Page 3

Lydia

“So,” I said, pausing long enough to spoon a mouthful of pistachio ice cream into my mouth. It wasn’t my favorite flavor, but it was the only brand of vegan ice cream Stanley produced regularly, so I had to make do. “When were you going to tell me about this pheromones thing?”

Angelo shrugged, lifting the plastic spoon to his lips with exaggerated slowness. With any other man, I might have found the suggestive lick eye-roll-worthy. But Angelo’s little display actually made me jealous of the utensil. Many things had gone unseen, untouched, and definitely unlicked in my life for years. It was embarrassing to realize that I was watching him eat a strawberry sundae with sprinkles with the same enthusiasm men had when ogling topless women in magazines.

“Soon. I only noticed it myself a week ago when I saw you two at a client meeting for the first time. I trust Vin about as far as I can kick him, but he’s not generally one to mix business with feeding. He’s more professional than that. I was pretty sure he wouldn’t come onto you until you were officially single.”

I scowled down at the small plastic cup. My ice cream was quickly turning into a green soupy mess. The poor jelly beans were sinking like stones, lost from sight the moment they tumbled in.

“Yeah, because that assessment worked out so well for me in the courthouse.” I looked up at him then. “If you hadn’t come in when you did, I think he would have done worse.”

Angelo’s eyes changed. It wasn’t much or for long, but I caught the promise of a second beating within their depths. For just an instant, I could see and feel him for what he was. Beneath the mask, he wasn’t human. He might think like me on occasion, but he’d never been what I was. And he never would be. We were from two separate worlds, and his was a hell of a lot harsher than mine.

“I think I left a few inches of him unbruised. I could remedy that if you like.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to contain a smile. Angelo would probably take it as an invitation to exact a little retribution on Vin. While I certainly thought the incubus deserved the beating he’d gotten, setting Angelo on him twice seemed excessive. I mean, Vin had been trying to look out for Angelo in his own twisted way. But if I ever heard of him trying it again on anybody else, I would deliver the next beating personally. I had the powers of a demon, a faerie, and a night hag fused to my soul, thanks to Indigo. Next time, I’d know how to use at least one of their skill sets.

“I think he got the message.”

Angelo scowled at his spoon, clearly disappointed that there wasn’t more sugary goodness clinging to its contours. He stabbed it back into his bowl, digging out a whole strawberry. He then popped it into his mouth and chewed slowly.

“He still touched you. I don’t like that.”

“Because I’m yours?” I asked.

“No, because he scared you. Uncertainty can be fun; terror, not so much. I never want you to be scared of me.” He paused, considered it, then amended, “Well, any more than is appropriate.” I laughed at that, but he continued. “I plan to use a whip on you at some point. If you aren’t scared of some of the things I like, I might be concerned about your mental health. I am a demon, after all.”

Another laugh slipped past my careful control. I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t sure if I should have been scared or anticipatory. What was more, I couldn’t believe I was sitting here calmly discussing my sexual fantasies with a literal handsome devil like Angelo. Rodney would have tapped out of this conversation in seconds. He’d never said it aloud, but I sensed he thought I shouldn’t like or care about sex as much as he did. My libido seemed to confuse and disgust him on the rare occasion we discussed our sex life.

“I don’t have a lot of experience in that area,” I admitted. “Rodney wasn’t into it.”

“Rodney is a moron,” Angelo said, flicking a bug off the table before it could reach his sundae. “I suppose I should be glad for that. If he were worth anything, you’d be here with him, not me.”

I ducked my chin and scooped up a runny spoonful of pistachio ice cream to conceal my grin. It was petty, but I was really enjoying the casual disparagement of my ex after this morning’s court debacle.

“Circling back to the original topic,” I said, jabbing my spoon at him. “What’s this about the pheromones? What happened?”

Angelo’s shoulders lifted in another helpless shrug. “I went to the coven after I noticed Vin wasn’t having an effect on you.”

“The coven?”

He nodded. “Those old biddies are usually the best to consult in cases like this.”

“And?”

“And as best as they can figure, it’s a fluke. You’ve siphoned my magic, which means you’re keyed into my pheromones specifically. It made you less susceptible to the pheromones of others, including Vin.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t think telling you would be an issue. As far as I knew, you didn’t plan to hook up with other demons.” He paused and studied me. “Was I wrong?”

The tone was teasing, but the mocking smile didn’t reach his eyes. The answer mattered to him, no matter what he said to the contrary.

“I’m a one-demon kind of girl,” I answered with a smirk. “But if you happen to find a handsome devil who wants to sign on for a long-term situationship, tell him to call me.”

Angelo’s reply was succinct.

In a movement graceful enough to defy probability, he moved my ice cream out of his way, seized my chin, and pulled my face up for a searing kiss. The sweet burst of strawberry on my tongue drew a moan from my throat. I was breathing hard when Angelo pulled away, a satisfied gleam in his eyes. My heart raced, like he’d already put me through my paces. The man could reduce me to a puddle with just a kiss. I wasn’t sure I could survive a roll in the hay.

“Let me rephrase,” he said in a husky undertone. “Am I the only one you want?”

It was a deceptively simple question with a needlessly complicated answer, mainly because it was sometimes hard to tell where I ended and Indigo began. My desires and memories had blended with hers in my subconscious. And that meant I couldn’t deny that a part of me longed for Indigo’s lost love, Anthony. It was especially difficult these days, with the man himself strutting around Haven Hollow looking mournful and disturbingly attractive, though we’d never so much as kissed.

“I think the more pertinent question is if you want to be exclusive,” I managed. “You’re the sex demon with a reputation to uphold, after all.”

“My reputation can go to hell,” he answered almost too quickly. Then those searing eyes were on mine again. “I want you. I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you. The question is: do you want me?”

I stared at him, unsure of how to respond. The answer was an unequivocal yes, but I’d expected it to take a lot more ribbing to get the truth from him. It took a second to unknot my tongue and answer him.

“Y-yes?”

Angelo’s lips tilted up in an utterly sinful fashion. It was the look he gave me before he said something he knew would make me squeal in mock outrage.

“You don’t sound sure.”

“No, I’m—“

“—Stanley isn’t the only one here who gives free samples, Bean. I’d gladly give you a taste.”

I smacked his bicep, which only elicited a deep, husky laugh in reply. Even with my increased strength, it didn’t hurt him. He was way bigger than I was, and he was an actual demon, not a human woman with add-ons.

“Stop it!”

“Stop grinning at me, and I’ll feel less inclined to scandalize you.”

But it was impossible not to smile when I was looking at him. He was... well, in some ways, he’d become my very best friend. He’d rescued me from almost certain death at the auction, helped me sort through the trauma of that, put up with the weirdness surrounding Indigo, and made me feel... desirable. That last part was probably the strangest part of all. My bedroom had died long before the marriage with Rodney had.

“I like it when you scandalize me,” I confessed in a small voice.

It came out soft, almost sad, and I saw the impact on Angelo’s face immediately. Sometimes he reacted to emotional problems in a relationship like a baffled anthropologist, unsure of why I’d done what I’d done. The words didn’t match the tone, and he knew it.

“Lydia—”

I raised a hand. “It’s not about you. It’s... I was thinking about Rodney.”

“Oh.” He didn’t like that—I could tell.

“I like your teasing,” I continued. “Rodney never did that. He basically came home, decided when or if he was in the mood, and did the bare minimum. I gave up hope of ever feeling...” I gestured between us helplessly. “Like this. Of course, I want to be with you. You make me feel...”

I trailed off, unsure of how to finish. We were heading rapidly toward sticky feelings territory. I wasn’t sure a public place was the right locale to discuss exactly how I felt for my demonic roomie.

Angelo’s hand caught mine. He wound our fingers together, and the warmth of his skin felt heavenly against my palm.

“I make you feel what?”

“Wanted,” I finished. “It’s nice to know you mean it. Rodney... I think he fell out of love with me early on, if he ever actually was in love with me in the first place. But I’m pretty sure that towards the end, he just wanted to keep me on as a glorified secretary he could sometimes sleep with. He only ever stepped up when it looked like I might decide to leave his sorry ass. If I’d met you back then...”

Angelo’s eyes brightened. “A torrid love affair would have commenced.”

I gave him a look. “Mmm hmm.”

He laughed. “You know you couldn’t have resisted me if I’d pursued you. And I would have pursued you. A woman as lovely as you deserves all the attention she’s due.”

Heat flushed into my face as I tried to picture the scene. It would have been something out of a porno—the handsome realtor seducing the lonely married woman while her husband was away.

“Now there’s a roleplay. An empty house, my husband is away...”

An almost sub-audible thrum made my bones quiver just a little. It was a sympathetic vibration. I could almost feel the gut-knotting hunger Angelo was trying to suppress. My mouth went dry, and I had trouble swallowing when his hand ghosted up my arm, settling in the bend of my elbow as he leaned in towards me.

“That’s my girl. Always finding the silver lining. I have to admit, I like the idea of seducing you as a married woman more and more now that you’ve framed it that way. We’ll start in my office first, but we’re definitely keeping that one in mind.”

The insides of my ribcage felt bruised from the force of my hammering heart. The anticipation was going to kill me. Suddenly, it didn’t seem so crazy to nip back to my loft with the remainder of our ice cream in tow. There were more interesting places for the sugary confections to be dribbled.

A soft cough drew both our attention. I jumped as if I’d been caught in the act, letting out an undignified squeak. Angelo’s reaction was more subdued. He released me from the hold of his power, easing back into his seat with an almost petulant set to his shoulders.

I glanced up and froze, a plain rabbit in the sights of a gorgeous golden eagle. The woman beside me was nothing short of stunning, and my confidence dribbled away like tissue paper in a downpour. I knew who I was looking at. I’d hoped I wouldn’t see her today, given Rodney’s absence, but I was learning that fate liked to screw me personally. I was pretty sure it was Indigo’s bad karma coming back to bite us both. Except it was always my ass that ended up bitten.

The woman flashed us both a dazzling smile before offering her hand to me. “Hello, Ms. Morton. I’m Andrea Reyes. I wanted to talk to you about Rodney.”