Chapter 38

Beatrice

I was bored out of my skull and frustrated that I had no idea what was going on. I’d had to leave my phone at the apartment. Even if Gryph had a landline, I didn’t know anyone’s number. The numbers were all on my phone.

There was a knock on the door and I froze. It was still daylight. While there were some humans living in the vampire subdivision, most also slept during the day. No one should be stopping by. I decided I was likely being paranoid. Besides, I didn’t need to answer the door. Creeping into the front room, I quietly made my way to the front door and peered through the peephole.

“It can’t be,” I breathed out.

Lucifer stood shirtless on the front porch. His large black wings rested behind him.

“Open the door, Beatrice,” Lucifer told me from the other side. I was tempted to change into a falcon again and take flight out the backdoor. I had no idea how fast fallen angels could fly, so I wasn’t sure I could escape him.

“Why are you here?” I asked through the door.

“To talk,” he replied. “I know you’re angry.”

The bastard’s lips twitched when he mentioned my anger.

“Why are you so amused by my anger?” I demanded.

“Not amused so much as pleased,” he admitted with a shrug. “Before you get any madder at me, let me explain. I’m glad you aren’t afraid of me.”

That gave me pause. I imagined most people were afraid of him. With a sigh, I opened the door, partly because I felt ridiculous hiding on the other side. Clearly, Lucifer wasn’t going to hurt me. If he’d wanted to hurt me, he would have already broken down the door.

I stepped back to let him enter and tried not to gawk at all his gorgeous exposed skin. No matter how angry I was with him, I couldn’t deny that he was an incredibly attractive man. I wanted to run my fingers over every chiseled inch of his body and brush my cheek against his silky black feathers. They looked soft and inviting. I’d never expected to find wings attractive on a man.

He reached for me, but then stopped and ran a hand through his hair as he let out a frustrated breath. “It’s not easy keeping my hands off you when you’re looking at me like that.”

I could have asked what he meant, but I hadn’t been too subtle while checking him out. “It’s hard to resist. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you. I feel like a complete idiot. You really are the most beautiful angel.”

“I’m glad you didn’t recognize me,” he stated. “Not because I wanted to trick you. I didn’t want you to have any preconceived notions about who I am.”

“You were sure I’d judge you,” I grumbled. “You don’t have much faith in me.”

“It’s my own insecurities that were the problem,” he confessed. This wasn’t easy for him to admit. “I’ve been trying to find the right woman. The only women interested in getting involved with me are sex demons, and they aren’t looking for a relationship. I’m lonely.”

Before responding, I considered his words. “I guess I can understand that. I’m used to being judged by others, too.”

“But you’re still angry with me for lying to you,” he deduced.

“Yeah, I’m still mad,” I confirmed. “I’m not furious, so that’s an improvement.”

“Does this mean you’ll forgive me?” he asked with a lopsided grin that looked incredibly out of place on a fallen angel.

“I probably will, even though I shouldn’t,” I replied. When he reached for me, I took a step back. “I think we should hold off on touching a little longer.”

“Why’s that?” he asked, his smile turning predatory as if he knew all the dirty thoughts going through my mind as he stood before me in nothing but black dress pants.

“Because I’m not going to let you use sex to get me to forgive you,” I told him before letting out a sharp bark of laughter. “Did I just say I don’t want you to have sex with me?”

“You did,” he confirmed.

“I must be losing my mind,” I muttered.

“You’re right to wait,” he said on a sigh. “We’ve only known each other a short time, and you need to forgive me before we take that step.”

“Seriously?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

He nodded.

“You’re the devil,” I reminded him. “Aren’t you supposed to be all about indulging in hedonistic pleasures?”

He chuckled at my question. “I definitely enjoy indulging in hedonistic pleasures, but you’re worth the wait.”

“I am?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “You are definitely worth the wait. I’ve been around a very long time. I can be an extremely patient man.”

His boast made me laugh.

“Fine,” he relented. “I’m not normally patient, but I’m still willing to wait with you. I want you to give me a chance. Can you do that, knowing that I am Lucifer, Lord of Hell, Angel of Darkness—”

I cut him off. “No need to go through all the titles. I get the picture.”

He nodded. “Knowing all this, can you give me a chance? I’m not a nice man. I do horrible things at times.”

“I’ll give you a chance to prove you deserve another chance,” was my reply.

“That’s an excellent start,” he told me. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet,” I admitted. “Gryph has a lot of food, but I didn’t want to raid his fridge. I feel bad enough about barging in on him like this.”

He nodded. “I’ll have Xavier and Lucy bring food for us.”

“How did you know I was here?” I asked.

“I went to Bliss to talk to Persephone,” he began. “Julia isn’t a very good liar. I’m glad you’re willing to give me another chance.”

“I’m still mad at you,” I grumbled.

“Is there anything I can do to make you less angry with me?” he asked.

“A grilled cheese sandwich will go a long way to convincing me to forgive you,” I replied.

“I’ll call Xavier now,” he assured me.