weave in and out of traffic, and although I hear Trinity make little terrified gasps every time I whip around a corner or cut another driver off, she doesn’t accuse me of driving like Mad Max again. She doesn’t say anything.
A strange feeling expands in my chest, one I’m not accustomed to feeling at all.
Worry.
This little angel is made of stronger stuff than she appears. I’ve seen her fight off a pack of ravaging corrupted and temporarily close a demonic portal. I’ve seen her face Ford’s wrath—and although she was clearly terrified by it, it didn’t break her. As small and fragile as she seems, there’s a soul of iron in there somewhere.
But what just happened between the four of us has left even me unsettled, and I can only imagine what she must be feeling right now.
Actually, scratch that. I can’t imagine it at all. I don’t pretend to understand the angel, and I have no idea what’s going on in her head.
The car’s tires screech as I pull into the garage underneath my building. Ford hauls Henrik out of the trunk and tosses the demon’s body over his shoulder, and we all pile into the private elevator that leads up to the penthouse.
Trinity stands in the middle of the elevator as it rises smoothly, as if she’s not sure which one of us she should stand closest to or farthest away from. I catch her shooting a glance at me from beneath her eyelids, and the gesture is so alluring, so unintentionally coquettish, that I have to resist the urge to press her up against the elevator wall and drag her bottom lip between my teeth. To kiss her until she begs me to do more.
Just like she begged back at the pleasure den.
I draw another long breath of air in through my nostrils, fighting to keep a grip on my goddamn sanity.
When the elevator doors open at the top floor, Ford stalks out, still carrying the unconscious demon’s body over his shoulder. Remington and Phoenix follow him, but before the angel can do the same, I step forward and catch her arm.
I can feel her body’s reaction to me, the slight tightening of her muscles as if she can’t decide between leaning closer and pulling away. I take the decision away from her, dropping my head as I close the distance between us even more.
“Are you all right?” I ask quietly.
Her eyes flare wide, surprise flashing in their dark depths. I can see her scrambling to get her emotional walls up as she nods her head vigorously. “Of course. Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
I lift one eyebrow. “Because you just got hit by a dose of lust dust that would drive even a siren mad. Because you came on my tongue and begged me to fuck you, two things I’m certain you’ve never done before.”
Her cheeks turn red, and she drops her head slightly, although she doesn’t seem able to rip her gaze away from mine. “I thought I said we weren’t going to talk about it ever again.”
I nod. “You did. And we won’t. Once I hear you say you’re okay.”
She looks tempted to just blurt the words out to end this conversation, but before she speaks, she pulls her lower lip between her teeth. Her gaze goes soft, falling out of focus as her thoughts seem to turn inward, and then she nods slowly.
“Yes. I am. That was…” Her blush deepens, and I swear I can smell her sweet arousal in the air. She breathes in deeply, shaking her head. “It was… a lot. But I know why you did what you did. I was out of my mind with want, and there was no way I would’ve let any of you leave that room until you gave me what I needed. Not with a single shred of my dignity intact anyway. I would’ve run through the halls naked, begging someone to f—well, you know. I’m glad you didn’t let me do that.”
She looks so shy and vulnerable as she speaks that I’m filled with the urge to scoop her up into my arms, to cradle her against my chest like I did when I first brought her back to my apartment, bleeding and broken.
I want to take care of her, just like I did then.
But instead, I drop my head and press my lips softly to hers.
Just once.
A kiss that’s different in nearly every way from how I’ve kissed anyone in