CHAPTER TWENTY
“The house is on Silver Pine Drive. It’s the only one on the street. You can’t miss it. I swear, Deus, you owe me big time—I got the place with all the furniture included. It cost me more than renovating the apartment.” Lucifer was talking rapidly over the phone.
Deus had a huge smile on his face the whole time. Damn, he loved messing with his brother like this. “That’s great. Hey, transfer me some extra money, would you? I need a car, I am not shadow hopping all over town.”
The cursing on the other end of the phone almost made him laugh. The Sin of Pride had managed to close on a house in a little under three hours. That meant he had paid the seller in cash, and more than likely paid off a few other people not to make a fuss over the sale.
“I swear you are going to kill me one of these days.” The sound of typing on a keyboard came over the phone, and then the rather hard hitting of a key before Lucifer sighed loudly. “There, transfer done. Don’t make a mess up there; I intend to get rid of that house as soon as you’re finished. Keep me in the loop on what you find.”
“Cheers, bro, you’re a shining star.”
“Bite me.”
Deus laughed and hung up the phone. Time to get himself situated in this town. If he had any hope of earning the trust of this Lexi woman he needed to be pristine. The fact he was eager, excited even, didn’t faze him. It had been so long since he desired anything or anyone. He felt like he had been trapped in a cage, and all of a sudden he was free—he could see the sun, feel the air.
He grabbed the entry card for the motel room he had way overpaid for, and literally skipped out of the room. He had a house, now all he needed was a car, and to meet the woman that had opened the door to his soul-numbing prison.
Layla watched Lexi view the online video for the hundredth time. “You know that is only making you more upset. Just stop watching it and come over here and eat.” Layla placed a plate of fresh-cut sandwiches on the table and handed the one with cheese to Annabelle.
The little girl seemed totally oblivious to the situation she had caused. Her little hands grabbed the crustless sandwich and took a bite, her feet swinging back and forth under the chair. She hummed softly to herself as she ate. Layla envied her lack of worry. Here she was worrying about people showing up in town looking for the miracle from God, while Annabelle was thinking more about watching the pegasus fly away this afternoon.
She turned her head as the demon entered the room. His eyes always went to her. He looked upon her like she was his light, which caused a blush to creep over her cheeks. His eyes moved to Lexi and he frowned. Growling softly, he walked over to her and closed the laptop to prevent Lexi starting the video over yet again.
“Hey!” She scowled at him as he grabbed the laptop from her lap and carried it with him to the kitchen. “Give it back!” Lexi turned on the couch and huffed, refusing to move. Layla chuckled. Even though he had helped her sister earlier, and regardless of her being thankful, he was still someone new in her house, someone who was changing the dynamic of her family. It would take Lexi a while before she fully accepted him.
Tan moved to the table. Reaching over Layla he grabbed one of the sandwiches. The scent of pine and his innate energy surrounded her. He moved slowly, lowering his nose to her neck. Layla smiled and tilted her head to the side—every time he touched her or came close her body came alive.
She found she was enjoying this, his closeness, his presence in her life. Even Annabelle liked him; her little ice colored eyes watched the adults with a smile. Layla pushed back against the demon and he retreated, sandwich in hand.
Annabelle grinned and patted the seat beside her. “You can sit here, Wolfie.” Layla smiled, watching him. It looked like he was already wrapped around Annabelle’s little finger.
Layla chuckled and moved around the table to lean down over her daughter. Annabelle tilted her head back so her mother could kiss her forehead. She grinned and went back to her lunch as Layla walked over to her sulking sister.
“You need to eat, Lex.” God, sometimes she felt like their mother.
“I’m not hungry.”
Layla sighed. She knew her sister was lying. Whenever Lexi felt cornered or anxious she always went on the defensive and snapped at everyone. Not only would she want to be alone, it was at times like these that she would vanish into the forest for days. “I’m heading out—good opportunity to catch some animals today, and that winged sarcastic beast is leaving, so I need some pictures.”
With that she pushed herself from the couch. Layla understood her sister’s need to get out of her own head and into the quiet of nature. She just wished Lexi wouldn’t seal herself off like this every time things got difficult.
“Yeah, Stanley is leaving today! I get to watch, right?” Annabelle’s excited voice came from the table.
“Only if you finish your lunch.” Layla stared down at her daughter, causing her to scarf down her sandwich and guzzle her milk like a starving child.
“I’m going to say goodbye to Stanley, Mommy.” Annabelle jumped from her chair and ran to the door. She shoved her feet into her little pink snow boots and ran out the door, leaving it wide open. Sighing, Layla walked to the door and closed it behind her before turning her eyes to the demon.
“Stanley?” His head tilted to the side and then watched as Layla rolled her eyes and sighed.
“It’s what Annabelle called him, just like she named those two bobcats that like to call this place home.”
“You mean Fluffy and—what’s the other one? The big one that keeps trying to scratch me all to hell?”
Layla let out a pained groan. “Buttcheek. That’s what Belle calls him.”
Layla glared at him as he very clearly tried to stop himself from laughing, and that earned him a smack on the shoulder.
“Hey! I didn’t laugh, I just thought about it. See, look, I am growing, learning.”
“Not fast enough for my liking.” Lexi’s terse voice interrupted their moment. She walked from her photo room, loaded with bags carrying different lenses for her cameras. “When are you leaving, anyway?”
“Lexi, that’s enough. He is staying here as long as he wants.” She opened her mouth to shout that he was staying as long as she wanted him to, but they had not even really talked about this attraction between them. Her eyes skipped to his. Their gazes locked and he watched her with an intensity that set her skin on fire.
“You and your damn strays. I’m out, don’t expect me back until it’s gone dark.” Lexi headed to the door, grabbing her bag of winter gear and her winter puffer jacket. She pulled open the door and was greeted by a blast of cold air.
“Lexi, don’t be out there all night. You are not immune to hyperthermia, you know.” Layla wrung her hands worriedly in her shirt.
“Yeah, yeah, thanks, Mom.” With that she headed out, slamming the door behind her, leaving Layla and Tan in silence.
“She doesn’t like me much; maybe it would be best if I did leave.” Tan was standing now.
Layla turned around quickly, her eyes wide. “No! I mean, I just, I don’t want you to go.” There, she said it.
His flickering blue eyes locked on hers as he closed the distance between them, making her tilt her head back to look up at him. He reached out, his fingers brushing along her cheek and leaving flames in their wake. Her breathing caught in her throat. God, how did the idea of him walking away freeze her heart like this? She barely knew him. Hell, he didn’t know himself.
“You want me to stay?” His voice stroked over her skin, sinking deep, marking her. No other man would ever have the same effect on her—she knew this in her very bones.
She opened her mouth to answer but the words dried up on her tongue. Instead of talking she just nodded slowly. It was crazy, more than insane. Only days before he had been a mad beast intent on killing her. Now here he was, a man, a demon even. No memory, and no idea why he was being tormented by a damn angel, and all Layla could think was without him here her life would be less bright.
He growled low, pulling her body closer to his, molding her to him. His mouth covered hers, tongue sweeping deep, sending tiny shocks through her. Layla wrapped her arms around his neck. His hair was soft, and the stroke of her fingers through it brought a low purring sound from his throat.
His kiss turned harder and he backed her up to the breakfast counter. Strong hands roamed down her hips to her legs and she was lifted, her ass sliding onto the counter. Layla parted her thighs and he stepped between them, pulling her hard against him. His fingers kneaded her ass, a low groan filling the kiss. That sound turned her body into a pliant slave.
Layla gasped, feeling the hard ridge of his cock pressing against her through her pants. It had been so long since anyone had touched her there—only her own fingers and her imagination had been her companion. Since Richard had turned into a bastard literally overnight, no other man had come close to her. Even dates did not appeal to her. Not until Tan—his mouth, his touch—he made her feel alive again.
The demon took full advantage of her gasp, wrenching full control of the kiss and plundering her mouth with his tongue, his hands tightening on her hips. They were alone for the first time all day. Layla trusted her daughter with the animals, and her sister was out sulking in the snow. This might be the only time she had to be with the man that had relit a fire she long thought dead.
Her fingers ran down his chest, digging into the shirt. She popped the buttons and pushed the shirt from his shoulders. The demon responded by nipping hard at her bottom lip, then trailing his mouth from her lips and down her throat. The soft panting spurred him on, his lips trailing over the column of her neck. Layla tilted her head to the side as her nails scratched along his arms and over his shoulders.
“If you keep that up, woman, I’m going to rip those pants off and make you scream.” Could one orgasm from words alone? She damn well felt like she could. His voice rumbled through her, making her body tighten. His voice needed to be outlawed.
Goosebumps erupted all over her skin as she panted, turning her head so her lips found his again. He made the loneliness go away. He drove it off with his hot sinful mouth and hard body. He made her feel safe, needed, and craved—that was the most erotic thing Layla had ever experienced.
Her soft moans wrapped around his insides, stroking, calling on the darker part of his soul to come out to play—come out and claim. She ignited something deep inside him, and he knew just what it was. The beast stirred, but not in anger or rage, he stirred in primal need as his tongue explored deeply. Her taste was exotic, sending sparks down into his groin. He needed to feel her skin, needed to be inside her, to taste her. It was a craving unlike any he’d had before, scratching at his insides.
His fingers ran down, brushing along the edge of her pants. His breathing deepened. He felt like he was about to lose his mind. He wanted to lay her back, strip the clothes from her, and fuck her—there was nothing sweet about what he needed from her. Pulling back quickly, he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back. Sweat glistened on his face as he looked over her, the scraping worse.
“What’s wrong, Tan?” Layla looked at his face. The scent of her arousal was shredding his fragile control. He panted softly, his body shook, and he hung his head forward, praying for strength. “Speak to me, did I do something wrong?”
He lifted his eyes to hers. “I’m sorry, I felt the beast. He was coming out. It wanted you, like I want you.” His voice was strained—his desire had not dimmed at all. The fact she was not running from him made him crave her even more.
Closing his eyes, he could see it; the animal prowled back and forth in his mind—it hungered for the female with a voracity that bordered on insane. He knew how the beast felt, because he felt the same way. Licking his lips, he lifted his eyes again. He breathed in her scent, growled low, and leaned in, brushing his nose up her throat.
“I want you so badly I can taste it, but so does he. I don’t know what will happen, Layla.”
Layla reached out and cupped his face with her hands, bringing his eyes back up to hers. Brushing her fingers over the beard that covered his jaw, she smiled. The sensation of her fingers was so good he felt it all the way through his body. He felt like arching against her, anything so she would keep touching him.
“He doesn’t scare me. I want him to come out. I want to show you we can be together, and you don’t need to fear. I have a knack with animals, you know.”
He opened his eyes and swallowed hard. What if he let the beast go and attacked her again? Whatever Michael had done to him had caused him to lose his memory, and his very essence. He could not risk her as well. He shook his head and pulled away from her.
“I know you do, I feel it. Your voice, your scent—everything calls to me, to him. I need you, but I won’t risk you. I would never come back from that.” Tan reached out and sank his fingers into her hair.
He watched in rapt thrall as she licked her lips and slowly smiled. What was she scheming in that pretty head of hers? “Do you trust me, Wolfman?” He could only nod as she leaned in, placing a sweet kiss against his lips.
Tan locked his eyes on hers. He trusted her fully. Something inside him recognized the fact that he did not trust easily. She nodded slowly, and the smile she gave him made his cock jump. In that second, she was pure seductress. She was like some mythical angel, one of the good ones, and she was handing him a gift.
“Good. I want you to put your hands on the counter. Don’t move them. Promise?” The glint of seduction in her eyes had his skin tightening and his body burning.
“I will not move my hands.” Hell, he would superglue the damn things down if he had to. If that look of sin in her eyes was anything to go by, he was not going to break this promise.
Layla was not about to lose the ground they found together. He might be scared, and she fully understood why. Not a chance in hell she was walking away from the one man that made her hormones do a happy dance and her body come alive with the slightest touch. An idea had formed in her mind, and she was going to show him just how safe she was with him.
She licked her lips and slid from the counter, her eyes locked on his the whole time. She ran her fingers down his chest, slowly following each intricate tattoo. She watched every muscle tense, every breath as it rushed through him. Each shiver that tracked over his flesh. Leaning in, she flicked out her tongue against his nipple. The demon hissed and clamped his teeth closed, his hands tightening on the counter.
She smiled and ran her tongue along one broad curling tattoo, down his chest toward his stomach. He was panting low and hard. His eyes watched each flick, each sweep of her tongue as she traversed down his body. She sank her teeth into his hip, causing him to groan and tilt his head back. She was stoking a fire that enticed her. She loved seeing him like this—knowing it was her kisses that could drive him to this point of madness.
“Layla…” he growled. The sound of aching wood came from behind her, but she ignored it and locked her eyes on his.
She pulled back, watching as blue flame rolled over his skin. That should terrify her, send her running, but instead she leaned in and licked down from his belly button to the edge of the sweatpants he wore. The flames licking over her tongue pulled a moan from her mouth. She had never felt anything like it. The fire seemed to roll down her throat as she swallowed. It filled her, spreading through her nerves and veins. She closed her eyes and licked again, bringing more of that unique element into her body. Her fingers dug into his pants and she pulled them down, his cock springing free.
He was large, the swollen dusky head glistening with arousal. Layla took him into her hand, gripping him and drawing forward. The demon groaned and that spurred her on even more. She ran her fingernails along the length, and his cock twitched, jumping at the contact. Leaning forward she avoided his erection and flicked her tongue against his hip, then biting down on his skin. His hips jerked forward hard and he looked down at her, pure wildness flashing in those blue depths.
“Fuck!”
She pulled back and smiled, making eye contact with him again. Layla licked her lips. Her mouth watered to taste him. That erotic blue fire licking over his skin called to her, as did the wild risk of pushing the beast to the edge. Layla swept her tongue over the weeping head of his cock, his taste tingling on her tongue. It felt like the blue fire was sinking into her body, heightening her senses. In her time with her ex, she had not really explored her own desires because they had been together for such a short amount of time. But with her Wolfman she could do what she wanted, as well as things he wanted and needed.
She swooped down and enveloped the head of his cock, bringing a bark of shock from him. The sound of cracking wood was lost in the groaning from his throat. He was like flame and heat, with a touch of wildfire. Her tongue tingled as she swept it along his hard length. She felt consumed by him.
Her own body had come alive—she was hyperaware of everything. His taste, the feeling of his hard flesh moving between her lips. Her own clothes felt too tight, her bra rubbing against her peaked nipples sent shockwaves through her body right down to her core. Layla was hot and slick. Her clit pulsed. Damn, she just wanted to reach out and run her fingers down between her lips to ease the building pressure that threatened to drive her insane.
God damn, she was killing him. He was so close to snapping, the beast rolling under his flesh, her ripening scent calling to him—claim, mate, take female—she belonged to them. Just watching her tongue licking over her lips was enough to make his knees go weak. Fucking hell, she was the hottest thing he had ever seen.
This little female was going to be the death of him. Her hot mouth swept along him and sent lightning rushing from the head of his cock deep into his balls, drawing him tight. Hanging his head he clamped his teeth closed hard. He didn’t care if he shattered all his teeth and broke every finger, he promised he would not move. He felt like roaring. He could feel the beast growing, spreading inside his body. He could hear her heartbeat, hear the rushing of her blood in her veins—he was hungry, but not for her blood.
She nibbled on the head of his cock and his hips thrust forward. She took him deep, and he felt the velvet head brushing against the roof of her mouth and down her throat. He cried out, unable to hold back the rush of flame as his energy shifted. His skin was shifting blue, a rolling azure mix of sapphires and the deepest sea.
“Stop, Layla! It is too close, I can’t hold it back!” His eyes went to his hands—talon-like nails now graced his fingertips and dug into the butcher-block countertop—fear he might harm her warred with his need to claim her. His skin felt like it was about to split open, his balls drew tighter, and an inferno licked down his spine into his lower back.
The crazy woman did not let up. She sucked on the head with a small smile upon her lips. He couldn’t stop himself; his low growl shook the room, and his hips thrust almost uncontrollably into her mouth. The flames flickering over his flesh turned into a burning inferno that encompassed her, those azure flames rolling over her and enclosing them both in glittering fire.
The wood countertop cracked again, and finally splintered in his grip. The fire raged through his spine and down his cock in a blinding rush. He roared out, thrusting forward, his body releasing into her hot mouth. Surge after surge of seed left him, and each time he felt his brain shorting out. The evil little vixen kept sucking along his length, drawing out the pleasure until he felt like he was dying.
Layla licked and drank him down, her tongue flicking over the head. He tasted salty and sweet at the same time, as she sucked on him like a Tootsie Pop until he groaned, tilting his head back. Layla pulled back, a huge smile on her face. Licking her lips, she stood slowly, scratching her nails up his legs and over his stomach.
The demon hissed, locking his eyes on hers. She felt like an evil, tempting seductress, so powerful that she could bring such a male to weakness. Her aim had been to show him she would be safe. But the look he now had in his eyes sent shivers through her already heated and aroused body. Her core was slick and wet from teasing him, her body hot and aching in much neglected areas. The flickering blue glow in his eyes promised so much more, and she was willing to be his prey.