His eyes lit up too. “Yes, please.”
“Some of my favorite modern jazz artists are piano players. I know a few with a style that reminds me of yours. Honestly, Ash, it’s amazing you’ve got such a unique style without having any current influences. You’re going to die when you hear—”
“Are you two fucking ready yet?” Belial’s voice boomed from down the hall.
Eva smiled sheepishly, realizing they’d been distracted. Ash smiled too.That smile.He was so damn pretty, she could stare at him for hours and not get bored.
“Later,” he said. “Show me later.”
She nodded. “You’re going to love my parents’ house. They have a sweet music room with a grand piano. It’s way nicer than mine.”
His eyes lit up again at that.
“We can jam ‘My Funny Valentine’ again.”
“I’d like that,” he said eagerly. Adorably.
Stupid, Eva. He’s a demon, remember?A demon jazz pianist. She snorted a laugh at the absurdity of it all, and he frowned.
“What?”
“Nothing. You’re just... an anomaly. Or an enigma, I don’t know. Maybe both.”
He looked more confused, if anything.
“I mean, a demon musician? That sounds crazy to say out loud.”
He shrugged and looked away, and was he... blushing? She couldn’t tell, but his expression seemed shuttered and he was avoiding her eyes. “Demons can’t be musicians,” he said.
“That’s a stupid statement,” she replied. “You’re a musician. And a demon. Ergo, a demon musician.”
“Yeah, but like I said before, demons don’t have souls, so they can’t—”
“And that’s bullshit. I’ve seen you play. You’re incredible. I don’t care who or what you are. That’s a fact.”
He looked intently back at her, and yet a-fucking-gain, she found herself caught in the trap of his gaze.
He stepped closer, and she was suddenly painfully aware of the fact that he wasn’t wearing a shirt, and that he was still just as stupidly gorgeous as always, and she still hadn’t developed any method of resisting him.
If he’d been charming, flirtatious, she’d have been able to brush him off, but it was his awkward vulnerability that robbed her of all her defenses.
He seemed so confused by her sometimes that she knew he was being completely open with his emotions. He didn’t understand them well enough to hide them, and damn her, but she found it endearing.
He reached up, fingering a curl that lay over her cheek. When he brushed it back, tucking it behind her ear, a shiver raced down her spine. The curl sprang free again, so he tucked it a second time.
“You’re so pretty,” he said, gaze wandering all over her face. “I could look at you forever.”
Her cheeks heated with a blush. “Ash...”
“I noticed you from across the club, even before I knew you could see through my curse. You looked so vibrant. You drew me in and I couldn’t look away. I’d never seen anyone like you. I’d never heard anyone play like you.”
Her heart fluttered dangerously. The curl sprang free from behind her ear again, and when he lifted his hand to tuck it once more, she couldn’t help it. She turned her face into his touch.
He cupped her cheek and then dragged his thumb over her lower lip. A small breath escaped her.
He repeated the soft stroke, and something low in her belly clenched. He stooped and tilted his head. There was only a small gap between their mouths now. She wanted him to kiss her so badly.
“Show me,” she whispered before he could.
