To Stand Outside Your Virtues
Ruby Morningstar, daughter of the devil. It was laughable, or so she thought until it was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Now she was losing her mind, finding her footing, and figuring out life one baby step at a time.
Her dreams had been filled with darkness, sinful scenarios of lust and desire, and forboding proficies. One minute she was fighting herself, the next she was fucking a god with dark hair and darker eyes. No, blonde with piercing green irises. No...all of them.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, four men damned and determined to have her in all of her glory. Deities that showed up on her doorstep and shattered her life as she knew it. They threw her through one loop after another, thankfully trying to catch her when she couldn't keep her balance.
Allistair, a sex god if she ever saw one. His smoldering eyes and smooth voice had her captivated the moment they met. Rysten, his emerald eyes holding her as a slave to his every glance. Julian, his stern and powerful aura gave her cravings that had her salivating like a dog.
Then there was Laran, Horseman of War. His dark presence had nearly knocked her off her feet when she first saw him. He was a lot and she wanted to handle all of him.
At the moment she was sitting at her desk in the back of her tattoo parlor daydreaming of the men. Should she be working? Maybe, but she wasn't going to get anything done like this.
"Ruby?"
Who was that? A man's voice in her head? She blinked, knocking herself back into reality as the person knocked on her door once more.
"Can I come in?"
She nodded, then spoke up as she rolled her eyes at herself. Did she think he could see through the door?
"Come in."
As the door opened she pushed her chair back a bit, pencil in her hand still. Had she been drawing something? Green eyes caught onto her as the intruder smiled, that blonde hair of his messy in a sexy way. Even with his glamor, she felt the difference in his presence at that moment.
"Rysten."
He was shutting the door behind him as she spoke his name, catching him off guard. The deeper sound of her voice had his chest tightening as he held tight to the door knob. Control. He needed to find his control and hold tight.
When he could trust himself again he turned to face her, his smile back in place. She looked to be in a daze, those gorgeous blue eyes moving down his body as slowly as he wanted her hands to. Clenching his hands into fists he cleared his throat. Damn hormones were suffocating them both.
"My Morningstar."
The way his voice sounded, rough and almost strained, had her sitting up. What had she been doing? Was she just checking him out? Oh lord, had it been obvious?
Looking up into his eyes she had to deduce that he was doing the same thing, and he didn't give one shit about her knowing it. Swallowing she tried to remember how to speak. That's when his eyes fell on the paper on the desk, an eyebrow raising as he grinned.
"Someone is being naughty."
She frowned, looking down at the paper. The gasp that left her lips had her eyes widening. On a loose piece of paper, she had been drawing mindlessly as she lost herself in lustful thoughts. Now she saw the result, quickly turning it over and covering it with a sketchpad.
A bright rosy blush covered her cheeks as he moved to sit in a chair across from her in front of the desk.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of. We're all adults."
She narrowed her gaze on him, keeping her mouth closed. She was not about to feed into his instigations. His grin looked sexy as hell, those eyes dreamy.
"If you ever need a model let me know."
He winked, causing her to roll her eyes and sit back away from him. The sketch was of Allistair. She knew he knew that. Still, he was acting like she wanted to paint him like one of her French girls. That made her want to laugh, but she held it in.
"What can I do for you, Rysten?"
That grin turned mischievous as he leaned forward to place his hands on the desktop.
"Be careful with your words, my goddess."
She pushed her chair back, standing to use up the sudden energy that shot through her body at his darkening gaze. Walking around she gathered up her things, slipping on a black leather jacket before heading for the door.
Rysten was quick to stand and follow close behind her. Before she could open the barrier he placed a hand against it to hold it closed. Her hand trembled a little on the doorknob, her heart moving into a jog against her chest. Trying to control her libido was proving to be a losing task.
"Your poker face is slipping."
His deep whisper caught her heart as he leaned down to whisper into her ear. She wanted to run, to turn around and kiss him, but she couldn't. She wouldn't give in to his teasing. It would only make things worse for everyone involved.
"You're playing with fire."
He shrugged, his free hand moving to rest against her hip.
"I'm used to the heat."
With that he released the door, allowing her to slip out of the room in a rush. With her face covered in blush, she was glad Moira had already left for the day. She didn't think she could sit through another lecture from her best friend about being careful around these godlike men of Hell.
"It's raining."
His nonchalant words threw her off enough to get her back on track. Looking up from the floor she realized it was pouring outside, the sound of it calming her racing heart a bit. She didn't mind the weather, gray skies were a perfect backdrop for relaxing at home and sleeping in on her days off.
"If I went to Hell I would never see the rain again."
Silence filled the space around them as he absorbed her words and felt her overwhelming emotions. He didn't know exactly how she felt, but he could understand her fear of the sacrifices yet to come. If he could save her from it all he would, but that wasn't his place. His role in her life was to protect her from herself.
"I should get you home."
With a nod she followed him outside, locking up before they took off for the car.