Page 42 of The Devil and His Ghost

“Not only would I dare, but I’d take great pleasure in it, too.”

I ignored the way that warmed my insides in favor of glaring between the clothes he pressed into my crossed arms and his handsome face.

With a sigh, he flashed me a conspiratorial grin. “There will be food. Lots of delicious and new food.”

My stomach growled in response to the temptation he’d dangled in front of me. Even after five years apart, he still knew the promise of food would get me each and every time. After being denied delicious food for so many years while at Mountview, I couldn’t deny the opportunity to sample it all today.

So with his promise to meet my tongue’s wishes, I begrudgingly took the outfit he’d picked out. With a triumphant grin, he whisked into the bathroom to change, too. No sooner had he stepped inside and shut the door than an awareness formed at my back.

I turned and got hit with a sense of déjà vu when a broad chest nearly hit my face. Tilting my head back, my gaze locked with a pair that only served to increase the feeling that I’d been in this exact situation before.

The golden-haired demon inhaled before smirking. “Well. Looks like we meet again. Pet fish, right?”

The same demon from my time at Xander’s apartment—what was his name? Peter? Pecker? I couldn’t remember—stood before me once more. Much like before, I bristled at his close proximity.

“Narcissist, right?” I shot back with a tilt of my chin.

Smirking his fanged grin, he corrected politely, “Sex demon.”

I shrugged. “Same thing.”

“Perseus?” Xander called and opened the bathroom door.

Oh, right. Perseus. How sad. Pecker suits him better.

Xander leaned on the bathroom door frame in only dark jeans, which were still unbuttoned and opened over his briefs.

My mouth instantly watered at the sight, and I silently berated myself to ignore how good-looking he was. While I’d forgotten this newcomer’s name, I hadn’t forgotten the ability he had—reading desires. Judging by the way he shot me a sideways, knowing grin, my internal chant about foot fungus, baby vomit, and pills in little paper cups hadn’t distracted me from Xander’s appeal fast enough.

“What are you doing here?” Xander asked.

“You haven’t checked in since the marketing party. I wanted to see what had your attention so occupied.” Perseus fixed his black-and-red gaze on me once more.

Meanwhile, mine had completely diverted from his face. Catsper perched on top of his head, his see-through feet pawing lightly at Perseus’s golden curls while his tail swished back and forth over the demon’s pierced ear. I pressed my lips tightly together to fight against the laugh that wanted to rush out of me.

“Um,” Perseus began, patting the top of his head and shooting Xander a fleeting glance. His fingers swept through Catsper, who merely batted at the extremity. “Why is she staring at my head like that?”

Xander shrugged and declared, “You’ve got pussy on your face, man.”

“What?” Perseus asked. His brows slammed down in confusion, and he wiped at his mouth.

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I doubled over in laughter, clutching my stomach.

Perseus stiffened in annoyance, and his bland stare bounced between Xander and I. “You two truly are a perfect match.”

With that, the demon vanished in a plume of shadows. Catsper hovered in the air before trotting happily back to the bed, the open air his roadway. I managed to reign in my laughter, wiping at my eyes under my glasses before adjusting them back into place. When I glanced at Xander, who still stood in the bathroom doorway, I found his dark eyes fixed right on me, a calm seriousness where a mischievous lightness typically resided in the lines of his face.

Catching my breath but still unable to wipe away my smile, I asked, “What?”

“You’re really pretty when you laugh.”

The words made me need to catch my breath all over again. We stared at each other, me lost in the way my heart suddenly galloped and he in whatever thought had him so transfixed on my face. I became aware of the small distance between us. I was aware of his bare chest and how easy it would be to reach out, to feel the firm and warm flesh beneath my palm. I was aware of the tight yet comfortable ache that always took up a piece of the organ currently tripping over itself at the sight of him.

Which was why I promptly put my back to him and laid out the clothes he’d given me on the bed. My hands shook from old and new longing as I straightened the black overalls and purple turtleneck. “If we’re leaving, we better get ready. We shouldn’t waste any more time.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” he murmured quietly.

My lashes fluttered shut, and every cell in my body sparked with desire. I looked over my shoulder but found myself alone, the room and doorway empty. I brought my hand up to my neck, gently rubbing where it felt like his voice had just been.