Page 26 of Falling for Lucifer
Sleepiness seeped from Ellodie’s pores as she fumbled with her keys to unlock her door. Her eyes felt heavy, and she prayed Etta was just as tired as her and slept well that night.
“Let me get that, love,” Lucifer said, grabbing the keys from her and unlocking the door. She leaned into him lazily as they walked through the threshold. After the door closed, he wrapped one arm around her while he held Etta in the other arm since he left her car seat in his car. “You good?”
“Just exhausted,” she mumbled against his chest.
He chuckled. “You need me to stay tonight to help with her?”
She perked up at that idea but instantly knew it wasn’t a good one. If he stayed the night, she would be compelled to stay awake and talk to him. She wanted to know more about him and maybe steal a kiss or two in the process. She sighed and shook her head. “Not tonight, but maybe tomorrow?”
Understanding danced in his eyes. “Definitely tomorrow. I’ll call you.” He tipped her chin up and pecked her lips. “Thank you for kickin’ it with me and my people today.”
“I had a good time. I love Harley,” she replied.
He chuckled. “What about Hades?”
Her brows rose. “He scares me, but he might grow on me.”
“Stick around and he will.” Hope soared inside Ellodie at his words. He wants me to stick around.“I know today went againstour make-believe situation, but it was good to kick it without the theatrics. I hope we can continue to do that.”
She grinned. “Me too.”
His smile made her tingle inside. “Aight.” He handed Etta over to her, who was knocked out. “Get some rest, and I’ll call you tomorrow.”
She nodded. “Good night, Lu.”
“Good night, love.” He opened the door, and as soon as it closed behind him, she locked it.
All she wanted to do was feed Etta one last time to prolong her waking up, then shower, and then get into bed. She moved toward the couch and sat down before removing her T-shirt altogether. Before she could unhook her bra and wake Etta up enough to eat, she caught sight of something moving in the hallway.
She yelped and stood up, ready to bolt for the door, when her worst nightmare appeared from the shadows.
“What’s good, Ello?” Wes asked. He was shirtless with a pair of black basketball shorts on. He looked comfortable, like he belonged there, which both pissed her off and instilled fear into her heart. “Aye, I got a question. Who was that nigga?”
He scratched the top of his head nonchalantly, but Ellodie saw the restraint he exhibited by the popped veins in his arms and forehead and the rage dancing in his eyes.
She clutched Etta to her protectively and slowly backed away. “Wes, please . . .”
He took a threatening step forward. “I’m tryna be cool since you got my daughter in your arms, but you ’bout to make me spazz, for real. Who was that nigga?”
“N-nobody. Just a friend.” By now, her entire body shook with fear. Wes was not a good person. He didn’t care about hitting women or mentally abusing them either. He was used to getting what he wanted, by any means necessary, and alwayspicked on people smaller than him. It didn’t surprise Ellodie that he waited until Lucifer left to make his presence known.
Lucifer.She knew if she could only get out the front door and away from Wes, she could call him to come get her.
As if he read her mind, Wes closed the distance between them before she could blink and clutched her arm painfully. Etta woke up and immediately cried. Ellodie knew it was because she sensed the danger in the room, and tears fell from her eyes, too, because she never wanted her baby to experience this kind of environment. To keep her calm and safe, she put on a fake smile and blinked rapidly to get rid of the tears.
“It was just a friend, Wes. He’s just a friend.”
He glared down at her. “You a fuckin’ liar. It’s cool.” He let go of her arm and walked toward the couch. “You was ’bout to feed my daughter?” Still shaking like a damn leaf, she nodded. He gestured toward the other end of the sofa. “Go ’head. And when you’re finished and my daughter is asleep, you have a lot of making up to do.” She gave up on trying to stop her tears. She let them fall freely as she slowly walked toward the couch. When she sat down, he said, “Give me yo’ phone.”
Dread filled her, but she knew there was no winning with Wes. She didn’t understand when he became so evil. He used to love her, or she thought he did. He used to treat her with kindness, but a switch flipped, and that man was long gone.
Slowly, she reached into the pocket of her biker shorts and pulled her phone out. When she slid it over to him, she asked, “How did you get in here, anyway?”
“I been had a key made.” She shook her head. He didn’t care about boundaries or doing anything illegal, like making a duplicate of her key without her permission. “Feed my daughter.”
He grinned, which sent chills down her spine. She knew she had to find a way out of her condo ASAP, if not for herself, then for her daughter.
Quiet days at the shop were the best for Lucifer. It gave him time to get lost in his thoughts while he kept his hands busy with the customizations their clients went wild for.
