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She swayed a bit more and stared at him with a blank expression. “Jack? From Titanic? He would have totally fit if Rose had just scooted a bit! Or they could have taken turns! There was no need for him to freeze to death!”
“Wait—Titanic? The movie?” He’d never seen it, but even for someone coming out of a decades-long prison stay, there was no way around pop culture without hearing about it.
“Well, yeah.”
He choked back a chuckle and hung his head for a moment, still holding her by her upper arms. “Hazel,” he then pressed out, trying hard not to laugh, “did you just start a fucking club fight over the death of a fictional character?”
She made a sound suspiciously close to a suppressed giggle. “I did, didn’t I?”
He couldn’t help it anymore. He succumbed to laughter, resting his forehead on her shoulder. “Of all the things to get kicked out of a club for…”
“I think you’re a bad influence on me,” she said between giggles.
“Now hold on.” He straightened and slung his arm around her shoulders as they started walking. “I have never been thrown out of an establishment before. That was all you.”
“Because you’ve corrupted me.” She sounded entirely smug, and not at all like she was lamenting the corruption.
“Admit it—you like it.”
Her voice was all warm honey when she purred, “I like you.”
He almost missed a step. With an effort, he made sure his tone was casual as he asked, “Oh yeah? How much?”
“You know…” She pursed her lips, looking ahead. “I think you’re my favorite demon.”
Something did a somersault in his chest. “Is that so? What about Lily?”
Her brows drew together. “Favorite male demon,” she amended.
“Basil will be heartbroken to hear that.”
“Huh?” She blinked up at him in drunken confusion.
“Basil’s a demon,” he explained with saint-like patience, hiding his grin.
“Pfft.” She waved a hand in front of her face as if to chase away a fly. “He’s only half. But you.” She poked him in the chest, right where his stupid bloody heart was aching something fierce. “You’re full.”
“Of shit?”
She snickered. “You’re so funny.”
It was scary how much joy that revelation brought him. Also, Drunk Hazel was a treasure trove of crucial information. Was it unethical to take advantage of her alcohol-induced honesty? Probably. Was he still going to exploit it for all it was worth? Abso-fucking-lutely.
He was a demon, after all.
“So, you like my crude sense of humor.” He leaned down and purred in her ear, “What else do you like about me?”
She shivered and made a small sound of pleasure at the way he nuzzled her. “You’re fiercely loyal to your own. You’re smart. You do what you want, and you only follow rules when they make sense to you. You like to pretend like you don’t care, but deep down”—she sloppily tapped his chest with her hand—“you care a whole lot about those you’ve claimed as yours.”
Well, fuck me. He’d had no idea she’d paid that close attention to him, or seen through his shit that easily.
“Basil is so lucky to have found you,” she continued blithely, and his heart skipped a beat. “You’re a great dad to him.”
She was killing him here.
“He’s always craved to have this kind of paternal attention and love, and Robert…” She tsked, her face a grimace. “Basil deserved better. I wish I—” She broke off, shaking her head. “He’s got you now, though. And it’s so good for him. With both you and Isa in his life now…I’ve never seen him this happy.”
He hadn’t known until now how his heart could feel both pain and bliss at the same time.
