Page 9 of Hooked on a Demon
He laughs, knowing what she’s doing. Their relationship has been tenuous at times, mostly in their teenage years, but as they moved into their twenties, they found their groove and can now get along amicably. One thing she’s always loved, though, was how he’s been protective of her their entire lives. Always willing to go to battle for her. Keeping her safe. Heaven only knows how many boys he’s scared off over the years, though he wasn’t able to scare the last one off. Of course, all of that doesn’t stop him from being a right pain in her ass when he wants to. “I’m great, lil’ foot. What’s up?”
“Nothing much. Was wondering what you’re up to and if you wanted to go get a coffee or something?”
He pauses. “You wanna get coffee?”
“That would be why I asked, yes.”
“With me?”
“Again, I did ask,” she says, feeling tension building at the base of her neck. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
“Why?” he asks, clearly skeptical.
Sighing, she says, “Because I haven’t seen you in a bit and thought it would be nice to hang out. But you’ll have to come pick me up; my car is at the shop.”
“Right, yeah, Declan said something about that.”
She gives him a moment, waiting to see if he’s going to agree to her suggestion. When he doesn’t answer, she prods. “So? Do you wanna?”
“Sure. I guess. I still think you’re up to something.”
“I’m not,” she practically whines.
“Alright. Alright. I’ll be there shortly.” He hangs up before she can say anything else.
CHAPTER7
Declan
“Why are we going out for coffee so late?”
Everest, taking his eyes off the road, turns his head and glares at Declan. “Late? Dude, it’s not even eight. Did you suddenly turn into an old man in the last twenty-four hours? Is it past your bedtime, old fella?” He turns his eyes back to the road, an annoying smirk sitting on his ugly face. He’s so fucking proud of himself.
“You’re such a dick.”
Everest laughs. “And yet, here you are.”
“Anyway…” Declan says, drawing out the word. “Do you plan to answer the question?”
“Do you?” The fucker laughs again. If they weren’t traveling as fast as they were, Declan would be tempted to open the door and roll out. Hell, as it is, he’s still tempted.
Everest looks over at him and must pick up on Declan’s frustration as he answers, “The call you saw me end when you came back from the kitchen.”
“Yeah.”
“It was Ellie. She was being weird and asking to hang out. So I agreed, and since you were already with me, I figured you could tag along.”
Declan does his best not to visibly perk up at the mention of Eliana’s name. “But you two never see each other.”
“We see each other,” Everest says before clarifying, “Just not often. As I said, she was being weird about it. So something’s likely up. She probably needs money because of how much you’re charging her to fix her car.” He looks over at Declan again and smirks at him before facing the road again and turning down a side street.
Declan rubs the back of his neck with his hand, hating how uncomfortable that look from Everest made him feel. As if Declan already didn’t feel bad enough. He tried to keep the cost as low as possible, giving her the wholesale cost where he could. But fixing the car was cheaper than replacing it altogether, and it’s not like the shop doesn’t need the money. That’s always been a difficult part of him, balancing the need to charge what is needed to keep the shop up and running, while also trying to be cognizant of how expensive these things can be for people. He likes to think he strikes a good balance, but some days, it’s definitely harder than others to charge what is necessary.
When Everest’s truck pulls up in front of what Declan can only assume is Eliana’s apartment building, she’s already waiting outside. Declan has to cover his mouth and pretend to yawn to hide the sharp intake of breath as he takes her in. Even though it’s a bit cooler tonight, she’s dressed in an off-white sundress that stops mid-thigh, showing her deliciously toned legs, black Converse, and a jean jacket. Her blond curls are partially tied back, framing her face and sitting softly on her shoulders. She looks every bit as perfect as she did in his shop earlier.
Looking at Everest, Declan sees concern, but it quickly vanishes as Eliana jogs over to them.
“You gonna let her in or sit there staring at me? I know I’m pretty, and it’s sometimes hard to look away, but this does work better if all three of us are in the vehicle,” Everest says.
