19. Lucien #2
Fuck. I don’t like where this is going. Mostly because he’s right. “I don’t know that I appreciate your tone.”
His grin widens. “You told me I deserve to relax. You told me I don’t have to do everything myself.”
“That sounds like something a very intelligent demon would say.”
“You manage your own club. You bar tend when someone calls out. You were going to fix a register in the middle of the night when you had another one that worked.”
“It was bothering me.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
I put my hands on his hips. “Are you enjoying this?”
“So much.”
Sparkle is close enough that I can smell him beneath the scents of alcohol and the club. His hands settle against my chest, and the teasing slowly slips from his expression.
“I really did come here because I wanted to see you,” he says.
My heart gives one hard thump. “I’m glad you did.”
“I had fun last night.”
“So did I.”
Sparkle laughs softly, but he doesn’t move away. If anything, his fingers curl tighter into my shirt. My gaze drops to his mouth before I can stop myself, and his tongue darts over his bottom lip. Fuck.
I want to kiss him. But his guide said slow kisses. Fireworks. Cannon fire. Something memorable. Not after a sweaty shift while I smell like booze and exhaustion.
Sparkle leans closer, his hands sliding higher on my chest, and I stop breathing.
“Can I kiss you?” he whispers.
Every thought in my head disappears. I stare at him, trying to make sure I heard him correctly. “You’re asking me?”
His ears flatten into his hair, and he starts to pull back. “I can change my mind.”
“No.” My tail curls around his waist before he can retreat, but I keep my hands loose on his hips. “Absolutely not. No changing your mind.”
Sparkle smiles, then rises onto his toes and kisses me.
His lips are soft and warm against mine, tentative for all of half a second before I kiss him back.
I slide one hand up his back and hold him against me while my other cups his cheek.
Sparkle makes the sweetest little sound and presses closer, his fingers clutching my shirt as a quiet purr starts against my chest.
Slow kiss. Check.
But what about fireworks? Cannon fire?
Oh, fuck yes. I’ll make this a perfect kiss.
I flick two fingers behind Sparkle’s back, sending a burst of purple and gold exploding across the ceiling. The illusion fills my office with sparkling light before the first massive BOOM rattles through the room.
Sparkle jerks so hard his forehead slams into my chin.
“Ow!” My head snaps back.
Sparkle is already shoving away from me. “What the fuck?” His ears flatten completely as another illusion erupts overhead with a deafening boom. Sparkle shrieks.
His tail puffs to three times its normal size, every bit of fur standing on end as he drops into a slight crouch and whips his head around like he’s searching for whatever is attacking us. Oh shit.
I snap my fingers, immediately killing the illusions.
The office goes quiet except for the muffled music vibrating through the floor and Sparkle’s furious breathing.
He slowly straightens and turns toward me with enormous eyes while I rub the spot beneath my chin where his forehead nearly took me out.
“Darlin’?”
His eyes narrow. “What. The. Fuck. Was. That?”
“Fireworks?” I offer carefully, pointing toward the ceiling where they most definitely no longer exist. “And a little cannon fire.” I pinch my forefinger and thumb together.
“I know what fireworks are.”
Right. Probably shouldn’t continue explaining.
I lower my hand. “The Guide said—”
“Lucien!” Sparkle throws both hands into the air, and I bite my lips together before I make this worse. His tail’s still enormous behind him, making him look twice his normal size. “I was kissing you.”
“I know.”
“I was enjoying kissing you.” He points between us as if I might have forgotten what we were doing ten seconds ago. “And you decided the best thing to do while I was kissing you was make the fucking ceiling explode?”
“They were illusions.”
Sparkle’s eyes somehow get even wider. “That is not helping!”
His tail twitches behind him, still so unbelievably fluffy that my attention drops to it before I can stop myself. I try very hard not to think about how adorable he looks and fail.
Sparkle catches me staring and immediately grabs his tail with both hands, attempting to smooth the fur down. “Don’t you dare.”
“I didn’t say anything.” I drag my attention back to his face and try to look appropriately remorseful.
“Your face did.”
“I’m sorry.” The laughter disappears from my voice because I really did scare him, even if he looks fucking adorable when he’s pissed at me. I step closer, then stop before touching him. “I really am. I got excited.”
“Excited?” Sparkle repeats. His ears slowly lift, though he keeps a protective hold on his tail.
“The kiss was going so well, and then I remembered your Guide said you wanted fireworks and cannon fire.” I gesture helplessly toward the ceiling. “I have magic. It seemed like an excellent opportunity.”
Sparkle stares at me. I stare back. His lips twitch. He covers his mouth, but a snort escapes anyway. His shoulders start shaking as he tries to hold it in, and then the fight leaves him completely. Sparkle folds forward laughing, one hand landing against my chest to keep himself upright.
“You...” He sucks in a breath that does absolutely nothing to stop his laughter. “You ridiculous demon.”
Relief pours through me. I catch his waist when he wobbles and pull him a little closer. “I prefer romantic visionary.”
“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Sparkle smacks my chest, but there’s no force behind it.
“But did your toes curl?”
He snorts again. I grab his hand and hold it against my chest. His laughter settles into little huffs. His tail slowly deflates behind him.
I carefully slide my other arm around his waist. Sparkle eyes me suspiciously before his gaze drops to my mouth. His fingers loosen against mine, then slide up my chest until his arms curl around my neck.
“Can we try that one more time?”
My heart damn near stops. “Please.”
Sparkle rises onto his toes again, but this time when his lips meet mine, I keep my magic locked down tight. I hold his waist and let him decide how close he wants to be. Apparently the answer is very because he presses himself against me and kisses me harder than before.
His purr starts again. I fucking love that sound. It vibrates between us as I cup his cheek and slowly deepen the kiss. This time I don’t try to make it anything other than what it is. And the kiss is still fucking spectacular.
When we finally separate, Sparkle stays against me, his eyes half closed while his tail curls lazily around my leg. I brush my thumb over his warm cheek.
Sparkle’s eyes stay closed for a moment. When they open, they’re unfocused.
“That was nice,” he whispers.
“Nice?” I scoff.
His lips twitch. “Very nice.”
“I was aiming for spectacular.”
“We need more practice.”
I narrow my eyes. Sparkle kisses me again. Much shorter this time. Teasing. Then he slips out of my arms. His tail sways innocently behind him. Oh. My pretty kitty wants to play.
Sparkle walks toward the door, but I catch his hand before he reaches it. He glances over his shoulder, smiling at me in a way that makes heat curl through my entire body.
“See you soon, pretty kitty.”
He blows me a kiss and I watch him disappear down the stairs.