Someone I’d lost.
My heart throbbed, aching in the sudden grip of grief’s cruel fist. Which didn’t make any damn sense. I’d never lost anyone in my life. My dad’s death was lurking just around the corner, so I was well acquainted with that suffocating dread, but nothing could prepare me for the sudden grief that slammed into me like a freight train.
It wasn’t until Lucifer’s arms were wrapped around me, pulling me up and out of my chair, into his chest, that I realized I was sobbing.
If this was a normal date with a “normal” hot as sin, playboy billionaire, I would be horrified to be ugly crying all over his Armani suit that probably cost more than my life.
Maybe I should have anticipated the literal devil to bring me to tears. In a way, maybe I had expected it. But I thought that at best, the tears I would spill for him would be tears of ecstasy because selling my heart probably meant I was selling my body. At worst, I’d expected tears of anger because a girl had to regret selling herself to the devil, no matter how many lives it saved.
But I hadn’t anticipated tears of anguish, of loss for something I couldn’t even remember losing.
“Why are you doing this to me?” I whispered against his tear-stained tie.
He stroked my hair with tender, revenant fingers. The gentle gesture was confusing.
“What is it that I’m doing to you, Jessica?” he murmured in my ear.
“Dude, really?” I jerked my head away to blink at him with irritated exasperation. “There’s some kind of magic in the food or–orsomething. I came here with my mind pretty much already made up about giving you my heart to save my dad. Whatever that means. You could have gone without the gourmet physiological mind games.”
“Jessica. There is no magic in the food. And I wouldn’t dream of playing games with you unless it’s the bedroom variety.”
“If there’s no magic, why am I recalling memories that aren’t mine?”
“What if I said that we can forget the contract if you just kissed me? You don’t need to sign anything. Just kiss me.”
He was deflecting, but I took the bait. No creepy contracts? Deal. I’d kissed a lot less attractive guys before, and I didn’t get anything out of those regrettable frat-party make-out sessions except the need to take a shower the next morning.
His eyes darkened, his perfect lips slowly spreading into the most lickable smirk. “Kiss me.”
“What about my heart? What about the job?”
His fingers wrapped my chin in a grip that was as demanding as it was gentle. “Dearest Jessica. My sweet Jessica. This was never about a job. This is about your heart. Your father’s health, money, a position at any of my companies, you can have whatever you desire.” His voice dropped to a whisper, charged with something that sent a rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins. “All you have to do is give me your heart, and it starts with a single kiss.”
Abaddon tensed in my periphery, reminding me that we weren’t alone. For whatever reason, I felt even more uneasy around Lucifer’s demonic henchmen and as weird as it was to blame it on a single meal, I was pretty sure the food had something to do with it. Every time I looked at that demon, I got a sour taste in my mouth.
Gleaning my unease through my thoughts, Lucifer ordered the chef and his henchman away.
Cerberus scrambled off to the kitchen, and Abaddon’s eyes narrowed. He almost looked like he wasn’t going to leave for a moment until he turned back into the kitchen with a gruff “hmph.”
Lucifer’s hand cupped my cheek and guided my gaze back to his.
His golden eyes were warm, swirling with emotion. It was the look of a man in love.
It was utterly stupid. He didn’t even know me.
“One kiss? And you’ll save my dad?”
His lips pursed into a smile that seemed too warm for the devil. “The deal is for your heart. I’m just not making you sign any contracts. A kiss will suffice in cementing our deal.”
The moment we met at the bar, it felt like something out of our control was fusing us together. If I believed in things like reincarnation, I might think we’d met in a past life. With how this “date” was going, Lucifer was acting like we had known each other for a lifetime.
By his gentle touch, his soft words, the glimmer in his eyes, he wasn’t regarding me like he was planning on having my heart for dessert. He was looking at me like he wanted my heart right where it was, so long as he could call it his.
But that was stupid.
Satan wasn’t a romantic. Right?
My mind was a tangle of a million questions.
