Page 16 of Witch's Rite
He only lifted an eyebrow as a smirk spread across his face.
"What did you do to your hair?"
"Glamour," I muttered, my face reddening. "I was practicing."
While I enjoyed the pastel purple hair for the sheer fun of it, it would not have been my first choice if I wanted to make a guy's jaw drop. The look didn't exactly scream sexy bombshell.
"Looks nice," he said, lacing his hands behind his head while I tried not to stare. The position made his biceps look even bigger than normal. His legs and torso seem to stretch out for miles, making my poor little secondhand couch look as though it could barely support him.
"Really? Thanks. I mean, wait, nevermind." I let out a flustered breath. "You can't just hang out in my apartment when I'm not here. You guys need to have some boundaries."
He opened his mouth as if to protest but then quickly shut it. Instead, he abruptly swung his long legs off my couch and put them on the floor, resting his forearms on his knees.
"I'm sorry, Deja," he said with surprising tenderness. "I just didn't want to upset your grandmother." His serious face erupted into a naughty grin. "I'm sure you've noticed I can fly a bit off the handle sometimes."
"So can she when the topic of demons comes up," I muttered, settling on the couch next to him. "Avoiding her wrath is a valid excuse, I guess."
"The old lady gets under your skin," he said in a soft, observant tone.
"A little," I admitted. "She's a bit of a helicopter parent and doing it a bit too late. I mean, I met her not even a month ago and I'm almost thirty. I'm a little bit past the age of needing a mother figure in my life."
My hand dropped to Sal's knee. Why did it always seem to go there?
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be complaining," I sighed. "I'm sure you didn't wait in my apartment to hear me vent."
"I'm here for whatever you need," he replied, skimming his fingers across my back. "And right now it seems you need to unwind."
His hand slid up to the nape of my neck and gently pinched the area between my neck and shoulder. My eyes rolled back and I let out an involuntary moan as his hands massaged the tension out of me.
"Close your eyes," he whispered, his breath tickling my ear.
"What are you scheming?" I asked but obliged.
"Now open your eyes," he said not five seconds later.
I did and my mouth fell open as well.
On my once-empty coffee table laid out a gorgeous assortment of food. Everything delicious and decadent imaginable seemed to take up the space. My eyes flitted over gorgeous red grapes, fancy-looking cheese, prosciutto, olives, dark chocolates, stuffed peppers, some cold noodle salad and so much more.
My stomach let out another approving growl, to Sal's amusement.
"Dig in," he said with a laugh. "I didn't know what kind of food you like so I whipped up a little of everything."
"Don't tell me you actually made all this?" I said, popping a cube of aged cheese in my mouth and letting the flavors soak into my taste buds.
"I did, although I conjured it. I didn't cook it."
I looked at him suspiciously as I chased the cheese cube with a tart grape.
"Very interesting skill set you have there, demon. War, violence, aggression, and... food?"
"Hey, we all need hobbies outside of our careers, right?" He slowly bit into a grape while staring at me and somehow just watching his jaw move hypnotized me. What kind of demon magic was he casting to make even chewing sexy?
Time seemed to slip away as we ate, bantered and flirted, but I was no longer tired. Either the food or his company, or a mixture of both, revitalized me with fresh vigor.
"I just realized something," I said after the fiftieth fancy cheese cube. "Where's your sidekick Raum? Hiding in my closet waiting to scare me?"
"No," he answered through more of his sexy chewing. "Just me tonight. I know you've been overwhelmed with everything and figured you wouldn't mind a more… intimate evening."
