Page 10 of Hooked on a Demon
Shit. Well, at least he thinks I was staring at him.“Yeah. Sorry.” Declan opens the door and hops out. Eliana climbs in and slides across the bench to the middle seat. Because, of course, Everest has to have an older truck that only has the front bench seat for three people. Declan follows Eliana in and closes the door behind him. He reaches for his seat belt and when he turns to clip it in, he nearly bonks heads with her.
“Shit. You go first,” she says.
“No, after you,” he replies, motioning like some Victorian gentleman giving a pass to a high society lady.
She nods, smiling at him, and then buckles herself in before facing forward. Declan clips himself in and does the same, trying to ignore the heat radiating up his left side from every point where their bodies touch as the truck jostles as Everest drives them into town.
“Everyone good with Taster’s Delight?” Everest asks as he turns onto another street.
“Yeah, that’s good,” Eliana replies at the same time Declan says, “That works for me.”
Everest snorts. “You two are so agreeable when together. Maybe the three of us should get together more often.”
As much as the idea of spending more time with Eliana sounds exciting, Declan is afraid of what that might do to him. The current of heat flowing through him from simply having their knees, hips, and shoulders touching has him thinking of every disgusting thing he’s ever seen come out of or inside of a car, hoping that it will keep his dick from standing at attention. As it is, it’s barely working.
Everest parks the truck, and before he can even unbuckle himself, Declan is out of the vehicle and nearly five paces away, sucking in breath after breath in an attempt to calm his body. But then she climbs out, her dress riding up to expose her thighs, and he’s fucking done for.
His brain instantly floods with images of his hands running up her legs, feeling how soft she’d be under his rough hands. Wondering what it would be like to kiss them. Lick them. Slide between them…
“Fuck.”
Eliana jumps, and Everest turns to him, cocking an eyebrow. “You alright, man?” he asks.
Declan turns, putting his back to them and tilting his head back. He breathes out. “Yeah, I’m good. Forgot something I needed to do at work today.”
“Ah. That sucks, but you’ll be able to fix it tomorrow, I’m sure,” she says kindly.
Everest comes to stand next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “What she said.” He points to the store across the street. “Anyway, shall we go get some coffee?”
Declan swallows. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER8
Eliana
“So what are you having, lil’ foot?”
“You do realize I’m twenty-eight, and I haven’t been into dinosaurs since I was like six, right?” Eliana says. She was never a fan of that nickname. It’s not her fault that she fell in love withThe Land Before Timewhen she was young. She became obsessed after seeing it for the first time and insisted on watching it every day after kindergarten for a year. She watched it so many times that the DVD was nearly burned out. Of course, that fascination meant that she was quickly labeled lil’ foot after the main dinosaur, and the name has stuck. For her entire life.
“Yes, I know how old you are. Trust me. I’ve been keeping track of how long you’ve been a pain in my ass since the day you were born. In fact, it’s been precisely…” his words fade off as he does some mental calculations, “10,345 days.”
She rolls her eyes at him before walking around him to approach the counter. He snorts behind her, clearly amused with himself. They’ve always been like this: Eliana, the younger sister, trying to be friendly and get along, while Everest, the older brother, is always teasing her.
“I’ll have a peppermint hot chocolate, please.” She steps aside, letting the boys order, and moves to step back to pay, but Declan taps his card before she can get to it. “Thank you,” she says softly. She barely makes eye contact with him, afraid that looking at him will make her cheeks appear more rosy than they already feel. Fuck, being in his proximity is making her insides warmer than her hot chocolate.
Her drink is the first to be ready. Picking it up, she moves to one of the tables along the far wall, trying to put a bit of space between her and the handsome demon.
Wait. Why is he here?
She tilts her head back, realizing her error in not asking if Everest was alone. They must have been together when she insisted Everest come out.
After a moment, they settle at the table with her, their drinks in hand. Everest takes the seat across from her, but fuck her when Declan sits next to her. His leg brushes hers as he settles, sending little sparks up her body. Wanting to keep her cool, she subtly shifts away, putting what little space she can between them. She catches his curious expression as he looks at the new gap between them.
Oblivious as always, Everest leans forward, putting on his serious face. “So, what kind of trouble are you in?”
Eliana rolls her eyes. “I’m not in any trouble.”
“Bullshit. Something has to be up for you to be so insistent to see me.”
