His half-naked body had her heart beating erratically in her chest, and Haley tried not to look at him as he pulled open a dresser drawer. She suddenly realized he was reaching for his own clothes. “Is…is this your room?”
“Yeah.” He retrieved a stack of folded clothes from the drawer. “You can stay in here though, I’ll sleep somewhere else.”
“I’m so sor—” Haley abruptly stopped speaking as he casually took off the towel, and she let out a barely audible gasp. Turning away from him, she brought her hand to cover her eyes. “I’m…I can go…”
Her pulse raced at the sound of rustling cotton as he dressed a few feet away from her.
“You play guitar?”
“Uh…no, not really… I mean… I don’t play well.” She kept her eyes hidden from him with one hand while she loosely held the neck of the guitar with the other, aware that her dress had hiked up around her hips in her cross-legged position.
“You can look now.”
She opened her eyes as he sat next to her, wearing a white T-shirt over gray sweatpants. “I thought it sounded really good.”
Looking down at the beautiful instrument in her lap, recognition sparked. “Is this yours?”
With a nod, he got up to pull her red guitar from the wall. “When did you learn how to play?”
“When I was younger”—she nervously held his Les Paul, unsure where to put her hands—“but I got a little obsessed with it when I stayed in here for a few months.”
Damian sat down with hers and started tuning it. “So this is your room…” He concentrated on the strings in his hand. “And this is your guitar?”
“Red Velvet.” She nodded, trying to keep her breathing even.
“You named your guitar?” He smiled at her.
Haley relaxed a little as he tuned the strings. “I was very close with it for a while.” She took a steadying breath. “It kind of felt like therapy.”
“That was after you escaped?”
“Yes.” She lowered her gaze.
“I actually took this room because it had an amp in it.” Damian mindlessly played a slow melody on her guitar.
“When did you start playing?” The sound sent a tingling warmth through her, and she found herself staring at his fingers as they expertly moved along the strings.
“When I was a kid. It came naturally to me.”
Her focus dimmed at the powerful chords. “So…you were a kid…at one time…”
He nodded. “I’ve aged normally so far, like a human, but eventually I’ll stop aging.”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty-two.” He cast his gaze downward.
Haley looked thoughtfully at the bedspread, listening to the haunting music. “I’m twenty-seven.” She volunteered the information. “I feel like I’m eighty, I never go out anywhere.” Her gaze flickered to him. “Are you really only thirty-two?”
He seemed surprised by her remark and looked back down at the strings. “It’s a lot older than you.”
“You’re immortal.” She gave him a half-smile. “You could be thousands of years old.”
His lips curved with a hint of a smile, and Haley felt herself getting lost in the deep notes.
“I understood what you meant when you said the music was like therapy for you.” His voice held the slightest trace of emotion.
She watched him closely for a minute, detecting a darkness in his eyes. “Did you actually grow up in Hell?”
“Yes. Well, in a palace.”
Haley began gently strumming chords on the Les Paul, harmonizing with his darkly somber tune for a moment. “You took guitar lessons in Hell?”
“I didn’t need lessons.” Damian smiled. “I just knew how to play.” He caught eyes with her for a moment before looking back down. “So, you lived here with a bunch of soldiers for a few months?”
“I stayed in this room most of the time, really only left for meals—” Haley’s gaze drifted to the ceiling as she recalled her brief time at the compound “—and one or two parties.” She glanced at the closed bedroom door. “Like the one they’re having now.” Her thoughts clouded with memories of her humiliating experience with Talis. It had been in that very room.
Damian settled his gaze onto the bed with a bitter expression. He stood up, unplugging her guitar, and moved to the wall to put it away.
Haley got up as well, a little flummoxed by his sudden reaction. When she went to lift the shiny guitar onto the wall, Damian took it from her and slid it on the hanger.
“I’m gonna go find another room.” She gave him a gracious smile, turning to the door, but he blocked her path.
“Stay here.”
Haley stopped short, looking up at his fierce gaze in surprise. “All right.”
“I’ll go.” He stared deeply into her eyes, and Haley wondered for a brief second if he was going to kiss her. “Have a good night, Haley.”
“You too.” She watched his broad shoulders as he pulled the door open, and followed him into the corridor.
Damian gave her a confused look. “I thought you were staying.”
“I’m going to get something to eat from the kitchen.”
“Oh.” He paused for a moment, silently pondering with a frown. “I’ll go with you.”
They weaved through a swarm of scantily clad, moving bodies, and reached the kitchen to find it practically clear. Haley stepped around a few girls holding beer bottles and opened the refrigerator.
From the corner of her eye, she caught movement in the illuminated walk-in pantry and turned to see two girls inside, both completely naked. One had her hand between the other’s legs, moving it vigorously, and Haley felt her mouth drop open. She reached out to softly close the pantry door before turning her attention back to the refrigerator shelves.
“What’d you find in there?” Damian stood nearby, chewing a few pieces from a box of cereal.
“Nothing.” An uncontrollable warmth flushed her cheeks.
He furrowed his brow with a look of amusement as she put a container of leftover lasagna in the microwave. “What was it?”
Haley locked eyes with him as he leaned next to her at the counter with his box of cereal. Oh my God, he’s attractive. Heated arousal coursed through her at his perfectly toned body underneath the casual clothes.
“It was…” She tried not to look at him, aware that her voice sounded silky. “Just, nothing.”
“Nothing?” He raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Why are you blushing?”
She opened her mouth, weakened by his low, throaty tone.
“Um…” Haley leaned toward his ear with a quiet voice. “There are two naked girls in there.”
“Oh.”
“They’re… doing things.” She smiled, her cheeks blazing with heat.
“That’s not uncommon at these parties.”
Haley took a nervous breath, catching his attractive scent, and felt a narcotic rush of euphoria.
“Hey, stranger.” A pretty blonde with a butterfly tattoo across her cleavage slid her finger down his arm.
Suddenly uncomfortable, Haley stepped away to search for a fork.
“I haven’t seen you in forever.” She pressed her body against him, and Damian turned toward the cupboard to put the cereal away. “Is this your girlfriend?” The blonde’s icy blue eyes glared at Haley. “I’ve never seen you with a girl before. Hi.” She extended her hand, and Haley quickly swallowed her bite, putting down her fork. “My name is Stormy.”
“Haley.” She reached forward and felt the girl’s surprising hatred for her at the touch, catching a brief look into Stormy’s thoughts before quickly withdrawing her hand.
She seemed to have a blind obsession for Damian, vying for his attention since he’d rescued her from a pack of rabid goblins at the local bar where she worked. He’d refused her advances, stating he didn’t sleep with anyone associated with his job, but she was furiously determined.
“So?” Stormy looked at her expectantly, and Haley gave her a blank stare
, confused.
Damian sat back against the counter. “No, she isn’t my girlfriend.” His soft voice carried a hint of annoyance.
“Oh. Good.” Stormy’s cold gaze brightened, and she gave Haley a deceptively sweet smile. “Well then, where are you sleeping? All the beds and couches are taken already, so… I guess the floor?”
Haley’s eyes widened at the girl’s unmasked contempt, and she took a deep swallow of her food, unsure how to answer. “I’m sleeping in…” She nervously began to ramble. “Well, it used to be mine, but I suppose it’s Damian’s room now…”
Anxious under Stormy’s harsh stare, Haley turned back to focus on her meal.
“That’s interesting to me.” Stormy slurred her words a bit and shifted an accusing eye to Damian. “I was almost thinking you didn’t even like to fuck girls.” Her voice was steadily rising. “Huh… I guess you just don’t want to fuck me.”
He sat up straighter, clearly agitated by her drunken outburst, and Haley jumped in suddenly.
“Oh, but he isn’t sleeping in there…”
“You aren’t?” Stormy’s expression softened, looking at Damian with hopeful eyes. “Well.” She cocked her hip, leaning toward him. “I mean, you can always sleep in my bed…”
Damian rolled his eyes. “I’m all right, thanks.”
Her face changed to a grimace of heartbroken shock, and Haley felt a sudden tenderness for her, knowing too well the stabbing pain of rejection.
“Then where are you sleeping then?” Stormy spoke in a rapid, pleading stream of words. “There’s nowhere for you to sleep though.”
“I’ll manage.”
She drunkenly waved her hand in the air. “OK, that’s fine.” Her voice came out in a frantic chirp. “Another time then. Maybe when you’re alone.”
Stormy flashed daggers at her as she stumbled out of the kitchen toward the loud, pulsing party, but her glaring gaze reflected an underlying hurt.
Finally able to relax her rigid body, Haley leaned over the plastic container, pushing the noodles around with her fork. “She’s crushed.”
Damian propped his elbows next to her on the counter, staring down at his hands.
“You think I should have handled it differently?”
Haley shook her head, silently chewing her food. After a few moments, she turned to him. “Where are you going to sleep?”
“On the floor somewhere, I suppose.”
The pantry door burst open, and the two girls wobbled out, giggling as they pulled at their clothes, redressing with clumsy hands.
“Hi there, Damian.” One of them sauntered over with an enticing smile as she stretched her dress up over her naked breasts, sliding her arms through the straps.
Haley’s throat tightened, jolted by a foreign feeling of jealousy.
Look at you, sexy motherfucker… The girl’s inner monologue sang loudly through both mind readers’ heads. Mmm, I bet that mouth would feel so good on my pussy with those soft lips and rough whiskers…
The slightest hint of a frustrated sound escaped Haley’s lips, causing her to press them together in embarrassment, and she quickly busied herself with the task of putting away her dishes. An aura of sex radiated from the girl as she squeezed past, and Haley’s throat closed even further.
“Sara.” The girl’s female companion stood by the kitchen doorway, beckoning to her.
“What?” She giggled in reply, shooing her away. “I’ll see you later.”
Haley fumbled with the dishwasher rack, haphazardly closing it before she turned for the door.
“Haley, wait a minute,” Damian called to her.
She stopped in her tracks, glancing at him over Sara’s shoulder.
He seemed almost amused. “Where are you going?”
“To bed.”
“Oh, are you guys…” Sara spun around, her gaze scouring over Haley’s figure. “So the son of Satan is taken.” I wonder if she’ll share him with me. Tracy too, she’d love a chance to fuck the ultra-bangable devil’s spawn.
Haley opened her mouth to clarify, but couldn’t bring herself to speak the words, trying desperately to block out the unsettling images. The girl exuded sexuality, and Haley found herself disgusted by the idea of Damian with her and some other girl. Stop it, he’s a single man for God’s sake.
“Do you need anything from your room?”
“I don’t think so.” He narrowed his eyes at her in speculation.
“Oh.” Haley tried to mask her disappointment, uplifting her tone as she turned to leave. “Well, thanks again for letting me have the room.”
Suddenly roused, Sara straightened her shoulders with a look of exhilaration. “Wait, so you guys aren’t together?”
Haley headed out the door, struggling to rid her mind of the insane jealous thoughts. Damian appeared abruptly by her side, and she glanced up at him in bewilderment.
“What are you doing?”
He remained silent, walking beside her through the energetic crowd.
“Aren’t you going to say good-bye to that girl in there?”
“Why?”
The raucous noises diminished to a distant thumping as they entered a tight corridor.
“Because she was talking to you.” Haley blurted the words in astonishment.
“She interrupted our conversation.”
Haley recalled they’d been discussing his sleeping arrangements when Sara burst onto the scene.
“I don’t think you’ll have trouble finding a bed.” She tried to sound lighthearted, but couldn’t keep the bothered undertone from her voice.
“I’d rather sleep on the floor.” Actually, I’d rather sleep with you.
Haley gasped abruptly, and he looked over at her. “Fuck.” He rolled his eyes. “I didn’t mean sleep with you…”
She felt a tingling adrenaline in her limbs, and struggled to walk at a normal pace, thrown by the myriad of emotions running through her. “What did you mean?”
“I meant that I would sleep on the floor in the bedroom. And you would sleep in the bed.”
She held her arms over her waist, perplexed by her disappointment as they approached the bedroom door, and he took a deep, edgy breath before continuing.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to get any actual sleep anywhere else in this place tonight.”
Haley nodded and scolded herself for allowing her mood to be affected. “That’s true.” She headed straight for the bed.
Damian closed the door behind them as she clutched one of the pillows, swiveling to stretch it toward him. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” He searched her face, but she avoided him, relieved he wasn’t using his ability to look into her thoughts.
Haley hid under the covers, listening as he shifted on the floor before settling into his pillow. Of course he doesn’t want to sleep with you. Just let it go. He can sleep with Sara, Stormy, or whoever he wants…
“Damian?” Her own voice sounded strangely foreign in the dark room.
“Yeah?”
Haley instantly regretted saying his name, unsure why she’d wanted to ask the question in the first place. After a moment of grappling with herself, she spoke. “Why didn’t you stay and talk with your friend in the kitchen?”
“Who?”
She blinked a few times, baffled by his reply. “The one from the pantry.”
“Oh.” Damian stifled a laugh. “I’ve never met that girl before.”
Haley’s eyes widened. “But she was so familiar with you.”
“Familiar. That’s a classy word for it. I don’t even know her name.”
“She knew your name.”
“Yeah, I’m the devil’s spawn,” he joked.
Haley cringed in the darkness, recognizing he was paraphrasing Sara’s filthy thoughts, and regretted bringing it up. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No. You can ask me anything.”
His soft tone pulled at her heart, and she warned herself not to let her emotions be sway
ed by this darkly handsome man.
“Good night.” Haley frowned miserably at her mixed emotions.
“See you in the morning.” She thought she heard a hint of pleasure in his voice.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The next morning, Haley stood at a stainless steel grill built into the island counter in the kitchen, mixing pancake batter in a bowl while Aimee chattered next to her.
“You missed a hell of a party last night.” She popped a raspberry into her mouth. “The dangerous excitement of it all kind of got to my head, you know? Our brush with death really changed my perspective. I saw Stephen in a whole new light.”
“Oh. Romantic.” Ginger wistfully brought a hand to her chest.
Damian strode into the kitchen, and Haley studied the whisk in her hand while he walked by to grab a cup of coffee. When she woke that morning to the empty space on the floor where he’d slept, it had left her with an odd sense of deprivation. He took a seat opposite her at the island counter, looking well rested, and picked up a newspaper.
“Morning everyone.” Noah drifted up behind Ginger at the stove, kissing her neck. “You look sexy when you’re cooking.”
Haley silently longed for their intimacy, but she carried too much baggage to truly make it happen for herself.
He slapped Ginger’s ass before leaving the kitchen, and Haley went back to pouring batter on the hot grill.
“Neil kept asking about you last night.” Aimee continued eating her raspberries. “He misses you so much. I think he might even still love you. He’s such a total sweetheart.”
The thought of getting back together with Neil was unsettling, and Haley tried not to think about it, dropping blueberries onto the batch before flipping them.
“Hales?” Aimee came up behind her, softly resting her chin on her shoulder. “Are you mad I hooked up with Stephen? I know it’s like a girl thing, I should have asked you first.”
“No.” She broke into an amused smile. “That’s silly, Aimee. I’m happy for you.”
“Aww.” Aimee playfully nuzzled her nose at her neck. “We’re gonna be sisters.” Haley giggled, cringing away from her.
“So it’s more than a one night stand?” Ginger turned pieces of sizzling bacon in a pan.
Paramour for the Devil Page 5
