“Are we going to discuss what happened earlier?”
Azaiel glanced back toward Rowan. She was leaning against the worn brick wall a few inches away, her hair twisting in the breeze that buffeted them. Her large expressive eyes shone in what dim light there was, and her full mouth tantalized.
Discuss it? Hell, no. The fact that he’d not been able to think of much else pissed him off, and there was no way he was going to have a conversation with Rowan James about their kiss.
It was more than a kiss.
He clenched his jaw tight and cleared his throat. He much preferred silence between them. The woman twisted him up, and he needed to stay focused.
“No.” His answer was curt and left no wiggle room. Most creatures, human or otherworld, would take heed and leave him the hell alone.
“I want to talk about it.”
Azaiel’s face darkened. Of course, Rowan James wasn’t like most creatures. He glared at her. “Do you really want to get into it right now?”
She shrugged and walked toward him, her steps concise, assured. “Nothing else is happening, so why not?”
She was right. So far the evening had been pretty slow, which was odd. They’d taken the heads of two blood demons about an hour ago, and nothing else had crossed their path.
The darkness they’d sensed days ago had descended with a bang, and currently, Salem, Massachusetts, was the hottest bed of demon activity in the country. Mallick was stretching his muscles, and it was all hands on deck. Azaiel and the others from the League, along with the coven and several bands of human demon hunters, were the only line of defense the local populace had. With Halloween closing in and all sorts of events planned the town was full.
It was a veritable feast for any demon, and the eating was good, though the diet in this part of town seemed pretty damn lean. At least at the moment, which didn’t bode well for him when stuck with a female who wanted to share her feelings.
“I think you want me to believe you’re this,” she gestured wildly with her hands, “arrogant asshole. But you’re not.”
“I’m not?” He tipped his head back. “If I remember correctly, that’s exactly what you called me.”
She shook her head. “No. That’s what you want me to think but, you see, an asshole wouldn’t put his life on the line for an old woman that he’s never met.” Her eyes glittered, their glistening depths like jewels. “An asshole would have taken what was offered the other night, no questions asked. He wouldn’t have stopped. Wouldn’t have worried about my feelings.”
“If your . . . if Kellen, hadn’t shown, I’m pretty damn sure I would have gotten exactly what I wanted.” Why the hell was she pressing the matter? Irritation rolled through him, and he ran his hand through his hair.
She bit her lip in that way that kinda drove him crazy. Then her tongue darted out and swept across the bottom, leaving a sheen of moisture that glistened in what little light there was.
Ignoring the obvious, which was his need for silence, she took another step forward until there was less than an inch of space between them. “Are you going to tell me why you’re trying so hard to make me believe you’re a dick?” She arched a brow. “Because I’m not buying it.”
She was dangerous. This little witch.
A smile spread across her face, and his heart rate sped up.
And she knew it.
Azaiel bent low until his mouth was a whisper from hers. “Maybe I just don’t like you all that much.”
She exhaled, and her eyes widened, the dark centers thickening until the blue nearly receded. “I think you’re full of crap.” She made a noise in the back of her throat, and somewhere down there, between his legs, things that should stay calm and focused suddenly stirred.
“You do,” he managed to get out.
She nodded. “I do.”
Silence fell between them, and he found himself holding his breath. She moved again, and this time her breasts pressed against his chest. Azaiel closed his eyes, inhaled her scent, and wondered at the audacity the little witch possessed.
“I think,” she continued in a slow breath, “we’d be fools not to at least explore some of the chemistry between us.” She exhaled. “Don’t you feel it, Azaiel? This connection?”
Her mouth was so close, her scent intoxicating. She splayed her hands out across his chest and looked so hot that it took every ounce of control Azaiel had to keep his hands off her.
Feel it?
He arched a brow. His cock was hard, more than ready, and the witch knew it. And still she pushed. All of this was wrong for so many reasons she didn’t understand. Suddenly he was tired of the game and pushed her away.