Peaches?” Flint asks as I make my way for the hallway in the back.
“What’s it look like? I’m gonna clean up this mess I caused.”
Footsteps immediately come after me, but I reach the hallway first. There are four doors, and one is the office that I already saw, so I jiggle the door to another, but that turns out to be a bathroom. I move to the third one, only to find that it’s locked.
“This the supply closet?” I turn to ask, only to find Alder and Flint right behind me, barely a hair’s breadth away.
“That leads to the cellar where we keep our liquor,” Alder explains.
“Alright,” I say, headin’ for the fourth door. “How ’bout this one?”
He nods slowly, and I can’t tell what he’s thinkin’, but the scrutiny they’re both lookin’ at me with is a little unnervin’. “Yes, that’s where we keep the supplies.”
“Great,” I say, jigglin’ the knob. “Care to unlock it for me?”
“You don’t need to worry about cleaning up this mess. The imps can do it,” Flint says, and even though I still have no idea what a damn imp is, I make a sour face.
“No, I did this and I’ll clean it up, thank you very much,” I tell them both primly. “My daddy always taught me to fix my messes, so that’s what I’m aimin’ to do.”
The two of them share a look, like they’re silently arguin’ over who’s gonna talk me out of this, so I figure I’ll save them the trouble.
“Look,” I say, cuttin’ off their silent conversation. “My mama will tell you that I’m as stubborn as a mule when I want to be. I’ve dug my heels in. There’s nothin’ for it. Now, you either open this door for me so I can get proper supplies, or I will tromp my ass right back up to your house and use your damn bedsheets to mop the floor in here. What’s it gonna be?”
Alder grimaces, like the very idea of his sheets bein’ used to slop up the spilt liquor in this place disgusts him. “Fine,” he says, relentin’ on a sigh.
He moves forward, a hand comin’ down to my waist to move me away so he can get to the lock. I’m not expectin’ the sudden touch, and I freeze, my eyes shootin’ up to his face. There’s a moment where we just look at one another, and I swear, the heat of his palm soaks through my shirt, the barest sliver of skin exposed so that the pad of his finger is makin’ direct contact with me. Just that—just that measly, minuscule skin-to-skin contact has me burnin’ with an attraction that sends me swayin’ toward him.
“Excuse me,” he murmurs quietly, and I blink past the haze of intense want as he gently nudges me aside. Oh, right. I was in his way.
Clearin’ my throat, I back up, kickin’ myself at my over-the-top reaction.
What in the name of wet panties was that, Medley?
I mean, I’ve been touched by guys before, and certainly more intimately than a hand on my waist, but I’ve never reacted the way I do with these two. Was it a demon thing? I’m dyin’ to ask, but embarrassment stops me. What if he’s not affected like I am? Or what if he is? I still wouldn’t know what to do with that.
If somehow we are all stuck with each other forever because I’m meant to be a Guardian, gettin’ all twitterpated probably ain’t wise. I’m not usually one to fawn all over someone or girl crush to the extreme, but this whole demon thing is uncharted waters, and I’m not sure what to expect.
Alder does his demon voodoo magic to unlock the door, and my eyes lift up to steal a peek at Flint, but he’s already starin’ right at me with a grin. “You alright over there, Peaches?”
“Yes,” I answer quickly. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
He shrugs. “You looked a little...flustered.”
If he was next to me, I’d stomp on his toes again just for makin’ me blush. “I’m fine,” I tell him with a scowl. He winks, which just adds to the tumultuous attraction that I’m already battlin’.
Fortunately, I’m saved from any more of Flint’s teasin’, because Alder swings the door open for me and flips on the light. I walk inside, spottin’ a tidy walk-in closet filled with cleanin’ supplies. “This will do just fine,” I say with a satisfactory nod as I appraise the space, doin’ a mental inventory of