Demon Tempted (Karmic Lust) (3 page)

“Things have changed, Lili. I promise you.”

“You have a long way to go to prove that to me, Eva. There have been too many lies from you. The funny thing is, I can’t hate you. I am one who believes that things happen for a reason. I don’t think this was because I needed to learn a lesson.”
Eva had crossed her arms over her chest.

“Are you trying to say I need to learn a lesson?”

Liliana had laughed at her.
“And you think you don’t need to learn one? Think about it this way. As much as you have been trying to keep me from Samael, you’ve never once gotten what you’ve wanted or needed, have you? You haven’t had a decent relationship through any of this. So with you thinking you don’t need to learn anything, that just tells me you aren’t ready to admit you’re wrong.”

“Lili, I…”

“I am Lilith.”
Liliana’s gaze never left Eva’s, and then she spoke those three words that would change the dynamics of their relationship. They’d both turned toward the door as they heard a sound behind them. Samael stood there dark and proud. All Eva could do was watch as Liliana took a step forward and then ran into Samael’s open arms.

“My Lilith.”
Samael had kissed Liliana softly after he said her name of old.

“You’re really here, Samael. You’re standing here in front of me and not a hallucination but a wonderful reality,”
Liliana said.

“You remembered as I hoped you would.”

The words they spoke seemed to be only for them, but being who Eva was, she’d had to know how he’d done it, so she did the only thing she could do and that was ask.

“Samael, what did you do? The rules were that you could not tell her anything. She had to remember on her own!”
Again she knew this wasn’t her brightest hour, but she wanted to know.

“You’re right, Eva. The rules of the curse were that I couldn’t tell her anything, and I didn’t.”
He’d had the audacity to grin at her.
“There was nothing that said someone else couldn’t remind her.”
Both women had kept watching him, waiting for him to finish. Samael had turned to Liliana. Apparently unable to stop touching her as he spoke, “
I knew I couldn’t tell you anything. Then I got to thinking about the angel, Remiel.”

“Remiel? Why does that name sound so familiar?”
It was Liliana who’d broken the silence over that bit of news.

“Remiel is the angel of Visions. Let me guess. You used him to enter Lili’s dreams.”

“
Ah, she catches on so well. Yes, that’s exactly what I did. I couldn’t trust that you’d do what was right, and time was running out. All I needed was for you to be distracted.”
Eva saw the curl of Samael’s lips as he began to smile.
“Distracted? Who’d you use?”
Clarity slapped her in the face before he could answer. She stood there dumbfounded.
“Clay. You used Clay. Why’d he do it? Is that why he has been spending time with me? I knew it couldn’t be because he wanted me. He had a fucking ulterior motive!”
Anger built up like a hurricane within her.

“No, he didn’t, other than to put right what you destroyed all those years ago.”

“She doesn’t know, does she?”
Liliana had asked softly.

“No, baby. Her trap, as clever as she was with it, also trapped the both of them, just as it did us.”

“What do you mean it trapped them? Who the hell are you talking about?”
Her intended target had been Liliana and Samael only.

“I am talking about you and Clay, my dear Eva,”
Samael said.

Her mind had been racing as she tried to wrap it around what Samael had said.

“He’s Adam, isn’t he?”
Just as Samael appeared when Liliana spoke her true name, Clay appeared and stood just behind the other couple. He’d held his hand out to her, but she’d refused to take it.

“No, I won’t go. You lied to me. Your only desire was to distract me, right?”
she’d said to Clay. Then turning to Lili, she tried to plead with her.

“Please, I’m sorry.”

“No, I’ve had enough of your bullshit. Go and I’ll let you know if and when I want to deal with you again.”

“What about our business?”
Eva was sputtering, no longer as cool and collected as she always was, which she hoped proved to Liliana that she wasn’t a hard ass like she pretended to be, demon or not.

“The business will be fine. I didn’t say I wouldn’t be working. I just have nothing to say to you, and right now, I am not sure I ever will.”
Then Liliana had turned from her and effectively dismissed her. Liliana had hugged Samael to herself.

Before she could say anything more, Clay had walked from behind Samael and Liliana and taken her hand without even bothering to ask. The look that he’d given her spoke volumes. She’d better keep silent.

“I think it’s time we left, Eva. We are finished here and unless Liliana invites you back or initiates contact, you will not bother them. It is done.”
Once again words wouldn’t come to mind, and she stood there just staring at him as if he’d grown another head. Clay had smiled at Liliana and Samael, and then they were gone. He’d brought them to the hill, and she hadn’t been sure why, until now.

There was a clearing of a throat and a touch on her shoulder. Eva turned her head, and her eyes held Clay’s.

“How long have you been standing there?” He held a plate of food as he stood at her side.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. I’ve been here for a little bit. Luckily what I’ve brought can be eaten cold.”

He nodded to the sandwich and chips he’d placed on her plate. He held the plate out to her, and she stared at it for a moment. As the silence grew, she knew he would be stubborn, so she finally took it from him and gave a mumbled thanks. Setting the plate in her lap, she looked down at the food, hungry yet not.

“So what’s next?”

“Meaning?” He appeared to be waiting for her to have an epiphany, and whatever that was it eluded her at that instant.

“Shit, Clay, I never thought of you as being coy.” She huffed. “So what’s next? You make me pay for all my ills and then what?”

“Well, I expect that all depends on how you deal with what’s happened. Everything happens for a reason. You’ve been reduced to a human so that you might learn some humility for what happened.”

“I’ve already apologized.”

“Yes, I know you have. But are you truly sorry? Obviously Kamuel and the others don’t think you are.”

She opened her mouth to speak, and then just as quickly closed it. What good would it do to argue the point? They all had to see a change in her, most especially Liliana. If she was ever going to receive forgiveness, it had to come from them seeing the changes in her. She picked up the sandwich and began to eat it, once more letting her silence fill the void.

“Don’t go home.” His eyes darkened with passion.

“Until these chains that hold me are gone, I’m better off here with you.”

His gaze sparked with something she didn’t want to understand, but he said, “The chains are of your own making.” So he gave her the spare bedroom, though they both wanted her firmly implanted in his bed. She felt as helpless as a fly because of course she couldn’t refute what he’d said. It was the plain truth that she’d made this hole for herself and no one else.

He didn’t try to make a move, which confused her, since her appearance was the same. She just wasn’t a demon anymore. So she couldn’t comprehend why he seemed disinterested. It made her happy and pissed her off all at the same time. She fluctuated between relief and wondering what the hell was wrong with her now? His actions seemed to tell her that he didn’t want her because she was human, which was how it had been when she was Eve. Did he not want her since she was basically human? He hadn’t when she was Eve, right?

She was getting antsy. He hadn’t allowed her to leave the house, and she’d been there with him for a week. He’d left her from time to time with the warning that she’d better not leave the house. What could she possibly do being the frail human that she was? Nothing, not a thing, zilch was what she could do. It sucked.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she wiped the condensation that had arisen from the steamy shower she’d just taken. It had felt so good to relax under the jets of water and to close her eyes and pretend she was somewhere else. She let the towel drop from her body and turned quickly as she heard the door open. Clay stood there.

Her gaze traveled down his body, taking in his chest and his cock, hard and straining against the fly of his pants. Right before her was proof what she’d been thinking was wrong. He did want the new Eva.

She felt her nipples peak as his heated gaze moved over her body. When he locked eyes with her, he had the most devilish grin. He didn’t look at all apologetic, and his words testified to that fact.

“I heard the shower stop, so I figured you were done.”

She thrust her chin up and squared her shoulders, ready to do battle. “Clay, I am sure ogling me isn’t part of the deal. You didn’t even give me time to get out of here and dress.”

“Looks like a great perk to me.”

She rolled her eyes as he smirked, his gaze on her full breasts and her painfully hard nipples.

“Really, you’re resorting to bad puns?” She let the sarcasm drip heavily from her words.

“Mhmm, really, you know me. I can’t resist a bad pun.” He moved closer, and there was nowhere she could go. She was pinned between the sink and him. She’d forgotten how tall he was and how he made her feel so dainty.

He gripped her naked hips and tugged her forward, and then she brought her hands up and pressed against his chest so she wouldn’t fall on him. Though she was sure he’d have caught her easily. God, she could feel every muscle through the t-shirt he was wearing, and the jeans molded ever so nicely to his ass.

“Let me go, Clay.” She had to hold out, even though she was getting extremely wet between her thighs and feeling the urge to let him fulfill the ache she could never get away from when he was present.

“Why? You’ve wanted me just as much as I’ve wanted you from the very beginning.”

“Because I want you to. In fact I need you to let me go.” Her voice hitched as he pulled her even closer.

“No, you don’t and I can prove it.” Slowly she watched his head dip and then his firm, warm lips were covering hers. And God help her, she melted against him with a quiet mewl of pleasure. She curled her fingers into the softness of his t-shirt and groaned as one of his legs slipped between hers and pressed against her bare pussy.

Clay ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, seeking entrance just as he pushed his leg a bit higher to rub against her throbbing clit. As she moaned, his tongue filled her mouth, hot and insistent, swirling deep.

Suckling his tongue, she felt rather than heard the soft growl that emitted from him, and then he pulled his lips from hers. Panting softly, he placed his fingers under her chin and looked into her eyes.

“Tell me again you don’t want me.”

His leg was still between hers, and the painful ache continued to build in her clit. She needed release. She began sliding herself against his leg, her gaze locked with his.

“I can’t tell you that. It’d be a lie, right? So yes, I want you. But don’t get this shit twisted. I want you to fuck me in every way known to man. But that’s all I want. This need we’ve had for each other for a long time is just that—need.”

“Damn you, Eva.”

“That’s already happened, Clay. I’ve been damned.”

He picked her up by the waist and settled her on the counter. She looked at him warily. What was he up to?

“You want just sex. I’ll give you just sex.”

He sounded angry, and she couldn’t fathom why, but she’d take what he was willing to give her in this moment. She’d missed his touch, though she wasn’t going to admit that to him.

He bent his head and placed his mouth on her mound, licking her slit. She cried out in pleasure. His tongue was as wet as it was hot, and as horny as she was it wouldn’t be long before she came.

She rocked into his mouth, unable to grip his head as she wanted since she needed to brace her hands on the counter to keep from toppling off.

Damn girl, I’d forgotten how good you taste.

Eva whimpered when his words sounded in her head. She’d forgotten about that little demon trick.

“Stop talking and make me come.” Keep this light, keep it real. She couldn’t afford to give him her heart ever again. She yelped as he nipped the inside of her thigh with his teeth, in retaliation for her words, she was sure of it. Clay loved being in charge.

You’ll come when I say you can come, and not before.

“You’re always so dominant.” She gave a deep, crooning sound when he wrapped his lips around her clit and suckled hard.

No coming, not until I say you can.

Her hands went to the back of his head, and she rocked into his mouth, her head falling back as she closed her eyes.