Grabbing the robe I’d hung on a hook behind me, I covered myself and stepped around the partition to face the impostor that was most definitely not Cole.
As I watched, his expression changed from frustrated to concerned, erection angry and swollen in his hand.
“Is something wrong?”
I narrowed my eyes. “You know exactly what’s wrong. Put your dick away... Luc.”
A terrifying smile stretched across his face, and with a snap of his finger, Cole turned into the golden-haired smoke show from my dreams.
“Well, I guess the devil’s out of the bag.”
Chapter
Twelve
LUCIFER
Ialways knew it was only a matter of time before sweet Merri found me out. What I hadn’t counted on was being on the precipice of greatness, shall we say, when it happened. I was all for delayed gratification, a little edging, a moment of denial before the reward, but not when I was the receiving party.
Merri stared at me with fury blazing in her bright blue eyes, hatred clear on her face. That was fine. I could handle hatred. It was only a breath away from love, after all. Two sides of the same coin. Not that I required Merri’s love, but a little passion would make the fathering of my antichrist far more pleasant for all parties involved.
“What did you do to Cole?” she asked, voice shaking.
I snorted a laugh. “I killed him, of course. Buried him under that tree right next to the family mutt.”
“How did you know about him?”
“Know about him? Darling, who did you think you’ve been talking to this whole time? I found him lurking online, talking to dozens of cam-girls just like you. He wasn’t a good man like you thought. Cole was a pathetic creature, cyberstalking five other women so badly they banned him from their sites. One even hada restraining order. You should really be thanking me. I did you a favor when I intercepted him before your first session really got going.”
The little furrow between her brows deepened. I could tell my words were getting to her, but the mistrust in her eyes was only growing stronger. She didn’t know what to believe. Who can blame her, I guess. I did have a bit of a reputation when it came to my handling of the truth.
“What reason do I have to lie to you now? You’ve found me out. All my cards are on the table. It doesn’t serve me or my needs to alienate you further. You’re far too precious to me.”
“Because all you do is lie. Everything you’ve done and said has been based on a lie. It’s who you are. Literally.”
She tightened the robe’s sash around her waist and stormed toward the bedroom door, but now that I didn’t need to hide my true self, I slammed the wood shut with a flare of my power.
“Ah, ah, ah, no escaping right now. Not until we talk about the predicament you’re in.”
She snorted, but there was no humor in her expression. No, she was all fire and brimstone, and I swear my dick gave a happy twitch. We did so love to play with fire.
“I can’t believe how stupid I was. I should have known Cole was too good to be true.”
“Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself, love. You found yourself in a pickle and needed an escape. I knew it was only a matter of time before those four buffoons mucked things up. So I played the long game. If Luc couldn’t win you over in your dreams, Cole would be there waiting for you with open arms.”
“You couldn’t seduce me without pretending to be someone else. That must’ve really hit you where you live.”
“Nah. The first time I seduced a woman, I was a snake. It’s pretty much my MO at this point.”
Standing, I adjusted myself in my tailored trousers, thankful I could stop wearing Cole’s insultingly low-effort sweats and T-shirt combinations. Honestly, would it have killed the man to up his wardrobe game?
“What are you doing?” Merri asked, backing away as I approached.
“You don’t need to fear me, my sweet. Give me what I want, and I’ll make you a very happy woman. You have my word.”
“No,” she spat.
A sneer twisted my lips. “I could just take what I want, you know. I don’t need your consent.”
