The first thing I was aware of when I woke was a horrible kink in my back. Van had given me the couch to sleep on, and as far as furniture went, it was the least comfortable place I’d ever crashed. Springs poked up through the worn cushions, and the smell emanating from the fabric vaguely reminded me of wet dog and stale cigarettes.
But while the abused muscles and less-than-pleasant scent were disturbing, the dream I’d been having more than made up for that. Jax and I had been on a beach, and things had just started to get interesting. God. The things that boy could do with his hands…
Unfortunately, along with the increasing pain in my back, I got the distinct impression someone was watching me. I forced my eyes open and met a familiar pair of gray peepers.
“What the—” I scrambled back and smacked up against a barrier—the arm of the couch.
“You were dreaming,” Azi said. It watched me for a moment before leaning forward again, this time coming so close that Jax’s lips nearly touched mine. It inhaled deeply and smiled. “I wonder,” it whispered, Jax’s voice low and seductive. “What were you dreaming about?”
“I—” It wasn’t Jax hovering close enough to smell—to taste—but it was his body. And his body had always wreaked havoc on my central nervous system. My heart pounded, about a million miles a minute, and my throat was suddenly dry as dust.
“As I said before… I could help, you know.” The sparkle of mischief in its eyes combined with Jax’s airy, playfully seductive tone, blotted out everything. “Scratch the itch you can’t quite get to.”
I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn’t come. That wasn’t to say I was soundless. A small whimper escaped, and it was obvious Azi found it amusing.
“I’ve always preferred anger. It has such a satisfying aftertaste. But you…” It inhaled again, letting Jax’s eyes flutter closed with a low moan. When they opened, they were filled with a hunger that stole my breath away. “The lust you give off for this form is delectable. I can barely contain myself.”
I swallowed hard and sat up, laying my hand flush against Jax’s chest. With a shove that took more willpower than I was proud of, I said, “Any attraction I feel is for Jax, not you. Not that form.”
The demon chuckled and moved in close again. The action was equal parts desire and dominance. “If that is true, then your attraction is for me, as well. You desire the human, but my presence contributes to who he is. Are you so confident that you would feel the same way had I never existed?”
“One hundred and twenty percent.” It made a logical point. Azi and Jax were so tightly wound together, but I could always tell where one ended and the other began. The way they looked at me, their expressions—the way they each kissed…
A wicked grin spread across Jax’s lips. “You’re thinking about the hotel.” It brought Jax’s hand up and played with the edge of my T-shirt, slipping his index finger beneath the material to trace small circles against my skin. I couldn’t help it. Goose bumps jumped to attention all over my body, and instead of leaning away, I pushed forward.
The one and only time we’d been together, I’d basically had to accept them both. Together. As a whole. I’d willingly submitted to having a freaky, supernatural three-way just to get a fix of Jax.
But that was fine. I knew what was Jax and what was Azi. I knew how to separate the two. The question was, how desperate for Jax was I? Obviously very, since I hadn’t been able to—or maybe I hadn’t wanted to—make the distinction at the cabin.
“The girl is asleep.” It brought Jax’s lips to my ear. The tip of his tongue skimmed my lobe, and the warmth of his breath streamed along my skin. The sensation nearly sent me rocketing off the couch. “I can scratch that itch of yours.” A volcanic sensation erupted across my skin. “I’ll even let him watch.”
Reality slammed into me like a semi doing ninety down the highway. The warmth that had only seconds ago flooded my entire system turned to ice, and the air took on a stale quality. Despite the tremor of anger and disgust, I kept it together. With a forceful nudge, I said, “I think I’ll have to pass.”
Jax’s mouth quirked, and his head tilted just a hair. With the same level of cocky confidence I’d seen in him his entire life, the demon said, “For now.”
“If you two are doing anything funky over there, I’m going to turn you both into frogs.”
Across the room, Van was standing in the doorway. She had her right hand up to partially obscure her eyes. The demon flashed me one last smoldering gaze, then turned to our host. “I thought you had no magic.”
“I don’t have much. But I promise, I have enough for that if it’ll shield me from watching you two screw.”
I nudged the demon away a little more and threw my legs over the edge of the couch. “I think you’re safe. Until there’s a human driving the bus, I’ve got no interest.”
“Good.” Van dangled a set of car keys and grabbed her jacket from the back of one of the chairs. “Then I assume you’re ready to rock and roll?”
Ready? I was past ready.