That was all Lazerath could handle. The mix of Dav’s demand and Rosalind sucking with the next thrust had release barreling through him. He jerked, crying out as he spurted down her throat, whole body trembling with the shattering orgasm.
He didn’t even care about the brief moment of cold whenRosalind popped off of his cock, not when she immediately fell atop him and he kissed every last sound she made as she came around Dav’s length. Held her as Davarox pulled out and finished across her back while she panted and whimpered and went limp in his arms.
Laz was still murmuring praise while his friend left and came back with a warm cloth, cleaning her and pressing just as many kisses across her shoulders and spine before draping a blanket over the three of them.
It was nice. So fucking nice to just lay there, tangled and naked with his tail twisting alongside Dav’s as they soothed her.
“You okay, beautiful?” Lazerath hummed into her hair, thumb teasing the dip in her backside.
“My head is quiet,” she mumbled, nuzzling into the crevice between Laz’s side and Davarox’s front. When Dav’s arm curled around her hips, a contented smile lifted on the corners of her lips. Until she said, “I shouldn’t stay. This can’t… this can’t be anything more.”
Laz tried not to let the spark in his chest burst.
Because he knew. Even without looking at his best friend, he knew that none of this should have ever been just once. Something about Rosalind felt different. She felt right. She feltreal.
And when he opened his eyes to find himself cuddled against Dav instead of a human, he didn’t have to roll over to know thatshe was gone.
But his eyes met Davarox’s, and he saw sadness reflected in his face as well.
“Dav, she should be ours.”
His best friend only worked his jaw back and forth, then said, “We need to get ready for work.”
7
MATCH MADE IN HECK
Rosalind
Rosalind pinched her hand between her knees, squeezing the quill with the other as she tried to focus on the letter strokes.
Actually, I have a?—
No, scratch that. It wasn’t firm enough.
Gods, she’d practiced that first line a million times in the last three days. Probably more. Had the entire middle memorized with concise points and data to back it up. A whole list of talking points. But the moment it came time to follow through…
“Unfortunately, we are not able to match the budget increase from the year prior,” the Horn of Finance, Tarzul, was saying, papers laid out across the desk between himself and Argeth. His assistant, a smaller green demon named Elliran, sat off to the side, diligently taking notes just asRosalind was doing. Only probably with nicer handwriting and the ability to take a full breath.
“You do, of course, have the upcoming fundraiser. As the organizing department, a portion of those proceeds and any direct donations you receive will go to Culture and the project you see fit.” Tarzul waved a clawed hand in her direction. “But I know the allocation of funds to the humans was unplanned, and many of us took the hit to make sure they were not left helpless.”
Rosalind might have only been in the demon realm for eight days, but she hadyearsof practice pretending she was as calm and collected as her features might suggest.
“If you don’t mind,” she began softly, then cleared her throat.Sound firm. “I have a solution for that particular allocation.”
There. Use his words, but only the positive ones.
Tarzul looked to Argeth, but the Horn of Culture only cocked his head. Which wasn’t surprising, because every time Rose had tried to broach the subject with him, she’d been dismissed or ignored.
Would there be another time when she’d have even five seconds of these demons’ attention?
“I’ve been familiarizing myself with the financials and infrastructure of Heck, and there are quite a few line items and budgets that don’t quite match.” Whether it was feigned interest from the Horns or not, nerves mostly kept her mouth moving. “There’s a fully salaried demon in sewage who passed away several years ago. Nine business licenseshave expired and are past due for collection. Water and sewage have been running to multiple buildings that are no longer in use or are up for sale?—”
“Suppose you’re correct,” Tarzul said with a dismissive grunt. “You want these funds allocated to the humans?”
“No,” she answered with a frown, gesturing to Argeth. The movement was more to hide the trembling in her fingers and distract from her heart climbing her throat. “The contracts I devised with the councilor were designed for an initial, introductory amount, followed by a working salary that would be equal to a demon of similar experience. Integration into Heck’s everyday was a priority, but it was by no means a detriment to funding.”
She didn’t even want to get into the contract addendums she was still waiting for Argeth to approve—pendinga stack of paperwork, signatures, and council approvalhe claimed was a necessary process. Not to mention, she’d gladly reallocate her stipend to any of the other women should they need it.
