Page 16

Kaz

“ F ucking yoga.”

Kaz slumped over the kitchen island, every muscle in his body screaming to be put out of its misery. He could do hours of cardio and bench press the combined weight of the boxing gym’s staff. Easy peasy.

But yoga?

“Torture” was too pleasant a word for the trauma he had endured in that incense clouded studio.

He’d laid on his back like a dead bug and wished for the sweet release of death.

It never came. Instead, soccer moms had bent themselves into pretzels around him, silently laughing at his pathetic attempts at downward dog.

The demon crammed another bite of plain oatmeal into his mouth. Even his stupid jaw hurt.

Soft footsteps padded across the tile behind him. Kaz glanced over his shoulder. The ache in his body faded into the background as he turned to face the best view in the house.

With a threadbare t-shirt hanging down to her hips and spandex shorts hugging her curvy thighs, Miri was a vision of sleepy temptation.

His hands curled into fists in his lap. It would be impolite to drag the lush little human into his lap and bury his fingers in her haphazard curls before she’d had a sip of coffee.

He wasn’t a complete monster.

“Don’t you have work today?” he asked, finally finding his voice. He glanced at his watch. “Shouldn’t school have started by now?”

Not that Kaz was complaining. Every minute spent with her sweet smiles was a win in his book.

“Spring break.” Miri shrugged. “Except for some prep I have to do for parent teacher conferences, I have the week off.”

Lifting the muffin container off the counter, she gave it a small shake. Clouds darkened her tired eyes. Kaz pointedly took a bite of his oatmeal. He definitely hadn’t eaten the last muffin. No, ma’am. He was eating boring, unsweetened oatmeal like he did every morning.

Miri tossed the empty container on the counter. “Are you guys ever going to leave my house or are you trying to clear out my pantry first?”

“I’ll have Duke grab some groceries on the way home tonight.” The demon beamed at her soft scowl. Even uncaffienated and grumpy, she was adorable. “You’re stuck with us, babe.”

The rest of the demonic Brady Bunch had dipped off to work hours ago, but not before their impromptu pajama meeting when they had agreed that one demon should stay in the house at all times. Otherwise, she might change the locks on them.

Had they staked a claim on Miri and her house? Yes… but she had staked a claim in their heads first. So really, this was her fault. Two days and the curvy redhead was all any of them could think about— the angelic little tease.

“It’s a two bedroom house,” she huffed. “There’s not enough room for four demons to set up camp on my couch. I mean, I’m all for cuddling but at that point I’d have to stack you like pancakes.”

“Who said anything about your couch?”

Kaz offered her a bite of oatmeal as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Eyes locked on her mouth, his heart skipped a beat as her pink tongue swiped an errant oat from the corner of her mouth.

He was never leaving. Period.

“That is terrible.” Miri grimaced at his bowl. “I take it you couldn’t find the brown sugar?”

“No, I just eat it plain. No one wants a boxing lesson from a trainer in a carb coma.”

“Carb coma? I watched you eat half a tray of lasagna the other night.”

Kaz shrugged. “It was my cheat day.”

Her grimace smoothed into a wince. Curls bounced free of her haphazard bun with each sad shake of her head.

“Just in case no one has had the courage to tell you before, I’m sorry to have to inform you—“ Leaning over the counter, she patted his hand— “you lead a very sad life.”

Kaz barked out a laugh. “It’s not that bad!”

“It is, Kaz. It really is.”

“It’s not my fault everyone wants to have a hot girl summer,” he protested. “I’m just doing my part for social media influencers everywhere.”

“How selfless of you.”

Miri sipped her coffee and turned to poke around in the refrigerator.

“Speaking of my selfless sacrifices for the good of mankind?—“

She snorted. “We definitely weren’t.”

“—I’ve been shielding you from Duke’s wings for the past two nights, so I think we need to talk about getting a bigger bed. Because if I take a wing to the face one more time, I’m may have to kill the big, purple bastard.”

Closing the fridge, she slid a box of butter and a carton of eggs across the counter.

“Or—and I’m just spitballing here—you could go back to your own apartment. With your own bed. Where there are no wings to hit you in the face.”

Kaz studied her face. Nose wrinkled in a frown, he couldn’t tell if she was being serious or not. Reaching across the island, he fisted Miri’s t-shirt and gently dragged her around to his side. He turned on his stool and trapped her with his knees.

“Is that really what you want?” the demon asked quietly.

If she said yes, they would pack their bags and leave. They might be a pushy bunch of demons, but they weren’t assholes. Kaz craved her like a thirsty man in the desert, but he wouldn’t stay where he wasn’t wanted.

Her frown crumbled. Mumbling under her breath, she looked down at the clawed hand tangled in her shirt.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know, okay. Maybe?” Miri sighed.

Raising her eyes, she fixed him with a flat stare.

“I was just trying to get laid, but now there are four demons living in my house and I don’t know how to handle that.

Some moments, I love having you here… and then there are others where I want to tear my hair out.

I really like all of you, but you guys are a lot. Like a lot .

“The only one of you with an inside voice is Duke and that’s because he barely speaks.

All of my yogurt is gone. I can’t find my favorite pair of leggings in the pile of laundry and one of you used all of my conditioner.

Do you have any idea how expensive curl products are, Kaz?

I actually have to work it into the budget every month. ”

Okay, that was a lot of information being thrown at him, but… thank fuck. A no was a no, but he could work with maybe.

Dropping his hands to her hips, Kaz slipped his fingers under the hem of her shirt. Her skin warmed his arms as he slipped them around her waist.

“We like being here too. As long as you’re here, everything else can be fixed. Extra yogurt on the grocery list, a quiet hour after dinner, etc.”

Resting his chin between her breasts, he looked up at her round face.

“We’ll do whatever you need to be okay with us staying.” He smirked at her soft smile. “And really, this is all your fault.”

“My fault?” She moved to shove him back, but Kaz tightened his arms around her hips. “How is four demons haunting my house my fault?”

“The house is too inviting. It’s warm and cozy—hell, even the air smells like you. If you didn’t want a bunch of monsters to move in and drool all over you, you should have put up a Do Not Disturb sign.”

Not that that would have been much of a deterrent. One look at her bright smile and lush curves and a demon infestation was inevitable.

“The air smells like me?” Miri raised a brow, a smile curling the corner of her mouth.

Kaz pressed his nose into her shirt and inhaled.

“Brown sugar, vanilla, and your apparently expensive coconut shampoo.” He flashed her a fanged grin. “You’re like demon catnip.”

“You’re so ridiculous.” Laughing, she pushed him back and freed herself from his arms.

Maybe he was ridiculous. But Kaz wasn’t lying. Every little hint of coconut was making his mouth water and his cock swell. It was no wonder none of them wanted to leave when she left a scent trail of pure temptation in her wake.

And that wasn’t even taking into account her sweet laugh and the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. Four big, bad, fanged demons… and they were felled by a sugary sweet little redhead with a pretty smile.

Their ancestors were somewhere laughing their asses off right now.

Kaz propped his elbows on the island and watched his new obsession move around the kitchen. Bending over to fish out a baking sheet from a cabinet, Miri was oblivious to his front row view of her thin spandex shorts stretching over her curvy ass.

Fuck. Taking a deep breath, he forced it slowly out through his nose. If she kept that up, he would have no choice but to peel those shorts down her thick thighs and fuck her right there on the kitchen island.

His legs twitched as though to force him from his seat and a wave of pain shot down his thigh. He scrubbed his knuckles over the whiny muscle.

On second thought, Miri was getting a reprieve. They could christen the kitchen counter another day… or year. The idea of moving his aching body any time in the near future made him want to throw up a little.

Tugging at the increasingly tight front of his shorts, Kaz shifted in his seat. It was going to be a long day.

Miri straightened up and he was forced to swallow a groan. Her full breasts swayed under her shirt with each tiny movement. Gaze focus like a laser, he did his best to see straight through her t-shirt at the braless flesh underneath.

Too bad demons didn’t have x-ray vision. Fucking genetics.

Kaz clenched his fists in his lap. “What are you baking”

His voice was barely above a rough growl as he tried to distract himself with small talk. Faking a small cough, he cleared his throat.

“Dark chocolate macadamia nut cookies.” Miri laid a cutting board down in front of her and dropped a stack of chocolate bars on top. A sharp knife appeared in her hand. “You barbarians ate all my muffins and if I don’t start my day with chocolate, I’m an absolute monster.”

She looked up from her careful dicing and winked at him. “No pun intended.”