06| Goodnight Beautiful

LACY

Lucifer's eyes raked my body, taking in my ghastly appearance. I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection of the shop's windows earlier. My mascara was smudged in black lines running down my face and my eye-shadow smudged into one big black ring around my eyes. My short hair that never seemed to be in a disarray somehow decided it would be appealing to stand on its ends. The dress I wore still looked presentable while my bare feet looked far from it.

His eyes stopped at my bare feet and an arrogant smirk played on the rigid features of his face. He held his hand out holding a rectangular box wrapped in gift wrap.

Unless he was stalking me, there was no way of him to know that my birthday was only a few days from now. I skeptically took the box from his hands and inspected it. The wrapping was neatly done with only a few pieces of tape used and Lucifer didn't look like the patient type to sit and wrap something so immaculately. Also, the wrapping of the gift was black and silver which were my two favourite colours and Lucifer wouldn't have known that. It had a silver bow neatly wrapped around it and a card placed on top.

I picked the card up and placed the box under my arm. Opening the small card, I smiled as I immediately recognized the neat handwriting displayed inside. I read the card out loud, "I was going to wait till your birthday but seems like you need this now. Much love, Malik." Closing the card I stole a few seconds to glance inside the coffee shop.

Malik was now busy manning the till, too busy to catch me staring at him with grateful eyes.

I wasted no time in ripping off the gift wrap and pushing it into Lucifer's chest, "Hold that would you?" I shot him a fake smile before bringing my attention back to the now exposed rectangular box.

As I opened the box I could practically hear the angels in my head going 'ahhhhh'. Inside held a custom pair of brand new trainers. Sleek black with daisy designs on the sides. The designs spelled out my name, 'Lacy'. It was beautiful and I couldn't wait to let my feet feel the warm embrace of them.

I found a pair of black socks with lace trimmings in the box as well. It seemed like everyone knew what to get me for my birthday. It was kind of obvious since they all just used my name as inspiration.

I slipped on the socks and then the trainers, although I felt guilty that my first wear was with filthy feet. It made me cringe internally. Once I made my way up to Malik's loft, I'd be sure to clean myself up.

Lucifer's eyes never left me. His bottom lip rolled between his teeth as he gradually brought his eyes up my body to meet my gaze.

I turned away,  already feeling embarrassed enough and I didn't need any comments from him fired in my direction.

The moment I entered the shop, Malik gave me warm smile. He gestured nodding at the door that said 'employees only'. Lucifer was hot on my heels as I entered the door that Malik gestured to and headed up the staircase to Malik's loft.

He always kept it open because he never left the shop. He was a kind hearted man and I owed a lot to him. Him just being in my life meant the world to me because he was the father I wished I had. Both him and uncle B always seemed to support me.

"You can't just barge in here like you own the damn place," Lucifer groaned, following behind me as I entered the loft and headed to the lounge.

The loft was open plan. A king sized bed sat in one corner of the room facing a huge floor to ceiling window which overlooked the city skyline. The lounge had one long couch which sat in front of a plasma smart television and the kitchen was in the far corner of the loft. It wasn't too big but Malik lived by himself so he didn't really need a big kitchen. The only thing secluded in the loft was the massive bathroom. If you opened the cupboards in the loft you would find one massive walk in closet and one massive bathroom. You just needed to know which cupboard to open.

Before doing anything, I removed the socks and sneakers, padding my way into the bathroom to clean myself up. I spent far too much time in this loft so I knew exactly where everything was. Once I was done, I plopped myself down on the couch, switching the television on and ignoring Lucifer's presence.

"Did you hear what I said?" He abruptly asked, pulling the remote out of my hand.

A bored expression played on my face as I fake yawned, "Yeah, I heard. I chose not to listen though," I shrugged deeper into the couch.

Was he really still on about this? I left him for a good five minutes to get cleaned up and all he could think of was how I barged in here!

He rolled his hooded eyes at me, looking tired. Almost as if he had trouble sleeping, but he looked so handsome. So, so handsome. He hadn't shaved so a beard started to form on his perfect face. His dark hair looked like a curly mop placed on his head. I had to refrain myself from wanting to run my fingers through his mop-like hair.

"Like what you see?" His voice was low and raspy. Clearly he felt satisfied at my ogling expression.

"No, actually I don't!" I quipped, trying to knock his ego down a peg or two. 

He grinned a knowing grin while taking long strides toward me. His long legs made him stand intimidatingly tall and with me sitting, it made him look dangerous. His compelling stare drawing me in. He stood at the edge of the couch, in front of me, making me strain my head to keep our gaze locked.

"Anyone tell you that you're a bad liar?" His raspy, deep voice sent shivers down my spine.

I pealed my gaze away from his, helplessly racking my brain for a suitable come back to knock his ego down even just a little. But all words seemed to have escaped me and the only thing my head allowed me to think about was how sexy he looked, how enchanting he sounded.

I snapped back to reality when I heard a bellowing laugh fill the room. Even his laugh sounded appealing to my ears as if it were made by the Gods themselves.

"Your eyes always seem to linger..." he trailed off.

Quickly, I stumbled to my feet, bringing my hand to his mouth to stop him from completing his sentence.

He was right. My eyes always found its way to the one place they should never go. But I couldn't help it. He always looked so manly that I couldn't help but wonder if every part of him showed off his masculinity.

His strong, masculine arm banded around my waist, pulling me flash onto his perfectly toned body. It felt like I hit a stone wall. My breath hitched from his touch alone. It felt like a little piece of heaven and I savoured every moment of it.

I slowly glided my hand off his mouth and rested it on his broad chest. My heart thudded furiously and I wondered if he could feel it knowing how close he was to me. His pink lips looked delectably edible, soft and smooth.

I closed my eyes, wishing all these thoughts away. All the thoughts that only seemed to show up when he was around.

And then I felt his fingers trace my jaw moving slowly and agonizingly down the length of my neck. My head fell onto his hard chest as he continued his descent down my shoulder. I could feel my hair standing on end from his touch and I could feel the goosebumps that seemed to form all over my body. It felt like electricity coursed through my veins and the voltage just increased the longer he kept his hands on me.

His breathing was shallow while I forgot how to breathe altogether. All of a sudden, a sound emerged from the back of my throat. It was the slightest of moans as his slender, rough fingers trailed down my back causing it to arch.

My neck automatically dipped back and my bottom lip rolled in between my teeth allowing me to sink my teeth into its softness.

He stopped at the small of my back meeting the other arm which snaked around my waist just a few seconds ago. I did't know how long we stood like that but it felt like a few blissful hours.

"Open your eyes," his deep voice pleaded.

I, however, did the complete opposite and squeezed them tightly shut.

"Look at me," he begged now, the desire in his tone caused a tightening feeling to take place within my stomach.

I opened my eyes and got the breath kicked right out of me when his bottle green eyes captured my dark brown ones.

His hooded eyes were clouded with raw desire. Raw lust. His cologne invaded my nostrils. He smelt like a man should. It was indescribable but so memorable. It was a scent I had never smelt before. It was his and only his signature scent.

His tropically peachy breath with a hint of mint smelt inviting. I just wanted to press my lips to his to find out if he tasted as good as he smelt.

What was one kiss right?

"You shouldn't look at me like that," he said, pressing me against him to the point I moulded his body.

I audibly took in a sharp breath as I felt the hardness of his length hiding behind his washed out, black jeans.

He blinked his eyes a few times before he muttered under his breath, "Fuck!" He then let go of me and took a step back.

I stared at him in confusion as he ran his hands through his hair, tugging and the roots. His eyes darted to the cupboard doors that hid a luxurious bathroom behind it.

He strode across the room with a purpose not even turning back once, leaving me once again alone, flustered and bothered.

~~~

He spent nearly an hour in the bathroom. I could hear the shower running the entire time. I debated with myself whether to go in there or not. Eventually, I decided against it and just watched reruns instead of waiting for him to finally come out of hiding.

He made me feel so hot and bothered but at the same time, so annoyed and frustrated. How could someone make you feel so unsure about your feelings? I wanted to grab him by his shirt and kiss him but at the same time, I wanted to slap him across his egotistical face.

I craved his touch. I wanted more. I couldn't get enough and it felt as if he pulled away from me too soon.

If he didn't pull away when he did he would have ended up with a serious case of blue balls. I wanted more but I wasn't sure if I could give him more. Giving him the entirety of myself was a big deal to me. It had consequences, serious consequences.

I couldn't imagine myself ready for motherhood when I had both daddy and mummy issues. What would I teach my child?

Why do you over think?

Great my subconscious was back. Always arriving at the worst times. I couldn't help but wonder if everyone had a conversation with the voice inside their head or if it was something I did because I was probably going insane.

You're just physically attracted to him. He will be out of your system soon enough.

What if I didn't want him to be out of my system? What if the feeling he gave me never felt normal? What if I never got used to it? The darkness he harboured brought a certain kind of thrill with him. He was an adventure and I wanted to explore him as much as I could. I wanted to prove to myself that this wasn't just a physical attraction and that somehow our souls were linked.

No one had ever made me feel the way he did. Considering Brian was my only boyfriend though. Dating was never on my list of priorities growing up. I focused all my energy on studying and some other unspeakable things. I may have joined the not so perfect company but I had no time to take interest in boys.

Then Brian came along and father wanted the alliance so bad because of business. It was good for business and that's all that mattered but I never found myself catching the feelings that I caught with Lucifer.

Brian was the biggest mistake of my life while I felt Lucifer was the one thing that was going right in a way. He, unknowingly, gave me a reason to wake up every morning. My only regret was not noticing him sooner. Everyday going to the coffee shop and somehow I never spared him the time of day.

What the hell was wrong with me?

That's easy! You believed Brian would change and that you two would be a happy couple living the la di da lifestyle.

I cursed my subconscious under my breath. It was almost as if she had a mind of her own and she was beginning to become really uncontrollable.

"Should I be worried?"

I leaped off the couch bringing my hands to my chest and letting out a little scream.

Okay, so maybe the scream wasn't so little but he scared the Hebe gi-be's out of me. The remote made a loud bang as it fell onto the floor from my lap, startling me further.

"Whoa, chill!" He narrowed his eyes in on me.

"Don't tell me to chill! Didn't anyone teach you not to sneak up on people?" I glowered at him.

"I wasn't sneaking. You were just too busy talking to yourself to notice me."

I scoffed in annoyance, "Who wants to notice you anyway?"

A playful smirk played on his face and a mischievous glint played in his beautiful eyes, "Stop lying to yourself. You know you do," he shot me a wink and I couldn't help but internally groan at his pretentious behaviour.

I scowled at him, crossing my arms over my chest, "You're an arrogant jerk, you know that?"

His eyes widened as if they were suddenly brought to life, "Do...don't do that," he stammered as he looked away and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

I looked at him confused and yet so amused, "Do what?" I quirked an eyebrow at him.

He whipped his head back in my direction bringing his gaze to my crossed arms, "That!" he breathed.

"And why not?" I didn't understand what was so wrong with crossing my arms.

"Do you want me to bend you over that couch and fuck you or something?" Frustration was evident in his voice, "Just uncross your fucking arms. Your cleavage was already tempting enough."

I narrowed my eyes at him, furrowing my eyebrows and placing my hands on the curves of my full hips, "You're really something else, you know that? You're so fucking hard to read," I ran my hand through my disheveled hair, clenching it in my fists, "I don't know what the heck you want. One minute you're thinking with your dick and the next only God knows what you're thinking with because I doubt you have even an ounce of a brain in that thick skull of yours!"

He looked taken off guard now and I was happy about that until he said, "You're sexually frustrated!"

Okay! What the fuck! He didn't just say that.

"Says the guy who couldn't keep his hands off me and had to spend more than an hour taking a cold shower!" I retorted, reminding him that we both had problems with the sexual tension between us.

He breathed in and then exhaled slowly before bringing his gaze to me. His heated gaze felt like hot fire that burned its way right to my soul. I could tell from that alone that he wanted this argument to end and in all honesty, so did I.

"So where's your shoes?" he asked in an attempt to change the topic.

For some reason, I felt a sense of warmth and trust radiating off him. I let the flood gates open and told him all about Brian and how we met, how it all escalated to that day in the park when he practically saved my life. I told him about the events that happened this morning that led me to the coffee shop, barefoot and a massive train wreck.

After releasing everything I actually felt a little better with myself and about myself. Either he was a good listener or he tuned me out half way but I didn't care because it just felt better to let it all out. The burden on my shoulders felt as if it evaporated each time I relayed a part of my story.

"So you didn't come to the coffee shop to see me then. It was to see Malik," he said after a while, sounding a little hurt.

I kept quiet. I wasn't sure why I ended up here, I just did. Maybe I came here to speak to Malik but I got one better and got to speak to him instead. Maybe this was meant to happen in its own strange way. Maybe it was fate.

"Speaking off Malik, where is the old man?" I attempted to change the topic.

"He didn't say where he was going just that I should housesit," Lucifer shrugged.

Somewhere during my story telling, Lucifer and I made our way to the couch. The television was on but no sound emanated from it. Lucifer had turned the sound off so that he could pay more attention to the drama that I called a life.

"In that case, would you like some coffee?" I asked. I knew Malik's loft as if it were my own house because before Lucifer, I use to be his frequent 'house sitter'.

"Coffee, huh? No fancy latte?" He mocked playfully. The smile that overcame his face made my heart flutter and made him look younger by years.

I threw a scatter cushion at him but he caught it with his fast reflexes. Rolling my eyes in dismay, I left him with the cushion and made my way to the kitchen to get two cups of coffee ready.

"So, what are we eating?" Lucifer asked, following me once again. He made a bee line for the fridge, opening the door and sticking his head of shaggy curls inside to probe at the contents.

A shameful blush found its way to my cheeks and a sheepish smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I admitted, "I can't cook."

I could here him chuckle, his head still inside the fridge, "Well, I can!"

"You can cook!" I blurted, clearly surprised by his talent but grateful. He was clearly a man of hidden talents and I wanted to discover each and every one of them.

He shrugged and said, "Yeah," as he pulled out a few items from the fridge and placed the items on the kitchen island. He started dicing up vegetables and I watched in awe as he worked the knife with so much skill.

"Where did you learn that?" I queried, placing his cup of coffee to the side of him, making sure it wasn't on his way. I wasn't sure how I managed to peal my gaze of the angelic man long enough to make him coffee, but I did it and managed to make myself a cup as well.

He took a quick swig before he said, "Malik taught me," he said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Malik Malik, as in the owner of the coffee shop Malik?"

"Do you know any other?" He smirked this time.

I gave him a sarcastic smile before taking a swig of my coffee, the hot liquid warming my insides. A small moan of pleasure dripped from my lips as I relished in the feeling.

"So I'm not the only one who can turn you on?" His tone suggestive with a hint of sarcasm. Amusement flooded his eyes and he chewed on his bottom lip to prevent the smirk that begged to show itself.

"Ha ha, you think you're so funny don't you," I said blandly, trying to seem unfazed by his statement.

"I think I'm fucking hilarious thank you very much, " he shot me a wink and then showed off his pearly whites.

"So, how do you know Malik?" I asked, taking another swig of my coffee. I was also taking advantage of him actually answering my questions this time around, making it easier to get to know him better.

He stayed silent like he always did. I figured he didn't like people asking a much questions as I did or prying about his past. He was conserved when it came to that. He liked being the only one who knew things about him, that way he never had to feel vulnerable. I use to be the same until bottling everything up led to one angry, disgruntled person who was willing to act out to get anyone and everyone's attention.

"I don't think it's fair that I revealed my life to you while you are busy giving me a frozen shoulder," I pressed on, hoping he would open up.

He put some noodles on the stove to cook and then turned to look at me, "I was in a troubled teens program and Malik took me under his wing. He gave me a job and made me get the taste of money. He told me if I didn't get my act together I would never get the taste of money again. All I would taste is the crummy food served in a prison just like my... " he trailed off and then stopped as if he were arranging his thoughts.

"Just like?" I urged him to continue.

"Nothing," he brushed me off, his eyes turned dark and hard, and his tone was cold and harsh.

I didn't say anything after that. I just sipped my coffee and watched him prepare us a meal. When he placed a bowl in front of me, I almost cringed.

He let out a soft laugh which surprised me considering the stoic expression he kept after my little interrogation, "Don't judge unless you try it."

I nodded and looked at the bowl of noodles in vegetable soup. Hesitantly, I took my first bite and it felt as if I had died and been transported to heaven, "It's so good," I moaned, closing my eyes and savouring its taste on my taste buds.

"You're welcome!" His mood visibly lightened, "So how do you know Malik?"

"The same as you I guess except after my community service was over I left working for him. He became a very close friend though," I explained.

The rest of the night was spent watching television and talking about the little things in life. Lucifer fell asleep on the couch while I privileged myself to stay over and sleep on the massive bed overlooking the skyline. All the lights from the buildings lit up the night sky along with a few stars here and there. It was simply amazing.

~~~

I woke up to muffled screams. It was probably the late hours of the night or the early hours of the morning considering the sun didn't even peak the horizon yet.

I stealthily walked to the living room where I found Lucifer tossing and turning, groaning in his sleep. In an attempt to wake him up, I grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him feverishly but to no avail. I wasn't giving up so easily though. I got a glass of water from the kitchen and splashed the entire contents onto his sweat drenched face.

"Baby B!" He jolted up, snapping his eyes open and reaching his hand forward.

My eyes widened. That must have been one helluva nightmare. Still in his shocked, incoherent state, I reached for his face.

Before the pads of my fingers could graze his skin, he flinched away, "I'm fine!"

"Don't talk shit! It's freezing in here thanks to the air-conditioning and yet you're sweating bullets," I angrily countered.

"Maybe it's the water you threw on my face," he snarled.

I didn't bother to give him a comeback this time. I marched my way to bed. Half way to my destination, I felt his fingers curl around my elbow, grabbing and swinging me into his long arms.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, locking his sleepy gaze with mine. Even though his eyes were clouded with drowsiness, his gaze was still as strong and appealing.

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. My brain was already unravling, causing me to feel disoriented.

"And thank you," he whispered into my ear as the tip of his nose traced the outline. He wrapped his calloused hands around the back of my thighs hoisting me up. My legs automatically wrapped around his lean torso and my arms swung around his neck.

My dress rolled up, causing me to be semi-naked from the waist down. His head dipped into the crook of my neck and his hot breath sent electric waves throughout my body. And then his soft lips made contact with the sensitive skin on my neck making me involuntary jolt in his hold.

Suddenly, I felt myself being laid down onto something soft. The bed! He brought his lips up to my ear as he whispered in a sexy, low, raspy voice, "Goodnight, beautiful."

With that, he left leaving me a hot mess as usual.