Demons Like It Hot (Demons Unleashed #2)(8)
For some reason Serah didn’t like the sound of that. She squirmed in her pumps and rubbed the tips of her fingers together. What exactly had they arranged?
“Yes, sweetie.” With a quick peck to her cheek, Rafe took Lucy in his arms and crushed her to him. “I missed you.”
Lucy ran her fingers through Rafe’s hair. “I missed you too, Rafie-Poo.”
The mystery man cringed. Well, they had one thing in common. The intense aversion to public displays of affection and silly nicknames.
Serah snuck another glance at him. Hot damn. He could give Rafe a run for his money in a Mr. Universe competition. Here she thought Rafe was sculpted. This guy, though… holy shit! An army green T-shirt strained against well-defined pecs. The faint outline of his abs traced down to the waist of his olive green khakis. A pair of black lace-up combat boots completed his outfit. G.I. Demon reporting for duty. Go figure, even demons had Rambo tendencies.
She thought they all wore leather. Rafe always did. The image of this man in black leather flashed in her mind. Her mouth watered. God, she hoped mind reading wasn’t this guy’s demonic talent. Can you say awkward?
Jaw rigid, he crossed his arms. Stoic and silent, he turned and strode toward the window overlooking the not-so-rapid River Rapid. Muscles rippled with each move he made. This afforded her another view of his assets—just as well formed as the front. He grabbed the windowsill and exhaled—the first sound she heard him utter since the three words he spoke earlier.
A mixture of emotions collided inside. Part of her melted at the sight of this rock-hard specimen of a man. The other part, the more sensible part, wanted to run away in fright. Today, however, sensibility would win. She would make sure of it.
Serah finally managed to speak. “So who’s your friend?”
Rafe scraped a chunk of hair from his brow. “Not a friend—a colleague.” He turned to the other man and crossed his arms. “I suppose introductions are in order.”
The guy growled—a common sound where demons are concerned—and, keeping his well-endowed backside to her, pulled away from the window. Whoever he was, he sure didn’t want to be here. But if what she heard about the Fore-Demons was true, most Paladins never ended up where they wanted. Karma, she guessed.
“Ambrose, enough brooding already. Join us now.”
Ambrose? A name to go with the face. A name to go with the attitude too, apparently. Stuffy and arrogant—a common affliction among demons. Brooding was the understatement of the century. This guy was as unyielding as a concrete wall. Not a real good conversationalist either. She snuck another glance. He jerked his head, as if the very sight of her would turn him to stone. Little did he know, he didn’t need her help with that. He did it well enough on his own.
The usual lack of interest from men didn’t normally affect Serah, but for some reason this man’s blatant unconcern left her frustrated, angry, and even a little disappointed.
Two could play this game. His pride seeped into her. With a haughty lift of her chin, she crossed her arms. Lips pursed, she angled an attempt at a nonchalant glance. In a not-so-Oscar-worthy performance, she drew out a long annoyed huff and spun away from him. Melodrama was another of her fortes.
Lucy arched her brow and snuck her a surreptitious glare. “Wow, is it just me or did it get even more icy in here?” She turned her glance back to egomaniacal ass-hat. “Definitely a cold front for sure.”
Rafe strode to the guy and gave him a healthy tug of the shoulder. “You’ll have to forgive him. This is a new type of mission for him.”
“Welcome to Earth,” Lucy said, extending her arm. “I’m Lucia Gregory. You can call me Lucy.”
He nodded and took Lucy’s proffered hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Lucia.”
Ouch. What a way to break out the formalities. Too bad he didn’t know how much Lucy hated being called by her given name. Wars had been started over less trivial things.
Serah decided to break the ice—almost literally. “Lucy. Only her mother and her cronies can get away with calling her Lucia.” She stuck out her arm and offered him her hand. “And I’m Serah SanGermano, Lucy’s friend.”
The man’s onyx eyes met hers again. This time they lingered. Even within their abysmal darkness, a heat burned. Despite the fire burning in his eyes, shivers and chills crept along her skin. He hesitated, then allowed his fingers to brush along hers. A shock of electricity replaced the chills. She should’ve pulled her hand back, but she couldn’t. His fingers encircled her hand and his grip grew firm.
Heat rocketed through her. She stifled the gasp that was near bursting from her lips. Her head spun. All this from a touch? What the heck was going on?
He hesitated again then shook. “Seraphina.”
Serah contained the cringe that threatened to release. And here Lucy thought her given name was horrendous. Hers took the cake. What were her parents smoking when they named her? Something that made them fly, apparently. Little did they know, she was no angel. There was only room for one of those in this town. Then again, knowing Connolly Park and all its weirdness, there were probably more.
Lucy snickered. “Seraphina? You gotta be joking.”
“Shut up,” she muttered. With a yank, she pulled her hand from Ambrose’s grip. Quite a feat too. “If I hear you mutter anything more about how much you hate your name, I’ll knock you upside the head.”