Twisted Luck

by Mia Downing

  We settled on a blanket next to a couple of boulders. I scooted against the cool rock, using it as a back support as I dug through the backpack. Leo looked less than comfortable as he cozied up to his rock, his thigh a few inches from mine.

  “Here.” I handed him water and a bag of grapes.

  He wrinkled his nose, yanked the backpack from my hands, and found the sandwich he’d insisted we get at the deli. I’d chosen fruit and crackers. “Real men don’t eat grapes.”

  I begged to differ, but he began devouring his sandwich like a starved man, and I couldn’t help but stare. Somehow, he managed to be neat, sexy, and still polish it off in large bites that would have a normal man gagging. “How do you do that?”

  “Do what?” He licked his fingers, the swipe of his tongue erotic. “I’m hungry. I hate not having magic.”

  “Maybe the hunger will fade if you get used to no magic.”

  “I’m not getting used to this.” He eyed my grapes in calculating way. “Gimmie those.”

  “Ask politely.”

  His lower lip jutted out in a sexy pout. “Demons aren’t polite. They take what they want.”

  “Well, right now, you’re more human than demon, so be nice.” I popped one into my mouth, chewing slowly.

  A heavy sigh heaved his shoulders, and he pursed his lips, refusing to ask nicely.

  I sighed, too, but mine was in defeat. I wanted him to be humanized, and what human felt good on an empty stomach? “Come here.”

  He leaned forward, and I met him halfway with a grape, rubbing it along the seam of his lips.

  He parted them and took the offering, chewing slowly. His brows rose in surprise, his lips curving with delight. “They’re sweet.”

  “See? You shouldn’t doubt everything.”

  “Feed me.” He leaned forward again, those sexy lips parted.

  “Demanding.” This time, I pulled the fruit away just before he closed his mouth around it.

  He glared. I smiled and offered again, this time letting him take it.

  “Tease,” he muttered, but his eyes darkened in a way that called to parts he claimed he owned.

  “It’s the human way.” I took a deep breath to clear away the lust that always seemed to echo his, instead busying myself by handing him his own portion of grapes and a stack of crackers.

  He accepted the snack and munched with a half smile on his lips. This was the most happy I’d ever seen him, come to think of it, besides being touched about me making breakfast. We both stared out over the peaceful lake and the forest that surrounded most of it, the field of green that seemed to roll down the hillside into the shoreline, and on the far side, a strip of sand that served as someone’s beach.

  Picnic finished, we sat in silence, his leg pressed against mine, his arm brushing my shoulder. I didn’t dare look at him, and at first the quiet was almost deafening and a little awkward. I’d shared some of the most intimate moments a human could share with him but never silence. The sunlight shifted to stream down in dappled rays that warmed my skin, and the repetitive, gentle lapping of water against the rocky shoreline lulled me into peace.

  “I’ve seen this lake before,” Leo mused, breaking the silence. “In your living room.”

  I didn’t think the painting was good enough to recognize that distant shore as a landmark, but Leo was ever-observant. “I painted that a few years ago while I was on vacation. I’d hiked up here every day at the same time.”

  “You didn’t use oil.”

  After the rejection of my housewarming gift, I was a little leery of discussing my artwork, but the curiosity in his voice surprised me. “No. Acrylics on canvas.”

  “I’ve only painted in oils.” His faraway look softened his facial lines, creating a different kind of sex appeal. “I loved how they mixed and how I could add a layer or remove paint as needed. The colors were rich and vibrant.”

  “Acrylics dry faster, which is sometimes a good thing,” I explained. “The downfall is the mixing of colors since the paint dries quickly. The best part is you can transport or store it easier. I was able to take my painting home every day.”

  “That would be an advantage.” He glanced at me. “I would stay at a residence for weeks, if not months, while painting.”

  That must have made for interesting dynamics. “Did you like the people you stayed with?”

  “Some. Not so much with others. Sometimes, I couldn’t wait to move on.” He waved a hand in the direction of a blue jay in a nearby tree. “The forest made for much better company.”

  “You never had a wife and kids?”

  “No. I was young, and the lifestyle suited me at first, traveling across Italy and then Europe with dreams of being a court painter for a king.”

  I didn’t want to ask more and stir up trouble, but he seemed to be happy enough. And I was nosy as hell. “And did you achieve that?”

  “Yes.” He shrugged. “Though I was mostly favored by dukes and other upper class.”

  “How did you get your start painting?”

  His thigh tensed against mine, and his jaw clenched. “Through…a friend of my mother’s.”

  Ohh boy. Baggage there. I mentally scrambled for something else to steer him away. “Did you get to do many landscapes?”

  His expression softened, and I relaxed. “No. Most were seated portraits. Busts. But an Italian duke had requested his betrothed’s bridal portrait to be painted by the fountain in the maze.”

  “That must have been a fun challenge.”

  “It was. She was beautiful, and her gown was made of a sea of intricate lace. She wanted morning light because she thought it suited her best, and she was right. I still remember how the rays caught the paleness of her cheek and lit the deep blue of her eyes.”

  He turned to me then, his gaze soft and oh-so-human as he studied me with an artist’s eye. I knew the look well, that way of calculating the shading, considering the paints needed to mix and reproduce what the eye saw.

  I held my breath as he assessed me. He leaned closer, his hand reaching out to smooth the hair from my cheek. His palm cooled my warm skin, his fingers cupping my jaw. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he narrowed them, his gaze wandering from my cheek to my eyes and then down to my lips. His thumb brushed my skin, and the nerve endings under his touch tickled.

  I let my breath sneak out in a shaky rasp of air, my heart accelerating for some odd reason. He was just looking at me like any other artist would. But something called to me, my blood racing under his caress.

  I wanted him to kiss me, not because of the contract, but because his artist’s eye found me attractive and worthy of his touch.

  His lips parted, and he drew nearer, hesitating a moment as if unsure, and then he leaned in to close the distance.

  Just as his lips touched mine, the shrill of a phone’s ring shattered the silence.

  We both jumped, Leo yanking away with startled shock.

  The phone continued to ring, the tone sharp and annoying all at once. Leo’s.

  I swallowed my disappointment. “I think that’s yours.”

  I took a moment to note the impressive lump in the groin area of his jeans and allowed myself to celebrate with vindication. He had found me attractive. A blush crept across my cheeks as I realized how low my perverted self had sunk, but having him want me today, in a more humanized state, was important. Yes. Very important.

  “Samuel,” Leo greeted, and his soft expression faded, replaced by one that was hard, all business. All demon. He rose to his feet, and his hand sank into his pocket to jingle change that didn’t exist. “I’m working, as are you.”

  A stream of angry chatter came from the other end, and Leo held the phone slightly from his ear with a wince. “I can’t help that.”

  More chatter. I tried not to eavesdrop, but as the stream of language escaped in my direction, I realized it wasn’t English.

  His eyes rolled heavenward, his jaw clenching as he gritted his teeth. “Just…do what you n
eed to, Samuel. Worry about your end of things. I’m worrying about mine. Tomorrow we’ll sort this out.”

  Wow. That was probably the most forceful voice I’d heard Leo use with his father.

  He shifted against his rock. “No, I’m not. Goodbye.” He hung up and shoved the phone into his pocket. “We’d best get back home.”

  “Is Samuel waiting?” I started to clean up our mess, packing the trash in a bag I’d brought.

  “No, he’s still on the boat.”

  “Then what does he care what you’re doing?”

  “Because I’m not where I’m supposed to be.” He leaned against the rock, his stance one of growing annoyance. “You done?”

  “It’d go quicker if you helped.” I balled up the blanket and chucked it at him. “Fold that.” I think we were both surprised that he caught it.

  Samuel’s call had put a monkey wrench in my plans, making me grumpy. “What the hell do you have to do that’s so important, anyway? Can’t you collect souls another day?”

  “I don’t make collections.” He opened the blanket, stared at it for a moment, and proceeded to fold with the precision of a five-year-old child.

  “Then what do you do?” I finished shoving things into the backpack, rose, and grabbed the blanket. “And I don’t want to hear about the acquisitions and torture and whatever else you do that’s grisly.”

  He placed a hand over his heart, as if he had one. “You wound me.”

  I finished folding his mess into a neat rectangle. “Because I refolded the blanket or because of my opinion of your job?”

  “Both.”

  I shoved the neat blanket into the backpack, zipped it closed, and handed it to him. “Humor me.”

  Slinging the backpack on his shoulders, he began to follow the path. “I’ve mentioned I’m Samuel’s right-hand man. There are many, many employees in need of…guidance.”

  “So you crack the whip all the time.”

  “Well, yes. With Samuel busy with your mother, that means more work has settled on my shoulders. It’s a great honor and responsibility.” Samuel’s name was said with reverence, as if he were Leo’s king.

  “Don’t you get sick of him hounding you? Don’t you ever want some time to yourself?”

  The look he shot me over his shoulder was one of disdain, but the way his jaw clenched reminded me of his eye roll during the conversation. He didn’t want to admit it, but he wasn’t totally charmed with his work arrangement.

  I pushed a little for more information. “The stories here on Earth tell of a demon’s life being full of orgies, sin, and abounding decadence.”

  He shot me another scowl, his jaw clenching harder. “Yeah, for some.”

  “You’re not in a position to earn that sort of relaxation?”

  He grunted and hiked the backpack onto his shoulders, repositioning it. “Being a demon means watching your back and never forgetting the beginning.”

  “Meaning?”

  “You earn your place, Olivia. One step wrong means you go back down a level, or two, or even back to the beginning. I paid for this position with a century of blood and tears. No one forgets. Even Samuel is mindful of his place.”

  That didn’t bode well for my quest unless Leo fell so hard in love with me that he didn’t care if he got sent back to square one. Fat chance. I frowned and searched for another crack in the proverbial bond. “It sounds to me like you’re doing his work and yours.”

  Sure-footed Leo faltered mid-stride in the path. “Perhaps.”

  Bingo. I dug deeper. “And he’s making sure you’re doing your part to keep up his status.”

  Leo slid to a halt, and I had to scramble to keep from slamming into him as he turned. Cupping my chin, he lifted my face until I met his hard, angry gaze. “You can’t turn me against him, Olivia. Stop trying.”

  I tossed up my hands in surrender, trying to look innocent. “I’m just trying to understand how it all works.”

  “It all worked just fine until you made the magic stop.” He released my chin and spun to stomp off down the path.

  I scrambled to keep up, tripping over a rock in the process. “I didn’t do anything. It’s just the will of the luck.”

  “Tomorrow, Samuel plans to find a way around your kind of luck.”

  I finally caught up to Leo, and I blew a tuft of hair from my face. “Good for him.”

  Leo glared down at me. “Then I can get back to work.”

  He went to turn away, and I grabbed his arm. “Didn’t you enjoy your time off today? TV about Alaska, a walk in the woods… We’ll have a movie later after dinner.”

  He sighed, his shoulders rising and falling. My hand slid from his arm as he turned, thumbs tucked around the thin part of the backpack straps. “It was enjoyable. As far as human activities go.”

  “All I’m saying is to remember you had a good time, and all of this is still part of the work process.”

  “Yes, so you’ve mentioned.”

  “Why can’t you have both?” I blew out an exasperated breath. “A good time and work? Samuel is doing just that. My mother has never been on a boat in her life. She lives by the ocean because she loves the sound of the sea, but she’s afraid of deep water. She doesn’t swim well.”

  “She’s never been on a boat?” Leo’s eyes narrowed. “He told me it was her idea.”

  “I highly doubt that.”

  His lips pursed into a hard line, his jaw clenching. “He’s always wanted a yacht.”

  “It sounds like he’s working on that goal today.” I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “My mother was excited because Samuel was overjoyed at the prospect of the adventure today. She loved seeing him that way.”

  “I’m sure he was excited.” Leo looked anything but thrilled.

  I’d done it. I could almost see the wedge being set between the demonic version of father and son, driving deep into the crevasse I’d started with this conversation. I tried to keep optimism at a minimum. “So tomorrow, keep that in mind when you inform him that since he has magic, maybe he needs to take time to solve his own issues.”

  He stared at me as if I’d grown two heads and horns. “You seriously want me to say that. To Samuel.”

  “Yes, I do.” I took a moment to choose my words carefully. “You’ve spent all this time, working to be this important. Do you think your status will be diminished in Samuel’s eyes in just the course of a weekend? Surely that’s not a lot of time in demon sense.”

  “No, it’s not a lot of time.” He blinked as he considered the notion. “It shouldn’t diminish, but Samuel tends to think in the here and now.”

  “Then remind him the here and now means seeing to Muriel’s happiness through her daughter.” I smoothed the collar of his polo shirt, running my finger down the opening, along his heated skin dusted in dark hair. “You need to say it diplomatically of course. Remind him this is a short sacrifice with a satisfactory end result. I know my mother. I know what she needs to believe right now. She needs to think you and I are on our way to a cozy relationship.”

  I crossed the fingers on my other hand behind my back. God help me for tossing her under the bus. Unfortunately, I had to divide and conquer if I wanted to win. And sometimes, that meant sharing some Intel.

  He narrowed his dark eyes in suspicion. “How can I be sure the advice you’re giving me is correct?”

  I sighed. “What choice do I have? Samuel has laid down the law for me as well. I haven’t forgotten how he heated me up in his office. I don’t want to die sooner than I need to. I don’t want him to punish my mother, either. So all I can do is point you in the correct direction and hope we all survive this.”

  “I won’t have an issue.” He shot me that cocky smile I loved and hated. “We’ll see what side you end up on.”

  “Thanks.” A twinge of sadness stabbed the region of my heart at his words. I started walking, glad we were almost to the end of the path. My car waited just ahead.

  “I was joking. A little demon humor
, if you will.” He took a few jogging steps and grabbed my hand, squeezing it in his. “I’ll do my best to enjoy your dinner and movie.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Olivia.” He stopped me next to the car and turned me so I leaned against it. His hand cupped under my chin, and he tipped my head to stare into my eyes. “I’ll do what I can to make sure you stay on the right side at the end.”

  I blinked rapidly as if it would make what I’d heard more concrete. “Why bother to stick your neck out for me?”

  “Because I like you.”

  That surprised and scared me, all at the same time. I might have expected that next week, or the week after. But it just seemed too soon. “Why?”

  “You’re funny and smart for a human. You make me food, and you smell good.” He sniffed my hair as his thumb caressed my cheek, sweeping down to brush over my bottom lip in a sensual caress that sent a shiver over my skin. “I’ve never had a friend before, Olivia. I think I like it.”

  Shit, shit, shit. I didn’t want to be his friend. I wanted to be his fuck buddy. Sure, I wanted him to fall in love with me, but I never considered we’d need to be friends first. I just figured…well…poof, he’d love me.

  Who the hell had tossed friendship into the middle of this? I couldn’t screw over a friend. And if I was going to survive this, I had to screw him over. Big time.

  I nodded and untangled myself from his trap of limbs, tugging the keys from my pocket. I jingled them in his direction. “Get in the car, Leo. I’ll make you one hell of a dinner. Tomorrow, if you grow a pair of balls and tell Samuel off, I’ll teach you to drive.”

  “I’m not sure I want to drive.”

  “Of course you do.” Opening the driver’s door, I forced a grin over the top of the car. “I promise you’ll love driving. Think of how much fun it will be to drive Samuel’s fancy cars when he can’t.”

  That brought a hint of a smile to his fine lips. “Demons are possessive. There are few things that would upset him more than knowing I was enjoying his possessions.”

  Except knowing Leo liked me. I’d bet a small fortune that “upset” wouldn’t come close to the ire Samuel would feel. Oh, God. He couldn’t like me.

  I started the car and tried to banish the warm tingle in my belly that had nothing to do with lust.