Her Dangerous Desires [Notorious Nephilim 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (18 page)

“Why did she have these? Why was Lilith there?”

Paige moaned softly and sat up, holding her head.

“I’ll get her drink. Ask her what happened, Gregory, but go easy, okay?”

* * * *

Paige felt like she had a hangover, but she hadn’t drunk enough before leaving Demetrius’s suite to feel this bad. What the hell had just happened? She glanced around at the familiar furnishings in Demetrius’s bedroom. Had she dreamed the whole thing? That theory was blown to hell when she saw Gregory holding the pages she’d written, his face a mask of disbelief and worry.

“Please tell me you didn’t use one of these tonight.”

Paige sighed. His voice was filled with concern, not anger. “No. I wrote them last week and hid them. I was stupid enough to think I could summon Lilith on my own and ask her to reverse the curse.”

“What?” Demetrius walked in, holding a steaming mug. Paige caught the scent of ginger and whiskey. “You did what?” He sat next to her and handed her the cup.

She sipped and closed her eyes as the healing warmth spread through her body. “I didn’t use them. I thought I could, but then tonight when you summoned Botis, I realized I had no clue what I was doing. I went back there to retrieve them. I used the sweater as an excuse. I’m sorry.”

“Where were they hidden?” asked Gregory.

“Under the mattress.”

“What was Lilith doing there?”

“I have no idea. She had them when I walked in.”

Gregory and Demetrius exchanged a dark glance.

“And then…” Paige’s voice trailed off as she remembered the horrible things Lilith had said and the images that had assaulted her senses.

“And then what, Paige?” Demetrius sat next to her and stroked her hair as she took another sip of the drink. “What did she do to you?”

“Nothing. It was what she said. Terrible things.”

“You should have let me cut out her damn tongue.” Gregory perched on the edge of the mattress, anger in his eyes.

Demetrius stroked her hand. “What did she say to you, Paige?”

“She said the others chose mortality because it was the easy way out and that they didn’t really love the women who’d chosen them. She said Abigail and Sofia will know the truth on their death beds, and that…” Her voice trailed off. She couldn’t tell them the rest.

“Paige, I can tell you with absolute certainty that Leo and Andras loved Blair, Hugh and Sterling loved Caleigh, Blade and Cristian love Joelle, Zach and Emmett love Abigail, and Reeve and Niko love Sofia. Absolute certainty.”

Paige stared into his eyes, the question poised on the tip of her tongue. What about her? Did he and Gregory love her? If she asked it, all her fear and doubt would disappear. Lilith had told her they didn’t, but what was the real truth?

“I’m sorry she taunted you,” said Gregory, staring at her with the same intensity he’d shown earlier in the woods when she told him he was an amazing lover.

“They were only words.” He’d never believe the lie. Words had the power to hurt, and Lilith’s words had stung like crazy.

“That’s right. And now when Botis gets done with her…” His voice trailed off as he and Demetrius exchanged a glance again.

“What is it?” she asked, fresh fear washing over her.

Gregory shook his head. “Nothing. I just wish we could finish this tonight.” He rose and began to pace the room. “I want to know the outcome tonight, not tomorrow.”

“They won’t stay in your suite to talk, will they?” Paige had a sudden image of the walls shaking as the two demons argued. “You could listen…”

“No. They won’t stay there. I’m sure they’re gone by now.”

“Paige, are you feeling better?” Demetrius’s face was filled with concern.

“Yes. Thank you.” She wouldn’t feel better. Not ever. Not unless she told them how she felt about them, but even that wouldn’t do it. Lilith’s words wouldn’t stop bouncing around her head. They couldn’t be true, but what if they had been? What if Abigail and Sofia were living a lie and didn’t know it?

“You don’t look it.” Demetrius’s voice snapped her back to the present.

“Huh?”

“You don’t look like you feel better.”

She forced a smile. “I’ll be all right. It was just a nasty shock. I should have left well enough alone and then it wouldn’t have happened.”

“You were only trying to help us,” said Gregory, his eyes filled with admiration. “Thank you, by the way. It was a very thoughtful thing to want to do.”

“It was a foolish thing to want to do.”

“Stop that. It wasn’t foolish. You didn’t know what you were dealing with. But your motivation was pure and unselfish, and that’s why we’re thanking you for it.”

Paige couldn’t stop staring into his eyes. They filled with the same intensity as she’d seen earlier in the woods. She didn’t want to dwell on Lilith’s words. She wanted to enjoy her time with both of them. It was nearly over.

Paige drained the cup then patted the bed next to her. “Come over here and sit with me.” She put an arm around Demetrius and took Gregory’s hand as he perched next to her on the mattress. “Tell me something about the resort that I don’t know. Something wonderful and good, and that doesn’t involve demons or mob bosses.”

“Well, okay,” said Gregory. “Um, okay. I have it. The first costume party we had here was one month after we opened, on July 4
^th
. We set up tents on the lawn, had a live band, and shot off fireworks at dusk.”

Paige snuggled closer to them, inhaling their scents and willing her muscles to relax. “That sounds like fun. Tell me about the band. Was it ragtime music?”

“Actually, ragtime was falling out of favor by then, but we still played some. We also played a lot of jazz. The guests seemed to like that best.”

“Did Reeve and Niko play in the band?”

“Yes, and Zach sang.”

“You should have another party like that. I mean a twenties party.”

Demetrius smiled at her, and Paige shivered. She could look into his face for hours and not tire of it. “That’s a great idea, Paige. We’ll plan one. You can help, okay?”

Paige swallowed hard. Would she be here to help them plan a party, or was Demetrius just going along with her questions? Either way, she was grateful for his words. They were exactly what she needed to hear. She looked from one man to the other. “Make love to me, my gorgeous angels. I don’t want to talk about Lilith or Botis anymore.”

“Your angels, eh?” asked Demetrius. “Is that what we are?”

“Yes. At least for the time I have left here. Make me believe it. Both of you. Please. Make it real.” Even if they didn’t sense her hidden meaning, it wouldn’t matter. Not right now. Paige only wanted to erase the images of Botis and Lilith’s words. If she could only have that tonight, she’d be content.

Demetrius kissed her like it was the last time he would. Her mouth was sore in a matter of seconds, and she didn’t care. Tears coursed down her cheeks, and still he kissed her. Gregory took her head and turned it toward him, forcing Demetrius to give up his hold on her mouth.

He ravished her with his tongue and teeth, and Paige clung to him as tightly as she could. The three were soon a tangle of limbs. Clothing was flung off the bed. The sounds in the room were a cacophony of sighs and whispers and moans.

There were no restraints or paddles or floggers. There were only Demetrius’s strong hands caressing Paige’s body and Gregory’s incredible mouth licking and sucking every place he could reach. Paige gave in and let them do whatever they wanted.

They took turns fucking her in her mouth and her pussy, then lube and condoms appeared and they took their turns fucking her asshole. They held her and whispered nonsense words and wiped her tears and rocked her in their laps. Paige was used up, sore, swollen, and still she didn’t feel as if she’d had enough. There wasn’t enough sex in the world—vanilla or otherwise—to erase Lilith’s words. Would there ever be? Nothing would banish the image of Botis’s true form. Would anything?

She knew only one thing would chase away both Lilith’s words and Botis’s charred flesh. As Paige drifted off to sleep in Demetrius’s arms, with Gregory’s leg thrown over hers, she whispered into the dark. “I love you both.”

Gregory opened his eyes. Had he just heard what he thought he had? Had Paige just said she loved them both? His heart hammering in his ears, he cocked his head and listened to her breathing. She was sound asleep. Maybe she’d talked in her sleep? Maybe not. She never had before. It had only been wishful thinking.

He carefully moved off the bed, picked up his clothes, and tiptoed from the room. Once he was in the sitting room he dressed. There was no way he was waiting until tomorrow night to find out their fate. He couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to know tonight. If it took going to the circle and summoning Botis on his own, he’d do it.

“Where are you going?” Demetrius stood in the archway, arms crossed. “We can’t leave her alone.”

“You stay with her. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“No fucking way, Gregory. Let it alone. If you piss him off he’ll back out of the deal and you know it.”

“I can’t just sit here and wait.”

Demetrius took several steps into the room. “Keep your voice down.”

“Dammit, Demetrius, how can you stay so fucking calm about this?”

“What makes you think I’m calm? But we’ve waited this long. Twenty-four hours won’t change anything, but charging ahead on your own could fuck up the whole thing. You really want that on your head? You want me to have to tell Zach and Emmett who drove Botis away before he could at least banish Lilith?”

“Fuck.” Gregory dropped into the nearest chair and put his chin in his hands. “Did you hear her whisper?”

“What?”

“Just before I left the room. Did you hear Paige say something?”

“No.”

Fuck.
He’d been wrong, then. It had only been his imagination.

Demetrius left the room for a moment, and when he returned he was dressed. “I won’t sleep tonight.” He took a seat across from Gregory. “But there’s no sense in keeping Paige from getting some rest. She really needs it. What was it you thought she said, Gregory?”

“You’ll laugh at me.”

“No, I won’t.”

“I thought she whispered ‘I love you both’.”

“Wishful thinking.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“What are we going to do?”

Gregory stared at Demetrius. He’d never seen him look so vulnerable or desperate. Who would have thought it? Besides Reeve and Niko, who always swore they’d be the last two holdouts, none of the others would have ever believed that Demetrius and Gregory would fall in love.

“We have to tell her, Demetrius. I can’t let her leave here on Friday without telling her.”

“Is that fair to her?”

“Did you see the look in her eyes tonight? Did you see the look in them earlier, in the woods? She loves us. I know she does. But she’s afraid to say it.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because we’ve spent the past nine days telling her how important this place is to us, and how we don’t want to give it over to strangers. She was willing to summon a demon for us so that we’d have a chance at fathering children. Why would she do that if she didn’t love us?”

Gregory watched Demetrius’s face carefully and knew that he’d finally struck home. He’d finally said the one thing that forced Demetrius to face the truth.

“But if Botis fails and merely banishes Lilith, we’d be asking Paige to give up a lot more than her job and apartment.”

“Five other women have already willingly done that. Don’t you think it should be her choice, not ours?”

“At least wait until we know our fate. Can we at least do that?”

“Why?”

“We’ve never asked her what she wants, Gregory. We don’t even know about the men she’s dated in the past. I want her to know exactly what she’s getting into before she has to make a decision.”

“All right. Fair enough. But this is killing me.”

“I know. Me, too.”

* * * *

Paige woke up and was shocked to find out it was nearly two in the afternoon. There wasn’t a spot on her body that didn’t feel sore and bruised. She heard Demetrius and Gregory talking in the sitting room, and it sounded like Zach and Emmett were there as well.

Paige took her time in the shower, letting the warm water wash away the images and words from last night. She was relieved that Lilith’s words didn’t sting as much this morning. Her dreams had been filled with erotic images of Gregory and Demetrius, and Paige held on to the pictures like they were a life raft. That’s what she’d take from her time here—not charred flesh or jealous lies. No one could ever take away the memories of her two beautiful, sexy angels.

When she finally finished her shower and had dressed, she was surprised to find not only Zach and Emmett in Demetrius’s suite, but Abigail, Sofia, Reeve, and Niko as well.

“There she is,” said Demetrius, walking over to give her a quick kiss. “Come and have some food. No one else slept well last night. I think you were the only one.”

“I’m sorry.” She reached for a sandwich and began to eat. Her hands trembled from hunger and anxiety. What would happen later tonight when they summoned Botis again?

“Don’t be,” said Gregory. “You had a good reason to sleep. We told the others what Lilith did to you.”

“Oh…” Paige glanced around the room, feeling like a prize idiot. Now they’d all know what she had intended to do.

“Paige, that was very brave.” Abigail’s dark eyes shone with admiration.

“Really?”

“Yes. I wouldn't have dared to even think about trying to do that. Lilith has never bothered me, but if she appeared to me and talked to me, I’d have shit my pants.”

Emmett laughed, and Abigail glared at him.

“Sorry,” he said, giving her a sheepish grin. “It’s just that you don’t swear very often, and when you do it’s so funny.”

Abigail gave him a droll look. “Seriously though, Paige, we all think what you did was amazing.”

“Thank you.” Paige chewed her food while the color rose in her face.

“I wish we didn’t have to wait until tonight to find out what happened,” said Sofia.