Chapter 245: Welcome To My World
I wasn’t too proud to admit that I completely froze as Désiré got up off his lounge chair on the other side of Dimitri and walked over to where I was still lying on Salvatore.
"I have to admit," I said, clearing my throat. "I didn’t see this coming. I thought you hated me."
With his heart literally in his hands, Désiré shrugged his shoulders. "People all have assumptions about Lust, both the demon and the sin. There is a reason why people differentiate between in love and in lust. And everyone knows that being in lust is only a temporary state."
It was like I had swallowed my tongue; I had no idea how to respond to his statement. However, I don’t think it was necessary. While Désiré might be looking in my direction, he wasn’t looking at me.
"When others see me, either as a demon or before, I was always nothing more than a quick fuck. The man that could give imaginable pleasure, but not one you would take home to meet the parents. I have perfected acting like that... but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t rip out my heart every time it happens."
Shaking his head, he blinked his eyes, and I could tell that I had his attention back again. "You terrify me," he admitted with a sigh. "You are everything that I would or would possibly want. If I had the ability to create my dream woman, you are her. Your strength, your humor, your ability to keep going even when the world is literally crashing down around you draws me in like a moth to the flame."
I remained silent, taking in his words just like all the guys around me were doing. None of us make a joke or tried to relieve the tension. We were all there for him, just like we would continue to be in the future.
But it surprised me just how much his words were different from the Lust and Désiré I had seen before. Then again, we all wear a mask, especially when it came to the fear of being hurt.
Letting out a long breath, Désiré continued. "You met Pride and Greed first before I ever came around, and you had known them for almost your entire life. How could I compete with them? No sane person would pick a ’man whore’ over two beings that held your hand through thick and thin. I thought I could just brush it off, make myself slimy enough to turn your stomach. That way, I could justify it as I was the one who turned you away, not that you saw the real me and still chose to reject me in favor of one of my brothers."
"I get it," I replied, my eyes never leaving his own. I could see the self hatred inside the golden orbs as they clung to me like I was a lifeline and he was drowning. It was the same look I knew I would have seen in the mirror after Père made his demands. When you think you are too dirty for something clean, you will put up the walls to protect yourself. It was only natural.
Holding out my hand, everyone around us watched as Lust’s shard floated across the distance between me and him before resting in my palm. "There was never a chance in hell that I would ever choose between any of you," I continued, looking up at the demon in front of me.