Demons Like It Hot (Demons Unleashed #2)(53)

He let his hand linger on her cheek, letting the sizzles spark against their skin. His breath caught. God, her skin was so soft. He traced his thumb across her cheek, brushing away a teardrop.

He looked down at her and gazed into her eyes, bright blue and sparkling. God, she was so beautiful. He wanted so much to kiss her—right then and there.

She reached up, brought her hand to his, and brought his hand closer to her skin. What on earth was she doing? Bloody hell, she was a temptress and didn’t even know it. And that made her dangerous.

Then again, he never shied away from danger. Why should he now?

He reached out with his other hand and grabbed Serah’s waist, pulling her to him. With gentleness he never knew he possessed, he cradled her head to his chest and laced his fingers through her sable curls.

With slow, tentative strokes, he stroked her hair. He leaned in, his mouth inches from her ear. “I understand… more than you know.”

She looked up with those disarming, sapphire eyes and placed her hand on his chest. “So what’s your story?”

His breath caught. It amazed him how just a simple touch made his blood boil. If they continued this close of contact, he’d do something he’d regret.

“My story would make your blood curdle, Serah.”

With that, he pulled away and stormed toward the door. The brisk winter air would do him some good.

***

The door slammed shut. Serah blew out a trembling sigh. She shouldn’t like the hulking demon, but something drew her to him. She shook her head. She knew he sensed it too. What was his deal? One moment he was tender and in a millionth of a second, he was cold and distant. He was hiding something. As for knowing his past—she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to know.

“So he’s that kind of investor, huh?”

Serah spun around to see Daniel with his elbow propped on the buffet, a sly smile spread across his lips. “Huh?”

“I saw the way he held you.”

Serah gasped and shook her head. “It’s not what you think. Seriously. He’s too arrogant for me.”

Daniel’s smirk grew even wider. “Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“Whatever you say. And there’s no need to hide anything. I’m doing the show.”

“Seriously?”

“As serious as a heart attack. Congrats. I’m just waiting for the producer to call and finalize some things.”

Serah nodded. “Don’t producers usually come along to these things?”

“Not always. Sally’s a little private and prefers to remain in the background. Put her in the spotlight and she’ll melt.”

“Sounds bad. I can recommend a good psychologist if she needs one.”

Daniel grinned. “You don’t look like the type that would need a therapist.”

Oh, how wrong he was. She managed to keep her snort contained. “Ha ha, very funny. Someone I dated.”

“Oh, well Sally’s not one to see a shrink, but I can take the name anyway. She’s pretty content with her reclusiveness.”

“To each her own, I guess. So when do you plan to start shooting?”

“Does tomorrow work?”

“I’ll make it work.”

“I like your style.”

“How long does shooting usually take?”

“Two to three days usually. Unless you’re Diner Diva, then we’re looking at one week to shoot and three weeks post-production therapy.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that.”

“Good. And I have to discuss Matthias with you.” Daniel blew out a deep sigh. “Sally believes it best if he stays away from the production.”

“He’s already been banned from the kitchen, so no worries there.”

Daniel arched a brow. “Banned?”

“Yes,” Serah replied with a nod. “He’s a horrible cook.”

“Sally doesn’t like outside investors. She doesn’t want him anywhere near the crew.”

Matthias wouldn’t like this one bit. She wrung her fingers and bit her lip. “That isn’t going to happen.” Maybe she should just be as honest as she could with him. She never was much of a liar anyway. “Umm… Matthias isn’t really an investor.”

Daniel slapped his hands together. “Hah! I knew it. You couldn’t hide that electricity between you if you tried.”

“Heck no! He’s not my boyfriend. We only met yesterday.”

“Yesterday? Really?”

Serah nodded. “He works for a private security firm. He’s a bodyguard.”

“I think you are taking this whole TV show a bit too seriously. Even I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“Look at yourself. Does it look like you need one?”

Daniel shrugged. “I guess not, but still.”

Here comes the hard part. She took in a huge gulp of air and clasped her hands together. “A while ago, in my desperate days, I filled out an online personal ad. One of the guys that responded was a little more into me than I was him.” No one is going to believe this shitty story. She rambled on. “He sent flowers every day. Then chocolates. Then he would show up at random places. The grocery store, the mall, some of my catered events. I finally put my foot down and told him to leave me alone. One night he broke into my house and drilled a hole in my fishbowl. I woke up the next morning to find my precious Goldie belly-up in an inch of water.” She snorted out a fake sob. “It was horrible.”