Dead End Diner: Book one

by Bea Biddle

  “Don't be foolish,” Cef snapped, “You belong to Alyssa. You could have been an old man in a wheelchair and they still would have wanted you.”

  Karen grunted. "Doesn't that just do wonders for my self-esteem," she muttered under her breath, not meaning to say the words out loud. It was a misplaced joke, a joke meant to deflate the tension in the room. It didn't

  “You- I- You-" Cef forced words to come out but couldn't put them in the right order, his mind was scrambled with outrage. Several different things flashed in his brain and he recognized none of them except fury. Although there was worry, that one kept coming back. He hated that one. He had been worried. It was downright laughable. He was a Demon. Worried about a human. "You are annoying!" he spat out the words he had settled on. Growling loudly, he whipped around again, his coat brushing her legs as he marched on, up and down the floor. "You are one damn annoying little pest."

  ”And you are an arrogant bully,” she retaliated.

  "Pigheaded human.”

  "Stupid Demon!"

  "I am going insane," Cef barked out in an angry laugh, furiously running his hands through his dreads forcing them out of his face. "I'm going absolutely insane. You are destroying my mind, Karen. Dammit.” He hammered his feet on the floor, feeling the need to rage. It made no sense. Nothing made any sense. He was so confused. There was something brewing inside of him and it was tearing him apart, something he had never felt before. Something conflicting happening within him. And it all boiled down to her, ever since he laid eyes on her it had been happening. Her scent teased his nose even when she wasn't around, the sound of her voice he kept hearing in every silence, the memory of her eyes glancing up at him playfully through her lashes. The way her soft body molded to his own. She had invaded his whole being. “A damn human,” he mused angrily to himself, “A damn human is making me lose my mind.” His stern eyes snapped up to lock with hers. “I am a Demon, for fuck's sake. And you are driving me absolutely insane,” he breathed out in a hiss, shaking his head at her. “Stop punishing me.”

  Karen's mouth fell open, then closed again as she hesitated, unsure of what exactly he was telling her. "What do you mean?" she asked softly. The fight had completely gone out of her, his words undone her. He didn't answer but his eyes softened when he looked at her. She knew what it sounded like, she knew what she wanted him to mean, but there was no way to tell and she refused to get her hopes up again.

  "You know what?" Zac piped up from next to Karen. She had completely forgotten he was there. "I'm just going to close up here." He quickly jumped to the door, turned the sign to Closed and locked the door. "And leave you guys to it. It sounds as though you have a lot to work out between yourselves." With that, he disappeared.

  Karen stood staring at the door as if he was still there. "Right," she whispered, "I will never get used to that."

  Zac leaving had disrupted something. Suddenly they were very much aware that they were alone. In the diner. Together. And the fight that had just been had fizzled, a kind of deflation ruled. Karen cleared her throat. Cef scratched his neck awkwardly.

  "Karen," he breathed, his tone quiet, gentle. "I'd be lying if I said that I never wanted for you to get hurt. I wanted to hurt you, I thought hurting you would keep you away. I just really needed you to be safe. Why did you let him take you to Vein?"

  Karen stared down at her big winter boots, shuffling her feet a little. She couldn't look at him, if she looked at him, she was sure she was going to collapse on the floor out of embarrassment. Or fling herself at him, begging him to take away everything that had happened since leaving his apartment. Or maybe even cry. All of the above was another possibility. “You once said my decisions were all wrong. Turns out you were right.”

  “I didn't mean all of them,” he whispered, “Some of your decisions have been-” He swallowed audibly and she could feel his heavy footsteps walking towards her. “Some have been quite good. Only some, though.”

  “Were you one of the good ones?” she whispered, her voice hitched.

  “Yeah, that was probably the best one you've made yet,” he said unable to keep the small chuckle from escaping.

  His dumb boots came into view on the floor she was determined to stare at, he had come all the way over to her. Damn. She didn't need this. She didn't need him this close, she didn't need to feel his presence or smell how wonderful he smelled, she didn’t need to feel the warmth radiating off him, making him feel like a wall of comfort. He was a damn island in a sea of chaos. She would not let herself be consoled by him. No way, she was better than that. "You said some pretty nasty things,” she croaked out, hoping he didn't notice how affected by him she was. Oh no, oh no, please don't, please don't, she thought as she saw his hand come into view. But he did. His calloused fingertips slowly tilted her head up to face him. Damn.

  "I know," he whispered. He was not used to dealing with humans. Demons he knew about, Demons he could count on to do as he said. Their nature was no mystery, simple, uncomplicated. Demons were predictable. Humans, especially Karen he had learned, were irritatingly unpredictable. There was no saying what they would do, how they would act. He was in unknown territory with her and it unnerved him. “I am-” He hesitated, biting his lip as his forehead furrowed in deep thought. “-New to this.”

  "New to what?" she asked, "New to feeling that way you kept shouting about? Or new to dealing with humans? Or perhaps, new to apologizing for being a complete and utter dickhead?"

  Cef thought a little before answering. "Yes. That." He cracked a smile that made her want to smile back, it took all her self-control not to do so. "Understand, you make me feel-” Again his words failed him, he was thinking so hard, trying to find the right ones but nothing came to him. How did she make him feel? “Naked,” he breathed out when it struck him, it was the only way to explain it. “You make me feel naked.”

  “Naked?”

  “Unarmed," he continued. His thumb brushed against her cheek, he had no idea when it had begun doing that. "It is new to me. You have invaded my mind and I am lost, confused, I don't understand my own actions or motives when you are near me. I thought that if I pushed you away, if I got rid of you, then I wouldn't have you consuming my thoughts so much. I could be Ceftion again, the old me. But it just got worse, I am completely lost. I am frustrated. I don't understand what is happening." He swallowed again. Karen's own hand had covered his, holding on to his fingers. Her eyes widening with every word, her lips parted with a shallow breath. The sight was intoxicating.

  “I didn't realize,” she whispered, “It sounds kind of painful, you-”

  “I like it,” he interrupted, his voice gruff, thick. “I like it, Karen. I don't want it to stop. That's the most confusing thing of all.”

  Silence. Karen held her breath. His words had hit her like a brick and even if she wanted to, she could not tear herself away from the look he pinned her with. She could feel him. Feel his whole being when he was so close to her, she could physically feel his eyes on her. "That really wasn't an apology and yet it's the best one I've ever heard," she mumbled in a whisper. It was the most magical thing she had ever heard, and it was because it was him. It felt an awful lot like happiness. "You were still mean though."

  “I'll make it up to you.”

  “Oh really? How are-" The second his lips crashed into hers she forgot the question. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck, crushing him to her. He was ahead of her, pulled her closer, his arms around her faster than she had realized. Their tongues danced. They were devouring one another hungrily until they were both breathless and panting. "I missed you," he said when they finally parted.

  His voice was so laden with potent desire she could have plucked it right out of the air. It made her want to squeal in excitement. Holding him close to her, feeling his heart hammer under his skin, she shuddered. He was hard and unmoving, a boulder. Her boulder. He was keeping her locked in his crushing embrace, so tight she could feel an underlying sense of desper
ation. "You-” Trying to calm her breathing was like forcing the ocean not to move. ”You only just left me at my parents last night.” The first rays of sunlight in the dark street outside made its way through the grimy, dusty windows. Morning had come.

  "Exactly," he breathed and claimed her lips again. Scorching her senseless. ”But you've been on my mind since then. Torturing me with your absence.”

  She felt the counter come into contact when he placed her on the surface. His hands spread her knees, pulling her towards him in one swift move that made her gasp then giggle as she felt him, solid and comforting between her legs. His kisses grew feverish, his hands skimmed her body with an urgency she recognized instantly. Him. It felt like him. And she had missed him too.

  His coat landed on the floor, she didn't know when he had shrugged out of it, but she didn't care. Her hands found their way under his shirt, exploring, feeling up muscles and scar tissue alike. He purred and growled at her touch. His hands buried in her hair as he steadied her head to receive his hungry kisses. She returned them with a passion she didn't know she was capable of, clinging to him with a need that burned through her. "I'm losing my mind, too," she breathed, panting heavily. "You are making me go insane."

  Cef groaned in response. Kissing her again, pressing himself against her. His hands traveled everywhere, her back, her waist, cupping her ass, kneading it roughly making her moan. He bucked against her, making sure she could feel exactly how badly he wanted her. She felt it, he knew she did, he heard her sharp intake of breath and the appreciative moan when she felt his excitement through his jeans.

  She wiggled against him, giggling through kisses, rubbing herself against the growing bulge between her legs. When it made him groan in anticipation she sighed contently, knowing exactly what was to come. Shuddering with a primal need, a need for him, she clamped her legs around his waist, trapping him, enjoying the feel of his hard body.

  He kissed her forehead, her eyes, her cheek, her nose, lower and lower. “I want you,” he growled harshly against her throat, tasting her skin. He needed her, needed to be buried deep inside her. Because she was his. And that was the way it was supposed to be. He pulled his t-shirt over his head, throwing it over his shoulder before he was on her again.

  “Cef, we're in the diner," Karen mumbled in surprise, but couldn't disguise her laugh or the surge of lust that ran through her at the sight of her shirtless Demon. She was quivering, feeling giddy with excitement, her breath coming out hard and fast. Her protest was in vain, she had known it was happening from the moment his lips found hers and she hadn't the strength or willpower to stop it.

  Cef scoffed with indifference. “I don't care,” he got out gruffly before he tasted her skin again, nibbling his way over her collarbone.

  Karen wanted to care, and she was going to, just as soon as his touch stopped setting her skin on fire, just as soon as she didn't crave his kisses like she craved air. She was going to stop this ridiculousness any minute now. She definitely would not let him take her shirt off. But her shirt landed on the floor before she knew it. "Cef," she heard herself moan as he trailed kisses down her chest, down to her breasts. "You and tables," she got out between moans as his tongue dipped inside the rim of her bra, making her skin prickle with goosebumps. "It's all hard, cold surfaces with you, isn't it?"

  "Perfect height," he mumbled.

  His voice rumbling through her body, making her hiss in longing. She rolled her head back, enjoying his wonderful, silky tongue on her chest. She felt him sliding her straps from her shoulders, she felt him open her bra at the back. And then she felt him vibrate. Vibrate? She opened one eye to look at him accusingly. Granted, she didn't know much about Demons, but she was pretty sure they couldn't do that. “Uhm, Cef?”

  He lifted his head from her chest and met her eye. She wanted to slap herself and laugh when it dawned on her that it was the phone in her pocket. “I hate your fucking phone,” he grunted with a laugh. “I am going to destroy that damn device.”

  Karen pulled out the ringing phone. “Shit,” she breathed, “It's my mom.”

  Cef rested his forehead against hers. They were both breathing hard, hearts hammering in their chests, blood pumping. Trembling. "Don't," he begged, "Please. Don't."

  “She'll just worry," Karen breathed. She didn't want to, she really didn't want to interrupt this moment. But she couldn't do that to her mother. She had put them through enough. Cef nodded in understanding but didn't move. He ran his hands through her unruly hair, tugging it gently behind her ears. His crooked smile making her insides flutter. "Hi, mom," Karen answered her phone sweetly, trying hard to breathe normally, and not as if she had just been in the middle of a rather sexy interlude with a Demon.

  “'Hi mom' my ass!” came the reply instantly. “Where the hell are you, Karen?” Karen cringed out of guilt, her mother's voice was screechy and high pitched. And angry. Angrier than she had heard in years. “We woke up and you were gone. We are worried sick here. Are you trying to give me a heart attack? After everything that happened to you, you go an disappear on us?”

  “I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," Karen quickly said, repeating the words again and again until she could think of something else to say. "I really am. I didn't mean to." And she hadn't. She made a mental note of castrating Gaston de La Fontaine if she ever laid eyes on him again. "Something- something came up." She could have slapped herself for that lame excuse. If Cef hadn't still been pressed against her forehead she would have. He bit his lip, dark as night eyes drilling into hers, an apologetic sigh escaped him. "Something I really had to take care of and it couldn't wait. I am so sorry, mom. I just didn't want to wake you guys up when I left because it was so early, I was going to leave a note, or a text or something but I just-"

  “Something you had to take care of? Are you insane? Karen, you are in big trouble!” her mother screamed into the phone, making both Karen and Cef wince. “Your clothes are still here.”

  “I know, I know." Karen nodded out of habit, knowing full well her mother couldn't see her. "I can't explain right now, but I'll come by tomorrow, I'll explain then. Please, mom, I am so sorry."

  ”Tomorrow?” Constance growled.

  ”Please," Karen breathed, "Tomorrow. I promise. I'm not hurt or in danger or anything. I have to go, I really need to go."

  “You are in so much trouble, young lady!”

  “I know. I love you. Bye.” With that Karen hung up the phone. And silence ruled. She looked up into Cef's eyes again and forced a weak smile. “So, that was my mom,” she whispered. She felt like a child, she didn't want to feel like a child in front of Cef. She feared she had just destroyed the moment. How awful. It had been such a delicious, wonderful moment. “And I am in trouble,” she added, unable not to. Damn that night, damn Gaston, damn Vein, damn her own stupidity, damn all those things coming back making her feel like a complete idiot just when she was, she had hoped, about to feel so good.

  But Cef, it appeared, was undeterred. Taking the phone from her hand he dropped it on the floor where it landed softly in the pile of their clothes. His fingers ran the length of her jaw, caressing her cheek. His playful smirk widening, sending jolts of warmth through her again. "In trouble indeed," he whispered. Karen giggled stupidly, immense relief washed over her and she wasted no time wrapping her arms around him, pulling herself against him. Their lips met for the umpteenth time, another fevered, scorching kiss.

  Her bra landed on the floor. His hands found her breasts, massaging, pinching. His lips followed, his tongue flicking, his teeth scraping her sensitive flesh, working her mercilessly until she moaned loudly. With her hands buried in his dreads, she guided him along, locking ankles behind his back. “We're still in the diner,” she said with a gasp as he nibbled and licked his way from one pointy nipple to the other.

  “I still don't care." And he didn't. His hand slid in between their bodies. Under the waistband of her the pajama pants. He stroked her through her panties, she squirmed and hissed but didn
't stop him, in fact, she welcomed him, he felt her cling to him harder, moving against his hand. The reaction almost undid him, his erection jerked against his jeans, desperate to be released, begging to plunder the delicious treasure he stroked greedily. It took all his self-control to deny himself a little longer, to prolong the sweet torture. Pulling her underwear aside, he bared her for his roaming hand. Wasting no time he drove his fingers inside her, hearing her hiss sharply. He couldn't help the pride flaring up in him when she cried out his name, it rolled off her tongue so naturally. She was wet and ready, he couldn't wait much longer.

  Neither could she. "Cef," she hissed, gasping and panting, her nails digging into his back. His fingers were magic, they flexed and scissored and curled, in, out, in, out, her hips rolled with every movement on their own, and when his thumb brushed the swollen nub she forgot how to think. She cried out sharply but shook her head. "No," she breathed, "No, none of that." She placed her hand on his and gently he pulled out, groaning in impatience. As much as she instantly missed his fingers, they were not what she wanted.

  Grabbing his neck, she pulled him into a devouring kiss, a kiss leaving absolutely no misunderstanding about what it actually was that she wanted. He returned it with fervor. She kicked off her dumb boots and slid off the counter, working furiously at untying his belt, his damn zipper, his jeans. His boxers definitely had to go. In turn, he tore at her pajama pants, almost ripping her underwear as he pulled it down. All while their kisses worked them into a frenzy, a fevered state of need and overpowering lust for each other.

  Finally, she got her hand on him and wrapping her fingers around his length she could hear him hiss through the kiss as she stroked and fondled. He was thick and wonderfully hard, pulsating in her palm, gloriously heavy and warm. He growled, his teeth nipped at her bottom lip when her thumb played with the head in languid circles, his hips jerking involuntarily against her hand. “Karen,” he warned.