Page 35 of Soul Food

At the mention of Amit, I shivered for an entirely different reason. The thought of him made me sit up. My cheeks burned as I mumbled, “It was nothing special.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Then why are you grinning like a Cheshire cat?”

“He said I could call him.”

Jayne was full-blown simpering now, but I didn’t miss the questioning look. “And that makes you happy?”

I shrugged, letting the corners of my lips fall into a flat line. “But before that, he practically said I was a flower that was wilting.”

Her eyebrows pinched together in the middle. “That’s low-key harsh.”

I nodded. “I know. Why did he have to speak my language at the charity event? It’s one thing for him to be good-looking, but it’s another when he sounds like he understands me. Jayne, when I asked him what sound he thought my voice went with, he said so matter-of-factly, ‘It doesn’t belong anywhere, yet it speaks to everything’.” I grumbled, feeling like I was swooning all over again just from the memory. I wiped my palm down my face in annoyance. “Now I want to get to know him. Even when he says shitty things like I’m wilting.” I scrunched up my face and waved my hand dismissively. “Who the fuck says that?”

“Manly men like Amit Kingston,” Jayne snickered, and I laughed with her although I didn’t mean to. “Only a guy like that could talk about wilting flowers and still make a girl’s panties wet.”

I snorted. “I can’t deal with you when I first wake up.”

“Where did this flower come from?” Jayne bent down.

“Don’t touch it!” I yelled, and she jumped.

“Shit! Don’t scare me. Why? What is it?” She grabbed her chest, frightened to death as she looked at the flower.

“I’ll get it,” I told her as I hurried off the bed and dragged her up with me. “Go wait in the living room while I get dressed.”

She glanced back at me as I pushed her, eyes twinkling with mischief. “Since when are you so shy?” she asked.

I smacked her butt, and she yelped before disappearing through the door. My stomach dropped when I saw the Red Grace on the floor.

The demon had been here.

That made two nights in a row.

_______

“Do you think I should send him a text?”

I slowed down to a walk on the treadmill as I glanced over at Jayne panting beside me on hers. She slowed down and clutched her stomach as if she was dying. She probably was. I saw how much Dr. Pepper that woman drank each day.

Summer was fading. The days were still hot, but the rain had kept me inside today, so I couldn’t do my usually run in the park. We had opted for a private gym that I frequented a lot when I was stuck indoors. That didn’t stop fans from finding you though. A mass of them flashed their cameras and phones through the window. I ignored them. It was better that way. I was so used to them they mostly felt like a second skin even if it was frustrating at times. This was the life I chose.

Breathing heavily, Jayne still found it in her to lift a brow and give me that irritating, condescending look she used on more than one occasion. I rolled my eyes before she spoke. “I thought you were going home and writing some lyrics?”

“I still am,” I muttered defensively. “Who said I can’t still do that while texting?” She lifted that damn eyebrow higher, much more and it would be a part of her hairline. I sighed. “I’m distracted,” I finally admitted. “I can’t stop thinking about him.”

She cackled. “You got it bad.”

“Shut up,” I muttered. “This is all your fault.”

“How is it my fault?” She played dumb, wrinkling her nose and tilting her head like she couldn’t figure out why.

“You know how. You wouldn’t give it a rest until I finally saw him.” Staring ahead, I shook my head. “He’s distracting me too much.” My lips parted as I thought of Amit’s deep, penetrating voice whispering something dirty in my ear. In the visual, I was on all fours, his tall, muscular frame bending over me as he palmed my pussy like he owned it.Oh, God. My core clenched, reminding me how empty I felt. How I wanted to be filled by him so desperately that it was impossible to think straight. Squeezing my thighs together, I finally asked, “I wonder if a man like that would go for phone sex?”

Jayne choked next to me although she had nothing in her mouth. “Did you really just say phone sex?” She held a hand to her forehead and blinked amusingly at me. “Why not sex-sex?”

I shook my head vehemently. “Absolutely not. Not safe.”

The demon was right there in the back of my head. Just as well, I couldn’t get Amit out of there either. Although I couldn’t physically have him, could I not try something different? My heart pounded and my fingers were numb. My anxiety was at its peak, but I couldn’t change my thought process. I wanted a moment, just a moment that was pure bliss—something to sing about. Something,anything,that wasn’t solely about music. I needed something completely carnal before my time was up.

---