Chapter 2 #3
I parked in a garage half a block away, and we walked toward the hotel.
Normally, walking in the dark through a parking lot would be an anxiety-inducing walk of terror.
But Uko stood close, his body rolling lazily like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Though if you stared past his glamor, you could see the coiled violence churning under his skin like the hidden black ink.
I was pretty sure he was dying to rend someone limb from limb, and where that small fact should have terrified me, it kind of made me feel safe.
Apparently, I’d killed all the good-sense brain cells with vodka last night.
When we made it to the brightly lit lobby of the hotel, the receptionist’s eyes passed over me with a glazed look and a fake smile. But when they snagged on Uko, her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. Yeah, he was definitely that hot. Like, triple-take hot.
As the receptionist’s eyes shot back to me, and she realized we were together, I prepared myself for the same incredulous looks I’d gotten whenever I went out with Cade. Like I was somehow reaching above my allotted hotness level.
Uko was a thousand times hotter than Cade.
But instead of the scathing disapproval or downright dismissal, the receptionist reached a fist across the counter. I stared at it for a second until I realized she wanted me to bump it, then pressed my knuckles hesitantly to hers.
She grinned at me. “You go, girl,” she whispered out the side of her mouth. She made a look that was the universal expression for holy fuck is this guy actually real? Because that is way too much hotness in one package. Yeah, us women had a look for that.
Uko just raised an eyebrow at me, and I bumbled my way through getting a room. “Uh, a twin room, please.” My cheeks burned.
The receptionist, whose name badge said Kate, bit her lip and stared at her computer screen. “Looks like we only have queen rooms left at the moment. You may have to get separate rooms unless you are okay to share…?”
Uko shrugged. “I don’t mind sharing a bed with Elsie.”
My cheeks flared even redder, and Kate seemed to take stock of me and my slightly lustful looks at Uko, giving a little nod.
“Well, would you look at that? All our queen rooms have just sold out as well. Luckily, I do have the honeymoon suite still available. It has a hot tub. We’ll give it to you for the same price as a normal room. What luck, am I right?”
I nodded and blinked my way through filling out all the details and collecting our room key, thanking her as we headed toward the bank of elevators.
I looked back over my shoulder to see her fanning herself, then giving me two thumbs up.
I couldn’t help but grin. She had it all wrong, but I appreciated the unofficial wing-woman.
Uko seemed pretty oblivious to the whole exchange, but completely fascinated with the idea of elevators. He pressed every button, tried to talk back to the automatic voice that read out the floors, and jumped up and down to see if it would make the car stop. That last one was especially terrifying.
Finally, we reached the eighth floor. Honestly, I’d never stayed in a hotel room bigger than a tissue box before, so when I opened the door into a room with a massive Cali king bed, a kitchenette and a polished black bathroom complete with a sunken hot tub, I actually squealed. Out loud.
Uko winced, but looked around the suite. “I believe this might be bigger than your home,” he said, but he wasn’t being rude. He also wasn’t wrong.
If I wasn’t with Uko, I would have just slid right out of my clothes and straight into the hot tub.
Then I’d put on one of the fluffy robes that were folded neatly on the bed and ordered room service.
But Uko didn’t have the luxury of time, and I wanted him to experience a life more exciting than sitting around naked, eating fried chicken on hotel sheets.
Besides, I hadn’t even brought my swimsuit. I could almost feel Kate’s disappointment in me from here. I cleared my throat. “I think you’re right. How about we drop this stuff and go get something to eat? You must be starving by now.”
I couldn’t even remember the last time I ate; before I discovered Cade balls deep in my manager, I guess. Today, the hangover had chased away my appetite, but it was back with a vengeance. Probably all the thoughts I was having about a naked fried chicken feast.
“I could eat. Just let me do this first…” He burst into flames, and he was once again Uko the demon.
Standing less than two feet away, I thought I would feel the warmth of his flames.
But other than a tingle rolling across my skin, I felt nothing.
However, this close, I could see the moving ink on his skin were actually some kind of sigils. Demon language?
I wanted to reach up and touch his horns, which I could now see weren’t as smooth as I’d originally thought. My eyes dropped down to his face, and my cheeks flushed when I realized he’d been watching me watch him.
“Can I touch your horns? Or is that bad manners in Hell?”
He laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“It’s Hell, Elsie. There’s no such thing as manners in Hell.
” He tipped his head forward, allowing me to stroke my hand up the long curve of his horns.
They were both smooth and textured, and I stroked back down.
They were perfect. Uko’s whole body shivered.
“You know, when I’m standing naked in front of a female, they’re usually stroking lower,” he said in a low, amused voice.
You know when you tell yourself not to think of the color red?
Or not to stare? Well, I was trying not to think of the word dick, or stare at the aforementioned appendage, but it was impossible once he mentioned it.
My eyes dipped down between our bodies, and there it was.
The dreaded D. Was it just my imagination, or did it look bigger? Harder?
I swallowed hard and convinced myself that it was just the angle. My cheeks were burning as I took a step back. “We should get going,” I squeaked.
He stepped forward, closing the distance between us again. His gaze dropped to my lips, his dark eyes looking molten. “I do not think we need to leave this room.”
“Oh?” I squeaked again. It was like my voice had risen an octave all on its own. It couldn’t possibly go any higher without summoning a flock of bats.
He nodded slowly. “I think we should try that big water pit in the bathroom.”
“The hot tub?” I’d been wrong. Apparently, my voice could go up another octave without shattering glass and making dogs howl.
He nodded, his lips curling into a devilish smile.
I got my wild libido under control. “Okay. I’m sure you must be exhausted after today. We’ll stay in. Watch some pay-per-view. Order room service. Use the… hot tub.” I only stumbled a little.
He clapped his hands once, spinning away, his naked ass heading for the bathroom. When he was out of sight, I flopped back onto the bed and fanned my heated face. Oh god. Shit, I can’t say oh god when I want to fuck a demon… Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh fuck.
I wasn’t delusional. That was definitely sexual. He was flirting with me. There should be a guide somewhere, in Cosmo or something, for idiots like me who accidentally summon hot demons. In big, bold letters, it should say Do Not Flirt With Demons.
I could hear the running water as I called down for room service, just ordering everything that was deep-fried. It was probably lucky Uko was only here for a couple of days; otherwise, they might have to wedge me out the door using a boat paddle like a shoehorn.
There was a splash as I assumed the fire demon jumped into the hot tub.
You’d think they’d be more like cats and have an aversion to water, since they were made of fire, obviously.
But apparently, I was wrong, because when I poked my head around the bathroom door, he was almost fully submerged in the hot tub.
I didn’t feel like I was invading his privacy, since I’d officially seen his dick for the majority of our acquaintance.
“I ordered food.”
“Are you getting in the hot tub?” he asked, sinking down into the water until his dark hair floated around his face.
“Uh, sure… Maybe after the food arrives?” I stammered.
He raised his head a little, the tips of his horns glistening. “Get in the tub, Elsie.”
I folded my arms over my chest, so he couldn’t see me all but panting at his naked, wet form.
“Hey, who summoned whom here? Besides, I didn’t bring my swimwear.
I’ll just hop in after you're done.” I squeaked as a huge wave of water hit me.
The bastard had splashed me. I dripped onto the floor, the front of my clothes completely drenched.
“Oh no. You’re all wet now. May as well get in.”
I bared my teeth at him, and he bared his right back in a grin.
Fine. You know what? I wasn’t ashamed of what I had going on.
Not anymore. Fuck Cade. I peeled off my wet shirt and jeans, which was hard to do gracefully, now that they were soaked.
The whole time, Uko watched me like he wanted to eat me, which was super hot, except that I wasn’t sure if he’d actually eat me eventually.
“You know, you could at least pretend to be a gentleman and avert your eyes.”
He gave me a sexy half-smirk. “Being a gentleman in Hell is like jumping off a cliff in the mortal realm; a sure way to get yourself killed.”
I rolled my eyes. I briefly thought of removing my underwear, but I wasn’t that brave.
I climbed into the warm water, fluffy bubbles hiding everything beneath the surface.
The jets weren’t going, and I wondered if Uko didn’t understand the difference between a bathtub and a hot tub.
I reached over and pressed the button to start the jets, and they whooshed to life.
“What in Satan’s fiery ballsack?” he yelled, jumping to his feet. “It’s alive. Quick, Elsie, get out of the water pit!”