Demon Lover

“Almost time, baby. Just a few more minutes.” I fumbled with the keys and felt him tremble.

Finally, I got in the door and shut it firmly behind me. I could feel his tension, his excitement, vibrating through me.

I moved past the bedroom to the bathroom, got to the tub, and turned the water on. Hot. Too hot. I stood there, my face tingling as the steam began to rise.

I stripped off my dark shirt and jeans and stepped into the welcome burn of the water. I gingerly lay back, my skin relishing the scald, and I felt him begin to uncurl from all the cold, hard places he’d been guarding.

The stone in my chest released him. The ice on my arms melted, and I felt him slacken. The fog in my head grew lighter and evaporated. I felt him stretch out the length of me, along my neck, my back, and the arches of my feet.

The sting of heat had subsided now. My skin glowed red in patches. We lay there together, softening in the steaming water.

“Now, baby. It’s time.” I surrendered.

His touch was exquisite. As soft as a breath. The merest suggestion of a touch and I was transported.

~*~

Earlier in the evening, as I’d prepared for my date, I’d scanned through my shirts and picked a navy button-down, knowing how good I looked in it. A sudden memory flash of the last time I’d worn it. A night that had...