I watch a few people walk by as I sit in my car in the Pike's parking lot, debating whether or not to go in. If these dreams are real, then this guy really did save me from Vic and I've really been talking to him in my sleep. If they're not, I'm about to completely embarrass myself in a bar in the middle of the afternoon.

Fuck it. Here goes nothing.

I step out, lock the car, and make my way through the front door. There's a decent crowd for midday, a lot more than we get at the club at this time. A few people are seated at the bar, but most are tucked away in booths.

I spot Kieran talking to a man with copper hair and a matching scruffy beard. He has a soft, friendly face that reminds me of a golden retriever. He's handsome, but maybe more cute than hot.

As I walk up, Kieran's eyes reach me and a smile stretches across his face. His friend turns to see me and looks back and forth between us for a moment. I've never asked, but I've always gotten the vibe that Kieran might swing both ways—or all the ways.

Maybe I'm interrupting some kind of flirtation between them.

The redhead looks at me and smirks.

"Hey!" Kieran says. "What brings you here, cutie?"

"Sorry, am I interrupting som-"

"Not at all," the redhead says, gesturing to the seat beside him. "Please sit. I'm Finn by the way."

He shakes my hand and I turn to Kieran, who's drying a glass with a white towel.

"We were just talking about Kieran's new look," he says. "What do you think? I say it's a quarter-life crisis."

"New look?" I furrow my brow. Kieran rubs the back of his neck and looks off to the side.

"The tattoos and the five-o-clock shadow?"

I ponder what he's saying. Has he not always looked like that?

"So what's up, red?" Kieran interjects.

I open my mouth to speak, but realize he could be talking to either of us in this case. If anything, Finn's hair is more a true red than mine.

"You mean me?" I ask.

"Ha! Good point," Kieran says, chuckling. "I didn't even realize you were both redheads. Sorry Finn, I'll have to find you a new pet name."

"You can always call me gorgeous," Finn teases.

"Come on, dude. We both know you're not the gorgeous one here." Kieran looks at me and winks. "So what brings you here, Sam?"

"Oh um..." I pause.

It's one thing to have this conversation with Kieran, it's another to have it in front of his friend. I don't know if it's even real, it could all be in my head. And even if it is real, how do I know who I can talk to about it?

Does this guy know Kieran is a demon? Is he a demon too?

"It's alright," Finn says with a tilt of his head. "I know."

My eyes go wide.

"I... Wha-..." I stutter. "How did you know I was going to ask...?"

"I don't mean to freak you out," he says. "I just have a bit of a sixth sense for some things."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I've always been pretty good at reading people too."

"You can talk freely around Finn," Kieran says.

Sure. Why not? At this point, I've already gone off the deep end—might as well keep swimming.

"I wanted to say thank you," I say. "For helping me with my dreams."

Kieran's lips part and his eyes soften, almost like he didn't expect it.

"Of course. You're welcome." He smiles and his eyes lock on mine.

"It is you, right? In the dreams?"

He rests his elbows on the counter and leans across the bar.

"Why?" he asks in a low, rough voice. "You having dreams about all those naughty things you wanted to do to me?"

I glare at him and huff.

Asshole.

"I still owe you for that. Don't think I've forgotten."

"Go ahead and try."

He shoots me a sly half-smile.

Cocky bastard.

"Can I get you something to drink, doll?" he asks as I think over potential options.

Ice cubes in the pants?

He'd probably just enjoy that.

"I think he's talking to you," Finn says, looking at me.

"I don't know, you could be a doll too," I say with a laugh.

"You'll always be my doll, Finn," Kieran says with a playful wink.

I can't help but laugh at how his words come out.

"It sounded like you called him your dolphin," I say through giggles.

Finn slaps a palm to his forehead and curses under his breath.

"You've done it, now," he says, shaking his head.

Kieran is smiling like a kid given candy for the first time.

"Oh my god!" He brings a fist to his lips and chokes back a laugh. "That's it Finnegan—your new nickname!"

Finn scrunches his face and drops his head until he's resting on the bar.

"Cheers, love. Thanks for that."

"My little dolphin!" Kieran says in a high-pitched voice that breaks into a howling laugh.

Finn raises his head up, smiling with his cheeks slightly reddened.

"My bad," I say with an apologetic smile. "If it makes you feel any better, there was a group of boys I went to middle school with that always called me Fox in Socks."

He snickers.

"Why Fox in Socks?"

"It's my last name."

"Your last name is Fox?" Kieran asks with a brow raised.

"Yeah, why? Not what you would've guessed?"

"Actually, I was gonna say it's a little on the nose. Was Babe already taken?"

I feel a blush creeping over my cheeks. I'm used to people calling me pretty, but something about the way Kieran says it makes my heart beat a little faster.

No. No. I'm not falling for his evil sex demon charms.

He's cute, but he's an asshole. And a demon. That's also a problem.

I'm not going to let myself catch feelings for yet another pretty bad boy who will try to ruin my life. That's not in the cards. The Demon King of Lust is not boyfriend material.

But he might be bang-in-the-back-of-a-bar material.

"I actually need to get going," Finn says, giving us both a nod. "Nice meeting you, have a good one."

He places a bill on the counter and walks off.

"Did I scare him off?" I ask.

"Pretty sure he was just trying to give you an opportunity to get me alone." He chuckles and I can't decide if it's hot or annoying.

Both. It's both.

"You're so full of yourself."

"Would you prefer to be full of me instead?"

Yes.

"No." I roll my eyes and scrunch my mouth to the side.

"Wouldn't want to make your boyfriend jealous."

"Subtle."

"Thanks. I thought so."

"I don't have a boyfriend." A smile creeps across his face. "And I don't want one."

His expression seems to fall slightly, but maybe I'm imagining it.

"You don't want a boyfriend? Why's that?"

"You can see how well my last relationship went. I think I'm done with the serious stuff."

He nods.

"Wanna stay for a drink? On the house? I make good cocktails."

I shrug.

"Sure, but no alcohol."

He nods.

"I remember."

He grabs bottles and pours the various liquids together in a way that is effortless and hypnotizing. After a minute, he slides me a bright pink drink in a tall glass.

It's tart and sweet, with a pineapple flavor and some other fruit that I can't quite figure out.

"It's really good, thank you."

"You're welcome." He leans against the bar. "So if you don't mind me asking, any reason in particular you can't drink?"

"I drink every once in a while, but I work most nights and I can't be hungover for work."

"What do you do?"

"I'm a stripper."

His eyes nearly bulge out of his head for a moment and I fight the urge to laugh.

"You're fucking with me."

"Nope. That's what I do. You'd be surprised what I can do in four-inch heels." I take another sip of my drink as I enjoy his stunned reaction.

"You had to put that visual in my mind at work?" he asks, looking almost pained.

A dark thought forms in the back of my mind.

This is exactly what he deserves for all his teasing.

I smirk, slipping off my jacket and resting it on the stool beside me. I'm planning on heading to the gym after this, so I'm wearing my workout clothes today—tight black leggings, a black sports bra, and a cropped sleeveless gray hoodie that shows off my cleavage.

Kieran draws his eyes over me, holding a fist up to his mouth and biting his knuckles.

"Now that's definitely not fair," he says.

"What?" I ask in a soft, feminine voice as I stir my drink with its straw. "Do you have a strong urge to do naughty things to me?"

He opens his mouth to speak, but a man down the bar calls for him. He scowls and shakes his head before heading to serve him. After a couple of minutes, he returns and smirks at me.

"You're trouble, aren't you, Red?"

I lean on my elbows, pushing my breasts together and resting them on the bar.

"Me?" I ask. "Trouble?"

His eyes bore into mine, looking darker and more intense by the second.

"Excuse me!" the other customer yells. "This drink is warm!"

Kieran lets his head fall back and sighs before walking back over. This time, he's more rushed and I can tell I'm having an effect on him. He comes back quickly and his eyes are jet black.

His tongue darts out to wet his lips as he looks me in the eyes.

"Go out with me tonight," he says, almost like an order rather than a question.

"I work tonight."

His eyes roll back and he groans. When he looks back at me, I pull my straw into my mouth and back out again. I let it rest on my tongue for a moment, never breaking eye contact.

A loud crash startles us both and I follow the sound behind me. A couple is making out on top of a broken wooden chair. Apparently smashing the chair to bits wasn't enough to put a damper on their good time. I scan the room and realize that several people have started kissing and pawing each other like someone spiked their drinks with viagra.

I turn back to Kieran, who seems equally confused by the situation.

"I think that..." he looks down at his chest and hands then looks back up. "That might be my fault."

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