To Jo's dismay it was Maksim who pulled away, and it took her a moment to realize that Erika was feigning a coughing fit to get their attention.
It worked for Maksim, while Jo had noticed nothing but him. She could feel her cheeks burning at how easily he got her to respond. But then, she wasn't denying that she was attracted to him. She just knew they wouldn't last. Not with the bombshell she was hiding.
"I think I will head downstairs. It sounds like the band is on break," Erika said. She smiled, although the stiff curve of her lips revealed she was uncomfortable.
"No," Jo said, her voice breathless, but still insistent, "please stay."
"I really think you two have some things you need to discuss."
"No, we don't," Jo said quickly.
"No, sweetheart, Erika's right," Maksim said, leaning forward so he could see Jo's face. "We do have a lot to discuss."
Jo opened her mouth to argue, because her gut told her she didn't want to be alone with this man. Not in the strange mood he was in. But then she realized she had to talk about it. She needed to understand why the hell he was doing this.
"Yeah, you're right."
Jo nodded, letting Erika know silently that she would be fine. Whatever Maksim was, he wasn't dangerous. Well, not to anything but her heart. Which just seemed so crazy, given her initial opinion of him and the short time she'd known him.
"Okay," Erika said, "I'll be right downstairs near the stage, if you need me."
"Thanks," Jo said.
Erika gave her one more searching look, then headed down the length of the bar to the stairs.
As soon as she was gone, Jo tried to pull away from Maksim, but he kept her firmly positioned between his legs.
"Let me go," she gritted out.
"In a minute." Maksim's lips nibbled the side of her neck. His lips were warm and wonderful, just the right amount of pressure, the right amount of nips and suction.
Her knees threatened to give out as she lost herself to the sensation.
But it was his fingers brushing gently over her belly that managed to snap her thoughts back to what was she had to do. And it wasn't leaning back against his solid, broad chest, letting him make love to her.
She yanked away, turning to face him, making sure their bodies weren't touching in any way.
"Maksim, why are you doing this?"
CHAPTER 23
"Doing what?" Not his snappiest of comebacks, but the taste and scent of Jo had him more unnerved, more aroused than he'd like to admit.
"Why are you acting like we are a couple?"
Maksim might be a little mush-brained at the moment, but not enough so that he was going to answer that one honestly. He'd been acting the way he was because he'd been blind, raging jealous.
He hadn't initially recognized the emotion, because frankly he hadn't ever felt it before, and really he didn't understand what he was feeling until he was already heading down the bar toward Jo and the drunk, dullard college boy.
And when the dumbass had asked her if she had a boyfriend, he just knew he couldn't hear her say no. He just couldn't.
Boyfriend? Were demons ever anyone's boyfriend? That seemed oddly incongruent. But in that moment, Maksim was damned well going to be her boyfriend.
"Maksim, didn't this morning make things pretty clear?"
Hell, no. Nothing had been clear this morning. Her words, her stance, her reaction had all been as confusing as hell. And believe you me, he knew how confusing Hell was.
"I don't think we really agreed on anything," he said.
Jo stared at him as if he'd lost his mind.
"We agreed that things were too complicated. That the idea of just—" she dropped her voice, "having sex is not going to work out."
"I don't recall agreeing to any of that. I remember you saying that you thought things were too complicated, and when I asked why, you didn't answer."
She didn't answer for a moment again, and he had no doubt she was replaying the events of the morning in her mind.
Finally she sighed. "Well, that's the reason. Having sex isn't going to work out for me."
"Why?"
Jo shook her head, then fiddled with a nick in the bar's glossily shellacked wood. "It just isn't."
"Because the sex isn't working for you, physically?"
She didn't answer, but just continued to finger the deep scratch.
"Because it sure seemed to be working for you last night."
Jo eyes snapped back to him. "That isn't the point."
"What is the point?" Maksim really did want to understand. He wanted her to say something, though he couldn't say exactly what the something was.
"I just think it's going to become too difficult. These things never really work out. Someone ends up getting hurt."
"Are you afraid I'm going to get hurt? Or you?" Maksim's first thought was to tell her that he'd never hurt her, but he held his tongue. Why would he tell her that? He couldn't keep a promise like that. He wasn't exactly a gallant knight who'd swoop in on his white charger and carry her off to safety and love.
He didn't know how to love. Demons weren't created with that particular ability. Coveting, lust, desire, craving, even obsession—those were all things that demons could disguise as love. But they never, never cared for some other soul more than their own damned ones.
Jo didn't answer, and he wasn't surprised. She didn't easily let down her guard.
"Josephine, I won't ever hurt you."
He heard the words as if someone else had control of his body, as if he hadn't just told himself that he couldn't promise her anything akin to security or devotion.
Jo didn't react. She clearly didn't recognize what a huge pledge that was. Maybe if she knew what he was, she'd understand. But that was the trick, wasn't it?
Telling someone you care about you're a demon was bound to hurt them.
"You know," Jo smoothed her hands down the skirt of her jumper, "I have to go."
He frowned. He had just told this woman more than he'd ever told anyone, and she was leaving.
"We haven't resolved this," he said.
"I've told you already, I can't do this."
"Jo." He started to reach out for her, but she shifted out of his grasp.
"No," she said to him. "No."
She was clearly upset, but he didn't know why. Out of instinct, he poised on the edge of her brain, ready to jump in, tired of not having a clue what motivated this woman. But he stopped.
He told her he wouldn't hurt her.
He rose from his stool and followed her, catching her arm in just a few steps.
"Jo, I think you are making a mistake. I think we have something pretty special starting here."
Jo stared at him, the heartbroken look she'd seen so many times darkening her eyes to nearly black in the dimly lit room.
"Maksim, I just can't."
She extricated her arm from his hold and turned to walk down the length of the room. Maksim watched her, having no idea what to do or say to make her stop. To change her mind.
He didn't want to hurt her. But letting this all go wasn't an option. Without further thought, he jumped. He jumped right inside her mind.
Jo hesitated at the doorway into the stairwell. She gripped for the doorframe, overcome by a fullness in her head, like her brain was chock-full. She remained still unwilling to move, not because her head ached. It didn't hurt, exactly—it just felt heavy and she couldn't seem to think clearly. Thoughts came, but not in any consistent order.
She blinked. Then blinked again. Gradually the feeling dissipated. She had no idea how long it had taken for the strange episode to pass, but she was relieved that her thoughts seemed to be coming back to order. Her head felt normal, no longer crowded.
Using the wall for balance, even though she didn't think she wasn't going to pass out or anything, she entered the stairwell and started down the stairs.