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“Yeah, I noticed,” I say dryly. “Even if I was blind to it before, Naamah’s rant of doom when she had me tied up in the basement would have clued me in.”
“She was obsessed with him,” Fenriz acknowledges. “She kept it fairly well-hidden, but, as with Lucifer, it’s clearly written in her actions.”
I tilt my head at him, curious.
“She hated Earth,” he explains. “Yet she lived and worked there for fifty years because he asked her to. Lucifer’s actions—even apart from returning to Hell and negotiating with his father, which he has stubbornly avoided for that same amount of time—expose his feelings for you. They have from the very beginning.”
He leans back, holding his hands out like a scale, and I come to realize that my relationship with Lucifer has been thoroughly analyzed. Here I was thinking it was all gossip, but I don’t see Fenriz as the gossiping kind.
“Buying clothes for you which appeal to his senses, totally in character.” He lowers one hand, raising the other. “Buying you an entire wardrobe in colors you enjoy, out of character.” He moves his hands the opposite way, then notices my bafflement and explains. “If those items were purely for his pleasure, there would be a lot more reds, oranges, and animal prints. Or leather and corsets. High heels, fishnets, bustiers—”
“Okay, okay,” I cut him off, laughing a bit awkwardly. “So he digs the dominatrix look, I get it. Even at the office?”
“Especially at the office,” Fenriz says, as somber as ever.
“Come to think of it, I do remember Naamah wearing a lot of leather,” I muse.
“Precisely,” he confirms with a small nod. “She adjusted her wardrobe to suit his tastes. He has adjusted—well, everything, really, to suit you. He’s practicing a level of self-control I’ve never witnessed before, especially in regards to his temper. He’s generous to you without motive. There is nothing he could have gained from the kindness he’s shown you except more time in your presence. He’s open. Knowledge and power are one and the same, and he’s shared both with you freely. I’ve never seen him like this, so openly vulnerable to one person, and while that vulnerability has put you both at a disadvantage for the moment, I suspect that what you two have will galvanize into something stronger. Unbreakable armor or a formidable weapon. Both, perhaps, or neither. Maybe something a little more human.”
He’s changed for me,softenedfor me. My heart swells as I realize just how much he’s modified for my comfort, and only for the simple reward of my presence in his life. From my perspective, it isn’t enough.I’mnot enough to make so many changes and accommodations. And yet, I’m not naïve enough to brush it off. Never have I asked him to change, he did so because of this underlying care and attraction we have to one another. It’s enough to make me ache to see him, to touch him. Whatever it is he’s doing, I wish he’d finish and come back.
With the kind of incredible timing that defies logic, Lucifer grants my wish. The big door swings open and he’s here, crossing the floor with that commanding stride. I see the echoes of the Lucifer he used to be in the tension of his shoulders, in his imperious scowl, in the click of his boots against the floor. His eyes dart around the room, scanning for danger, his gaze sharp and vicious—until it meets mine. Then he softens like magic, discarding his defensive walls and weaponized arrogance, coming to me naked in spite of his clothes.
He trusts me.
My heart flutters as his lips touch mine and his arms come around me. There are no calculations in his touch, no ulterior motives, just simple intimacy and pleasure. There’s a swell of emotion behind each brush of skin, overcome with relief to be together again. It seems that the forces at play want us to be apart, but our bond is strong enough to keep us going. Or at least, Lucifer is. I owe my life to him, but I know he won’t tolerate hearing such words.
I’m vaguely aware of Fenriz slipping away out the door, but honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered if he chose to stay. I can’t resist the pull of Lucifer’s pure affection, and I never want to try.
Chapter12
Sophia
The kiss between us deepens,and I can feel the possessiveness in every brush of his lips. The worry that’s been consuming him is radiating from his body, and I can only hope that this will erase some of his fears, although I know it’s a fool’s hope. Just because we’ve once again skated out of the jaws of disaster doesn’t mean there won’t be more trouble around the corner.
Right now, though, I don’t want to think about that. All I want to focus on is the fact that I have Lucifer back with me. We’ve been granted another day together—even if that day puts us on borrowed time or exists out of spite alone.
“I need you naked,” he groans against my lips. “Now.”
I expect him to start shredding my clothes off as he usually does, but instead, he carefully and deliberately removes the layers one by one, his gaze burning pathways over my body as he bares me bit by bit.
A smile stretches over my face as I watch him, drinking in the sight. I love when he claims me roughly, pushing my body right to the limits of what I can take, on the razor-sharp edge where pleasure and pain meet. But I like this too, like feeling treasured and protected by him.
Lucifer peppers kisses over my skin as he goes, but the pressure of his lips is gentle and soft. Even so, I’m practically panting as he starts to work his way up my body.
“You’re gorgeous,” he murmurs against my skin. “A fucking vision.” He kisses between my breasts, his hands gently caressing the curves of my hips and waist. “A vibrant, soft flower in a dying field. Sweetness, beauty, and strength wrapped into one being.”
I can’t help but snort, biting my lip as I roll my eyes toward the ceiling. “Uh, okay. I’m notthatstunning, Lucifer.”
He looks up at me, a different sort of fire than I’ve ever seen before burning in his eyes. It’s not passion or sexual desire, but something else entirely.
“Sophia,” he murmurs, his tone blunt and honest. “I have been alive for longer than you can comprehend, and I’ve seen most of creation. Through all the eras, ages, and dimensions, I’ve never seen anything or anyone as beautiful as you are to me.”
My breath freezes in my lungs as I stare at him. I’m frozen, stunned by his words. It isn’t some cheesy line easily thrown my way to get me to sleep with him, nor is it something mindless whispered in the heat of the moment. This is a declaration, something that came from the deepest part of his being.
He means every word he just said to me.
“I…”
