that there was a sliver of good in him and it reinforced her desire to know more about him.
The sun was setting though and that meant more rose sellers and people around the Eiffel Tower to see it as it lit up. If she wanted to continue her time with Asmodeus, she would need to take him somewhere it would get quieter, not busier.
She dropped her gaze to his. “Will you fly me somewhere?”
He looked beautifully startled, his eyes going round and falling to her body. A touch of colour crept onto his cheeks and his pupils expanded, gobbling up the gold in his irises. Was he thinking about carrying her when he looked so flushed with desire?
A warm shiver raced through her blood and she swept her tongue across her lips, not even bothering to deny that she felt that same burst of desire whenever she raked her gaze over him, even when she knew she shouldn’t.
He nodded. “Where?”
Liora turned and pointed towards the basilica of Sacré-Coeur where it stood on the hill in the distance, the three white domes of the grand church illuminated by golden light. “There. It will get quieter there as night falls.”
His throat worked on a hard swallow and he opened his thickly muscled arms to her. “I will fly you there.”
Liora slipped the strap of her small black bag over her shoulder so it fell across her front and took a deep breath as she stepped into his arms. Serenity was going to kill her for this but she didn’t care. Something about Asmodeus had her going against convention and everything she knew she should do. She felt a connection between them, a link she had never experienced with another, and she felt as if she could be wild and free around him and he would never judge her or tell her what to do.
He would let her be herself.
He would be right there with her.
He dipped his body, slipped one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back, and effortlessly lifted her into his arms. She settled her right palm against his chest and stared into his eyes. They were even more beautiful up close.
Flecks of black and rich amber swirled amongst liquid gold. His heart thundered against her palm and his breathing quickened as she continued to look deep into his eyes.
Awareness grew within her, stealing her focus away from the world until it was all settled on him. She could feel his large hands pressed into her ribs and clutching her knee. She could feel his powerful body pressing against her side, shifting with each heavy breath. Each of those breaths washed over her, moist and sweet, bringing her heart to a gallop.
His power flowed around her, a protective shield that allowed hers to recede for the first time in what felt like forever.
She had never felt so safe, not since her parents had died.
Asmodeus would protect her.
Her gaze drifted down the straight slope of his nose to the firm line of his lips, and they parted to reveal blunt white teeth.
“Hold on,” he murmured, his deep husky voice sending a shiver of heat across her skin, and she couldn’t resist snaking her hands around his strong neck and teasing the ends of his short black hair. He gritted his teeth, his jaw tensing, and a quiet growl escaped him.
His fingers flexed against her, drawing her closer, and she felt wicked because she liked how he clutched her as if he was never going to let her go.
She was playing with fire.
The Hell kind.
The problem was, she didn’t care if she got burned.
Asmodeus spread his glossy black wings, bent at the knee and pushed off. She clung to him for a whole different reason as each powerful beat of his wings carried them higher into the warm evening air. She hadn’t exactly thought about what she was asking.
Flying had sounded charming and fascinating. Now it was beginning to look frightening.
It was already a long drop to a very painful death.
“You will not fall, Liora,” Asmodeus whispered against her ear and she melted in his arms.
Someone so evil shouldn’t have a voice that could do