Page 51 of Unholy Night
Lucifer reaches down and lifts her in his arms so she’s level with us. He kisses her cheek and smiles. “Happy New Year, Mandy.”
She looks at him and smiles back with tired eyes. “You look happy.”
“Happier than I’ve ever been.” I hear the ring of truth in his words and my heart feels so full.
“Happy New Year, bunny. Have you had fun?” I kiss her other cheek and she leans her cheek against the top of my head.
“So much fun. We measured how far the Easter Bunny can jump, it was insane! And Ms. Aletta, that’s the Tooth Fairy, offered to take me flying!” She rubs at her eyes. “But Rudolph ate something that didn’t agree with his stomach and ran around in a circle, scared of his own poop, so I had to go help. He’s okay now. Mr. Dan gave him something to drink and he stopped having the fire poos.”
I open my mouth and look at Lucifer not quite sure what to say. All I can picture is the demented looking giant pug shooting fire out of his ass as he runs in circles.
He laughs. “It sounds like you’ve had a good night.”
“It was one of the best, but Christmas Eve was better.” She pulls away from me and lays her head on his shoulder.
My heart stutters and I swallow hard. Is it possible to see a sweeter scene?
“Did you have something to eat?” He asks.
“Mhmm.” She closes her eyes. “Mrs. Claus brought me a plate and made me eat. She looked different.”
“Santa and Mrs. Claus are here?” I look around. I have a thing or two to tell that elf.
“Somewhere.” Lucifer shrugs. “She’s my sister, after all.”
“You’ll have to explain that to me one day.” I tell him.
He holds out his free arm for me and starts walking toward the castle. “I look forward to it.”
By the time we get to Mandy’s room, she’s snoring softly and Rudolph is already tucked under her blanket. He lays her down and I carefully remove her shoes before tucking her in with a kiss on the forehead.
“Goodnight, bunny,” I whisper.
“Mhmm.” She rolls over and cuddles closer to Rudolph.
We leave her room quietly and I’m suddenly full of nervous energy.
“You look like you’re worrying about something.” The sweetness is gone from Lucifer's face and replaced with ravenous lust. His eyes travel over my body again and I know exactly what he’s thinking as he stalks toward me.
I take a step back and collide into the wall behind me. “What am I thinking?”
He places a hand on the wall next to my head and looks down at me. “You’re imagining me naked.”
The surprise on my face must be blatant because he laughs. It has a seductive quality to it that makes me shiver. “Fair enough. I’m the one imagining you naked.”
“Oh.” I swallow.
He twirls some of my hair with his free hand. “I can wait, Lyla. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want you. Right now.”
“Oh,” I whisper again and he laughs.
“When was the last time someone made you feel desired?” His hand rests on my waist, his thumb rubbing a small circle.
I do some mental math in my head and figure if Mandy is eight, it has most definitely been longer than that. Maybe nine years? How embarrassing is that?
“When was the last time you made a woman feel desired?” I jerk my chin up, refusing to answer.
“I’d like to say tonight.” He leans down and nuzzles my neck. “But before that, it’s been a long while.”