What's a Sunday without some Deckerstar fluff n stuff? Hope you enjoy. ;)
Thanks for reading!
-adcg3
Wrap Me in Your Wings – Chapter 23
Lucifer awoke the next morning to the sound of his phone chiming. When he opened his eyes for about the 10th time over the past 6 hours that he had tried to sleep, he was met with the faces of Chloe and Trixie in the picture, next to the ring box, beside his smartphone.
He tapped on the screen while laying back on his pillow and smiled. Good morning her text began. What time should I be ready to go this afternoon? Debating taking the afternoon off…
Good. She was his for the weekend. That helped him breathe at least one sigh of relief. He was going to assume the urchin hadn't spilled the beans about his proposal. Or else the detective was keeping quiet about it for the moment.
His phone chimed again. Are we staying here? … Or at Lux? … Or are we going somewhere?
Before he could answer any of her questions the phone sounded a third time. What time should I have Dan drop Trixie off on Sunday?
Lucifer wasn't sure if she was prodding him, or if she was excited about the weekend.
He finally typed. Good morning, My Love. Did you sleep well? I've barely slept without you with me.
A half hour away, Chloe smiled. Good, he was up. So, no orgy at Lux last night?
Lucifer scoffed. Did she really think that's why he wasn't with her? He stared at her message for a moment. There was a followup message coming in as he started to type a simple, 'no'.
I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. There's just a little part of me that wondered, because I missed you too. I don't want to think of you with anyone else now.
Ah, jealousy. That made the devil smile and helped him understand her message. In actuality, he could hear her asking him that question with sarcasm dripping from her voice. Now, he felt that sarcasm would be laced with the color green…
That made it much easier to answer her. I'm yours, Detective, if you'll have me. I told you, I just need to wrap my head around my father's instructions. I truly did sleep alone last night – I won't lie to you – and I didn't like it. Seems I've already grown accustomed to having you in my arms.
Chloe found herself smiling. It was her intention to wake him up when she texted her first message. She was nervous but excited about spending the weekend with him, alone. And, truth be known, she had wondered about him possibly needing to expend some of his additional sexual energy on someone besides her.
She hadn't had the heart to ask him about it last night because she knew he wouldn't lie to her – and frankly she didn't want to know the answer.
Her phone buzzed in her hands as she let those thoughts roll through her head.
As for your earlier questions… Lucifer's message instructed, Take care of work. I know you've missed a bit recently on my account. Can't have your new lieutenant angry with me before we've even met. I assume I still have my consultant status. I don't want to give that up. I'll be back eventually. Will need to keep my eye on you even closer now.
Chloe bit on her lip. Was he jealous? That idea made her smile. Going to work wasn't at the top of her list. She really had debated taking the day off…again. But he was right. She'd better get in and figure out her case load once more. Especially if Lucifer was going to return to consulting, she'd better be ready to bring her A game.
His next message interrupted the work thought pulling her backwards immediately. I'll meet you at the apartment this evening. We will make a trip to the same place I brought the urchin yesterday. Not far away, but far enough.
Chloe was excited for that. If he had shown Trixie his house, she wanted to see it too. And she wanted to know what he meant when he told her daughter that the house could be 'ours'. That idea still made her a bit nervous, but somehow it also made her feel a bit more settled.
Oh, and tell Daniel that we will pick Beatrix up on our way back to the apartment on Sunday – unless you choose to come back earlier.
Well that made Chloe wonder a little bit more. Although, she thought, that was quite like Lucifer. If something didn't go her way, or his, she had the option of coming back home. After all, this would be the first time they had really spent time together…alone.
Whew.
Sounds great! She texted back to him, again with a smiley face emoji, and a heart that she added just because. So I'll see you after work, here. I can't wait to see the house.
Lucifer smiled and sat up on the side of the bed. So the urchin had told her where they had visited. That wasn't necessarily part of their deal, so he would let that slide. He stood up and walked to the sliding glass doors that looked out over the back yard from the master bedroom. The pool was in full view from his vantage point.
He had two images popping into his brain as he looked at the clear blue water, the slide, the diving board, the pool toys and the hot tub in the expansive fenced back yard.
The first was a group of girls enjoying a pool party. He laughed to himself at that one because the girls were pre-teens, splashing around, doing absolutely nothing for his libido. But, of course, one of those girls was his…daughter…and she was happy.
The second did affect the lower part of his body putting him into a bit of a trance. His detective, wearing the neon yellow bikini he had bought for her a couple of years ago, with him in that pool, taking complete advantage of their privacy and enjoying time together.
Lucifer closed his eyes and thought about the scant material on her body…and how he wanted to take the scant material off her body…
When he opened his eyes again he looked toward Heaven and shrugged his shoulders. Was it wrong to imagine Chloe like that? Surely it wasn't wrong to imagine enjoying time with…his wife.
His body froze momentarily. Never had he thought of such things. Marriage, a wife, a… a child in his life?
His mouth was dry and he blinked his eyes as he again looked out at the pool. He thought about Amenadiel's question. Was he considering God's option because he wanted to be with Chloe? Or was he considering it just to stay out of Hell?
Lucifer looked back at their messages and he went back to sit down on the side of the bed. He picked up the picture of the mother and daughter and looked at the ring on the small table. His devilish nature wasn't going to just disappear. Chloe knew that. He wasn't going to change every part of himself to be some sort of priestly human being…that would never be him.
And Chloe didn't fall in love with a perfect man. She fell in love with him, the devil who fell for her first. She was what he had missed in Hell. She was the reason he wanted to return. Chloe Decker was already in his heart and he didn't want to lose that feeling, her love.
He smiled and ran his finger over the picture of her face. So, was he thinking of himself as he considered God's plan? Yes. But he wasn't only thinking of himself. He was also considering Chloe and Beatrix. He sighed.
It was time to move past that thought and onto the next dilemma. Exactly what was he going to say to Chloe to convince her to marry him? Would 'Will you marry me?' be enough? Lucifer laughed at himself. Of course that wouldn't be enough, not from him. But, he wondered, what if those were the only words he could get to come out of his mouth?
He raised his eyebrows in thought. That was a definite possibility.
He realized, perhaps he hadn't responded to Chloe's last text, so he looked at her words once more before typing. So the urchin told you where I brought her. Duly noted. I'm looking forward to sharing it with you as well, Detective. I'll see you later today.
There was a double, maybe even triple, meaning in his words about sharing with her. It didn't matter to him if she picked up on any part of it, however, except that he was looking forward to seeing her.
I love you. He quickly typed the additional line and sent it. And, he smiled widely when he received the exact same line in her response.
He grabbed a pen and paper from the drawer of the bedside table to make a list of what he needed to do to prepare for the rest of this day. He knew, if he just walked down to the kitchen, he could look at the list he made last night. It was likely almost identical to the one he had left at Lux, and the one that kept spinning inside his mind.
Just as he put the pen to the paper his phone buzzed again. At the same time he saw the dark fluttering near the sliding door.
He chose to open the door to the outside first and held his hand up as the butterfly landed on it and practically smacked his knuckles with its wings trying to relax and rest itself. Lucifer watched until Diablo got his balance.
"I know, I'm sorry. I said Beatrix would be here today but I brought her yesterday. I'm anxious, what can I say?" he spoke and the creature again moved its wings and Lucifer rolled his eyes.
He moved back to the bed and let Diablo move to the open ring box where the creature seemed to be more comfortable. "Well of course you'd be drawn to the glittering, wouldn't you? The urchin seems to like the ring. I take it you do as well? Don't complain to me if you don't. The ring isn't my design." He attempted to sound put-out, but the butterfly seemed content and unaffected by his words.
"You're right," Lucifer shook his head and looked upward toward his father's location, "it's more beautiful than I could've imagined. It's simple and elegant, just as the detective is. I hope I get the opportunity to tell her the story behind it."
Diablo's antennae curled and uncurled against the satin in the box. Lucifer took that as a good sign.
Then, the creature froze in place. Lucifer took that second to look down at his phone and noticed that the last message to come through wasn't from Chloe, but was from the urchin.
Good morning, Lucifer. Good luck today. I wish I could be there when you propose, but I know you and mom need time by yourself. She loves you and I know this is what she desires.
Lucifer read the note twice and then realized why Diablo's large wings weren't moving. "You're posing aren't you? Fine, here…" he held his phone up and snapped a picture of the butterfly sitting on the ring box.
He had to smile as he sent the picture in response to Trixie's text.
Look who showed up this morning, Urchin. I'm taking this as a good sign. Thank you for having dinner with me last night. I hope there will be many more.
With that, the devil took a deep breath, made up the bed as perfectly as he possibly could, looked around the room for no reason whatsoever and then headed toward the shower. It was time to get started on that list.
*****WMiYW*****
Lucifer opened the door of the apartment still mentally checking things off his list. He had gotten the groceries for dinner, fresh flowers were already in a vase and on the table at the house and in other strategic locations… He had prepped all that he could with plans to get the meal started as soon as they got back to the Canyon.
He had sent text messages to Linda, Maze, Ella and yes, even the Douche to let them know that he and Chloe would be incommunicado throughout the weekend. But he would check his texts – and if there was an emergency, he would answer a call from the Urchin's phone.
And, of course, if plans changed, he or the detective would contact them. Well, he didn't put that into a text. That was just a pessimistic thought that he had to keep pushing to the back of his mind.
Ella had responded to him immediately. Bout damn time you said 'hello' you devil. What are you up to? Don't screw it up, Mister. Chloe is pretty excited about this weekend.
Lucifer smiled. That was actually really good to hear. I'm trying not to. Thank you Miss Lopez. He answered back.
Now… the reason he was here, besides the fact that he was anxious to see the woman he loved… he recalled seeing her suitcase in the closet. So he took his jacket off, tossed it on the back of the couch, and noticed his journal sitting on the end table…with several folded sheets of notebook paper sticking out of it.
Curious.
He picked up the book, pulled out the papers, being careful to mark the page with his fingertip for a moment, and unfolded the papers with his other hand.
My Dearest Lucifer,
…
Bloody Hell…
Lucifer didn't read another word. Instead he refolded the papers and put them back into the book.
This would make him rush the packing that he planned to do before Chloe got home. Instead of wandering around her bedroom, much as she had wandered around his at Lux, he would still try to carefully pick out clothes for her for the weekend and stuff them into her overnight bag and then come back to read.
He sucked in a deep breath. Was she really writing to him? Maybe she was just writing down her thoughts. Or, maybe she was writing one of those 'Dear John' letters that he had read about. But why would she do that if she was excited about this weekend?
Lucifer closed his eyes for a minute, took a deep breath and then headed up the stairs. Good Lord, he needed a whopping dose of his detective. Perhaps he should've told her to take off the afternoon so they could get things started sooner…so they could get this over with, sooner.
He laughed at himself. "I'm Lucifer Bloody Morningstar. Why am I nervous about this? Never in my life has a woman made me nervous. Well, I suppose Eve made me nervous but that was because I knew she was giving Chloe the wrong idea about me. Perhaps Candy made me nervous…well, she knew I was using her to throw the detective off track. And Mum made me nervous because…well, for God's sake, she's the Goddess of the Universe. I'd bloody better be nervous around my mother."
Lucifer talked to himself as he walked into the bedroom. He stopped in the middle of the doorway and shook his head. "I'm fucked." He laughed at himself and finally let out a chortle from his chest. He looked up toward Heaven and continued chuckling at his own expense. "I am already so addicted to her that I'm nervous as hell and I can't think straight. Is love a punishment, Father? I'm amazed you've saved me from this one all these years. I think I understand what you did to Eve and Adam at the beginning of humanity. I opened their eyes to pleasure, but you opened their eyes to a world of love that could be Heaven and Hell all wrapped into one. Bloody brilliant. Absolutely, bloody, tortuously brilliant."
He stopped. The high he was feeling came down just a bit when he noticed a little bit of that hell that he had just mentioned. Another picture in Chloe's bedroom was one of her with Beatrix, and with Dan. The urchin looked quite young and was perched happily in her father's arms with Chloe leaning against them both and placing a kiss on Beatrix's cheek. It was obviously a happy family moment.
The devil wasn't sure why that bothered him, other than the fact that he wasn't part of it. But how could he be? He didn't even know the detective at that point of her life. There was no reason for him to be upset by this picture, but he was…at least a little bit.
And then he had another thought. He wanted to make Chloe happy for many years to come. Had he been in her life then, perhaps there wouldn't be an urchin. Perhaps Chloe's life would be much different. Now, he was here. Yes, the douche would always be a part of their lives, but now it was Lucifer's turn to create moments with Chloe and with Beatrix. He let out a quiet, long sigh.
Yes, now it was his turn.
And because of that he spent the next half hour choosing a few clothes for her to wear over the weekend and folding them neatly as he packed her small suitcase. He found her lingerie drawer and smiled a bit wickedly when he discovered a couple of lacy items buried at the bottom. He even bit on his bottom lip quite firmly when he found a miniature bullet vibrator tucked beneath some of that lace.
"Why, Detective, what's this?" He felt his eyes flicker with a hint of his devilishness. Lucifer stopped and looked around. What was that?! He had never known his devil eyes to flare outside of anger. Perhaps Chloe's carnal desires were going to have another unexpected effect on him. His nose twitched as he tucked the little battery-powered device back in its place under the black lace thong.
He would need to tuck this knowledge away to use at an appropriate time - probably not this weekend. But he knew there had to be some hint of a naughty side to his detective. After all, she had offered the world a lovely view of her breasts in a hit movie…
Damn it, now he had an intense urge to rewatch Hot Tub High School.
He stood up a little straighter and looked around the room aimlessly. He stretched his neck as he settled himself with further thoughts… He didn't need to watch the movie. He had seen that glorious body in the flesh and had enjoyed those breasts delightfully. And, he hoped to give them and her entire body as much attention as she would allow…
Lucifer turned away from the dresser back to packing her clothes where he decided to include a couple of sensible bras and her normal undergarments. He didn't include one of his shirts for her to sleep in. She could pick one that he already had hanging in the master bedroom closet at the house. Or, if they fell asleep naked next to each other again he wasn't opposed to that.
Or…he somewhat hoped he could talk her into wearing one of the lovely nightgowns he had picked out specifically for her. He was surprised at his show of modesty in the options he had chosen. The midnight blue gown should fall just below her knees. It had spaghetti straps and a 'v' cut that should offer him a tempting hint of her cleavage. The rose colored negligee was shorter with a deeper neckline and lace in strategic places. And the black one was floor-length but he had already imagined pulling those thin straps off her shoulders and practically peeling the silk material off of her body.
The lady at the Beverly Hills lingerie boutique wasn't surprised that Lucifer knew what he wanted. She was impressed that he knew the sizes and colors of the garments and was determined to have them wrapped in lovely boxes, ready for him to take out the door in less than 15 minutes.
He was a determined devil, after all, with a to-do list and a plan.
He double checked what he had put into her bag then clicked his fingers. He wandered into the bathroom and looked around for her toiletry bag. He found the small leather bag in the bottom drawer of her sink. He unzipped it, saw the toothbrush and toothpaste inside along with a spare hairbrush and hair ties. Travel sized containers of hair products and deodorant were tucked in the side. And, in the front pocket…panty liners and…condoms.
Lucifer looked up into the bathroom mirror, noticed himself blushing almost like a school boy, and was slightly short of breath. He glanced down into the drawer again and noticed the box that the condoms came out of. He knew he was being nosy, but he quickly grabbed it and counted… six unopened in the box… six in her bag… according to the box there should be 12 total.
He let out a sigh he didn't realize he was holding. Then he again laughed at himself. Of course they were all there at this point. It appeared to be a brand new box. And of course she would think about birth control. But when had she thought about birth control? They hadn't used any yet…
That would be another discussion they would need to have. In all his time on earth, with the many sexual partners he had had, condoms were rarely used for birth control. Not that he was sterile, by any means…but Lucifer was quite sure his celestial being wasn't going to impregnate anyone. God knew the idea of him fathering a child was pretty absurd and quite unfair to both a mother and baby.
His mind wandered away from that thought and he grinned again… Six condoms in her bag? "I'll take that as a sign of your expectations, Detective. Happy engagement weekend to us…I hope!"
Lucifer looked back into the mirror. He had gone through her closet, her lingerie drawer and her bathroom cabinet. While he was quite sure she had done the same when she stayed at Lux, he realized this was a bit stalker'ish.
He finally got his mind back in order, coming down off his sleuthing-the-detective high. And so he placed her toiletry bag into the suitcase, closed it and zipped it securely then took the travel accessory downstairs and sat it by the door.
He put his hand in his pocket and made sure the ring box was secure. No, he didn't leave it at the house. With it in his pocket, Lucifer was reminded of his goal for this particular day. He still hadn't come up with the words he truly wanted to express to Chloe when proposing to her. But with every second he was more sure that he did want to marry her, with all his heart.
The devil poured himself a glass of bourbon. And, much like Chloe had done many times, he sat down on the couch, made himself comfortable and put the journal into his lap. He pulled the notebook paper out again and unfolded it.
Surely he was meant to read what she had written. After all, she addressed it to him.
*****WMiYW*****
My Dearest Lucifer,
First and foremost, I love you. I need you to know that and I believe that you do know that now, in your heart.
Besides that, I'm not sure where to begin. I am so overwhelmed by feelings right now that it's hard to put them into words. You came into my life a few years ago and since then my world has been crazy, chaos, topsy turvy, I've been riding highs and lows that I don't even know how to explain to anyone.
And I wouldn't change it for the world.
I know now that you haven't ever lied to me. Blurred lines, mis-directions, bluffs… yes, I could list numerous ones. But you've never flat-out lied to me and that's admirable.
Considering you know that I have lied to your face at least once – in a time that desperately mattered to both of us – I want to apologize. You know why. And I know how much that lie hurt you on the deepest level. So from the bottom of my heart, I apologize. The last thing I ever want to do is hurt you.
Can we go back a bit? I have a tough time staying on track, you'll see, because when I think of you and I think of what I've read in your journals and what you've meant in my life – so far – I apparently can't get my thoughts in order. So if you'll indulge me, let me go back and share with you some of my feelings throughout our partnership.
Our First Case…
When Delilah was murdered I honestly first wondered if it was you behind the murder-for-hire. It's true. When the case first came about and they told me it was a hired gun, gone bad, I wondered if your own thug had turned on you.
I knew of Delilah and I knew the press would have a field day with the case. And I knew, after all the bad publicity I was getting over the Palmetto case, I needed to nail this one. Dan claimed it was an open and shut case from them get-go. I hoped he was right, but after meeting you…after that first meeting, I knew there was much more to it.
When I got to Lux, I started asking questions and found you sitting at your piano. Not a scratch on you and you sat there all smug and full of yourself, and doing all you could to come onto me. My mind changed a little bit, but I still went home wondering if somehow your attitude had cost Delilah her life.
But somewhere along the way I asked you why she mattered to you. You let your guard down. You told me the truth – you wondered if perhaps meddling in her life had cost her her life – and I could see that thought really did affect you. You really didn't want the woman to be dead, you had simply wanted what was best for her.
A small piece of me wondered how many people really get to see that other side of Lucifer Morningstar, the bad-boy club owner.
Now let's also add into that mix our delightful conversation the one time I had you in the back seat of my cruiser. Stop there… the one time you RODE in the back of my cruiser. Don't let your mind wander to my surprise that you Houdini'd your way out of handcuffs. I was NOT impressed by that, by the way. I was pissed at the very least. ;)
But in that conversation you told me I was smart. You told me to trust my instincts and myself. That has stuck with me, even till now. It was something I feel my dad would've told me – actually he did tell me that in my teens, when I was trying to decide if I really wanted to be an actress or not.
So when you said that to me, it brought back a piece of him. I don't know that anyone else has ever told me that. Thank you – thank you for believing in me.
And, on that same drive you met Trixie for the first time. Yes, my daughter was sent to the principal's office at age 7. Yes, she physically attacked another child. But in Trix's defense, the other girl was a bully. And I do believe your urchin told you that when you sat down next to her on the bench while I was in the office. If I recall correctly, Trixie said you asked her what happened.
I have no doubt you put the terror of God – well, maybe the terror of Satan – into that bully. That's why she screamed.
The next day, Trixie told me the girl apologized to her and to several other kids in the class. She even got up in front of the class and apologized to the teacher. She was never a problem again. And, Trixie said the girl asked her if you were the devil. Trixie told the girl your name was Lucifer Morningstar… and the girl responded by saying "Your dad's the devil?"
I'm pretty sure your little Miss Beatrix didn't correct the bully.
And can I just say, between our cruiser conversation and your first interaction with my daughter, you had a piece of my heart already.
That doesn't even get us to me being shot. And Lucifer, I will admit, my life has been threatened more times in the past four years… Is that because of you? Or is it because I'm willing to take more risks? I mean, what the Hell?
You realize now, if something does happen to me, you are part of Trixie's life, you can't abandon her. This running away habit of yours is one that will hafta change. I just need to put that out there for you to consider…
Lucifer had to stop reading for a moment. His eyes focused on the empty space in front of him. If something happened to Chloe, and if they were married, Trixie would still be part of his life. He glanced upward, wondering if his father had considered that.
He put his hand down on his pocket, making sure the ring box was still in place. "You know, I'm going to think positively about this. You've changed your mind about allowing me to find love…or something along those lines. You've given me a resource to properly ask Chloe to be my wife. Which means, the child is also to be in my life. Beatrix has given me her blessing as well. So if I'm meant to be in their lives, Father, I'm in. For the long haul, I'm in."
*****WMiYW*****
Lucifer skipped to the back side of the first page knowing he would be reading all of this several times. On this first time through, though, he was looking for highlights and hoping to get a sense of any particular message that Chloe was trying to give him.
Do you want to know when I think I first knew I loved you? (Yes, I learned to tolerate you and I even LIKED you I will now admit. But loving you was something that I didn't want to accept.)
The day that you sat in the courtroom with me and Mom, for Perry Smith's trial, I was grateful to have you there. You were a distraction from the stress I was feeling that morning and then when you were called as a witness and you put on your 'show' for the jury I truly felt that you were there supporting me. Not 'me' the detective, but me, Chloe Decker. That meant a lot, Lucifer.
You told the jury that I was truly good and that the police department was better off because I was part of it. How do you say 'thank you' when someone expresses that, under oath?
When Charlotte approached me and wanted me to call you a liar, I considered it. Please don't think badly of me, I thought about what she was offering. But when I took that stand, I knew I couldn't do that to you. As I spoke of you being truthful, and how much it means to have you as my partner, part of me was thinking of you as more than a friend.
You aren't just a coworker to me. You jumped beyond that quite easily. On that stand, I realized that my heart was beating more strongly because the words I was sharing were about a man that I cared for, a man who cared about me. That's when I realized that I was quite possibly in love with you.
*****WMiYW*****
Lucifer thought about that trial. He hadn't gone to Chloe's home that morning because of the trial. In all truthfulness, he was not even aware that the murderer's trial was supposed to begin that day. But he had to admit, the moment it was brought to his attention, his focus changed. Why? Because he knew what it meant to Chloe and he was determined to show his support for both her and Penelope.
He had noted her voice shaking and the thought she put into her words when she was on the stand. She looked him in the eye as she spoke of what he meant to her, on the job, and her emphasis that he did not lie. That affected the case, it affected her, and yet she didn't give in to Charlotte's suggestion. She opposed it strongly, on the stand.
*****WMiYW*****
Marcus Pierce. Lucifer read on down the page and the emotions that she was spelling out for him. The name of his nemesis, the man that he had killed, made him pause. This was also the man that Chloe almost married.
Lucifer, I'm still very confused about this man. You called him Cain. You and he had some kind of animosity and yet partnership of some sort that I think I need to understand. Why were you willing to let me marry him? Those months, when he was in our lives, Lucifer they were some of the most confusing in my life.
I wasn't in love with him. I was in love with you. You couldn't show me your devil face, for whatever reason, I realize that now. But because of that I just couldn't understand who you were, and why you wouldn't let me in.
I think I said 'yes' to Marcus's proposal because he was the first man, in quite a while, who seemed interested in me…for me. Yes you were there, you were in my life… But you, your lifestyle, open to being with anyone and everyone, even after expressing an interest in me – I think - it made me uncomfortable and I just couldn't understand why you wouldn't… Why wouldn't you just choose me?
*****WMiYW*****
Lucifer laughed. He looked up from the journal and gave one loud guffaw that echoed through the apartment.
At the same time, the door opened and Chloe smiled as she walked in and saw him sitting there on the couch.
"What's so funny?" she noticed her suitcase by the door but was more than thrilled when Lucifer stood from the couch, came to her and wrapped her in his arms.
He lifted her off the ground and hugged her in his embrace and spoke against her ear, "You wanted me to choose you…"
Chloe chuckled, not completely understanding.
When he put her feet back on the ground, Lucifer put his hands on her cheeks and pressed his lips to hers, a simple kiss that he easily held much longer than a simple 'hello'.
"I missed you," he sighed as he pulled away from her and looked into her eyes.
"I missed you, too," Chloe grinned shyly and tiptoed up to grab another quick kiss before he took her by the hand and they sat down on the couch.
She found herself tossing her work bag on the floor and kicking off her shoes next to it.
"So what's funny?" She asked again and Lucifer picked up the pages he was reading.
"In the whole mess with Cain, er, Marcus… you wanted me to choose you," he smiled at her and Chloe shook her head.
"That wasn't meant to be funny. I…I wanted you to choose me over your orgy-every-night lifestyle. I wanted you to make a choice, but you were practically pushing me toward…"
"No.. Wait," Lucifer put a fingertip over her lips. "I want to read your words. That's as far as I've gotten and I want to read what you've written. We will talk about it… but here's why it's funny..."
He took the quick opportunity to lean forward and kiss her lips again. "I can do that now whenever I want to, right?"
Chloe huffed, wanting an answer to her question and yet quite thrilled that he was taking advantage of any opportunity to kiss her. "Mmm-hmm," she answered.
"At the same time that you were wanting me to choose you, I wanted you to choose me," Lucifer pulled away from her only an inch and then used the tip of his middle finger to push a strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.
"What d'ya mean?" Chloe stayed still, enjoying the feel of his touch.
"The whole fiasco with the dinner, the car, me trying to out-do Pierce… I went to Linda asking her why you were still going to him when I had so much more to offer you… She made me realize that I wanted you to choose me over him. I wanted you to choose me," he smiled at her and thought back to that trying time.
"I was trying to encourage you to share your feelings with me. I needed to know that you cared for me," Lucifer explained. "And I realize now – well, Linda helped me realize then, that all I should've done was tell you how I felt about you. If I had just told you then that I was falling in love with you…"
Chloe smiled at him and nodded quietly. "But," she began, "I broke off my engagement to Pierce and you still didn't tell me how you felt. Ella helped me realize that I said 'yes' to his proposal because I was trying to force your hand. And then I also realized that I couldn't marry him because of my feelings for you. Even if you didn't feel the same way about me…there was just… I… I just couldn't marry him."
They both sat and looked at each other for a minute or so, letting the thoughts sink in. They had been on the same path apparently, but had decided to take different winding routes to finally reach this destination.
In the next moment they realized that they hadn't seen each other in over 24 hours. Suddenly they both felt like teenagers who had the house to themselves.
Chloe found herself taking the papers from Lucifer's hand and tossing them onto the table along with his journal. She felt his lips on her neck as she reached over top of him and giggled when his tongue tasted her pulse point. That simply pushed her to bring their lips together to begin a makeout session that both deemed 'well deserved.'
It wasn't until Chloe's leg began inching its way over Lucifer's lap and pressed the ring box against his thigh that he finally pulled away. How had she taken the upper hand when the last thing he remembered was feeling her up, pressed into the corner of the cushions, while she was unbuttoning his shirt…
"Stop," his order was breathy and one that she didn't follow immediately. Her fingers ran through his scruff, outlined his cheekbones and then trickled down to his chest where she began massaging his pecs and then followed the same trail with kisses.
"Detective," he breathed out again and yet found absolutely no way to deter her because he was enjoying it far too much.
"Hmmm?" she hummed as her lips trailed along his neck.
"Not yet," he felt her knee graze against his erection and groaned.
Chloe pulled away and looked at him, nibbling on her lower lip and pulling a portion of it into her mouth.
"You aren't enjoying?" she asked with a very coy look.
Lucifer practically snarled at her. "You know better than that," he groaned again as her hand cupped his hardness to remind him of what he was turning down.
He breathed in deeply, begrudgingly reached down and moved her hand away from his length – which left an unwelcome strain behind his zipper – and leaned himself away from her just enough to look into her eyes.
"I have a plan, Detective, at least for this evening. To prove that my mind is not constantly on sex when I'm around you – okay, I can't lie, that is quite obviously at the top of my list when you're near me- but that I can take things slowly…"
Chloe grinned and caught her breath as she listened to him. "So now you want to romance me, Mr. Morningstar?"
Lucifer smiled. "Yes, and it's for a far better reason than to show up Cain…or the Douche,"
Chloe furrowed her eyes, "You don't need to show up either one of them. I just need you to be you and to let me in," she smiled.
Lucifer took in a long breath and pushed it out slowly as he understood her words.
"Although," Chloe put her hands back on his chest and let her short nails graze over his skin as she watched them, "We are finally alone. We could…start here…and then you could romance me all the way out to the Canyon…"
"Detective!" Lucifer somehow choked out. His nostrils flared as she pouted and he truly thought about giving in to her desires. "If we start here, we aren't going to get to the Canyon. And don't you want to see the house? Don't you want to see me in my cute apron fixing chateaubriand and serving you wine?"
Chloe smiled. This was something he needed to do apparently. As much as she wanted to finish undressing him and make up for last night's lost time, she did want to enjoy the weekend with him – both in and out of bed.
And yes, she did want to see this house in person…and it had been ages since she had dined on chateaubriand…
She slowly removed herself from his lap and began to straighten her own clothing as he buttoned his shirt. They both laughed.
"I feel like a teenager," Chloe mumbled with a bit of a giggle.
"At least your mother didn't walk in on us," Lucifer looked at her and raised his eyebrows.
"She would only encourage this behavior," Chloe nodded. "I'm surprised I couldn't convince you…" she pouted slightly.
Lucifer again looked at her, this time cocked one eyebrow and Chloe suddenly felt shivers run all the way through her. "Next time I won't give up so easily," she tossed him a knowing look as well and they simply stood staring at each other.
Once they both settled themselves Chloe started over. She approached him slowly, put a hand on his now clothed chest and tiptoed up to give him a short kiss on the lips. "I missed you last night," the shy look returned to her face.
Lucifer smiled at her. "And I missed you very much. I spent the night at the house. It was a little odd," he admitted.
"Why so?" Chloe wondered as she grabbed her bag and shoes and put them in their normal spots.
Lucifer breathed in and out just thinking for a moment. "Well, it wasn't Lux, that's for sure. But I don't mean that in a bad way. Just, it wasn't quite home…without you there."
Chloe blushed which made Lucifer smile. She thought about what he was saying and wondered if she understood his meaning. But she opted to let that question slide.
"So what are we doing this weekend?" she asked.
Lucifer took her hands in his, raised one of them to his lips and kissed it gently. "Dinner tonight is the only thing I've planned," he claimed. "After that I don't care what we do. As long as I'm with you."
*****WrapMeinYourWings-Chapter23*****