Page 22 of Falling for Lucifer

E llodie woke up in alarm. Something wasn’t right.

She felt too well rested, and her breasts ached.

As she looked around the master bedroom through squinted, tired eyes, she recalled feeding Etta only one time during the night.

It had been right after she mustered up the energy to shower after sexing Lucifer for hours.

She’d gotten into bed, and Lucifer brought Etta to her.

She fell asleep feeding her, and since then, she’d slept like a damn rock.

“Damn,” she muttered as she tossed the thick covers off her.

As soon as she stood, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand where she left it the night before after her nap.

It hadn’t been touched since then. She unlocked the phone and saw a text from her father, a text from Yasmine, and a text from Lucifer.

The one from Lucifer was most important because she had a feeling he had Etta.

Those two were joined at the hip, but she wanted to be sure before she took her time getting to her baby.

After clicking on the text thread, she smiled.

Lu: Take your time, love. Me and baby girl are kickin’ it in the living room. She’s fed and happy. I know them titties is hurtin’. Go ahead and pump

She blushed. It should feel weird to talk to a man who wasn’t the father of her baby about all the changes her body was going through, but it didn’t.

Lucifer had been there from day one. He had seen it all.

Her leaky boobs, the extended bleeding, the hormones, the extra fat around her stomach .

. . She no longer had any shame with the happenings of her body when it came to Lucifer.

He always supported her and made her feel like the most attractive woman in the world.

Ellodie took her time getting herself together.

She felt a little sore after last night, so she allowed herself to move slowly.

Etta was in good hands. Lucifer knew Etta’s feeding schedule and how to properly defrost the breastmilk.

She rarely cried when she was with him, so Ellodie had nothing to worry about.

She allowed herself the luxury of getting lost in her mind as she went through the motions of pumping and then showering. Thoughts of Lucifer and the night before consumed her. She swore she had a permanent blush, though her dark skin wouldn’t show it.

By the time she walked into the living room with her biker shorts and one of Lucifer’s white T-shirts, she felt refreshed and like a whole new woman.

“There’s my baby.” Ellodie’s smile was instant when she saw Etta on the floor doing tummy time.

Lucifer, who lay on the floor facing the baby, glanced up with his own smile. “You was looking for me, love?”

She giggled and decided to play along. “Yup. Looking just for you.” Ellodie got onto the ground with Etta and Lucifer before scooping Etta up and kissing her all over her face. “Mommy’s baby. How are you this morning?”

Etta fussed a bit as Ellodie lay on her back, cuddling Etta to her chest.

“Why you disturbing my baby for? She was just fine doing her lil tummy time,” Lucifer teased as he watched them.

Ellodie smacked her lips. “I swear she only likes you anymore.”

“Nah, that ain’t true, love. Look at her. She’s all over you.”

Ellodie looked down at Etta, who had a fistful of her shirt in her hand and her mouth wide open. With her eyes rolling upward, Ellodie said, “She’s looking for milk, bae. She literally looks at me like a milk factory.”

Lucifer laughed loudly as Ellodie sat up and lifted her shirt so Etta could eat.

Although she just pumped before her shower, her breast didn’t seem to ever have a shortage of milk.

She was blessed in that way. Breastfeeding Etta had been a beautiful experience, and she already dreaded the day it would have to end.

She secretly kind of looked forward to it, too, but she felt bad admitting that, even to herself.

She was ready for her body to finally be hers again.

“She loves you, baby,” Lucifer said as his gaze stayed on Etta. “Just like I do.”

Ellodie’s breath caught in her throat as her gaze met his. She didn’t think she would ever tire of hearing those words. “I love you too.”

He grinned. “Bet. So, y’all live here with me now.”

He didn’t say it as a question. It was a statement, which caused Ellodie to giggle. “Is that so?”

He tilted his head from his position on the floor next to her.

He lay on his stomach with his arms crossed and his head resting in them.

Quick as lightning, he reached out and snatched her foot.

When he tugged her forward, Ellodie laughed while Etta fussed.

Her mama and daddy were messing up her mealtime.

“Lu, stop,” Ellodie managed to say through her giggles.

“You stop,” he said. When she was close enough, he buried his head into her lap, his hot breath warming her pussy through the thin fabric of her biker shorts.

“Lu—” The word came out in a half moan and a half gasp.

“Hush,” he demanded, cutting her off. He kissed her inner thigh and then rested his head there. “You live with me now, love. I’ll hire someone to pack up your condo and bring your things here. You own it, right?”

Ellodie nodded. “It’s not paid off though.”

“That’s okay. We can rent it out or use it as an Airbnb.”

“You’re sure about this?” It wasn’t something Ellodie needed to think about.

She didn’t want to go back to her home. She especially didn’t want to take Etta back there.

Not after Wes muddied it up with such terrible energy.

The trauma of that relationship could stay there, but she felt like things with Lucifer were going extremely fast. It felt right to her, but she wanted to be sure he felt the same way.

Lucifer sat up and leaned against the couch.

“Come here.” Ellodie moved slowly so she didn’t disturb Etta, who was finally eating happily.

When she rested between Lucifer’s long legs, she leaned into him and breathed a sigh of relief.

Lucifer’s arms had some kind of magic. The entire world melted away when she was pressed up against him, and she felt completely secure and at ease.

She didn’t have to do anything but exist when he was around.

The day would never come where she tired of being around him.

“I ain’t ever been so sure of something in my life, Ello. ”

He kissed her head, and she closed her eyes, soaking the moment in. Finally, she murmured, “Okay.”

What else needed to be said? She didn’t want to go anywhere, and he clearly didn’t want her to go anywhere. That meant they were locked in.

They sat like that until Etta was finished feeding. Lucifer held her while she held her daughter. The only sound was their melodic breaths.

“Give her here,” Lucifer said as soon as Ellodie pulled Etta away from her breast.

Ellodie moved slightly to make room for Etta before she handed her over. Lucifer now had them both in his arms, and Ellodie could tell by the serene look on his face that this moment meant just as much to him as it did to her.

Her phone vibrated on the couch where she dropped it earlier. With a groan, she reached for it. She thought it was Yasmine, but when she saw her dad’s photo on her screen, she froze.

“It’s my dad,” she mumbled before glancing up at Lucifer.

He’d called a few times since the botched christening, but Ellodie didn’t have the words to deal with her parents just yet. She wasn’t mad at her dad, other than being annoyed that he married her mother in the first place, but she still didn’t know what exactly to say to him.

“Answer it, love. That man ain’t do nothin’ to you,” Lucifer encouraged.

Ellodie peeped that Lucifer was always team Ellodie, and he supported her no matter what, but there was a bit of a soft spot there for her father.

She suspected that it had to do with his own upbringing, and guilt clawed at her.

How could she continue to ignore her father, who clearly wanted a relationship with her, when Lucifer’s father never wanted him to begin with?

That was why she decided to slide her thumb across the screen and answer her father’s call. She didn’t miss the smile on Lucifer’s face, either.

“Hey, Daddy.”

“’Bout time you answered your phone,” he fussed.

She sighed. “I didn’t know what to say.”

Silence stretched between them before Daniel spoke up. “I don’t know what to say a lot of the time, either, sweet pea. There’s a lot I wish you knew, but out of respect for ya mama?—”

“Fuck her?—”

“Watch it, Ellodie. That’s still ya mama, and I refuse to ever do anything to drive a bigger wedge between you two.”

“She does that all on her own, Daddy. There’s nothing more you could do,” Ellodie said absentmindedly as she thought about what secrets her father might be holding in.

It never occurred to her that there might be more going on behind the scenes of her parents’ marriage, other than her mom being the biggest bitch born.

“I didn’t call to talk about her. You know my birthday is this weekend. I want to see my granddaughter.”

Ellodie’s face screwed up. “What am I? Chopped liver?”

“Of course I want to see you too. Lucifer too. We’re having a party?—”

“I don’t think so, Daddy. I’m not bringing Lucifer to another event he isn’t welcome at.”

Lucifer rubbed her arm, and she laid her head on his chest as she tried to calm her nerves. The thought of putting Lucifer in that kind of situation again made her extremely uncomfortable.

“He’s welcome. I already talked to Kamilah. She ain’t got no choice. I pay the bills here, and it’s my birthday. I want my babies here, and I want Lucifer here. End of story.”

Ellodie’s jaw clenched as she breathed deeply. Her phone was suddenly snatched from her hand, and Lucifer’s voice filled her ears as she looked up at him. He had her phone up to his ear and spoke to her father.

“We’ll be there, Daniel.”

Ellodie hated that her dad spoke so loud while on the phone.

He was true old-school in that way. He thought he needed to shout to be heard, and now Lucifer’s nosy ass was signing them up for another gathering she didn’t want to be a part of.

She would much rather take her father to dinner in a more private setting, and most importantly, without her mother.

Ellodie was about to suggest that when Lucifer grabbed her phone.

“Lucifer, my man,” she heard her father say. “I look forward to seeing you. This Saturday at five.”

“Bet,” Lucifer said before they said their goodbyes.

Ellodie glared at him as he tossed her phone back on the couch. “Now why the hell did you do that?”

Lucifer hugged her tightly to him. “Because I fuck with yo’ daddy.”

Ellodie pouted. “He’s married to a she-devil, in case you forgot.”

Lucifer chuckled. “You’re cute when you’re mad.”

“Lu, I’m serious. I don’t want to be around that woman. How can you after what happened last time?”

“It ain’t about her,” he replied as if it was that simple.

She shook her head. “I just don’t want you to feel unwelcome anywhere. That thought makes me crazy,” she admitted.

The way she felt so protective over him should have been studied.

She never understood women who didn’t play about their men.

She never had that with Wes. But Lucifer pulled something different out of her, and it felt like she finally understood what it was like to be ride or die for a man.

Because she would gladly protect him and do what she had to do to keep him safe every minute of every day, hands down, no questions asked.

“It’s all good, baby,” he said, turning her head so she looked at him. “Besides, we ain’t faking no more.”

She beamed at him, and suddenly, whatever she had just been so worried about no longer mattered. “You’re right, we aren’t.”

“No more playing pretend,” Lucifer said with a smile of his own before he kissed her.

When they pulled away, she gazed into his eyes with love spilling from every one of her pores. With him by her side, everything would always be okay. All was right in her world as she said, “No more playing pretend.”