Page 21 of My Saintly Demon

He reaches across and squeezes my hand. “Us outcasts need to stick together.”

The server stops at our table and leaves the bill. Dave snatches it away before I have time to protest and settles it.

With a grin, he cocks his head.

“Don’t worry. Just because I paid doesn’t mean it’s a date. However, I think you need to reexamine what’s going on here.”

“And what is it you think is going on?”

Leaning across the table, he lowers his voice.

“I think we enjoy breaking rules together. Giving a big ole fuck you to whoever gives us a hard time. In fact, I think we like it so much we need to work on that part you were thinking of before I found you.”

“What part is that?”

He smiles again and I swear, somehow; he makes what should be an innocent smile seem dirty as fuck. Without even saying a word.

“The part where you wanted me to fuck you. Remember? I watched you.”

Ah, so it’s not an innocent smile after all. My pulse races when I remember what he saw.

“You turned me down.”

“I did. But now I know you.”

“I don’t think you can get to know someone well after a single date.”

“Aha! So youdothink it’s a date!”

He points a finger at me in victory.

Dammit. I can’t keep my lips from smiling.

“Okay. It felt like a date. You’re right. But for the record, I’m really messed up, Dave. I don’t know where this will take us. Especially if you’re only here for a week.”

“Well, you wanted sex, didn’t you? And casual. Let’s just do that until I have to go.”

My heart pounds just thinking of having him whenever I want and I ignore that voice in my brain telling me it’s a bad idea. But he’s right. It is part of what I want.

Sex. Booze. Maryjane.

I can do it all for a week and get it out of my system. When Dave leaves, I’ll detox and try to figure out how to be a valuable member of society again. It’s not likely the best idea I’ve ever had. But it’s probably going to be the most fun one.

“Then let’s get out of here. The clock is ticking.”

Dave might have knocked over his water glass in his hurry to leave the table.

He bumps my shoulder as we speed walk to my Escalade. My head spins with everything that’s happened in the last few hours. It’s all so fast, but it seems right. He’s genuine. I see it in his eyes. But he’s also a demon. If he wanted to cause harm, he would have already. Nothing he’s done has made me feel unsafe. Quite the opposite.

I don’t know how I know he won’t harm me. It’s no single thing I can name. I just know. And if all demons are like him, I’ve been misled. But he’s also an anomaly, he said. I don’t know how I can teach him to be bad, but I’ll do my best. Starting with having him use my body anyway he wants.

That’s the bad I don’t mind being good at.

So caught up in my indecent thoughts, I round the side of my Escalade, too late noticing the men waiting for me between the vehicles.

“We couldn’t help but notice your vehicle. My friend and I were commenting it looks like yer moving. That’s a lot of boxes in the back. Do ya need any help?”

They both step closer to me and the scrape of a knife blade popping open has the hair on my neck stand.

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