Page 42 of Midnight with the Devil

“Okay, you can come, but you have to act normal.”

“Right.” He chuckled darkly. “Hide the horns and absolutely no stabbing of the guests with my pitchfork.” He raked his gaze down her body. “But I might stab you with another kind of pitchfork if you ask me nicely…on your knees.”

This time she challenged him with her darkest look. “That is something I have to doonlyon Fridays.”

She expected him to be outraged and demand sensual obedience. Instead, he flashed her a wicked, cocky grin.

“You may tell yourself whatever you like, darling, but you like it and me. Soon you will be begging for me on nights other than Friday.” He lifted his hand from the top of her car door, and she opened it with relief. That relief was short-lived, however, because he climbed into the car beside her and buckled himself in.

“Please don’t do anything crazy to embarrass me or my parents, or scare anyone, for that matter.”

He mimed a small cross over his heart. “Promise.”

God, this is probably going to be a huge mistake,Diana thought as she turned on the car and pulled out of the parking lot. She couldn’t help but think of one of her favorite old movies,Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. In the movie, the young woman brings home a man her parents don’t approve of because he’s black. It was a stunning movie that defied racial prejudices, and it was a powerful love story. But taking Lucien to a barbecue? This was no love story, and he was the devil.

Guess who I’m bringing to dinner?

12

For while I sit with thee I seem in Heaven, and sweeter thy discourse is to my ear than fruits of palm-tree, pleasantest to thirst. - John Milton, Paradise Lost

Lucien watched the parade of middle-aged couples entering the front door of Diana’s parents’ home, each carrying a tray of food or drinks. They all wore comfortable-looking clothes. He glanced down at his favorite suit. Time for a wardrobe change. Closing his eyes, he snapped his fingers, and when he opened them he had on jeans and a black T-shirt with the a band logo on it.

“What the—you can’t just snap your fingers like that in public and change clothes!” Diana hissed from the driver’s side of her car. She was staring at him as though he’d grown a second head.

“I can, and I did,” he reminded her smugly. She really needed to get used to his powers. He hadn’t even shown her thecoolshit he could do.

“Just don’t do anything during the party. Mom and Dad can’t explain your tricks, and it could cause a lot of trouble.”

“Fine, fine,” he grumbled, and then he got out of the car and focused on the house. “So this is the residence of Janet and Hal. The parents.”

“Yes.” Diana retrieved the groceries from her trunk, trying to juggle the bags. He deftly removed three of the heavy ones, leaving her carrying one sack of buns.

“Thanks.” She stared at the little sidewalk lined with an array of colorful flowers and froze. “What are we going to tell them?”

“Tell them?” He was baffled by the question.

“Yes. I can’t just say, ‘Hey, Dad, here’s Lucien. I made a deal with him to save your life, and now I’m having sex with him. Oh, and did I mention he’s the devil?’”

He bit his bottom lip to hold back a bark of laughter. “That would probably give Hal a heart attack. Tell him I’m a boyfriend. One you met in class.”

“I’ll tell him you’re afriend,” she amended. He could see by the slightly distant look in her eyes that she was already concocting an elaborate story if she needed it.

“Come on.” He nudged her in the back to get her moving again. The smells he was picking up from the backyard were quite divine, and he wanted to taste whatever was being cooked.

As they reached the house, a raven-haired beauty in her midfifties met them at the door. Janet, had to be—she looked like a mature version of Diana. He hadn’t focused on her at all when he’d first seen her at the hospital. She had been just another mortal to him, but now he was curious. Okay, more than a little curious to meet the woman who’d brought Diana into the world.

“Diana!” Janet embraced her and looked at Lucien expectantly. He cleared his throat.

“This is Lucien Star, Mom. Lucien, this is my mom, Janet.”

“It’s so nice to meet you, Lucien.” Janet held out a hand, and he shook it.

“How do you know Diana?” she asked as he she waved for them to come inside.

“We met in class. He’s a friend.” Diana shot him a pointed look when her mother turned her back on them as she led them to the kitchen.

Lucien licked his lips at her and winked. The crimson blush staining her cheeks was delicious. He had every intention of getting her alone soon because he wanted to show her exactly what pineapples were for.

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