Wicked Pleasure (12 page)

“Exactly.” He'd given in a little too easily, but she didn't have time to worry about his motive. Every minute wasted was a minute more for her nail color to remain chipped. Sparkle moved away from the door. “Wait while I get the carrier, litter box—”

“Uh-uh. Isn't going to happen. I walk to the castle on my own cat paws without you tagging along. You'll only cramp my style.”

That was it. Sparkle was officially ticked off. “Fine. You want to do it your way? You can ask me for help after you fall flat on your fuzzy face.”

Mede chuckled. He loved irritating her. “You can tie a note around my neck with a few basic instructions—doesn't need a litter box, doesn't eat cat food, doesn't respond to baby talk, and won't chase mice. Just the important stuff.”

Sparkle's smile was all about payback. “Wait while I get something to tie around your neck.

 

Maybe Kim had used up all her weird-is-wonderful moments for the day, because she'd gotten through the whole afternoon with no demon sightings, no talking cats, no virgin action heroes, and no klutzy fishermen. Of course, she'd practically barricaded herself in her room and only opened the door to room service.

Eric had called to officially invite her to share her ideas for the castle with them tonight. Kim wasn't sure who comprised “them,” but she'd be ready. She'd gone over her presentation during the afternoon. That was good.

Then she'd called Lynsay again. She'd laid out every reason she could think of to convince her sister she shouldn't come to the castle. Lynsay said her gut told her the castle was overrun with demons. Hey, who was Kim to argue with her sister's gut? Lynsay was still coming. That was bad.

And when her sister said she and Uncle Dirk would be there later tonight . . . Well, that had been downright ugly. Other than hiring Wade to stomp on their demon detectors, she wasn't sure what she could do.

The unexpected knock on her door made Kim jump. Fine, so she was a little nervous about this presentation. Taking a deep breath, she smoothed the jacket and skirt of her black suit. She'd tried to balance deadly dull professional with good-time girl by wearing a sexy lavender top.

She picked up Fo. Call her paranoid, but she wasn't going to be caught unarmed in an iffy situation again. Hoping desperately for a normal human on the other side of the door, she pulled it open.

Brynn smiled at her. “Thought I'd go down to the meeting with you. It isn't much fun walking into a roomful of strangers by yourself.” He glanced at Fo. “How you doing, Fo?”

“I'm fine, Brynn.” Fo's eyes shone with the joy of having another sentient being accept her small self as an individual.

For a moment, Kim felt like all the air she'd just breathed in had been sucked right out of her. Who was she to wish for a normal human when she could have the most beautiful demon in the universe at her door?

And that was wrong, wrong, wrong. How would she ever reach her goal of being the Queen of Normal with an attitude like that? Besides, the first thing Dad had taught her was that a demon's gorgeous wrapping hid unspeakable evil. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't sense a demonic nature in Brynn. Surely she should at least get a whiff of Fire-and-Brimstone cologne when he was near. She sniffed. Nope, just hot and tempting male animal.

She tried to ignore his “gorgeous wrapping,” but it was so totally . . . there. He must be dressed in costume for the night's fantasies she'd read about in the brochure Holgarth had sent her. He'd pulled his spectacular hair away from his face and secured it at the nape of his neck with a strip of leather. He wore a long white robe edged in gold, and logically she knew that beneath his robe he wore the rest of his costume.

But in her personal fantasy, he'd slowly slide the silky robe from his shoulders and let it slip to the floor, revealing his magnificent body in its entire naked splendor. As he strode toward her, his muscles would ripple smoothly beneath golden skin, and she'd drop her gaze the length of his ripped torso to—

“Yo, Kimmie.”

Not now, Fo
. Where was she? Oh, she'd drop her gaze the length of his ripped torso to stare at his oh-so-yummy sexual organs nestled—

“Kimmie, there's a—”

“Uh-huh.” . . . nestled between strong thighs.

“There's a cat with a pink bow watching you, Kimmie. And I don't think he's really a cat either.”

Kim blinked, but instead of looking down she glanced up to meet Brynn's amused gaze. Only the memory of what Deimos looked like in mid-blush kept her from turning red. “Umm, I'll get my stuff.”

She let her hungry stare drop away from him. In the dropping away process, her gaze skimmed the floor and met the annoyed glare of a huge black cat with a pink bow tied around his neck. He sat just behind Brynn, and he didn't look friendly.

“Is that your cat?” She knew the answer even as she asked the question. The cat's narrowed amber gaze said he'd just like to see the human who'd dare claim ownership of him. But a pink bow? Kim fought back a smile. This wasn't a cat you laughed at and survived to tell the tale.

“What?” Brynn glanced behind him. “Where'd you come from, fellow?” He returned his attention to Kim. “Looks like another of Conall's strays. He feeds them every day outside the restaurant's service entrance. Brynn frowned. “A few have sneaked into the castle, but they never got this far before.”

Kim couldn't help it, she grinned. “Does Conall always tie pink bows around their necks?”

The cat rose, padded around Brynn, and stopped in front of Kim. He stared up at her. “Hardee-har-har. Okay, let's cut the crap. The pink bow is Sparkle's idea of payback. I'm your rent-a-pet, so read the note and then get this frickin' bow off my neck.”

Wide-eyed, Kim lifted her gaze to Brynn. The weird stuff just kept on coming. “
Who
is this?” Whoever he was, he had a husky male voice made rougher by bad temper.

“I'm down here. Ask
me
.” The cat peered around her to look into the room. “I'm Ganymede, a being of immense power, so don't mess with me.” He looked up at Brynn. “Hey, Brynn, mind if I hang with you sometimes? There's just so much shoe talk a cat can stand. We can watch a few TV shows filled with violence and gratuitous sex. You know, guy stuff.”

Brynn studied Ganymede. There was something about the cat's eyes that seemed familiar. He shook his head. Forget the eyes, he needed to do some damage control before Kim ran screaming from the castle. He couldn't throw the cat out of the castle because Sparkle sent him, and he liked Sparkle. Besides, the castle was home to a whole range of unique beings, so he couldn't reject Ganymede just because he was out there.

“You can hang with me, but I don't think Kim needs a pet. We'll find someplace else for you to stay.”
And I'll find out exactly what you are,
Brynn thought for a moment while he tried to gauge Kim's panic level. “Got it? I'll introduce you to Asima. Bet you guys will have a lot in common.”

“Sorry, can't do. Sparkle wants me to provide some caring companionship while Kim's here, sort of to offset all the other freakiness in the castle.” Ganymede glanced up at Kim again. “Got any snacks in your room? Maybe you can pick up a cake next time you go out. I like chocolate icing. Oh, and I sleep on the bed. On a pillow. Hope you don't snore.”

“Uh, Kimmie. Is he a demon? If so, you might want to press my button.” Fo sounded tentative.

Brynn figured the detector was dealing with a confidence issue after finding out she couldn't tell a demon from any other nonhuman entity. Kim seemed to be handling things okay, considering. He didn't know how calm she'd be, though, when she found out exactly what Holgarth, Eric, and Conall were.

But he'd worry about the others later. Right now he needed to take care of Ganymede. “You know, for a ‘being of immense power' you're not too smart. You would've had more chance of staying with Kim if you'd kept your mouth shut.”

For just a moment, the cat's eyes changed, allowing Brynn to see something dangerous beneath the smart mouth and pink bow. No way was this cat staying with Kim.

“That's what
Sparkle
wants. Maybe that's not what
I
want.” Ganymede glanced at Fo. “What's that?”

Fo answered for herself. “I'm not a what. I'm a who. I'm Kim's demon detector. I sense demons and then turn them into roadkill.”

“Cool. Great eyes, kid. Love purple. But you need to adjust your sensors, because I'm not a demon.” Ganymede looked expectantly up at Brynn. “So take the note off. And toss the bow while you're at it. I could've done it myself, but that would've ruined Sparkle's little revenge. Gotta humor the women once in a while.”

“Sure.” Brynn bent down to take off the bow with its attached note. He glanced at it before handing it to Kim without comment.

Kim frowned as she read the note. “Well, what we have here is a manifesto of kitty don'ts and won'ts.” She skewered Ganymede with her glare. “May as well add mine to the list. I
don't
share my room with furry loudmouths. Good-bye.”

“See. Demon hunters have no sense of humor.” The cat looked at Brynn. “Hey, if Sparkle asks, you can tell her that I really tried to be a lovable feline for Kim, but she turned me down flat.”

Brynn exhaled impatiently. “Which is what you wanted to begin with.”

Ganymede's amber eyes turned sly. “A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do. I'm off now. Got people to see and things to do. Oh, and make sure you put your remote where I can reach it, Brynn.”

Brynn watched him pad to the nearby elevator instead of the stairs. Ganymede stared at the button, and in a few minutes the door opened. He stepped inside, the door closed, and he was gone. Brynn shook his head. Lazy cat. Lazy cat who intended to move in with him. Uh-uh. Wasn't going to happen.

“Okay, today hasn't been all bad. I pawned off two plants that get their jollies from sexual energy, and I kept a cat with attitude from bunking down in my room.” Kim glanced at her watch. “Only six more hours before this freaky day is over.” She held up her hand as Brynn opened his mouth to speak. “Don't say anything. I can accept everything I've seen since I got here. Sort of. But don't even try to explain it. There're some things in life that are beyond explanations.”

He nodded. “I'll help carry your stuff downstairs.”

Brynn stood in the elevator holding Kim's easel while she clutched a large pad and notebook. She was cute when she was nervous. Cute? A word he'd never applied to women. They'd been many things to him, including ruthless and predatory, but not cute.

She was trying to look professional in her black suit, but she'd be horrified to know her sexy top that dipped a little too low for his self-control canceled out the suit. Her red hair tumbled around her face, and her eyes were wide and anxious. He watched her swallow hard, and he wanted to put his mouth on her neck at that exact spot. Then he'd slip her suit jacket off her shoulders and kiss a path to where the edge of her top lay just above the swell of her breast. He'd push the material aside and nibble . . .

The hell with nibbling. He'd rip off her damned jacket, top, and bra. Then he'd put his mouth on her ripe breast and tease her nipple to a hard nub with his tongue.

He took a deep, calming breath. What was that about? When he was under the compulsion, lust was a cold affair—plastic and artificially enhanced. It was as though he stood outside his body and watched it perform. Not this. This was hot, immediate, and personal. It was the first time he'd ever felt real sexual hunger, and he wanted to howl at the moon with his need.

Brynn forced himself to stare past Kim, but the elevator was mirrored, so her reflection stared back at him no matter where he looked. He'd have to talk to Holgarth about getting rid of the damned mirrors.

Her eyes grew even wider if that were possible. “Umm, it hasn't been an hour yet.”

“I know.” Uh-oh. His expression must be sending her I'm-going-to-gobble-you-up signals.

She offered him a nervous laugh. “I bet you keep these elevators in tiptop shape. Wouldn't want to be trapped in here”—her gaze skittered around the small enclosure—“for very long.”

“Depends on the company.” Come to think of it, this wouldn't be a bad place to lay her down and drive himself deep into her welcoming heat. A small, intimate space surrounded by visuals of her smooth, tempting body. If he were going to make love with a woman
he'd
chosen, he wouldn't want to do it in a bed. Over the centuries, he'd grown to hate bedrooms. Most of the women who'd accepted his offer of sex had taken him to their beds. There weren't many good memories attached to mattresses and pillows.

Kim had relief written all over her face as the elevator doors opened. “Who's going to be at this meeting? Eric didn't elaborate.”

“There won't be a mob, if that's what you're afraid of.” Brynn guided her to the small meeting room attached to the restaurant. “Probably just Conall, Holgarth, Eric, and his wife, Donna.”

She visibly relaxed. “Won't the owner want to be here?”

“The owner pretty much stays out of sight.” He shrugged. “Why all the mystery? No one knows. I do my job and don't worry about it.” Which was a lie. He'd gone so far as to look up tax records in a vain attempt to discover the owner's name. No luck. The owner hid behind a corporation that didn't have so much as a Web site.

They entered the conference room to find Eric, Donna, Conall, and Holgarth already there. Brynn introduced Donna and Conall before helping Kim set up her easel. Then he took a seat beside Eric. Kim was about ready to begin when the door opened and Liz entered.