12
1149 Words
“We have an audience. Don’t look, but Portia is standing by that palm tree. She’s been following us.”
“I thought it was just another couple who was taking a page out of our book and going for a walk.”
She shook her head. “She didn’t super buy our whole we wanna be alone thing. Good thing for you, I am quick on my feet.”
“You know, I could just take your idea and go see one of the witches. Seduce her.”
Ruby arched a brow at him. “You think that will work? Scorn another witch? You need Portia to lay off the matchmaking as much as I do. Now, put your hand on my hip and look into my eyes like you mean it.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I am a s*x demon, and if you were really into me, you couldn’t keep your hands to yourself. You would be all over me.”
He swallowed so hard that she almost heard it. For one not-so-hot second, she thought Ethan would back out, that he would walk away from her without actually playing along.
He did, though.
The man played his part so well that Ruby had to remind herself that this was all pretend. His large warm hand gripped her hip, and he lowered his towering body over her. She had to crane her head back to get a good look into those intense blue eyes.
They were so intense that Ruby killed a shiver.
So he’s hot. You’ve slept with the hottest men in the world and made them your bitches. This ain’t no thing. Stop being weak, and get the job done. Job being keeping Aunt Portia off our backs.
“Is this okay?” he whispered low and rough.
“Shut up and kiss me,” she replied, reaching to the tips of her toes to press her mouth against his.
The very last thing she was expecting was for fireworks to go off at that very moment. Startled, she blinked and pushed away from him.
There were no fireworks in the sky. It had all been in her head.
At least, Ethan appeared to be as affected as her. He was blinking at her, his eyes heavy-lidded, and his breath staggered.
“What the hell was that?”
She shook her head.
“Is it always like this when folks kiss your kind?”
It would have been so much easier to lie, but Ruby was too shocked to come up with a believable line. “No, it’s not. That was …”
“Fireworks. I swear, I heard fireworks go off.” Ethan shook his head as if they were still exploding in his mind.
“Well, maybe this is a thing that happens at Hellscape Holiday Resort,” she offered lamely. “A succubus runs the place. There might be some s*x magic in the actual architecture.”
“I don’t even know what that means.”
Neither do I, but it’s better to tell you that than to say that the kiss was good because we’re compatible.
What was she supposed to do? Tell the wolf shifter they were so well-matched that s*x together would probably be explosive? Not a chance.
She wasn’t here to fall in love, nor was she looking for romance. This whole holiday had gone from trying to find a way out of her succubus life, but that had quickly turned into a holiday where she could take a break from herself.
From s*x. From all of the soul-stealing and deal-making.
This week, she could try and be a good friend … for the first time in her whole long life … and help out of the kindness of her heart.
That’s something humans did, wasn’t it?
They didn’t exactly live their lives on a whole basis of quid pro quo, and favors like Hell’s folks did. Humans did it for loyalty and because it was nice to do things for others.
She played with the idea while Ethan recovered from the kiss.
“You know what? I’m gonna help you find a way to break the curse. Either with a witch here or some other way.”
“So you’ve decided what you’re gonna ask in return?”
She licked her lips, knowing her entire being was going to revolt at her reply. “I’m not asking for anything in return. You’re here to save your pack, and that’s kinda beautiful to me. We’re not like that. Succubi, I mean. My aunt Portia is, but she’s an anomaly, and usually, her motives are a little bit more mysterious.”
“Wow, I don’t know what to say.”
“Hold on, now.” Ruby needed to figure out what to do with her life, and she couldn’t do that if Portia were always lurking. “You’re still gonna have to pretend to be into me,” she said. “Or else Portia will try and work her usual tricks to get her way.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well, it means spending some time together. Maybe the occasional kiss or hand holding. Do you think that you can deal with that?”
“Sure. Yes.”
She frowned. “You didn’t give yourself much time to consider there.”
“Not much to consider. I have no f*****g clue what I’m doing here. I don’t know anything about other paranormal creatures, just shifters. If we gotta play a couple for me to get some good intel, I’m not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.”
“Okay, then. So. It’s settled. We’re an item with the sole purpose of keeping Portia at bay.”
“Yup.”
“We should kiss on it.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized what she had said. She tried to backtrack and take it back, but Portia was still lurking in the shadows of the trees.
Then there was Ethan.
The man didn’t hesitate. She asked to kiss on it, and he complied. He lowered his head once again and pressed his lips to hers.
When the fireworks exploded as soon as they made contact, she was ready for it this time. She gripped the front of his shirt and pulled herself up to get better access to his hot mouth.
Ethan’s tongue drew along the seam of her mouth, seeking entrance. She parted her lips just enough to let his tongue dip in and out. His hands gripped her waist, but he didn’t keep them there for long. He dropped them down to her ass and squeezed the handful.
Okay, so it was more than a handful. Ruby had curves, and apparently, Ethan was totally fine with exploring them.
I am in so much trouble.
- Writer
