Demons Like It Hot (26 page)

Lucy smiled. “What a gentleman.”

“I do try.”

Serah smirked. “You still need a little more work, but I do see promise.”

Well, it was something of a compliment. He’d take it. “Thank you, I think.”

“You’re welcome.” Serah leaned against the desk and drummed her fingers on its glossy surface. “So did you want to look up furniture while I finish up the tiramisu with Daniel?”

“I can’t protect you from here.”

“I know, but I’d prefer to discuss this with Daniel first.”

He clenched his jaw. It wasn’t safe. She’d be vulnerable. “I need to protect you. What if he tries something?”

“Lucy’s here, silly. Trust me, she’s good. She’s saved my ass several times already.”

“How good.”

Lucy blew out a mirthful snort. “This good.”

With that, she jumped in the air. In a matter of a second, she flipped backward. Balancing on her fingertips, she leapt back up on her feet. To punctuate her threat, she kicked out her leg, her tennis shoe two centimeters from his nose.

Both eyebrows arched up. He’d heard she had excellent martial arts skills. He just didn’t know how good. “Amazing.”

Serah grinned. “Tell me about it. Lucy could kick Jean-Claude Van Damme’s ass.”

Lucy shrugged. “I don’t like to brag, but it’d be a decent fight.”

Modesty was not something he’d expect from a succubus. Then again she was part-human. Her soul was still intact. His, however, was long gone.

Serah’s voice broke his thoughts. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“Want to look at furniture for a bit?”

“Why would I want to do that?” Matthias asked.

“Well, if you’re going to be here for a while, you should be comfortable, at least.” Serah offered him a friendly smile. A genuine smile, not fake. His heart rose. “I was planning on redecorating soon anyway.”

“I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

Serah shook her head. “No inconvenience at all. Look, I know we don’t see eye to eye on some things, but I can see you have good intentions, whatever they may be.”

“Well. I just…”

“It’s no bother, really.”

“I mean—ahh…” Matthias froze. What was he doing? He had to remain strong, in control. Bumbling like a buffoon didn’t help him any. Did she truly care about his comfort or was she just trying to keep the peace?

Serah crossed her arms, her lips started to curve downward. Oh God, he hated when she frowned.

“Is there any particular style that interests you?”

“Not really.” She picked up some magazines from the desk and thumbed through them. “Here are some catalogs I got in the mail. You can try searching online too.”

“Sounds good.”

“One thing.” She waved her finger at him.

“What?”

“Stay away from IKEA.”

Lucy and Serah both snickered. “I don’t think they’re built to handle demons of your size.”

“Cheaper isn’t necessarily better,” Serah added. “But they do make some nice stuff—for normal people.”

Matthias nodded. “Ahh. I don’t want to break your furniture the moment I sit on it.” He set the catalogs down on the table. “You know I could just build you some sturdier furniture.”

Why did he just offer her that? He wasn’t going to stay here long enough to even attempt such a feat. Although the thought wasn’t all together unpleasant.

He didn’t plan for the mission to last more than a few days. Until Serah accepted her powers and learned how to use them. He needed an in-and-out mission like he was used to. Get the job done, leave, and never look back. But could he forget? And keeping himself from looking back wouldn’t be that easy either.

“That would take too long. Unless your carpentry skills were supersized when you decided to go demon.”

Matthias’s heart sunk. There was no decision for him. He’d been robbed of his life and his soul. He clenched his fists, fingers digging into the magazines he still held. “Sometimes things get decided for you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Never mind.” He turned away to glance out the window. He couldn’t let her see his pain. He’d gone so long keeping it hidden. “You and Lucy go. I’ll stay here and look at these catalogs.” He gripped the windowsill tight.
Please, just go away.
Before he did something he would regret.

“Are you sure? Did I say something to upset you?” He felt her standing behind him. He inhaled sharply. “I’m fine.”

She reached out and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I might not know you that well, but I can see something’s bothering you. Please?”

He jerked his body straight. “I said I was fine,” he barked out.

She yanked her hand away. “Fine. Lucy, let’s go.”

He kept his back to her. He couldn’t turn around. She would hate him. It was better this way.

The sound of footfalls echoed in the room, followed by the slamming of the door. No, he’d never have anything with Serah like the relationship Rafael and Lucy had.

He only had himself to blame.

“Unbelievable!” Serah grumbled. “See what I mean? He’s got some serious mixed signals brewing in that big head of his.” She threw her hands up in the air, her frustration raging inside.

Lucy shrugged. “He seems conflicted, really. To be honest, you should probably keep your distance.” Shaking her head, she snickered. “Well, as much as you can, considering the situation.”

“I think I’m just going to handle this like business-as-usual, with a few extra spectators.”

Lucy grinned, that’s the spirit. “Did I smell tiramisu when I came in earlier?”

“Yeah, you did.” She adjusted her chef’s jacket and headed toward the kitchen. “Daniel wants to do a bit on the origins of tiramisu. He’s doing research right now. That should keep him busy for a couple hours.”

“What is its origin?”

Serah smirked. “No one really knows for sure. Various experts have different stories. But I know this. It tastes damn good.”

“You are bad, you know that?”

“Yep.” Serah grinned, giving her friend a friendly punch to the shoulder.

“So who is this lovely lady?” Daniel’s smooth voice echoed in her ear.

She spun around. Daniel stood there, a stack of paper and books in his arms. “Daniel, I wasn’t expecting you back so soon. This is my best friend, and reluctant guinea pig, Lucy Gregory.”

Daniel nodded. “Nice to meet you, Lucy. I’d shake your hand or hug you, but my hands are little full right now.”

Serah’s eyes popped. “You’ve been busy, haven’t you?”

“Look at all this information I found! I hope you don’t mind that I used so much paper, but I don’t have a printer at my hotel.”

Serah shook her head. “No problem. I’ve got plenty of paper to go around.” No one person could acquire so much information in a matter of an hour.

“How’d you get all this information so quickly?”

“My assistant emailed me some links. God I love having someone to help me.”

“Trust me, I’d never be able to do this job without Edie, so I know what you mean.” She glanced at her friend. “Lucy knows too, right?”

“Without my two guys and Kalli, my shop would fall apart.” Lucy couldn’t help the smirk.

“Literally,” Serah added under her breath, audible only to Lucy.

Lucy grumbled and waved her fist in mock frustration.

“I had the mother of all pipe bursts last year. Without them, my shop would have been closed for good.”

“Praise be for that, huh?” Daniel shuffled the papers and books in his arms.

“Do you need any help with those?”

Daniel shook his head. “I can manage. I got this far with them. I also took a quick trip to the bookstore, if that’s okay.”

“That’s fine. I had to discuss the arrangements with Matthias, Lucy and Rafe anyway. I’ll talk about it with you when your hands aren’t so full.”

“Cool.” He shuffled and stacked the printouts, books and magazines in his arms. “I contemplated writing a book on all this information I found about tiramisu.” Daniel sighed. “Alas, someone already beat me to the punch.”

He handed Serah one of the books. She looked down at the cover. A plate of fluffy tiramisu sat surrounded by swirls of chocolate sauce. Not to be outdone, a decorative chocolate pansy topped the dessert. To the side, a dollop of cream sat nestled between two plump strawberries. She glanced at the title—
Tiramisu: Lifting up the Mystery, One Bite at a Time.
She should have known there’d be a whole book dedicated to the elusive history of Italy’s most delicious dessert.

“Nice presentation, but a little too garish for my tastes.” She handed the book back to Daniel. “The only thing I’ve ever topped my tiramisu with is chocolate-covered espresso beans.”

“Dark or milk,” Daniel asked.

“Dark.”

“Oh God. That sounds so delicious. We have to do it for the show.”

“I don’t have any on hand right now, unfortunately.”

“I passed a candy store on the way to the library. I’m sure they’ll have some there.”

“The Sweetshop, right?”

Daniel nodded. “Interesting name. Their employees are all of legal working age, right?”

“Yeah, the people in this town have a strange sense of humor.”

She pulled the phone from her pocket. “Their candy is to die for. With the exception of the gummies, they make their own candy. I have an open account with the owner. I can have Edie go to pick some up.”

At the mention of Edie’s name, Daniel’s eyes lit up. “Sounds delicious.”

The
candy
or
Edie?
Maybe she was better off not knowing. She’d keep the conversation focused on the chocolate instead.

“Oh my God! Delicious is an understatement.” Serah closed her eyes, imagining the smooth and rich Dutch chocolate truffle she tasted yesterday melting in her mouth. Almost as smooth as Matthias’s tongue.
Ugh! Not him again
. Would he ever leave her thoughts?

“That good, huh?”

Serah snapped back to attention. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“If their candy is as good as you say, I don’t doubt you at all,” Daniel said with a grin.

“So you want the chocolate?”

“Of course,” Daniel said.

“I’ll have Edie get it right away.” She prepared to dial Edie’s number.

His expression grew serious. “About Edie. Can you give her the day off? It’s going to get crowded here with your crew.”

“That won’t be a problem. She’s catering an event for the hotel down the road tomorrow.”

Daniel breathed out a sigh of relief. “Cool.”

What was that all about? Did Edie make him uncomfortable? She was a bit different, but she was friendly too.

“Do you have a problem with Edie?”

“No,” Daniel said with a sheepish grin. “Her accent just creeps me out a little.”

“She’s lived all over Europe. I guess it’s kind of mixed.”

Daniel nodded, his expression growing thoughtful. A smile curved his lips. “Fascinating.”

Serah grabbed the book on tiramisu and thumbed through the pages. “Guess that book came in handy after all.”

Daniel tilted his chin. “They say inspiration is just as important as perspiration.”

“How true that is.” She headed back into the kitchen and grabbed the stainless steel bowl from the counter. “So are you ready to see my tiramisu in action?”

“Let’s do it.” Daniel said, waving his spatula in the air.

***

“So how’s the furniture search going?”

Matthias threw the catalog across the desk and snapped his head up. Lucy closed the door behind her and pulled up a seat.

“I could be of better use elsewhere.”

Lucy flung herself into the chair. “I’m not disagreeing with you. As you know, we have to take precautions when humans are involved.”

Matthias nodded. “I understand. I’m just not used to sitting idly while I could be out protecting her.”

“It’s just for a while, until we convince Daniel that we need to stay during the production.” Lucy smirked. “Trust me, we can be very convincing.”

“Are you going to enrapture him?”

Lucy shook her head and sighed. “Unfortunately that is one trait I never got.”

“Besides karate, what other skills do you have?”

“I can read and speak Old Latin perfectly. I’ve been able to since I was a kid.”

Wow. What an unusual talent. Then again, with that sort of talent she was indeed valuable.
“That’s fascinating.”

“I used to think it was annoying. Not so much anymore.”

“It is a great skill to have.” He set his elbows on the desk and stretched. “I assume you had some questions for me?”