Between Heaven and Hell (PA #2)

Chapter Twenty-Six

I have Ron Burgundy's voice in my head saying, Boy, that escalated quickly. So true, Ron, so true. His voice is preferable to others that have a tendency to creep in, but it's still a shock of cold water.

Ari seems to have enjoyed it at the moment, but will he regret using some of his firsts on me in the future? Will he wish that it was with someone else? What's the proper protocol here? I've only ever been intimate with Galileo, and I ran off both times after. We were also dealing with false assumptions and a serious case of mistaken identity...

I can't run away from Ari; nor do I feel inclined to.

I can't even move away from his wandering hands that remind me I'm still wet. Still filled with desire, both satiated and not.

Ari tucks the strand of hair behind my ear. "We're late."

He says it so nonchalantly that the words don't worry me at first. Once they penetrate the fog of my lust-filled brain, I sit up straight. "Wait. What?"

"We're late," he says again, continuing to touch me in small ways. Innocent ways that nicely juxtapose the sensuality of a few minutes ago.

"What happened to you having a great sense of time?" I ask, leaning into his palm on my cheek.

"I knew we were gonna be late, but I wasn't going to stop you when your hands were all over me. I live in dreams, Trouble. Very rarely do they cross over into the waking world."

I'm the Grinch, and my heart is growing several sizes with every sweet thing he tells me. There's a sick part, the cynical part of me, that perks up to inform me that I can't trust any of this. That he'll leave me like the rest of them. I shove it down, choosing to bask in the glow a little while longer.

"So, we should go?" I don't mean it as a question, but it comes out as one.

He lightly runs his fingers down my arms and I fight a shiver. "Don't have to."

It's tempting to stay here, like this, with Ari. I can't though. I promised Eli I'd try out, and she deserves my follow-through.

Reluctantly, I force my legs to stand, disentangling from Ari in the process. He frowns but follows my lead.

"If we're late, then I don't have time to wash all of this off," I wave to my face and the evidence of his orgasm. "Do you have anything in here that I could use?"

He hands me a wipe to clean my face and neck. After scrubbing at the drying cum, I pass it over my fingers and turn to Ari for inspection.

"Did I get it all?"

Heavy-lidded, Ari says, "Yeah. Lips are swollen."

He's staring at my mouth like it holds the secrets to the universe. It doesn't, but I suppose it gives away what we just did to anyone looking close enough. No one will, right?

Slipping my feet back into my sneakers, I search for the sweatshirt I threw earlier. Finding it on Sid's bed, I put it on and am encased in Ari's scent once more. It's somehow more saturated in the fabric than it is on his skin.

I realize my mistake when we arrive at the arena. Not being late, but that doesn't help the situation. The problem is that I didn't shower after engaging in sexual activities with Ari, and demons have a superior sense of smell.

When Ari teleports us directly to Eli, we end up in the bottom tier of the arena. She's sitting with Killian, Cassie, and Romeo, all of whom acknowledge our arrival with nods and smiles. Except, those smiles soon turn into confused frowns as they inspect us more sharply.

Romeo's eyes burn as he swivels between me and Ari. "Why can I see Lust trailing between you two? And why do you smell like Ari and cum, Low?" he asks with false nonchalance.