Page 83 of Oh No! There's an Incubus in my Hot Spring
I pull my sweater off over my head and unbutton my jeans when I get in the room. Apollo lingers behind me. Usually, he’d be touching me by now, but he must not be too hungry with my necklace sustaining him.
My closet light flicks on and I peruse my colder-weather dresses. My short black with long sleeves and a low back would be nice, but I decide on a burgundy knee-length knit dress that’s form fitting, with little peekaboo holes on the shoulders and chest. I hike up my boobs so a bit of cleavage is just barely visible in the center hole.
“You’re inspiring,” Apollo says as he takes me, then adjusts his wardrobe. The black turtleneck changes colors to match my dress, and he rolls the neck down once to be a similar length as mine. He tucks in his shirt and summons a belt with a silver buckle from the shelf.
“You don’t have to dress up for me,” I say, grabbing a pair of silver half-moon earrings to match his belt.
“I can’t very well accompany you to sushi looking as if I don’t belong at your side,” he says as he follows me to the bathroom.
I twist my hair up off the high neckline and ram a thick alligator clip through it to keep it out of the way as I apply some quick makeup. He watches me from the door, arms crossed and eyes glued to my ass. This dress does do wonderful things to my butt.
The hair doesn’t look too bad in the loose configuration with wispy strands of curls framing my face, so I leave it.
I turn and offer Apollo my hand. “Ready to try this out?”
He takes it and pulls my knuckles to his lips. “It’s going to work.”
He holds my hand down the stairs like a gentleman, even though I’m in boots with very little heel, and I can’t help but feel special. He’s been watching and reading a lot of romance, and learning new things, obviously.
“Bye, Charlie,” I wave to him on the kitchen counter from the door. “Hold down the fort!”
“Roger, roger! Have fun, you love birds! And I expect to go on the next one.”He quacks indignantly.
I laugh. “Of course, buddy.”
I step over the threshold and look up at Apollo. He doesn’t even hesitate, following behind me with so much confidence it makes my eyes burn. He stands beside me, hand resting on my lower back as I lock up. He takes my arm as we walk to the car. It’s so freaking adorable. He even opens the driver side door for me, and I can’t help but blush. No man haseveropened a car door for me. I need to get him some more romance books to read.
He sits down next to me in the passenger seat and looks up at the mountain, his mouth slightly agape. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen the outside.”
I grab his hand and move it onto my leg. “You’ll be seeing it a lot more.”
He grins at me and squeezes my fingers. “Thank you.”
We listen to my favorite songs on the way into town, and though I’m dying to sing along, I don’t ruin the experience for him. He holds my hand all the way to the restaurant and my heart just keeps swelling. That stupid thing doesn’t know when to quit.
We find a spot off the main road, and I touch the necklace under his shirt, sensing the energy levels in it. Still quite full. He should have hours left.
Apollo puts his hand over mine and smiles. “Even if I run out of time, I’ll just end up back home.”
We walk a block to the restaurant and he holds the door for me again. It jingles merrily, announcing our presence. The inside is quaint, cozy, and welcoming. Dark red wood paneling on the walls, black floors, and warm Japanese lantern lights hanging from the ceiling.
“Irasshaimase,” the older man behind the sushi counter calls at the same time as the young woman bustling from the back.
She approaches us with a smile. “Two for dinner?”
“Please,” I say with a smile.
“Sushi bar or a table?”
The tables are close together, and the little place is pretty packed for a Tuesday night, but the bar is empty. Plus, we’ll be able to watch the magic from there.
“Bar, please,” I say.
She brings us toward a secluded side around the corner of the bar where there’s only two seats by the entrance to the kitchen. Apollo goes to pull my stool out for me but quickly realizes it’s bolted to the floor. His cheeks flush pink and he stands aside for me to sit.
The hostess has a secret smile as she sets the paper menu down between us. I order us a house hot sake and then lean close to him as I tap the little pencil on the menu.
“Salmon is my favorite, so at least four of those. You have to try a shrimp tempura roll, of course. A veggie roll to keep things somewhat healthy. Aaaaand some unagi! Oh, and miso soup to prep our appetite. But a seaweed salad! I have to try it. I need to know if it’s good.” I check everything off, putting ones and twos everywhere.
