Free Devil May Care by Patricia Eimer Page B

help out with this whole mess. It means a lot to me.”
    Lisa pretended to stick her finger down her throat. “Look, you two love birds, I’m going to go take a hot bath and then I’m supposed to meet up with Tolliver to finalize the décor for our wedding. We’re between a replica of the Sistine Chapel and the Hagia Sophia. That means you have thirty minutes before I’m going to be walking back into this living room so I can phase into Hell.”
    I shot Lisa saucy grin. “So should we be done by then or just out of the living room?”
    She pushed herself up off her stool, leaving her dishes stacked on the countertop with mine. “If he’s done in thirty minutes I’d demand a do-over if I were you.”
    She left the kitchen, her shoulders drooping and grayish black feathers peeking out from the bottom of her scrub top. Two feathers fluttered onto the floor. I grimaced. If she was molting this bad already she’d be sporting nothing but leathery, featherless wings by her wedding.
    I turned to Matt. “So?”
    “So?” His gaze trialed down to the V-neck of my scrub top. He licked his lower lip and my breath caught in my throat.
    “Want to try for a repeat of yesterday? Without inconvenient interruptions by Celestial beings this time?” I lifted my leg over his hip and scooted to sit in his lap. “You, me, couch?”
    “I wish I could.” Matt gave me a brief kiss, his eyes full of regret. He dropped his head back and groaned. “But it’s already eight, and I’ve got to leave if I’m going to get to work on time.”
    I decided to take the incubus by the tail and tell him about Dan. I was going to be honest and assure him that there was nothing for him to worry about. Dan and I were the past and the past wasn’t going to come back and kick us in the wings if I had a say about it. We were going to be open and honest with each other, no matter how icky it made me feel. “What if I opened a phase portal for you? Because I think we need to discuss some stuff and I really think we should maybe do it now.”
    “Can we do it later?” Matt sighed. “I really do need to get to work and I can’t take the chance of someone noticing that my car isn’t in the lot again. The last time I barely managed to get Fitzsimmons in Accounting to let go of it without zapping him. I don’t want to risk it.”
    “Fine.” I pressed closer, lifting my face to his for another kiss. “But we really do need to talk later. Not like a ‘let’s see other people’ talk or ‘surprise we’re pregnant’ or anything but this is still sort of important. Okay?”
    “As long as it’s not the ‘it’s not you it’s me’ talk I’ll defer to your judgment,” Matt said. “But if you want to talk about whatever it is before I go then that’s what we’ll do and I’ll figure out some way to explain my sudden appearance at work.”
    “Agghhh!” Lisa’s scream echoed through the apartment.
    I pulled away from Matt and looked down the hallway. He twisted around and I hopped off his lap, torn between finding out what the heck happened to my roommate and trying to persuade my boyfriend that his career would not be harmed by coming in late just one day.
    “Never mind.” Matt quirked an eyebrow at me and stood. “It sounds like your attention might be needed elsewhere.”
    “Spoilsport,” I muttered.
    “Have a good day.” Matt gave my cheek another kiss before releasing me and making his way to the door.
    “You too,” I said.
    “I’m going to kill her!” Lisa screamed, storming into the living room, covered in a white towel. “I’m going to murder her, then I’m going to have you bring her back to life, and after that I’m going to kill her again.”
    “I’m not actually so good at the whole resurrection thing.” I wrinkled my nose. “I mean I can do it, but it never quite turns out the way it’s supposed to. Maybe you could ask Jesus to do it as your wedding present? Otherwise he’s going to go with one of the old