Demons Prefer Blondes (14 page)

“Rhode Island?” Frankie rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t a geography major, but I do know that’s not a real island.”

Everyone burst into laughter, including Rafe. His silver eyes sparked with mirth. Absolutely amazing.

Frankie bit his lip. “What’s so funny?”

“Duh,” Gerardo said with a roll of his eyes. “There’s a big different between the island of
Rhodes
and Rhode Island.”

Frankie shrugged then allowed a small smile to curve his lip. “I hated geography class.”

She ran out of islands to choose. There was only one left, and she didn’t want to go there.

“Lesbos?”

Kalli arched her glare from Lilith to plant it on Lucy. “Just because I was one of Sappho’s muses means nothing.”

Lucy’s head reeled from all this creepy reminiscing. Sappho’s muse? Suddenly, nothing about this woman surprised her. She stifled the giggle that threatened to spill. “That’s interesting.”

“I’ll have you know. I was Homer’s muse too. So I’d quit that train of thought.”

Okay, she’d had enough. She and Rafe were vacating—
now
. The sooner they were alone, the sooner she could learn how to block out the Misses-Pick-Your-Brains—both of them. She grabbed Rafe’s arm and yanked him toward the door. “We’ll be safe,” she said as she pushed the door open, not leaving him any chance to refuse.

“Fine,” Lilith said with a wave of her hand. “Don’t worry about Kalli and me wreaking havoc in your salon. I’m leaving. You know how to reach me.” She snapped her finger. In a swirl of fire and smoke, she spun into her more familiar form. Wild, violet, orchid-laden muumuu and tan orthopedic shoes adorned her now plump form. “See ya.” The high-pitched whine she remembered so well filled the salon.

“Mrs. Gunderson?” Frankie gasped, swooning to the floor.

Good ol’ Mrs. Henrietta Gunderson. She would miss that old broad.

“Which car is Gerardo’s?” Rafe asked as the door shut behind them. He stood tall, the crisp cold air whipping his hair behind him. He kept his jaw firm as he gazed down at her. Damn! He was tall! Even at five-eight, Lucy wasn’t exactly short. But she was when she was with Rafe… massive… muscular… sexy. Her mind drifted back to earlier, to Rafe’s mouth on hers. She could still taste the spicy sweetness of peppermint as his tongue rolled against hers. She had to do it again!

Muscles strained against leather as he led her across the street to the parking lot. Her breath caught. He was magnificent. She fidgeted with her new designer sunglasses and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Snow swirled around them like big fluffy puffs of cotton. Some clung to his hair, sparkling against the sun’s rays. Once again, this man had rendered her speechless.

“Lucy!” His firm tone sent jolts of awareness racing through her.

“W-what?” she managed, glancing away sheepishly. Thank goodness, this man couldn’t read minds, or he’d know how badly she wanted to jump his demonic bones.

He raked a hand through long locks. “I asked which car was Gerardo’s.”

“Oh.”
Come on brain, don’t fail me now.
“Umm, the purple PT Cruiser over there,” she replied, pointing at Gerardo’s car. “So I suppose you can’t poof in broad daylight?”

Rafe nodded, his gaze searching. Silvery mists circled their depths, like two giant oceans. Deep and mesmerizing, like someone who’d experienced life. “You figured correctly.”

Blinking, she approached the car and laughed. “Funny, Gerardo,” she said, perusing his new bumper sticker. In big blue letters, with a rainbow in the corner, it read “We Are Everywhere.”
Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo
.

Rafe came to stand next to her, his body inches from her. She loved the heat that rolled off him. “Should I ask?”

“Probably not,” she replied with a click of a button. Gerardo’s car beeped in response as the alarm was disabled. “I promise I’ll be gentler this time,” she said, lacing her reply with innuendo. Lord knew her inner naughty girl had no gentle intentions.

Rafe snorted. “I hope so.”

“Gerardo’s car is roomier.” She extended her arm. “After you.”

Rafe swung the door open. “These modern inventions never cease to amaze me.”

Did she amaze him? He certainly amazed her. With a smile, she opened the door, sending a pile of snow flying in her face.

With a shiver, she brushed off the cold flakes. What a wonderful way to make an impression on the Adonis.

“Cold?” Rafe asked as he stepped into the car. Was that a wink? Was she now an object for his amusement?

She shrugged. “Just a tad.”

Taking a seat next to Rafe, she slipped on her seat belt and popped the key in the ignition. With a quick twist, the car hummed to life. The sooner they blew out of here, the better. She pressed her foot to the brake, turned to Rafe and smiled. “Hold on to your shorts.” With a quick tug, she pulled the car into reverse and backed out.

The expression on Rafe’s face would remain etched in her mind. Ramrod-tall, teeth clenched, and fingers firmly gripping the door handle. Like they were going to the moon, not her mom’s.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Have you ever ridden in a car before today?”

“The last car I’ve traveled in was a 1910 Model T.” Rafe’s lips curved into a wide grin.

Whoa! That long? “Wow, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

The silver in his eyes sparked. “About twenty years.”

“Huh?”

With a tiny grin forming on his lips, Rafe raked a hand through his hair. “The Fore-Demons sent me to stop a small blood-demon attack at an antique car show. It was the only thing available.”

“Did you get the bad guys?”

Jaw twitching, Rafe nodded. The bright silver of his eyes swirling and stormy. “Not without some casualties, but no humans died.”

“That’s awesome.”

Shrugging, Rafe looked away, out the window at the passing scenery. “A small success.”

“Small?” Lucy’s eyes widened. This guy had a serious inferiority complex. And she thought she was bad. “You saved lives. There’s nothing small in that.”

“I suppose,” he said on a sigh.

That was an improvement… of sorts. The bout of awkward silence announced the conversation was done. And they were making such progress, too. Taking a right onto Lover’s Lane, she secretly wished she’d brought a safety helmet. There wasn’t anything lovely about the road at all. Potholes, snow, and ice didn’t mix. With a jerk and a jolt, she drove over a hole the size of Lake Michigan.

“There goes the alignment. Gerardo will be pissed.” This time she swerved to avoid the Atlantic Ocean. Three things were certain when traveling Michigan roads in winter: ice, snow, and huge-ass potholes.

Rafe winced as his head bounced against the roof. “How much longer?”

Slowing down the car, she hung a left onto Stonebrook Road. “About five or ten minutes.” She’d never felt so awkward in her life. Here this totally sexy man sat in her car, and she was at a complete loss of words. Small talk had never been her forte.

It was time to change that. “So how old are you?”

“Old enough.” Rafe scrubbed a hand through his hair. Apparently he wasn’t much of a conversationalist either.

“Look, Rafe, I know you have things you’d rather be doing,” she said as she took another right. “But if we’re going to work together, we need to you know… communicate.”

“Four hundred and fifty-five.”

Lucy arched a brow. “Huh?”

“I’m four hundred and fifty-five years old.” Rafe shrugged. “I stopped keeping track in the late nineteenth century, so I needed some time to go back and count.”

Talk about the fountain of youth. “Wow. You don’t look a day over one hundred.”

Rafe smirked. “Thank you, I think.”

“You’re welcome.” She took the final turn onto Wellington Road—her mom’s street.

“That’s my mom’s house right there.” She pointed to the two-story canary-yellow Cape Cod. Wreaths bedecked each window. Santa and his reindeer stood guard in the front yard. Blow-up snowmen and polar bears bearing gifts sat proud. Strings of sparkling icicles and snowflakes dotted the eaves. Gaudy, yet pretty in a strange sort of way.

“Wellington, eh?”

Lucy shrugged. “The people here have a thing for historical names. I live on Waterloo Drive.”

“I aided Wellington at Waterloo,” Rafe replied, his gaze somber.

“Don’t tell me Napoleon was a demon?”

He shook his head. “No, but he was plagued by them. Greed, power, and envy, mostly. It was one of our tougher assignments.”

“Didn’t the English win that battle?”

“Not without casualties,” Rafe said, his voice nondescript.

Would he ever give himself some slack? “It’s war. There’s bound to be deaths. And since Napoleon was defeated, I’m guessing you sent some demons packing.”

“I suppose.” Rafe’s jaw twitched.

Pulling into her mom’s driveway, she craned her head to meet Rafe’s gaze. Maybe she could soften him up another way.

With boldness she didn’t know she possessed, she reached across the seat and traced her finger along his jaw—slowly, tenderly. Heat crackled between her finger and his skin, a heavy inferno racing between them.

He sucked in a breath. “Lucy…”

“Shh,” she whispered, drawing her fingertips down further and lingering over the thrumming pulse at the base of his neck. “You
are
a hero.”

The silver in his eyes swirled and sparked like sensuous waves of a turbulent sea. She didn’t care much for waxing poetic, but it was worth a sonnet or two. With more brazen wanton, she leaned across the seat.

“What do I have to do?” she asked, her tone seductive, or what she hoped was seductive. She was new to all this sexpot stuff and didn’t know what the hell she was doing. She fumbled with the zipper of his jacket, her mouth curving into a wry grin.

“For what?” Rafe asked on a choked breath.

She angled her gaze upward and brought her pinkie to her mouth. Nothing like a little teasing to lighten the mood. She reached back over and rubbed Rafe’s shoulder.

“To block Kalli’s and Lilith’s mind breach, of course.”

A frown curved his lips. The silver oceans of his eyes became placid ponds. “It’s easier to instruct you in a more comfortable environment.”

“How about a tiny clue?” she asked with a little pout.

“Close your eyes,” he said, his tone firm yet gentle.

She obeyed him like an obedient puppy. A cute fluffy puppy, nonetheless. “And?”

“Hmm,” he said, his tone thoughtful. “Turn your head to face me.”

Without reservations, Lucy angled her head to face his. “Okay?”

“Stay still.”

“I’m trying,” she replied, her grin wide.

“Don’t try to tempt me, Lucy.” His breath, hot and heavy, inched along her cheek and to her ear. Shivers of excitement jolted through her body. “You might not like what you get.”

Like hell she wouldn’t. Her breath hitched. The energy crackling through her body must’ve jumbled all thought and speech processes. “I doubt that,” she managed with a squeak. Ugh, not that stupid squeak again.

“I love that squeak,” Rafe said. “Especially when I first stepped into your shop.” He shook his head, doubt clouding his eyes. “You’ve entranced me beyond words.”

She couldn’t control herself any longer. Without hesitation, she opened her eyes, wrapped her arms around Rafe’s neck and laced her fingers through his hair. They were going to kiss again. Outside her mom’s house, nonetheless. In broad daylight. She trained her gaze toward the garage. Her mom’s snow-white, gas-guzzling Cadillac Escalade sat big and proud in the driveway, glinting in the afternoon sun.

Ooh! Mom was home!
Talk about living dangerously.

What would the neighbors think?

Screw the neighbors
, her inner sexy self whispered. She was beginning to like this inner demon.

She grabbed on to his hair, her grip tight, and pulled his face to hers. “The feeling is mutual,” she said, grinding her lips against his. Pure molten fire coursed through her veins, the energy erupting inside like a volcano. Swirling her tongue hungrily against his firm lips, she prodded them open.

She’d never felt such intensity with any man ever in her almost thirty years. Her heart hammered in her chest. And that taste! Peppermint and musky spices exploded in her mouth as his tongue swirled against hers.

“Mmm,” she murmured against his lips. With wanton daring, she took his lower lip into her mouth and sucked. That wasn’t enough. She wanted more. Nibbling gently, she crushed herself against him. Her nipples hard enough to bust through her bra, she rubbed her breasts against his leather clad chest. How she wished they were in her bedroom, in her bed, and of course naked.

Windows fogged up around us. Like
Titanic
. She was Rose and he was Jack. All that was missing was her handprint on the window. Oh, and they weren’t in that Model T, either. Too bad she wasn’t born twenty years earlier. She would’ve been all for doing Rafe in the back seat of an antique car.

Then again, maybe
Titanic
wasn’t the best analogy. After all, didn’t Jack die in the end?

Rafe jerked away from her and turned to gaze out the passenger side window. With the swipe of his hand, he straightened his hair. Wiping off the condensation from the window, he grumbled. “What in the bloody hell?”

“W-what is it?” she asked, still breathless. She swiped her palm across the window, clearing the evidence of their late-afternoon tryst, if it could even be called a tryst. A movement near the side of her mom’s house caught her eye.

“Not
it
again,” she mumbled.

Hovering above her mom’s snow topped bushes, the hooded apparition from Macintosh’s, black flowing robes, hood, and all, floated along the house. Despite the darkness of its façade, she didn’t get that dark vibe from it at all. Then again, she didn’t get that vibe from the
Arca Inferorum
either, and look where that led her. Hell on Earth.

Rafe’s brow jutted upward. “You’ve seen him before?”

Nibbling her lip, Lucy nodded. “At the restaurant, when I was out to dinner with my mom.”

“Then he was here before you opened the chest?”

This just kept getting weirder by the minute. “Yeah, I guess so,” she replied, her voice cracking.

The hooded figure hovered above the snow-speckled bushes, snow sparkling and blowing through it. All of a sudden, it turned back toward the house and vanished inside.

Her heart leapt in her chest, her pulse instantly spiking. “That isn’t good.”

Look at what she’d done now. Her mom was in danger, and it was her fault.

Lucy clenched her fists. She wouldn’t let an innocent person suffer for her mistake. Especially not her mom. Despite their differences, she was still her mother and only wanted what she
thought
was best for her. But enough introspect. She was ready to kick some creepy, cloaked demon ass.

“We better move,” Rafe’s voice cut into her thoughts.

She gulped. Nervousness crept in, scaring away any lingering lustful thoughts.
Think about your mom
, her new superhero ego burst out.
She needs you.

But truth to the matter, it wasn’t her mom who needed
her
. Lucy was the one who needed
her
. She just hoped it wasn’t too late.

“I couldn’t agree more.” With that, she threw open the door to the car and flew out, ready to defend her family.