I took the stack from her, stunned. This was the last thing I'd expected.
"It's probably overkill, but it should give you a lot to look at. Then, if you get some ideas, we can go on from there."
I glanced down at the top sheet, displaying a three-bedroom condo out on Alki. "I…wow. Thank you, Maddie. You shouldn't have."
She beamed at my thanks. "Happy to. Let me know what you think-and thanks again for the lesson. It was so much fun! Hopefully I'll be less horrible next time. Maybe I can get Seth to practice at home."
She gave me a quick hug and then hurried off to catch a ride with Doug. I trudged to my office, papers in hand, and set them on my desk. I collapsed into the chair, feeling horrible. While I'd been out doing bad, wicked things with her boyfriend, she'd been working diligently to find me a new home.
I tried hard after that to browse some spreadsheets, but my heart wasn't in it. I mostly stared at numbers without really comprehending them, and when a knock came at the door, I welcomed the distraction. I jumped up from my chair.
"Come in." I wondered if Maddie had forgotten to give me another ream. But it wasn't her.
Seth stood in the doorway.
I stared, hoping my mouth hadn't dropped open or anything embarrassing like that. "What…what are you doing here? I thought you left."
He looked as though he wanted to step inside but was afraid to. "Doug took Maddie home, and I came back to…to get…" He stopped and shook his head, unable to continue with a lie about having forgotten something. "I came back to see you."
I remembered the way his eyes had watched my body, the smoke in them when the skirt had ridden up my leg. That same smokiness was there now, and I felt my own body's desire flare up in response. Really, though, after the way we'd touched while dancing, the desire had never really left me. Nonetheless, I tried to be reasonable.
"Seth, we can't…not again…it's…"
"I know," he said. At last, he crossed the threshold. "And I told myself…told myself I'd let it go…but I haven't stopped thinking about you since yesterday. And after tonight." Hesitantly, as though afraid someone might be lurking, he shut the door behind him. "Just the way you looked out there. It was…amazing. Believe me, I didn't screw up dancing because I'm bad at it-which I am. It's because I wasn't thinking about it at all. I was thinking about you. God, I couldn't stop. And it's not just how sexy you are tonight. It was more. It was the way you lit up the room, the way you charmed everyone and made them happy. You don't need any special powers to do that, Georgina. It's just in you, part of who you are. How funny you are, how smart. It's what made me fall in love you back then, and it's what…" He didn't finish, and I was glad. If he had said "…makes me love you now," I wouldn't have been able to handle it.
I noticed that he'd moved a lot closer. I took a deep breath. "It would have been easier on me if you said you just thought I was sexy." Shallowness I could handle. Not this emotional depth.
He gave a rueful smile and stepped even closer so that we were only a couple feet apart. "Oh, believe me, I do. And it would be a lot easier on me if you weren't."
I could scarcely breathe. We were so close now, and every atom in the room felt charged. I felt charged. There was no mistaking the look on his face. He wanted me too-badly. Lust and desire spilled off him, and I knew my own face mirrored those feelings. He was careful, though, standing as close as he dared, waiting for my signal. There was a tension to him, like it would only take one small sign from me for him to explode.
Desperately, I tried to grasp a hold of everything reasonable that I knew. I remembered how miserable I'd felt when he left to go see Maddie yesterday. Hell, I tried to think of Maddie herself-that cheerful, guileless face that trusted me so much. I tried to think of Dante. None of that worked, though, because all that was in my head was Seth, how perfect it had felt being with him. How perfect it felt being with him even now.
Reaching out, I took his hand and brought it up to my collarbone. It was all he needed. He stepped closer and traced the lines of my neck, then moved down to my shoulder. He pushed the dress's strap so that it slid down my arm. His fingers followed it, pulling it farther so that the top of my dress fell forward, revealing most of my breast. My nipple was already hard and ready when his hand moved over and pulled the rest of that side of the dress down, completely exposing my breast. He cupped it, squeezing its fullness and running his fingers along the curve.
His other hand moved to my other side, cupping that breast and teasing its nipple underneath the dress's silk. My body pressed closer to his, and our mouths met, hot and intense. Yesterday had been sweet and full of emotion. There was emotion here today, but it was intermingled with raw passion, with an animal instinct that made me wish he'd ravage my body right now.
And honestly, that wasn't too far from what happened. I stumbled from the press of our bodies and found my back pressed-gently-against the wall as he continued caressing my breasts. My hands wrapped around his neck, moving up to half-tangle and half-pull his hair. He finally released my breasts and ran his hands over the length of my body, down my hips and thighs, across the sheer, silky fabric covering my legs. Sliding his hands back up, he pushed my skirt up and slipped one hand under my thigh, so that it wrapped around his waist and kept the dress up. His other hand moved down under my black lace thong panties, probing to see if I was ready.
I was. I was warm and wet and slick, and the finger he slipped into me went in so easily that he then tried two, then three. I groaned and arched my back as he moved his fingers in and out of me and his mouth left hard, bruising kisses on my neck. My own hands fumbled down, trying to unfasten his pants. When I'd tugged them and his boxers down, he gripped my hips and turned me around so that I faced the wall. He shoved my skirt back up and tugged my panties halfway down my thighs. I bent over and extended my arms, using my hands to brace myself against the wall.
He entered me, forceful and deep, with no buildup or teasing. He was just as hard and long as I remembered, just as wonderful. Steadying his hands on my hips, he thrust roughly into me, desperately trying to sate the need I'd seen in him earlier, the need I shared. I cried out each time he shoved into me, knowing I should be quiet in case someone else had come back to the store. But I couldn't be. I was too caught up in the out-of-control passion of this moment, in the sinuous, primal lust that had consumed us both. And underscoring all of it was the realization that it was Seth. Seth, Seth, Seth…whom I loved more than anyone else. You are the world .
He moved his hands up from my hips to cup my breasts, forcing me to readjust my position. All the time, he never broke his rhythm, staying fast and urgent. His fingers pinched my nipples hard, and I cried out louder. I think that turned him on even more, spurring him to thrust harder into me. Hoping to excite him further, I completely gave myself over and let go of any restraint with my voice. The louder I moaned, the more his body pounded into mine. It was all I could do to keep myself from getting pressed against the wall, and as I moaned over and over, it had nothing to do with arousing him and everything to do with the ecstatic and exquisite force of what we were doing.
And when I finally came, the heat between my thighs building to an unbearable high, it was his name I screamed. A surge of new wetness came with my orgasm, and then I heard him groan and give a thrust so hard that it did shove me against the wall. His hands still clenched my breasts, his nails digging into my tender flesh, as he shuddered and took his release. He came for a long time, his low cry slowly fading.
When he pulled out, the loss of him in my body made me feel incomplete. Nonetheless, I straightened up and leaned against the wall, gasping to catch my breath. My voice was hoarse.
"Jesus," I said. "That was bad."
Seth looked startled-and then hurt. "Bad?"
"No, not performance bad-more like dirty, wicked bad. The kind of stuff that gets an R rating."
"What, we can't do that?" He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around my waist, nuzzling my neck.
<
br /> "Well, yeah…er, well, damn it. We're not supposed to be. Not at all. It's just that last time, it was like…I don't know. It was making love. This time it was…"
"Fucking?" he supplied.
"Oh God," I groaned. "Seth Mortensen just said 'fucking' out loud. The end times are near."
He laughed and placed tiny kisses over my cheek. "I'm not some innocent. You should know that from my books."
"Yeah, but still. You aren't O'Neill. Unless you're getting into fistfights that I don't know about."
"Mmm…not lately."
We stood there in each other's arms, both warm in the afterglow of what we'd done. Then, just like last time, a strange awkwardness began to grow. We didn't even need Maddie calling now. I carefully pulled away.
"You should probably go, huh?" I didn't say it, but I was certain he'd be seeing her later.
"Yeah, but…" He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "This is a lot harder than I thought it would be."
"What, having an illicit and cheap affair?"
He grimaced. "No. But I mean, I've spent ages imagining what it'd be like to be with you and wishing you weren't a succubus. I was always down on myself…I felt so shallow to be consumed by sex like that. And now that it's finally happened-now that you aren't a succubus-it's not superficial or shallow at all. It's so…I don't know. It's powerful. I wish this was an illicit, cheap affair. I wish I didn't feel this so deeply. Otherwise, when we said yesterday was it, it really would have been it."
I wished then, more than anything, that he'd say he was going to leave Maddie and we could be together again. He didn't, though, and I certainly wasn't going to bring it up. Besides, what good would it do? In only a few more days, I'd be back to normal, and our relationship would be as dysfunctional as before. What I wanted was pointless.
"Can I…" He took a deep breath. "Can I see you again? I know we said no more…"
I knew that by "see you again" he meant "have sex with you again." And somehow, I realized we were on a precipice here. The first time had been…well, not accidental…but certainly unexpected. This time had been an out-of-control animal lust. But now? An open declaration of this affair-premeditated sex-it took things to a whole new level. There was no going back. I studied those eyes I loved, the warm and gentle lips. I assessed my body, how it ached yet still burned with pleasure. Then I glanced over at Maddie's painstakingly researched real estate packet.
That should have been my mood killer, my warning. It was a reminder of who we were both betraying here. Seth had given in, but though I was on the verge, I could still pull back and save us from this. I had the power to say no.
"Yes," I said at last. "You can see me again."
CHAPTER 20
Dante was waiting for me when I got home. I normally liked having the company, but after being with Seth, Dante's presence now made me feel uncomfortable and confused. He didn't seem to notice right away, though, and instead was immediately caught up by Maddie's condo packet.
"What's this?" he asked, leafing through some pages.
"Maddie's been playing real estate agent for me."
"Wow. I didn't think you were serious about that."
I leaned back on the couch, weary from dancing, sex, and the emotional miasma I seemed to be swimming through lately. Bringing up Maddie didn't make me feel so great. "I didn't think I was either. I mentioned it offhand, and she kind of went crazy."
"Alki Beach, huh? Some of these are pretty nice." He held up one print-out. "Brand-new condo, still being built. You can weigh in on the colors and trim."
I shrugged. "I don't know. I don't have time to go shopping right now."
"One of the power spots on your list is near Alki. You could swing by."
I gave him a puzzled look. "Since when are you interested in me moving?"
He sat down opposite me, still looking through the listings. "Well, if you buy locally, I can rest easy that you're sticking around. Besides, get a bigger place, and we could try some cohabitation."
That caught me off-guard. "Oh?"
"You gave me a key. I might as well live here anyway."
"You're going to freeload off me for some more space, huh?" I teased.
He sighed, looking pained. "Man, you really do think the worst. I'd pay you rent."
"With what?" I asked incredulously.
"Business has been good. I think things are on the upswing."
"No offense, baby, but your business doesn't seem like the type that can maintain that kind of momentum. I think this has been a fluke." I spoke too soon and felt bad when I realized I'd hurt him. "But we can play it by ear if you want to move in. Maybe your reputation's spreading, and business will keep booming."
He seemed a little mollified after that, yet as I spoke the words, I found I wasn't overly thrilled at the prospect of us living together. I still had Seth on the brain. Obsessing on him was foolish, I knew. This fling of ours could only last a few more days at most. I shouldn't be mooning over him when I'd just be going back to Dante anyway.
Dante wanted to know how my beach investigation had gone, and I welcomed the change in subject. I gave him a brief rundown of my non-progress.
"You want me to look with you?" he asked. "I've finally got some time tomorrow."
I hesitated. The truth was, just before we'd parted, Seth had said he'd look with me and that he'd bring Kayla. The afterglow could be very persuasive. Still, I'd had to do a lot of convincing that she'd be safe, and honestly, I hoped I was right.
"I roped some other people into it," I said. "We should be fine."
I feared he'd question me further, particularly about whether I had a psychic to go with me or not. Mercifully, he let it go. I honestly didn't think he wanted to wander beaches and was grateful for the reprieve.
When we went to bed later, there was no way I could put his arduous advances off any longer, not without raising suspicion. I'd made a good recovery and no longer had my back excuse. Yet…something was nagging at me. Dante himself had been the one to first joke about whether I could get pregnant in my pseudo-human state. I still didn't know if that was possible, and even if it was, would it matter if I returned to my immortal state in a few days? I had no clue how any of this would work, but Seth and I hadn't used protection. And suddenly, I realized that if there were any chance in the world that I could get pregnant-if Nyx's vision might really come true-I didn't want to chance a paternity dispute.
So, I turned on the charm for Dante and went down on him again, something he didn't really seem to mind. He tried to get me off in return, but it was to no avail. After being with Seth, I had zero desire of my own and found I couldn't come. And so, for the first time with Dante, I faked it. I was a pretty good faker. He never suspected.
He slept late the next morning, so I slipped out early without waking him. Seth and I were meeting over at a restaurant in Bellevue, hopefully far enough away from anyone we knew to see us. While walking to my car, I felt someone fall into step beside me.
"So, I hear you're spreading stories about me," Cedric said amiably.
Startled, I glanced over at him, unease spreading through me. Cedric was my suspect du jour, and I'd already seen one demon's reaction to my theories. Of course, he didn't look particularly destructive at the moment, and there was also the fact that I had yet to tell anyone my latest theories about him implicating Nanette.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Kristin said you said that I told Nanette how you thought she might have summoned Jerome." He paused as though trying to make sense of that. "For the record, I didn't."
I nearly stopped walking. "Then who did?"
"Hell if I know. Just figured you should know I wasn't responsible for what happened to you." He offered no more, no condolences or queries to my health. I honestly couldn't expect that from a demon. The fact that he'd bothered to come talk to me was a rarity enough-and naturally, he could be lying.
"Well, I don't know who else could have told her, then. Or why. I only
told a handful of people." The more I thought about it, the more I realized he had to be lying. I'd only told my friends.
He maintained his perfectly bland face. "Like I said, I don't know."
We reached my car, and I paused, leaning against it. "You came all the way here to tell me this?" Not that it would have been an arduous journey for him.
"Don't flatter yourself," he said with a smile. "I'm here to chat with your demonesses. Hell's pretty much ruled out Jerome coming back. There'll be someone official here in days to settle the matter."
I tried to ignore the chill that sent down my spine and parse the rest of his words. Cedric was cozying up to Grace and Mei. Not a surprise. Whoever came here to assign a new archdemon would question those two the most. "Well, thank you," I said. I didn't really know what else to say in that matter, so I switched to something else that had been on my mind. "Hey, I haven't heard much about your cult lately."
"Yeah, they've been pretty quiet. Maybe you helped after all."
"Well, I don't think I did much." I was also starting to suspect the cult had nothing left to do. Now that their "Angel" had used them as an effective distraction during Jerome's summoning, they were no longer needed. I clicked my door open, and another curious thought struck me. "How's it going with Tawny?"
Cedric grimaced. "Well…we went out a couple of times."
"And?"
"My private life is no concern of yours."
"Fair enough." I started to get in.
"But if you must know…"
I paused and arched an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"Her conversation is…lacking a little," he admitted.
I couldn't help it. I laughed. "Are you seriously surprised by that?"
"Beauty's skin deep, I know…I guess I'd just hoped for a little more depth."
I chose not to comment on what he considered beautiful. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I figured you wouldn't really want more than cheap sex."
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