Pride (Living In Sin #1)

Chapter 7

Pry

I had been right; Alec was human. Even though I had guessed it already, it was still a little surprising. To think the best candidate to put up with the Seven Sins was a young mortal man. And with the way he stepped forward with no hesitation caused me to think he was ignorant of our world.

More and more intriguing.

At least he was something to look at. Long brown hair he kept tied up. I could see streaks of red in it when the lights hit it just right. A lean body, few muscles, but trim for the most part. Not a gym bunny by any means, but hadn't 'let himself go' as the gossips liked to say. Not that I cared for any of that. It wasn't like we demons didn't enjoy a little excess. I wondered if he wore his nicest clothes. The button-down shirt was a pale green that offset the red in his hair, and the dark blue dress jeans hid long legs from my perusal. Even though they were neat and clean, they were also a little frayed around the edges.

Crave would be absolutely horrified he wasn't dressed in the most fashionable clothing, but I couldn't say I minded. Even if these were his nicest clothes, they suited the young man perfectly. At least he appeared comfortable in them. Someone who wore nice clothes but was uncomfortable in them would have been an annoyance I wouldn't want to deal with. Thankfully, Alec didn't appear to have that issue.

I was taller than him; I was sure most of my siblings would be taller than Alec. Again, it was something he wore well, even though I would enjoy teasing him about it. I hopped off the stage, reaching out to take Alec's hand. His eyes were a bright green. Perfect.

"It is good to put a face to the voice, Mr Alec." It was so easy to tease him and he blushed nicely. Just a little stain across lightly freckled cheeks. Unable to restrain myself, I bent over the hand and pressed my lips to his knuckles. He even smelt alluring.

Alec slipped his hand instantly from mine.

"I don't think that is appropriate behavior."

He said it stiffly, trying to be the professional person I was sure he could be. Of course, I was a demon. I could sense the spike of lust. But he hid it well, and it spoke to my baser nature. Pride that my little human could hide it so well.

Grinning, I straightened, only just stopping myself from licking my lips. I would taste him when he was ready. And he would be ready.

"Of course. Would you like to go over the paperwork? Sign on the dotted line as it were?"

Alec tilted his head. He was such fun to toy with. "This is a job interview, right? Don't you need to actually, you know, interview me?"

"And why would I bother with that?" The look on his face was beyond amusing. Obviously, this was so far out of his comfort zone, he didn't quite know what to do with it. But demons did things differently, as did much of the supernatural world, and Alec would have to learn to sink or swim. "You are already hired, so an interview is a moot point."

"I'm already hired?" He sounded as if he was going to have a heart attack. I led him onto the stage and to my throne at the back. I couldn't take credit for the stool and small table; Chef had decided the boy would probably like something to sit on while he signed the paperwork. Those sorts of details never occurred to me like it did others in the family.

I gestured to the stool. And even considering his confusion, Alec sat without question. It was... difficult to say how the unconscious submission affected me. Even if the action meant nothing to a human, to a demon of pride, it was ambrosia. I had to push down my arousal. An erection right now was not a good idea.

"Yes, this job is yours. The apartment is yours. All you have to do is sign." It was easy to slip back into the urge to tempt someone into a contract. It was what we did. I bit my lip, holding back the rest of the urge. Even if my nature screamed to take it further. I wanted Alec to accept with minimal pushing. Hopefully, the big guns would not be required, no matter how nice rubbing 'guns' might be.

He picked up the paperwork on the table, still looking overwhelmed, but he read. I liked that he was careful, even if it backfired. I sat back on my throne, content to watch him. He was beautiful, but I was sure he didn't know it. I wanted to be the one to show him, though that feeling was new. I wasn't ready to unpack that feeling.

It wasn't long before he finished and those green eyes looked up at me. "This looks all normal." He sounded surprised. "Is there information about the lease?"

That was easy enough. The paper came out, and he read through it with the same intensity. It was still sweet and sexy. He huffed out as he came to the end of the document and he sat back. He was frowning and biting his lip. As he looked up, I was taken by how clear his eyes were.

"It looks too good to be true." Alec didn't sound convinced. I couldn't blame him for that. It was my job to fix that, though.

"But it is true."

I smiled at him, enticing. Forbidden. The way his breath hitched had me wanting to touch him. I resisted, but the pull was strange. I couldn't remember the last time I'd wanted to convert anyone; much less a mere mortal. Was this why the spell thought he belonged here with us? Could it have known just how much I would want him? And what of my family? Would they want him to?

Time would tell.

"Unless you already have accommodation better than our own?" I raised an eyebrow, unable to resist teasing him just a little bit more. "I'm afraid that part of the contract is non-negotiable."

He gulped, those delicious eyes even wider.

Yes, he was perfect, and they were all going to have so much fun together.