Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
LUCIFER
“How does one coax a skittish creature out of her hiding place? Why, with treats, of course.” My delicious houseguest was playing the hermit role far too convincingly at present. After a day of her being locked in the guest room, I had to take matters into my own hands.
Lucifer would have stormed in there by now and confronted the situation head-on, but Cole was much more of a gentleman. Cole was safety and comfort. A man who would give her space and gently bring her out of her shell. So . . . cookies it was.
Yes, Lucifer Morningstar knows how to bake. Of course. Why do you think they call desserts sinful?
Also just, come to think of it. But I suppose that’s neither here nor there.
I glanced around the counter, tallying up the ingredients listed in the classic red and white gingham-covered cookbook. “Sugar, flour, eggs . . .” I murmured, nodding along. Perfect.
After a quick flourish of my hand, everything appeared before me. Let’s see Cole do that, hmm? You think a regular mortal like him would have a line on eggs? During the apocalypse? Pfft. Unlikely.
It didn’t take long before I had the dough mixed, and now I stood there, adding the final ingredient with a smirk twisting my lips.
I watched as the chocolate chips came pouring from the bag into the mixing bowl like a waterfall of pure delight.
One greased cookie sheet and a preheated oven later, we were in business.
This would get her to come out. No one could resist the scent of freshly baked cookies. Not even me. Although, I wasn’t really a poster child for resisting temptation. I practically invented the concept of giving into it.
“Let’s see how long it takes you to follow your nose, darling,” I murmured, leaning against the counter as I watched the clock. “My money’s on two minutes.”
It took her three. But she came. The sound of her door creaking open, followed by soft footsteps down the hall, had victory singing in my veins. I was so bloody good.
“Are you making cookies?” she asked, hovering in the hallway like she hadn’t fully made up her mind whether she wanted to come and join me.
“Sure am,” I said, plunking the dirty mixing bowl into the sink I’d just finished filling with sudsy water.
She took a few hesitant steps forward.
That’s it. That’s my brave girl. Now sit down and let me win you over with my compassionate spirit.
“They’re chocolate chip. Your favorite.”
Her eyes flared wide for just a moment before a faint blush filled her cheeks. Cheeks that were pale and looking a little gaunt, if I was honest. But that was to be expected for a succubus who hadn’t recently fed.
“You remembered.”
“Of course I remembered. I remember everything you’ve told me.”
Her eyebrows lifted, and for a second, I thought she might ask me to prove it. But she didn’t. Instead she took a seat, perched on the edge like she could still flee at any second.
“You haven’t eaten much since you got here. I thought I could tempt you with something you liked.”
“That’s really sweet of you, Cole.”
Yes. Yes, it was. Thank you for noticing.
“I . . . I’m sorry I’m not great company right now.”
Hmm, what would Cole do right now? Go to her and sweep her into my embrace? No. Too aggressive. Ignore her and make her come to me? No. She was too fragile at the moment to play that game.
“I told you I’d take care of you. That’s what I’m doing. You don’t have to entertain me in order to stay here.”
There we go. Security. Safety. Reassurance.
She made a soft sound, but I couldn’t figure out what it was supposed to mean.
“Where did you find the ingredients?” she asked.
Shit. Was she on to me?
“Most were on hand in the pantry and deep-freeze,” I answered vaguely.
“Even the eggs?”
See? Even Merri knew Cole wouldn’t be able to get fucking eggs.
“Neighbor,” I said with a tight grin. “They have some chickens. But if you’re hoping for milk, I’m afraid I have to disappoint you. No one has a cow or goat that I’m aware of.”
There. That was plausible. And by showing her there was something she’d have to go without, I made the lie more believable. The Master of Lies wasn’t a title I’d gained by tripping over my words.
“I see. Well, I don’t like milk anyway. I’m honored you’d use your eggs on cookies for me. Even with a chicken coop nearby, they can’t be that plentiful.”
“The world could end tomorrow, so we might as well have cookies today.”
Merri looked at me far too shrewdly. I thought back over my words, afraid I’d slipped up, but no. I just said it could end, and that was true. As far as humans were concerned, everything could come to a screeching halt at any moment.
“I guess you have a point,” she finally said, settling back in her chair.
“We’ve got another few minutes before the cookies are ready,” I said, pretending to eye the timer. “How should we spend them?”
She stood without answering me and walked to the sink before grabbing a sponge and starting in on the few dirty dishes I’d placed in the soapy water.
“I’ll wash, you dry?”
Her words were soft, and she wouldn’t look at me, but it was something, so I joined her dish towel at the ready.
It was the closest we’d been since our initial hug, and I was not remotely immune to the proximity.
Maybe it was because of what she was, or what she represented.
Or maybe I’d just been waiting so long for us to be together.
Whatever the reason, I, Lucifer Morningstar, was completely and utterly distracted.
“Hel-lo? Earth to Cole?”
I blinked and caught Merri waving a dirty spoon under my nose. “Sorry,” I said with a nervous chuckle. “My mind wandered. What did you say?”
“I said, if I’d known you would be so easy to be around, I might’ve taken you up on your offer sooner. Honestly, I probably should have.”
Yes, you should have. You should have come to me the moment I offered. You should have been with me all this time. Not with them. Did I say that out loud? No, of course not. I’m not an idiot.
“You came when you were ready. And like I said, it was an open offer. I’m just glad you took me up on it.
” The smile I offered her was lopsided and one hundred percent boy next door, golden retriever vibes.
Maybe I was laying it on a bit thick, but I didn’t want to give Merri a single reason to mistrust me.
With a ghost of a smile on her pretty pink lips, she handed me a clean measuring cup. Did I take the opportunity for our fingers to touch? Absolutely. I wanted every possible bit of contact I could get with her, and I needed her to crave me in the same way.
For my plan.
The plan to impregnate her.
No other reason.
Her eyes locked on mine at the brush of our skin, and I thought for a heartbeat I had her. But then a frown pulled her brows together as she assessed me.
“Your eyes.”
“Yes. I have two of them.”
“You said they were green.”
My stomach clenched. Fuck.
“They’re a shade of green.”
“Uh . . . no. Those are definitely blue. Well, blue-gray if we’re being technical.”
“I mean . . . depending on the light.”
She raised a brow.
“And you know, what I’m wearing.”
“I guess. Mine never change. They’re always this.” She waved a hand at her face.
“So, beautiful?”
Those cheeks flushed again. I loved making her do that.
“Yours are too. Gorgeous really. The starburst in your iris is almost metallic. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
I was devil enough to admit that I preened a little under her praise.
It was the first compliment she’d given me.
The real me. Not stupid Cole. Somewhere in my donning of his meat suit, I’d forgotten to update that detail and allowed some of the real me to shine through.
I never forgot such details. I’m sure the more discerning of you are going to try to tell me that I subconsciously wanted her to care about and notice me. And my response to you is, butt out.
“They suit you. I don’t know how you’re single, Cole. I really don’t. You’re kind, charming, handsome.”
“And I never leave the house. Pretty hard to date when you’re eternally alone.”
Fucking Cole again. I hated his name. I hated his face.
It should be me she was calling handsome.
Not this reclusive shut-in who could barely be bothered to put on a swipe of deodorant.
I’d made him the man she saw before her now with the goal of seducing her, but now the thought of succeeding in this form made my skin crawl.
Oh, don’t go looking at it too deeply now. It just didn’t feel like a true victory if I wasn’t my authentic self. That’s it.
“Well, I rarely left my . . . apartment and still got my heart broken, so I guess I’m not qualified to give advice.” She handed me the clean mixing bowl and pulled the drain in the sink.
A flare of protectiveness caught me by surprise. How dare they hurt her. They had her, had everything I desired, and they broke her. Those overgrown rodeo clowns.
Wait a tick. Why was I frustrated with how they treated her? Their actions put her right where I wanted her. They drove her to me. I should be thanking them.
“You deserve so much better than what you got,” I said, my voice low and measured because damn if I wasn’t feeling actual emotions over what happened to her.
The timer went off before she could respond, forcing us to turn our focus to the fucking cookies neither of us needed to—or frankly, wanted to—eat. At the last second, I remembered to grab a towel before pulling the hot tray out of the oven and setting it on the stove to cool.
“Those smell amazing,” she said, her eyes falling closed as she inhaled. “I can’t remember the last time someone made me cookies.”
Using a spatula, I cut a small piece off one of them and blew on it, making a show of cooling the chunk off. “Here,” I said, offering it to her. “The true test. How’d I do?”
She smiled as she took it and popped the piece into her mouth. “Still hot,” she said, laughing. “But if this were a baking show, you’d get star baker for sure.”
“Don’t go getting too excited. I’m a one-trick baker. Cookies are all I got.”
“Do you really need other tricks when you do cookies so well?” she asked, the question sounding oddly seductive. I suppose that was just a side effect of Merri being part succubus.
She sighed and leaned her head on my shoulder as we waited for the rest of the batch to cool. “Thank you, Cole.”
I stiffened at the name, but then asked, “For what?”
“For being the friend I need.”
A heavy stone lodged itself in my stomach. Friend.
She’d gone and done it now. Here I was trying to be the man she needed, and she went and friendzoned me. Was there anything worse? It was a damn death knell.
Snagging the rest of the cookie she’d sampled, she walked away from me, hips moving in a mesmerizing sway that could bring anyone to their knees. I probably would have done so myself, but I was too busy fuming.
Friend. Fucking friend. No way was that going to stand. I was not her friend. I was her destiny. She was made for me.
“Oh, sweet darling, you have no idea what you’ve done, do you?” I crooned beneath my breath.
No one, and definitely not the personification of sex and sensuality, was allowed to friendzone the devil. The gloves were officially coming off. It was time to make her a deal she couldn’t refuse. And who knew more about making deals than me?