Page 7 of Nightmares and Numerology

“No, I’m—“

“—Stanley isn’t the only one here who gives free samples, Bean. I’d gladly give you a taste.”

I smacked his bicep, which only elicited a deep, husky laugh in reply. Even with my increased strength, it didn’t hurt him. He was way bigger than I was, and he was an actual demon, not a human woman with add-ons.

“Stop it!”

“Stop grinning at me, and I’ll feel less inclined to scandalize you.”

But it was impossible not to smile when I was looking at him. He was... well, in some ways, he’d become my very best friend. He’d rescued me from almost certain death at the auction, helped me sort through the trauma of that, put up with the weirdness surrounding Indigo, and made me feel... desirable. That last part was probably the strangest part of all. My bedroom had died long before the marriage with Rodney had.

“I like it when you scandalize me,” I confessed in a small voice.

It came out soft, almost sad, and I saw the impact on Angelo’s face immediately. Sometimes he reacted to emotional problems in a relationship like a baffled anthropologist, unsure of why I’d done what I’d done. The words didn’t match the tone, and he knew it.

“Lydia—”

I raised a hand. “It’s not about you. It’s... I was thinking about Rodney.”

“Oh.” He didn’t like that—I could tell.

“I like your teasing,” I continued. “Rodney never did that. Hebasically came home, decided when or if he was in the mood, and did the bare minimum. I gave up hope of ever feeling...” I gestured between us helplessly. “Like this. Of course, I want to be with you. You make me feel...”

I trailed off, unsure of how to finish. We were heading rapidly toward sticky feelings territory. I wasn’t sure a public place was the right locale to discuss exactly how I felt for my demonic roomie.

Angelo’s hand caught mine. He wound our fingers together, and the warmth of his skin felt heavenly against my palm.

“I make you feel what?”

“Wanted,” I finished. “It’s nice to know you mean it. Rodney... I think he fell out of love with me early on, if he ever actually was in love with me in the first place. But I’m pretty sure that towards the end, he just wanted to keep me on as a glorified secretary he could sometimes sleep with. He only ever stepped up when it looked like I might decide to leave his sorry ass. If I’d met you back then...”

Angelo’s eyes brightened. “A torrid love affair would have commenced.”

I gave him a look. “Mmm hmm.”

He laughed. “You know you couldn’t have resisted me if I’d pursued you. And Iwouldhave pursued you. A woman as lovely as you deserves all the attention she’s due.”

Heat flushed into my face as I tried to picture the scene. It would have been something out of a porno—the handsome realtor seducing the lonely married woman while her husband was away.

“Now there’s a roleplay. An empty house, my husband is away...”

An almost sub-audible thrum made my bones quiver just a little. It was a sympathetic vibration. I could almost feel the gut-knotting hunger Angelo was trying to suppress. My mouth wentdry, and I had trouble swallowing when his hand ghosted up my arm, settling in the bend of my elbow as he leaned in towards me.

“That’s my girl. Always finding the silver lining. I have to admit, I like the idea of seducing you as a married woman more and more now that you’ve framed it that way. We’ll start in my office first, but we’redefinitelykeeping that one in mind.”

The insides of my ribcage felt bruised from the force of my hammering heart. The anticipation was going to kill me. Suddenly, it didn’t seem so crazy to nip back to my loft with the remainder of our ice cream in tow. There were more interesting places for the sugary confections to be dribbled.

A soft cough drew both our attention. I jumped as if I’d been caught in the act, letting out an undignified squeak. Angelo’s reaction was more subdued. He released me from the hold of his power, easing back into his seat with an almost petulant set to his shoulders.

I glanced up and froze, a plain rabbit in the sights of a gorgeous golden eagle. The woman beside me was nothing short of stunning, and my confidence dribbled away like tissue paper in a downpour. I knew who I was looking at. I’d hoped I wouldn’t see her today, given Rodney’s absence, but I was learning that fate liked to screw me personally. I was pretty sure it was Indigo’s bad karma coming back to bite us both. Except it was alwaysmyass that ended up bitten.

The woman flashed us both a dazzling smile before offering her hand to me. “Hello, Ms. Morton. I’m Andrea Reyes. I wanted to talk to you about Rodney.”

Chapter Four

Lydia

Andrea Reyes looked like she’d been ordered from a Sports Illustrated catalog and constructed in a perverted Frankenstein’s lab.

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