sounded as bitchy as she felt, and she didn’t give a damn.
He looked startled for a moment, and then he smiled. It was slow, and knowing, and filled with the promise of every forbidden pleasure she could imagine, and some she probably couldn’t. “Are you jealous?”
Ivy could feel heat flooding her face. She glanced down. She couldn’t believe she’d said something so stupid. “Absolutely not. I just don’t want to hold you up if you have something else you want to do.” No matter how professional and detached she sounded now, she didn’t think her explanation would fool him. “Besides, how can I be jealous of someone I only met yesterday?” She was beginning to think there was a stranger hiding inside her, one who said stupid things and felt dangerous emotions.
“You’re jealous.” He practically glowed with the joy of knowing.
Stupid man. No, stupid demon . She had to keep remembering what he was.
And just in case she might forget, a soft melody began to play a background to her thoughts. She opened her mouth to tell him to shut off the music, but it was so beautiful that she decided to let it stay. “Why are you playing music in my mind?”
He shrugged. “No reason. I just like it. It reminds me of you, all soft and sensual.” He didn’t look down as he reached over and put his hand over hers where it rested on the table.
Her hand evidently thought this should be a shared experience, because it felt as though he’d cupped her entire body. His fingers were warm and smooth against her skin, and she’d never known that one small touch could scatter her thoughts and send her heart into hyperdrive.
Control. She took a deep breath. “Oh.” She didn’t want to be pleased by his answer. She really didn’t. But she was. Although she didn’t agree with the soft part. She’d spent years practicing to be hard and focused on her life goals. Don’t just touch my hand. Touch my body, my hear— No. Where had those thoughts come from? She shoved them away.
“And I wasn’t checking out that woman for me.”
He met her gaze directly, but then Ivy figured that all demons would be qualifiers for the Liars’ Olympics. Murmur probably had the medals to prove it.
His hand . She couldn’t concentrate with him touching her. But she also couldn’t summon the will to pull her hand away. Maybe his music wasn’t the only addictive part of him.
“I need a woman for a particular job. She has to be young, beautiful, and enjoy traveling to unusual places.” Something about what he’d just said seemed to amuse him, because he smiled.
Ivy waited for him to tell her more, but after a few seconds of silence, she decided that’s all he intended to say. “Now that we’re just chatting, I have a few questions for you.”
He looked wary. The music stopped.
“Do you have to use your music for evil? I mean, what would’ve happened if you hadn’t just shut off the music in my head?” She couldn’t believe she was actually giving a demon the chance to assure her he wasn’t all evil. Shades of gray .
“The music is insidious and addictive. If you listened to it for long periods of time, you’d crave it more than any human drug.” His voice was hard. He made no excuses, didn’t try to sugarcoat the effects of his music. He removed his hand.
Ivy mourned its loss, but at least she could think straight once again.
She couldn’t help but respect him even as what he said horrified her. “How do you feel about that?” Jeez, she sounded like a shrink.
Murmur’s stare was cold, expressionless. “I’m allowed to feel rage, anger, hate, and any other negative emotion you can name. Positive emotions aren’t covered in the demon’s handbook.”
“But you do feel positive emotions. I’ve seen you smile, laugh.”
“Lapses. Nothing but unfortunate lapses.”
Ivy searched for sarcasm or humor in his eyes and found none. She sighed. “Well, that just sucks.”
He smiled. “See, another lapse. I seem
He looked startled for a moment, and then he smiled. It was slow, and knowing, and filled with the promise of every forbidden pleasure she could imagine, and some she probably couldn’t. “Are you jealous?”
Ivy could feel heat flooding her face. She glanced down. She couldn’t believe she’d said something so stupid. “Absolutely not. I just don’t want to hold you up if you have something else you want to do.” No matter how professional and detached she sounded now, she didn’t think her explanation would fool him. “Besides, how can I be jealous of someone I only met yesterday?” She was beginning to think there was a stranger hiding inside her, one who said stupid things and felt dangerous emotions.
“You’re jealous.” He practically glowed with the joy of knowing.
Stupid man. No, stupid demon . She had to keep remembering what he was.
And just in case she might forget, a soft melody began to play a background to her thoughts. She opened her mouth to tell him to shut off the music, but it was so beautiful that she decided to let it stay. “Why are you playing music in my mind?”
He shrugged. “No reason. I just like it. It reminds me of you, all soft and sensual.” He didn’t look down as he reached over and put his hand over hers where it rested on the table.
Her hand evidently thought this should be a shared experience, because it felt as though he’d cupped her entire body. His fingers were warm and smooth against her skin, and she’d never known that one small touch could scatter her thoughts and send her heart into hyperdrive.
Control. She took a deep breath. “Oh.” She didn’t want to be pleased by his answer. She really didn’t. But she was. Although she didn’t agree with the soft part. She’d spent years practicing to be hard and focused on her life goals. Don’t just touch my hand. Touch my body, my hear— No. Where had those thoughts come from? She shoved them away.
“And I wasn’t checking out that woman for me.”
He met her gaze directly, but then Ivy figured that all demons would be qualifiers for the Liars’ Olympics. Murmur probably had the medals to prove it.
His hand . She couldn’t concentrate with him touching her. But she also couldn’t summon the will to pull her hand away. Maybe his music wasn’t the only addictive part of him.
“I need a woman for a particular job. She has to be young, beautiful, and enjoy traveling to unusual places.” Something about what he’d just said seemed to amuse him, because he smiled.
Ivy waited for him to tell her more, but after a few seconds of silence, she decided that’s all he intended to say. “Now that we’re just chatting, I have a few questions for you.”
He looked wary. The music stopped.
“Do you have to use your music for evil? I mean, what would’ve happened if you hadn’t just shut off the music in my head?” She couldn’t believe she was actually giving a demon the chance to assure her he wasn’t all evil. Shades of gray .
“The music is insidious and addictive. If you listened to it for long periods of time, you’d crave it more than any human drug.” His voice was hard. He made no excuses, didn’t try to sugarcoat the effects of his music. He removed his hand.
Ivy mourned its loss, but at least she could think straight once again.
She couldn’t help but respect him even as what he said horrified her. “How do you feel about that?” Jeez, she sounded like a shrink.
Murmur’s stare was cold, expressionless. “I’m allowed to feel rage, anger, hate, and any other negative emotion you can name. Positive emotions aren’t covered in the demon’s handbook.”
“But you do feel positive emotions. I’ve seen you smile, laugh.”
“Lapses. Nothing but unfortunate lapses.”
Ivy searched for sarcasm or humor in his eyes and found none. She sighed. “Well, that just sucks.”
He smiled. “See, another lapse. I seem
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