Demons Prefer Blondes (Demons Unleashed #1)(16)

Lucy sucked in a deep breath and ran trembling fingers through her hair, dislodging a few stray shards of glass. “I’m not a demon.”

Serah reached out and pointed. With a shaky breath, she said, “Look.”

“Fine,” she replied with an exasperated huff. Jerking herself around, Lucy took in the scene. The box sat in the middle of the room, open, with glowing amber light emanating from inside. Showers of vibrant sparks shot up in a small yet beautiful fireworks display. Great! Now the place would catch fire.

Her insurance company wouldn’t believe this. Heck, she still didn’t believe it.

“Close the chest!” she heard echoed in the air. Her breath caught and her pulse raced. Heat crackled inside her in sizzling waves. On its own accord, her tongue traced along her lips.

Rafe! Mmm…

Spinning around the room, she scanned every recess. More fountains of water erupted as more and more amber energy escaped the chest. Her gaze trained on the front door. There stood Rafe, taking up most of the entrance, his dark hair whipping around his face. His eyes flashed like two giant diamonds and glinted in the midst of the eerie light and sparks.

“Close it. Now,” he urged. “Before more escape.” The intensity in his glare showed he was serious.

As if a fire had been lit beneath her ass, Lucy sprang into action. Like she’d just stepped into a kung fu movie, she leapt over a dryer chair and tumbled into a somersault. Whoa! Where’d that come from? With as much strength as she could muster, Lucy pushed the lid closed.

“Say this: ‘By the power of the Paladins, I command thee closed.’”

“By the power of the Paladins, I command thee closed,” she repeated. All of a sudden, with a forceful whoosh, what remained of the amber glow shot back into the chest and the lid slammed shut.

Rafe stood tall, his hands on his waist, the muscles bulging in his biceps. “Do you know what you just did?” His jaw twitched as his gaze bore into her. That intensity made her melt. And she absolutely loved it.

It scared the shit out of her. Where did all these hormones come from? She’d gone five years without sex, with only a slight urge every so often. The minute this man walked into her life, she became a walking orgasm.

She raised her chin as defiantly as possible. What was it about this man that drove her bonkers? “No, but I’m sure you’ll enlighten me.” She looked back at Serah, who struggled to right herself.

“I told you to call if you needed me.” He crossed his arms in front of the rocks that were his pecs. “Why didn’t you?”

Raking her fingers through her hair, Lucy chuckled. “Sorry, but you didn’t leave a number. How do you expect me to call?”

Rafe growled, a deep sound that left her senses reeling. What kind of cologne was he wearing? “You know what I meant, Lucia.”

“Well, Mr. Deleon, I’m sorry, but I had other things on my mind.” Lucy crossed her arms and raised her chin. “If you look around, you’ll see.”

Rafe stood ramrod still, his shoulders almost touching each side of the doorway. His gaze smoldered. The intensity morphed from anger and frustration to something more dangerous. Something naughty. She shivered at the images of that gaze in the midst of some hot, sweaty, monkey sex. Something she hadn’t had the pleasure of doing in… a long-ass time. In a flash, it was gone. Frustration creased his brow.

A loud clanging in the corner caught her attention. Serah ambled toward her as she plucked glass from her corkscrew curls.

“I can’t believe it! You are a demon.” She craned her head toward the door, her breath catching. “Have I died and gone to heaven?”

Here we go again, she thought as she recalled Gerardo’s enamored reaction to Rafe earlier. “No, Serah. We’re still in Connolly Park, Michigan.” Leaning in, she whispered. “The man’s a homophobe, by the way.”

“So what, he could be an ax murderer for all I care. He’s got major drool factor.” She smiled up at Rafe. “I’m sorry my friend’s being rude. Why not come in and help us tidy up?”

Rafe shrugged and skimmed his fingers through his silky mane. “Your friend hasn’t invited me in. I can’t enter until welcome.”

“You came into my shop earlier.” Lucy arched a brow. “How do you explain that?”

Rafe threw back his head in a throaty roar of laughter that sent her heart fluttering. That homophobic, pheromone-inducing bastard. “Your sign said, ‘Open. Come on in.’” His eyes flickered. “Then you ordered me to leave.”

“What are you? A vampire?” Lucy asked as she pulled a broom from the closet. Then again, with the amount of glass on the floor, she doubted ten brooms would help. At Rafe’s lack of answer, she sucked in a deep breath. “Fine, come on in. How’s that, big guy?”

Serah paced the shop, mumbling beneath her breath. “This is terrible. What are you going to do?”

Truth be told, she had no idea. And even scarier, she didn’t care. Her dream lay in front of her, in a pile of glass and a giant ocean upon the floor. “Yeah, sucks, doesn’t it?”

Serah grabbed her by the shoulders. “Don’t you care?”

“Do not touch her,” Rafe ordered. He leapt in the air and pulled Serah away. “You need to ask her permission.”