Azrael awoke warm and relaxed but alone. The fire had died down to a small flame, and sunlight streaked through the shimmering curtains. She sat up and stretched, reaching to the far end of the couch to grab her robe. Wrapping it around her, she made her way to the kitchen.
Caleb was licking icing off his fingers, and Lance was placing a large tray of cinnamon rolls on the table. Lance pulled off the oven mitts and smiled at her. She gave him a cautious smile back. It would take a while for her to get used to this nice version of him. He poured a cup of coffee and brought it to her.
“Good morning,” he said, handing her the cup.
Azrael mumbled “Morning” as she wrapped her hands around it, bringing it to her lips. She leaned against the counter and closed her eyes, taking the first sip. “Mmmm.”
“I would leave her alone until she’s at least halfway done with that cup. Az isn’t exactly the morning type,” Caleb warned.
The sound of a chair screeching across the floor made Azrael flinch. She opened her eyes, narrowing them at Lance, who was pulling the chair out to sit in.
“I think I see what you mean,” he said, carefully pulling his chair out the rest of the way. Azrael closed her eyes again, listening to their conversation as she enjoyed her cup of coffee.
“So, what’s on the agenda today?” Caleb asked.
“Training. With Blaise still on the loose, I think it’s best I teach you two how to hold your own.”
“Hey, don’t knock it. I’m a beast with a bat.”
“I’ll take your word for it, but just in case there’s no bat around, it wouldn’t hurt to learn a few defensive moves. Anyway, a few hours of training a day wouldn’t hurt either of you.”
“Okay, then. Training. Anything else? What about looking into a way to destroy Blais?”
“I have a plan,” Azrael said, looking over her cup of coffee at them.
Lance stood, took her cup of coffee, and set it on the counter. “Well, hey there. Glad you decided to join us.” Cupping her face in his hand, he kissed her. He tasted of icing and hazelnut. Warm and inviting. When the kiss ended, Azrael had to grab the counter to keep herself from falling over. “Now, what was your idea?”
My idea? Oh, yeah.
Caleb was looking back and forth between the two, eyebrows arched over his glass of orange juice.
Azrael cleared her throat. “I couldn’t summon Blais because I couldn’t see the trap he’d set. Basically, he was using hexes to blind me. If I could use a clarity stone, I would be able to summon him, no problem.”
“What’s a clarity stone?”
“It’s a crystal, about the size of an ostrich egg. To put it simply, it untangles hexes, allows the user to see through any traps or curses.”
Caleb sat his glass down. “You’re failing to mention that there are only five clarity stones known to either this world or ours. Even with all his riches, on the slight chance we could find one, it would be priceless.”
“That’s true. Fortunately, I know where one is.”
“Where’s that?” Lance asked.
“Witches Corp.”
~*~
After two days of training with Lance, Azrael was glad for the break. They packed their bags, leaving Caleb behind. She was worried about her best friend being alone, but Lance promised her he was safer than the both of them. They dropped Smellicious off at the demon whisperer to keep him calm while she was gone and headed out of Demonium. By the time they got to a hotel, it was late, and she was exhausted. Tomorrow she would visit Witches Corp, but for the night, they would bunk down in a hotel in case Blais was watching the apartments.
She heard the shower come on and removed her shoes, staring at the bed. Lance had been nothing short of a perfect gentlemen the last few days, except for training, where he was a relentless taskmaster. Other than a kiss here and there, he slid into bed with her every night, rolling over to face away from her. She might have argued, but after the grueling training every day, she’d been too tired. Not to mention confused as hell. Lance went from acting like he hated her to being….
To being what? Lover? Boyfriend?
She didn’t have an answer for that. Frustrated, she’d complained to Caleb. Unfortunately, he was clueless too. His advice was less than satisfactory.
“Az, look, I want to help you out here, but this one’s out of my league. What more are you wanting from him? You can’t have sex. If you want some hot, unbridled make-out sessions, you need to let him know how you feel.”
“What if he says no?”
“Who could say no to this?” Caleb asked, holding up a thin amount of black lace and shoving it into her bag.
“When the hell did you pack my negligee?”
“Well, you were pretty panicked the night we left. Figured one of us needed to be thinking of the future.”
Azrael eyed her bag as she heard the shower turn off. Lance strolled into the room, towel drying his hair, sweats hanging low on his hips, beads of water on his chest and back. “There’s still plenty of hot water if you want to shower.”
She imagined him in the shower, her legs wrapped tightly around those hips. It must have shown on her face because Lance swallowed, Adam’s apple bobbing hard.
“Thanks,” she said, grabbing her bag and darting to the bathroom. She slammed the door and leaned against it, dropping her bag on the floor, black lace spilling out. Sex or no sex be damned, one way or another, she and Lance were about to become very acquainted with each other.
~*~
“Caleb, you are a lifesaver,” she mumbled.
Along with the stuff she’d packed, she’d found a razor, some scented oils, and edible lotion in a Ziploc bag with a note that said, “Just in case.” Freshly cleaned and shaved, she covered her body in lotion and added oil to her pulse points. She pulled out the negligée and slipped it on, checking herself out in the mirror. I can’t go out in this.
Azrael’s idea of a negligee was a sexy bra and panty set. This was one of Caleb’s picks, one he ordered online for her last birthday. The top was sheer, allowing her nipples to press against the material, silhouetting her areolas. The front was open, her bare stomach exposed, and the panties were nothing more than a thin, see-through triangle in the front and back with a piece of ribbon connecting the two. It was sexy, seductive, but daring in a way she wasn’t. She felt like a coward when she wrapped the robe around herself before walking out.
Lance was lying in bed, television remote in hand, flipping through channels. She studied his naked chest, the way his skin pulled taut around his hips and belly. He turned to look at her and switched off the television. “Nothing good on. Do you want to sit up and chat or just go to bed?”
“Um…bed sounds fine.”
He slipped the covers down under his hips and patted her side of the bed. She took several slow steps, turning out the overhead light along the way. Lamplight cast the room in shadows. Lance gave her a small smile when she got to her side, only to let it slip off his face as she undid the robe and tossed it to the floor. Lifting the covers, she slipped beneath the sheets and rolled over to face him. “So, Caleb packed my pajamas.”
Lance cleared his throat. “Well, Caleb certainly has good taste.”
Azrael bit her lip and chuckled. At least he wasn’t going to kick her out of the bed this time. He reached out and trailed his fingers down her bare arm. His eyes were dark, lustful, his fingers soft yet needy. Every inch of her responded to him. Her toes curled, and an ache spread from the center of her core, setting her skin afire.
“You know we can’t do this, Azrael,” he whispered, his voice full of gravel.
“I know we can’t have sex if that’s what you mean.” She ran her hand over his bare chest, sliding it down to the top of his sweats and running a finger beneath. “I can think of plenty of other things we can do.”
“Is that so?” he breathed out, shutting his eyes as she slid her hand down further, running her fingertip over his manhood. She grasped the length of him, squeezing gently, and he groaned. He opened his eyes a slit, his hungry gaze feasting on her chest.
“Patience, Lance,” she teased, removing her hand.
With a swift movement, he lunged across the bed and hovered over her, his knees spreading her thighs, mouth latching on to the mesh covering her breasts. He gnawed at the thin material, nibbling and sucking. Azrael arched her back and thrust her hips against his.
“Patience, Azrael.” He lifted his head, crushing his mouth against hers. Sliding a hand between them, he tugged on her panties, his thumb grazing her sensitive nub. She moaned.
“I see patience is not a virtue of yours,” Lance mumbled against her lips. “Let’s see what we can do about that.”
He stood, his dark eyes drinking her in before placing his hands on her hips and sliding her panties down inch by inch. By the time he got them off, the ache between her thighs was insatiable. She pushed them together, writhing, muscles clenching in impatience.
“Spread your legs. I want to see you.”
Azrael let her thighs fall to the sides, sheet gripped in her fist. Lance gave her a lazy smile, his fingertips brushing the tops of her feet. “So beautiful.”
He crawled above her again, stopping between her knees. Bringing his head down, he nuzzled her stomach, tracing his tongue around her belly button as his hands explored her slick mound. When he plunged his fingers inside her, Azrael let go of the sheets and grasped his muscular shoulders, trying to pull him on top. She wanted to feel him inside her. Needed to.
Lance ignored her demanding hands and lowered his face between her thighs. With a light flick of his tongue, he spread her lips apart, exposing her center. His fingers plunged in and out of her as his tongue darted against her, consuming her need, devouring her abandon. She grabbed his hair, tugging, as he immersed himself in her core, stoking and licking until she thrashed around, her body quivering with release. Her thighs clenched around his head, her body begging him to stop, unable to handle it as yet another orgasm flooded through her. Lance increased his thrusts, his fingers pounding deep within. She clenched and throbbed around them as his tongue demanded more from her already swollen and spent sex.
As the orgasm subsided, she shuddered against the sweat-drenched sheets. Azrael was distantly aware of him removing his mouth, fingers slowly sliding out of her. He laid his head on her stomach, and she jerked, the nerves in her body responsive to every sensation. For a moment, she lay in silence, her mind unable to comprehend the magnitude of her body’s pleasure. When she opened her eyes, Lance was lying on her stomach, dark hair spread across her pale skin, a self-satisfied grin on his face.
“Your turn,” she said.