Page 83 of Wicked Flavors

Ambrosius’ stare grew heavy lidded as he tilted Gwen’s chin up. He ran his thumb along her bottom lip.

“Then have me, my bittersweet.”

When their lips met again, Ambrosius indulged her until he felt her lungs shake. He laughed when she chased him, desperate to continue their kisses.

“You’re still weak, my gorgeous girl. You need to recover, and we have time before the Antiquarium disappears,” he explained.

“But not enough time,” Gwen retorted. “You’ll be gone soon. I need more time, more memories with you.”

Greedy, needy thing … so delicious.

Ambrosius eyed the sheets, recalling their last encounter. Perhaps it was the rush of successfully swaying Gwen to him, or the enticing possibility of freedom, but for whatever reason, it left Ambrosius in a generous mood.

“Let’s go out.”

“I … where?”

“Anywhere. Everywhere,” he said, running a hand along her waist and hip.

“Like … like a date?”

The demon found the question delightfully humorous. A demon taking their warlock out on a date? If demons had any societal norms the way vampires or werewolves did, he would surely be mocked by other demon-kind. But like all things, Ambrosius did whatever he pleased, driven by impulsiveness and chaos as always. And what he wanted more than anything was to be in the material plane with her.

“Yes, exactly like a date,” he agreed with a grin. “Oh, Gwen, let me take you out. Let me see the world with you while I can. And when it’s over, we’ll come back here, and you’ll finish the doll.”

Gwen smiled, a gummy thing that would have been unsettling for humans, but only made Ambrosius grin wildly in return.

“Yes,” she sighed. “I want to go on a date with you.”

“Good,” he said, kissing her. “We can figure out if we’ll have ritualistic sex before or after. For now, rest, my bittersweet.”

35

Appreciated

Gwen

The last time Gwen had been on a date, she had been twenty-nine.

She had already started hiding herself, so it was no surprise when her date was a no-show. After eating a plate of so-so pasta, and crying over a basic cheesecake, Gwen had quietly decided that dating wasn’t for her any longer. She had a good run, but it was too much effort.

Now, Gwen’s mind raced as she thought about what she could possibly wear for her date with Ambrosius. Most of the clothes in her closet no longer suited her. In fact, when Gwen looked at it, she was almost repulsed by all the dull colors. Neutrals were fine, but not at all what she wanted to wear now.

Where are we even going?Gwen wondered.

The summer sun was finally starting to set. It would most likely be dark by the time they left the apartment.Things Gwen considered very seriously as she sorted through hangers. The days were hotter, but it was still the Pacific Northwest, which meant she needed to consider layering.

Ambrosius watched from the bed. The demon was lying on his stomach, arms folded and legs fidgeting behind him. His outfit was primarily black, but there were still pops of teal—

Gwen grimaced at the tinge of pain in her stomach. “Ugh, I’m really hungry.”

“We’ll stop by on the way out and get you something,” Ambrosius said, as if they were just going to stop by a fast food place.

Gwen nodded, still staring at her closet. There had to be something in here worth wearing. Or at least something she could modify in under an hour?

Except the colors are all wrong, I don’t want to just wear black. I’m feeling pink!

“Still having trouble? Not that I don’t appreciate theview.”

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