Page 58 of The Demon in Him

Mike would smirk at the idea of me choosing a location for a new life, at least partially based on the city’s car chase film history.

It had been three months, and I hadn’t forgotten him.

In fact, far from having forgotten him, he was often at the forefront of my mind, and I could see his face so clearly—an arrogant, serious expression which was his default, with eyes that spoke more than words ever could. But then I would say something or do something just to make him laugh, to break the façade, and he would, and it would change his whole face. I loved the lines around his eyes and the gray hair, and I loved that when he finished laughing, he would pierce me with those gray eyes, and they would flash with lust.

Then sometimes in my mind, those eyes would shift to yellow.

And in those moments, I’d expect to feel a twinge of fear. But there was no fear, the only one who made me afraid was Tate, and he was gone now. He was human, and he had been more of a threat to me than the demons I had apparently been around ever were. Although Emrick, I was afraid of him, he felt like darkness personified, the complete opposite of Zaqiel. Hard to believe they were both angels.

Hard to believe angels were living in my hometown and just… being.

I’d somewhat expected a call from Mike, but apparently he wasn’t messing around when he was determined to keep space from me. Several times I had punched in his office number, then hung up when his secretary answered. Fuck knows what I would have done if he had answered. I’ve dated no one since moving here—it was kind of hard when you were comparing everyone to a demon.

A tentative, caring, protective, and funny demon who was fucking amazing in bed.

Shaking the thoughts from my head, I got back to work. Right now, my garage was only me, but once my reputation of my work had spread through the classic car community, the bookings were piling up, and I didn’t think it would be long before I needed to hire some help. Finding someone I trusted enough to work on these babies unsupervised would be difficult, so perhaps I would start my search within the very community that had been so welcoming to me. Who better to work next to than someone who was equally as much a fanatic and detail-oriented as me?

Wiping the back of my hand across my forehead, I laughed out loud when I felt the oil slick across my skin. Glancing down at my overalls, I laughed again. I was filthy, and I loved picturing my father’s face, comparing me now to the me he knew in suits and incredibly shiny shoes.

Gently closing the hood with a click, I dumped my tools on a nearby bench and slid into the driver’s seat, making sure to sit only on the paper covering I had placed on the floor and seats to stop from getting them dirty. Turning the key in the ignition, the Mustang roared to life then settled into a rumbling purr, the familiar sounds reverberating through the garage and making me sigh in contentment. Flicking it off, I stepped out of the vehicle and patted the hood lightly before putting the keys away in my office and locking the place up. It was past seven o’clock, but I had nowhere to be and absolutely did not mind working late.

Stripping off my overalls, I sighed again, and this time only the silence of the garage echoed around me. Once the radio was off and all the cars were done with for the night, I was alone.

But in so many ways, I was alone.

I’d planted the seeds for the start of an excellent life here, and while I loved every minute, there was a constant niggling feeling in my mind and chest.

Because I fucking missed Mike.

It was stupid and irrational, and I hated that I still felt for him. But the simple truth is the feelings never went away. He did nothing but try to protect me and ultimately decided he needed to safeguard me from himself as well. Yet, in the entire messed-up situation, he was the only one I ever felt truly safe with. I was untouchable with Mike. No one could hurt me because Mike wouldn’t let them. I could be me and unapologetically me, and he was encouraging and kind and witty and every fucking good word I associated with someone I wanted to spend my life with.

But he had made the choice for both of us.

I paused, half-expecting a romance-movie moment where he walked through the door, telling me he had come to get me back and never stopped loving me. Iknewhe loved me because of some demon bullshit I still didn’t fully understand, but I had somehow helped him keep control.

There was nothing but the sound of passing cars outside.

Sighing and trying desperately to regain the sense of serenity I had only moments before, I finished locking up, set the alarm, and left. My car—my girl—was in my garage, but I needed to clear my head, and what better way to do that than the typical walk home. San Francisco was a mystery to me. Everyone here seemed to know their place and simultaneously felt like they were all trying a bit too hard. At least, that’s how it felt to me, but perhaps I was simply projecting myself onto everyone around me.

Almost home, I passed a newspaper stand and, by habit, scanned the front page of the paper and magazines as I passed. I didn’t have a chance to do this most mornings, the vendors were up early, but I was up earlier and often didn’t walk.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

Because Frank’s smug mug was looking up at me from an architecture magazine, arms crossed and grinning as though he knew what everyone was thinking.

Behind him, the titleBlackman, Conner, and Associates expand to San Francisco.

Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me.

There wasn’t a chance in hell I could stay away.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I frantically opened a search engine and found the address of their new office. It wasn’t near here. Of course, it wasn’t, this was not the spot for high-end businesses like that.

It was, however, a short cab ride.

Fuck it. I had to know.

Hailing a cab, I jumped in and gave them the address, too nervous and filled with excitement to realize I hadn’t put my seat belt on until the driver gently reprimanded me, his eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror. He may have asked if I was okay. I couldn’t be sure because there was nothing on my mind now but Mike. The scent of him, the feel of his hands on my body, and the way he made me feel inside, everything was overwhelming me as every memory of every sensation came back all at once and stronger than ever.

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