“There,” he whispered and the tenderness made my knees quiver. “One cannot dance in dirty cotton.”
Gone were my worn pajamas, and in their place, the most hauntingly beautiful gown I’d ever seen.
“Luci?” Before I could speak another word, Lucifer gripped my waist and swept us into the waiting darkness.
Waves of sheer black fabric cascaded behind us. An iridescent sheen of greenand silver caught on the dim light that grew more icy and argent as he led us across the floor. It felt as if we were floating on a winter breeze.
The chill of him brushed against my exposed flesh, creating the most heady tingles to tame the heat rolling off of me in waves.
I closed my eyes and let go.
Lucifer’s fingers splayed wide on my lower back, the tips of his fingers dipping just low enough to graze the top of my behind. The hold felt neither possessive nor protective. Rather, it was a firm caress that lifted me up.
“You look stunning in green.”
“I, uh–” My gulp was audible. “I didn’t know you were capable of handing out compliments, Luci.”
His smile caught the shine refracting from the stained glass above. “I’ve been known to let one slip every millennium or two.”
Goddamn his smile…
Maybe I could make him do it again.
“You know what else I didn’t know you were capable of?”
He let go of my waist and sent my skirts whirling as he spun me twice before pulling me close once more. I fit so perfectly against him that it had to be a sin.
“What?”
“Small talk.”
“I would imagine there’s much you don’t know about me, Dany.”
Judas-damn I loved the way he said my name. Every time it rolled off of his tongue, I found myself hanging on every syllable.
“Tell me something.”
Lucifer released me into another spin. Rather than pull me close again, though, he dipped me into a deep backward arch over his leg. The high slit down my skirts fell to the wayside as he pulled my thigh around his waist.
The hand tucked behind my knee started a slow trek down the backside of my leg, leaving an icy trail of awareness up to the curve of my ass.
Fingers splayed and grip firm, Lucifer leaned in and asked, “Like what?”
My chest rose and fell in a harsh cadence. I was acutely aware of every point of contact between us.
“I don’t know,” I responded breathlessly. “Something no one else knows.”
The devil hummed in disapproval before flinging me back out into another whirl and tugging me close, this time averting his gaze from mine. Our effortless dance continued.
When the silence stretched long enough that I was sure he wouldn’t answer, Lucifer said, “The cello.”
“I’m sorry?”
His eyes returned to mine and he repeated, “I play the cello.”
The confession stunned me. While it was stupid to think that a creature older than time hadn’t mastered every art form, it felt odd that he would bring up something as specific as an instrument. Odd, yet…
Flattering.
