first." He shrugs his shoulder casually.
I clutch my chest in pain while watching him casually spit the most controversial shit in the entire history of horror, like it's nothing.
"You're a psychopath." I say, dramatically turning my head away from him.
He chuckles loudly, holding his chest for a brief moment while settling right beside me, in between the mesh of blankets.
His laughter is deep and vibrates through his chest loudly to the point that I can't help but look up at him with a small smile on my lips. It continues until it slowly fades, and he wipes a bit of tears in his eyes, looking at me
"You're really funny, Sera. I can't believe I didn't realize that sooner." He comments, looking at me with a wide smile.
I'm frozen in place, held captive by the smile that shows his dentition and reaches his eyes for a moment, before I force my eyes away once more, reminding myself just who he is.
"Yeah, there's a lot about me you don't know." I comment, and he says nothing more.
A moment of silence passes between us now, the mood already partially ruined by what I said - but I don't mind. We shouldn't be getting along right now.
I remind myself that I don't want to be here. I'm forced to be because of an unfair contract drafted by him, and he's the enemy that shouldn't be forgiven.
He finally clicks at the remote, and the projector immediately starts playing the movie.
The words Anabelle flashes in blood red on the screen, and I can't help the smile that forms on my lips, though I say nothing.
"Feel free to hide your face in my chest if you get scared." He whispers to me, and despite how tough I try to be now, I chuckle just a bit before pushing it down again.
The movie begins to play on, and soon, I'm completely invested in it, loving every scene that plays out.
At some point, we start munching on the snacks and I sink even deeper into the blankets, getting more comfortable. I don't even notice the revealing nighty, or the fact that I'm sitting right next to the biggest asshole in the entire world.
I reach for another slice of pizza and eat it all up to the crusts I don't like, and drop it back in the box.
Seconds later, my eyes, for some reason, follows Artemis' hands that reach in on their own and grab at my crust, picking it up and raising it into his mouth where he scarfs it down in seconds.
All while his eyes remain focused on the screen.
Its only now that I realize all the crusts I've left before are missing, and he's probably been eating them all unconsciously.
I press my fingers over my lips to hold back my laughter at how unbelievably cute he's being without realizing it. He's revealing so many soft sides of himself without even realizing it.
I clear my throat again, focusing back on the movie.
Eventually, we're finally at the climax where the movie is at its highest stakes and more gory images play on the screen.
I've watched it a couple of times, but for some reason, the scene always seems to get me every time.
The truth is, despite my love for horror, I still get scared when the demon reveals itself at the end, and even now, I cower against my will, feeling fear welling inside me.
Another jump-scare happens and I hide behind the duvet again, yelping too loudly that I'm sure he must have noticed it by now. He's probably going to laugh and tease me for eventually getting scared after acting all tough, but he doesn't.
A second passes and I hide again. This time, I notice the subtle movement of his body that very slowly leans in closer to me like a wall, so when the next jump-scare happens, I unconsciously clutch onto him, hiding my face into his shirt.
My body shivers as I chant to myself that it's not real right now, cursing myself out for loving it even when it terrifies me... Then, his hand slowly raises up and pats on my back softly, rubbing slow comforting circles.
I look up at him but his eyes remain on the screen, watching. It's as if he's comforting me while acting like he doesn't notice my fear, just so I don't feel embarrassed.
There's a tug in my chest now at how thoughtful his actions are.
I'm unable to pull away from his chest even when I eventually feel fine, while the warmth of his body cuddles me, and honestly, I don't know if I even want to.
I feel unimaginable comfort, like I fit just perfectly underneath his arm.
I can hear the pounding of his chest that races faster for some reason, maybe because he's affected by my proximity, or maybe he's just equally frightened by the movie...which I find cute as well.
Wait, I find him cute?
Again, I'm falling into a dangerous trap, solely designed to deceive me. Artemis Sinclair is anything but cute.
He's the ruthless bastard that tormented me for the first few weeks of being here.
He's made sure that my life is miserable and wastes no opportunity to fan his superiority and privilege in my face at every chance he gets, and a good example of that is forcing me to spend the night with him.
Just like that, I feel sick to my gut for letting myself believe the countless lies in my face. The façade he's built to lure me in. Suddenly, I feel choked up and in need for some fresh air.
I pull away from his hold now, kicking the blankets off me.
"Where are you going?" He asks, wearing a mask of false concern. It looks so convincing, and gosh, it pisses me off so much.
"I need water."
"Let me get it for you." He offers like a gentleman.
More lies.
I ignore him, getting to my feet.
"Sera...?"
"What?" I yell now, turning to him, losing my patience with everything that's going on tonight, maybe because a part of me liked it, enjoyed it a little too much than I should - and it's wrong. Everything about Artemis right now is wrong. Off script. A lie.
But I can barely process those thoughts because the force of my turn has me losing balance. The blankets tangle at my feet, and the sudden movement causes me to trip and fall forward.
I close my eyes, bracing for the impact, but it's not as painful as I expected it to me. Instead, I'm on something hard yet fleshy.
I open my eyes, realizing that I've fallen right on Artemis, who broke my fall with his body - both of us lying back with me on top of him.
My smaller body is pressed against his by my weight, and every bit of open skin rubs against his own bare flesh, igniting heat all over while his arms hold me in place.
I feel my own cheeks blush painfully, realizing my position and how my breast spill and press hard against his chest.
"I-I'm sorry." I apologize, feeling mortified.
I look up to meet his gaze, but what stares back at me in place of blue are golden eyes with the irises turned into slits like a wolf's, his lips slightly ajar and a dazed look of hunger and desire directed at me.
One look at it, and a delicious tingle runs up my spine like a sharp bolt of electricity. Warm and filled with a certain tension, it rushes through my blood, skyrocketing my heartbeat, and settling at my core that aches with a craving I can't explain.
It feels forbidden, yet burns with a raw intensity, a fragile yearning - and for a moment, just this moment, all I want is to indulge it.
"Artemis..." I say his name in a whisper, breathing it out like a silent plea.
He exhales through his lips, raspy and hot, seemingly losing his patience - just as something hard pokes at my lower belly.
I immediately feel his hand on my hip, letting go and moving to the back of my naked thigh, starting from the back of my knee and slowly sliding up.
Oh, god.
Oh, god...
With every inch of skin he explores with his fingers, sparks surge through my entire body. His hands are warm, roughened from his brutal nature, and yet they touched me so softly, intentionally wreaking havoc with the fire they ignited in me.
It hits me in all the wrong places, shooting straight into my core at an alarming speed - it's a delicious train of disaster; his touch, that is.
And although I fight it, I can't help the sound that comes from my throat.
He finally stops just where the tip of my shorts begin, and I think he's done until he slides a finger in, tracing it closer to the spot between my thighs.
This time, I moan out loud before I can stop myself, pressing my lower half into him and grinding against his hardness, and I can swear that I was being possessed by a force that rendered my logic useless.
"Fuck." He swears under his breath, the sound feverish with a desperate need. He suddenly squeezes my body against his, pressing his face into my hair before breathing in my scent.
I expect my human smell to repel him, but he groans like a tortured man before pulling away and whispering in a rough voice.
"You smell so good; so fucking delectable."
Oh, in this very moment, my mind's practically yelling at me to resist, to push him away. Yet, my body, it's dancing to its own tune. It craves more of that sensation, that intense rush that engulfs me whenever he's near.
It's as if every fiber of my being is entangled in this irresistible longing, aching for his touch, his taste. And I let myself drown in this momentary pleasure, sinking deeper and deeper into my own doom.
His lips graze my ear ever so slowly, sucking lightly, and a soft moan escapes my lips again. I let him savor more of me with a gradual deliberate descent to my neck, intoxicating me with more of this sweet poison.
And just before he can go further, loud, blasting music echoes through the floor below us, vibrating the entire room and cutting right through whatever trance we're in.
Essentially killing the mood.
Artemis freezes in place instantly, almost like he's suddenly conscious of what's going on between us. There's a moment of silence, no movement, and the reality sinks in for both of us.
That's all it takes.
He lets go of me instantly, raising both hands off my body.
"You can get up."
"Oh, yeah." I say awkwardly, jumping off him in the next second as if I've been burnt and putting more distance between us now. The cold bites me my skin.
I grab a jacket - his jacket - sitting around, and I wear it immediately to hide my skin now, and thankfully, he doesn't complain, also looking away from me awkwardly.
God, this is embarrassing.
A moment of silence passes again, this time too loud to ignore, coupled with the subtle throbbing that remains between my thighs.