Page 27 of Vicious Little Vows
I decided not to ask questions. Looking at the imp’s claws, I took out a granola bar and opened the packaging, then knelt before the creature. “I’m not sure if you eat stuff like this…”
The imp snatched the bar so quickly it made me jump. He could have just as easily slashed me with his claws. Fortunately, the treat seemed to please him. It disappeared in one bite, then he crunched it open mouthed, littering the asphalt with dried oats. Finished with the snack, he gave me a little bow, then disappeared in an imp-sized cloud of darkness.
“Must you adopt every small creature you come across?” Sebastian tsked.
“I’m notadoptinghim. But I doubt Penelope rewards him for his efforts. Imagine running errands for your sister all the time. What a nightmare.”
Sebastian smirked as I straightened to face him. “I suppose you have a point.” His hand reached out, pushing a lock of hairbehind my ear. After all the action, my braid had mostly come undone.
I went still as his fingers traced down the side of my neck. “This talk you wish to have—” He leaned closer, his lips skimming my cheek as he whispered in my ear. “Is it necessary?”
I swallowed, suddenly unable to think straight. It was certainly necessary. We’d slept together in a moment of passion, with no discussion of what it meant to either of us, nor what it might mean to the magic binding the entire group. And then last night… what had I been thinking? Oh, that’s right, I hadn’t been thinking. “It’s—”
His hands cupped my jaw, and he claimed my mouth with his. My arguments died in my throat as my body lit up from the inside. Desire curled within me, and the golden cord between us pulsed behind my closed eyes.
I molded against him as his hands went to my waist, arching my back. He guided us toward the open doorway.
I pulled away long enough to take a breath and say, “Crispin will be here soon.”
“He can wait.” With his hands still at my waist, Sebastian lifted me over the doorsill and set me down inside. He slammed the door shut, then pressed me against the wall with the weight of his body. “I regret not being the one to kill your kidnappers.” One hand went under my shirt, skimming up along my bare back. “While I waited, I imagined tearing them limb from limb.” He lifted my shirt over my head without unbuttoning it, then he tossed it on the ground.
I turned to putty as he kissed the mounds of my breasts, so much dark magic already flaring between us. “That shouldn’t be hot,” I panted. “But it is.”
He lifted me and I wrapped my legs around him, then he kissed me again. Pulsing heat built in my core. I should beworrying about other things, but who could turn down a hot devil who literally wanted to kill for you?
A knock sounded in the doorway, and we both went still.
“Shit,” I breathed.
Sebastian still hadn’t let me down. “He can wait. You can give him a granola bar in recompense.”
“I think I dropped the box outside.”
He gave me a wicked smile. “Then he already has something to eat.”
The knock sounded again. It had to be Crispin. It was almost time for our date. Even if I rushed to get ready, we probably wouldn’t make it on time. Once again, what had I been thinking?
I looked into Sebastian’s dark eyes, still filled with heat. Oh yeah, that’s what.
His hands loosened as I slid down his body, regretting it the moment he was no longer touching me. And yet, I was also glad for the reprieve. I definitely was not thinking straight where the devil was concerned. Wasn’t I supposed to dislike him?
He reached down and lifted my shirt from the ground, then extended it toward me, dangling it from one long finger.
“Thanks.” I tugged it back on, realizing the top button had popped off at some point without me realizing it.
Not saying another word, Sebastian opened the door for Crispin, then turned and walked up the stairs.
Crispin pursed his lips, his eyes looking me up and down. “I take it I interrupted something.”
I sighed, my body still pulsing with arousal. “Just come in and tell me what happened in the Bogs while I get ready.”
As we trudged up the stairs, I remembered I needed to tell him about the kidnapping too. Hard to believe that now felt like the least memorable part of my day.
TWELVE
Crispin stood stunned in the doorway while I hastily applied some makeup. He looked fantastic in his charcoal slacks and sea foam green button up—though now his face had gone white as a sheet.
“You cannot possibly feel so blasé about being kidnapped!”
