Sorren
Out of boredom, I pick up the stack of papers for the café. I could watch more TV, but the truth is that it’s not the same without Eva. Her commentary is just as entertaining as the show itself.
I’m sure Malachi would appreciate another marathon meeting with me to talk through the brewing issues between Jeff and the Board, but I’d rather drive stakes into my eyeballs than think about Mephisto right now. So good ol’ fashioned bookkeeping it is.
I lay out the paperwork in neatly stacked piles around me, tapping the bottom edge of the paper on the table to line them up perfectly. When they are all arranged the way I like, I grab Eva’s ancient laptop. It turns on with a delay worthy of the corporate underworld.
I review the general ledger, catching up to where they left off about a month ago.
I crack my knuckles, rub my hands together, and dive in.
An hour later the cash flow statement is finished.
I push back from the table and admire my handiwork.
My shoulders ache from being locked in one position, and they pop when I roll them back to release the stiffness.
At this rate, I’ll have Eva’s admin work done by the end of the week.
It would be nice to see that through for her.
I go outside to find Catrick Swayze and notice a pile of thick logs cut into rounds in the far corner of the yard. At the rate I’ve been burning through Eva’s firewood, those logs are going to come in handy. In the shed I grab the big axe, strip off my shirt, and get to work.
I chop wood long enough for my arms to burn and be covered in a slick layer of sweat. As I’m ready to call it a day, I feel the unique magick that is all Eva. Warm and comforting air floods my senses. Just in time.
With a swing of the axe, I split the round into two.
Hoping that she is watching, I flex my back muscles when I lean over to grab the broken pieces and line it up for another chop.
I bring the axe down hard, splitting it in half again.
With the final swing I cut it into small enough pieces for her to easily carry inside.
I turn to face her, hoping that I look sexy and rugged instead of beat up by an hour of manual labor.
“Welcome home!” I wave.
“We found out what happened.” Her eyes jerk to my face, but not before I catch her staring… elsewhere. I couldn’t have planned that any better.
She sits down at her usual spot on the steps. “Uh. Do you want me to grab you a shirt?” Eva asks, looking at anything but me.
“The sun feels pretty good. Unless I’m making you uncomfortable.” Her eyes widen when I flex my pecs. A pink blush works its way up her throat and jaw.
Eva clears her throat. “No, um,” she stutters. “Enjoy the sun while you can.”
Maybe I am more evil than I’ve realized because I don’t reach for my shirt. I like how off-balance she is from seeing me like this. It feels like we’re finally on equal playing ground.
“So, uh, what was I saying?” she asks.
“You were about to tell me what happened,” I remind her.
“Oh, yeah. In 1992, the coven split. Some witches who wanted to get into dark magick left and established their own coven in Holloway. The rest stayed and pretended like it never happened.”
Her shoulders sag, and she has a faraway look in her eye. Like she’s so deep in her thoughts, she’s hardly even here.
“Are you okay? It looks like you’re taking this news pretty hard.”
“I guess so. I’ve spent my whole life thinking witchcraft is a source of good in this world, that we carefully use our gifts to make things better. In the last twelve hours I’ve learned there is an evil side to something I’ve dedicated my whole life to.”
“Yeah. That’s tough. I’ve never truly believed in what I do, until I saw how bloodthirsty the Board is. I have to be there to counterbalance their quest for power. But I know it’s mostly just corporate games.”
“Damn. I never thought about it like that. At least I’ve been able to live under the delusion that what I do is for the greater good.” She releases a deep sigh before looking at me. “What would you want to do, you know, if you didn’t have to be CEO of Hell?”
I get up and go into the kitchen and turn on the hot water kettle and grab a couple of mugs. “Good question,” I call through the open door. “I like my job, but I do wish it was for something more noble than Mephisto.” I pick the jasmine pearl tea that Eva likes.
“You’re getting pretty good at that,” she says, joining me in the kitchen. “You could open your own little café down there. You’ve already got the business side of it nailed.”
“I think everyone down there has adjusted to the burnt coffee and hot brown water we’ve been forced to drink.”
“True. I’m afraid you are a demon with sophisticated tastes now.”
Double fisting the mugs, I nod for her to follow me into the living room.
“It’s been a day, and I’ve been waiting for you to get home, so we can watch the next episode of that dating show.
The couples are supposed to meet each other’s families.
Give me ten minutes. I’ll get cleaned up, then we can see what Elizabeth’s family has to say.
” I set the cups down and run up the stairs.
I’m back in record time, smelling like soap and wearing clean clothes, ready to make my move.
Eva tucks her feet under and to the side, inching her body closer to mine.
I stretch my arm across the back of the couch and click on the TV.
She stiffens next to me, tension radiating down her back all the way to her fingers that are tightly gripping the mug.
Damn, maybe it’s too soon or maybe she’s not into me. I pull back and give her some space.
Eva leans over to set her tea down and looks over at me, her face totally unreadable. “Can I ask you a question?” Her teeth tug at her lower lip.
“Anything.”
“If we had met under different circumstances. Do you think we would be friends?” She looks ashamed, and it takes me a long time to remember why. Technically, I’m here against my will, but there isn’t anywhere else I’d rather be.
Maybe this question is a tiny opening for me to test out.
“We could only be friends if you were okay with me constantly trying to shoot my shot.” I quirk my eyebrow at her, shamelessly flirting.
“What’s your best move?” she asks, inching closer to me.
My heart rate kicks up, and my skin feels hot. “A little forced proximity with an unbreakable spell until I can win her over.”
“I hear that’s the way to do it.” Eva scoots closer and fits right against my side. She burrows in with a little shake and lays her head on my chest.
“Is this okay?” she asks.
I have to clear my throat; my voice would crack like a teenage boy at the moment. I’ve got a massive boner, sweaty palms, and for some reason I’m terrified she might retreat to the other side of the couch. I adjust my pants and pray to all the demons in Hell she doesn’t notice the growing tent.
“It’s perfect.” I pull her in closer and rest my hand on her hip.
“Sorren?” My name comes out as a quiet question.
Yes. Whatever you want, the answer is yes.
“Are you going to turn the show on?” She looks up at me with those gorgeous green eyes.
I drop the remote and run my finger along her jawline, tilting her face up from under her chin.
She bites her bottom lip and the last remaining thread of restraint snaps. I press my lips to hers. She is soft and sweet and every cell in my body wants more.
I pull away and open my eyes, needing to confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that she wants this.
Her eyes are still closed, her lips slightly parted.
Without looking, she grabs the back of my neck and brings me to her for another kiss.
This time she’s kissing me, her lips coaxing mine open.
Her tongue teasing mine. My heart pounds in my chest, and every nerve ending in my body is tuned to her.
Eva is kissing me, and it's everything I never knew to imagine.
She tastes like magick—nothing else like it. Not even close.
In a swift move, she throws her leg over my lap and straddles me.
Her hands grasp my hair, holding me to her.
I slide my hand under her sweater and up her smooth skin.
I trace the edge of her bra to her breast and squeeze, loving the way it feels in my hand.
She doesn’t stop kissing until she is out of breath.
It’s long enough for me to question if I’m taking advantage of her emotional state. She’s fresh off a breakup and vulnerable. I would be the worst sort of demon to capitalize on the way she is feeling.
Even though I want nothing more than to strip her clothes off and taste every inch of her beautiful body, I hold back. I gather her long hair in my hand and pull down until she’s looking up at me.
“If you still want me tomorrow. Then you can have me.”
She swallows hard, her heavy eyes bore straight into mine.
“Got it?” I ask, tugging on the handful of hair I’ve got wrapped around my fist.
She nods.
A devilish smile spreads across my face. “Good girl.”
No matter how much I want Eva, I won’t do anything until I know for certain she wants me back and this isn’t a rebound.
“Who knew demons could show so much restraint?” she complains, lifting herself off me reluctantly. An instinct flares awake inside me, the overwhelming urge to pull her back into my lap. The spark in her eye stokes something deep inside me.
“That was the wrong thing to say.” My voice is a growl as I pull her hips up and push her shoulders back. I’m on top of her before she can draw in a breath. A high pitched yelp escapes her lips when I snarl into her neck and roughly kiss her, drawing her skin between my teeth for a soft nip.
Her legs wrap around my waist, and I indulge in one slow grind against her heat before retreating back to my side of the couch. Eva is sprawled out on the couch, her chest heaving and her hair a perfectly disheveled mess, my cock painfully hard against my pants.