Chapter Three

Amazra

Twice this day, I have missed my opportunity to be face-to-face with Lilah. I could assume her schedule is off, or consider it coincidence that I was engaged with other customers at the precise moments she came into my shop, if not for the fact that both times, I saw her in the park prior to entering. She waited for those opportunities to avoid contact with me. Evidence that I misunderstood her comments yesterday. That I have caused her to feel uncomfortable with me.

Now it is closing time, and she has not come by for her usual third visit that she makes on her way home from work. It is possible her routine is altered, since she did not return to the veterinary clinic after her second stop here earlier, and that she is occupied with the two humans who accompanied her out of the dress shop.

She looked over at the bakery then. A look that lingered long enough for me to wonder if she could see me watching her. Human vision is not as acute as that of a demon, but for a moment, we seemed connected by that shared gaze. I enjoyed the sensation. Enough that I made an audible sound my bakery assistant referred to as a longing sigh . The persistent elf needled me about it for the duration of her shift, openly laughing when I suggested she could be replaced with someone more silent.

"Why don't you just ask her out?" Dauphine had said after her amusement tapered off. "Unless you've been adding a dash of something extra to Lilah's purchases, she's not coming in three times a day for the baked goods. She's into you, Maz. She wants a dash of demon. But you're intimidating as hell, no pun intended. You're going to have to make the first move. Oh, and if you do—remember, she's human, not a demon. You need to woo her. Be romantic, like a human suitor would."

Making such a move would be a risk. If the well-meaning elf is wrong, Lilah may never return to the bakery again. I would still watch her, though. As she walks to and from work. As she shops and visits other businesses along the town square. I have never craved anything the way I do her. Whether she wants me or not, I will never desire another.

Which is why I stepped away from the bakery earlier and went to Rose's Garden to purchase a small bouquet of red and pink roses to present to Lilah with my invitation to share personal time with me. My employee heartily approved of the selection and method of wooing . Unfortunately, I will not have the opportunity to offer the arrangement to its intended recipient, as it is now five minutes past the end of my business hours, and there is no sign of Lilah anywhere on the street. She is not coming. My helper gave incorrect advice.

I remove the floral bouquet from the shelf beneath the counter and place it on top, along with the boxed scones I set aside. I'm halfway to the door to turn the lock when a car pulls up and Lilah pops out from one of the rear seats.

This time, there is no question of the connection when our gazes meet. Smiling, she gives a little wave while hurrying to the door. I nod when she points at the exterior handle, stepping aside to make way for her. As with every time she enters the shop, her scent floods my senses, making every part of me instantly alert.

"I tried to make it back before you closed, but—oh. You obviously have plans. Never mind me." She waves both hands in front of her while taking a step backward. "I won't hold you up."

I follow the line of her averted gaze to the clear-cellophane-wrapped flowers. "I purchased those for you. You alone are the reason I had not yet locked the door. I was waiting for you."

"You were? With flowers? Why?"

With humans, the tone they use is often as informative as the words they speak. Lilah's voice is always soft, but those words come out quieter, breathier. Perhaps my assistant was not wrong after all.

"I have desired to spend time with you since we met, Lilah. But you are so delicate, gentle, and good. I am a demon, and a lesser one at that, forged from hellfire, with little to offer a beautiful, vibrant creature like you, except the pastries I make with my hands and the pleasure I could wring from your exquisite form. Knowing that I could not possibly be what you want has not alleviated the extent of my desire. I purchased the roses to present with my request, to woo you, as humans do in their mating rituals. But if you are uninterested in such a proposal from me?—"

"I'm interested," she says, smiling so widely, so brightly, she could light the entire space with her glow from within. "And the reason I'm late getting here today is because I spent the afternoon getting hyped-up so I could walk in here and ask you on a date. I was advised to be demon direct with you, even if it meant you might reject me to my face. So here goes: I'm incredibly attracted to you, intrigued by you, and I'd like to get to know you in all kinds of personal ways. I've wanted that since the first time I met you, which is apparently twenty-seven months ago, if my boss's sniffer is accurate."

I cannot control the thundering rumble that vibrates from deep within me. Nor the fists that form at my sides. "If you are not his, he should not be scenting you."

The lovely pink in her cheeks drains, and her big brown eyes open as wide as is physically possible.

"I have frightened you." I bow my head and take a step farther from her. "Though I would always take care not to hurt you, it is understandable for you to choose to maintain the distance that has existed between us, rather to get closer."

Her lovely dark eyebrows lower, her eyes narrowing as she moves toward me. "I'm not frightened. I'm also not Daemon's or anyone else's, and I never will be. I belong to myself only." The last inches between us disappear when she places her palms on my chest and leans in, pressing her body to mine. "But I would very much like to share myself with you. And only with you."

The rumble I emit now does not come from a place of anger. Carnal desire, the burning need to claim every inch of her, burns inside me. "You cannot know how intensely your desire affects me, Lilah."

"Then you'll have to show me." She slides her hands upward, gasping when her fingers cross the edge of my shirt and onto my neck. My chin. Jaw. Ears. Brow. "You really are so hot. I mean that in every way—and they're all good."

When her hands reach my horns, I can resist no longer. Barely restraining a roar, I wrap my arms around her, pulling her tight against me. "Eight hundred and twenty-nine days, Lilah. That is how long I have craved you."

Her hands still their stimulating ministrations, and she blinks up at me, lips parted. "You kept track of the days?"

"Your presence brings radiance to my life. How could I not count every minute of such a gift?"

"I was going to wait until our date to do this, but that'd just be wasting more time." Using her grip on my horns, she gently tugs my face down, until our lips are separated only by a breath. "Do demons kiss?"

"This demon kisses you," I say, then taste her for the first time.

She is so soft, so willing, opening for me at the firm press of my mouth against hers. Starved for this woman for so long, I slide my tongue inside, savoring every warm, wet space, groaning as the sweet flavor of her breath coats my tongue and travels through our connection to run wild throughout my entire being.

My hand at her back has a mind of its own, or perhaps it is merely reading mine as it slides down over her round bottom. Cupping it, squeezing it firmly, I growl into the union of our mouths. Between us, my cock presses hard inside my pants, desperate to claim its rightful home inside her curvaceous body. Only my desire to give her everything, all the things I cannot while we are in this place, is stronger than the fiery longing low in my core.

I force myself to break the kiss, holding her close and sliding one hand through her hair. "Each day, I yearned to do this," I say, watching the silk slip through my fingers. "You are even softer than I imagined. And the taste of you," I slick my tongue along my lips, capturing any lingering essence, "I did not think it possible to hunger for you more than I have, but I was wrong." The last strands of her dark hair leave my fingertips, then I trail them down her lovely face to cup her chin. "Tell me I will be permitted to taste every inch of you."

"God, yes. Or devil, yes. Whichever. Whoever."

"Give me your permission, Lilah."

She licks her lips, the pupils in her glassy eyes expanding until only the thinnest ring of brown remains around them. "Amazra, yes, I give you permission to taste any and every part of me." The breathiness of her voice gives way to a smile as she eases backward from my arms. "After you escort me to Dak and Rosetta's wedding in the square? That's the date I planned to ask you on before you blew my mind with your romantic confession and knee-buckling kiss."

"It will be an honor to accompany you."

"Perfect." Smiling wider, she moves to the counter and picks up the roses. "So are these." She brings the blossoms to her nose, closing her eyes as she inhales their fragrance. Lovely though it may be, it cannot compare to hers. There is no scent on earth more perfect than Lilah's. "I'll see you tomorrow for my breakfast honey scone."

"I will be waiting," I say as she opens the door, then steps out into the late-day sunlight. Glowing, as she always does, until she disappears from view.