A/N: Thanks for the review, the follows and faves.

Chapter Three

Lucifer rose and turned so he faced me. He was backlit by the fire pit, and he looked larger than life standing there with orange-red flames flickering behind him. The unbidden word that came into my mind was angel. Fallen or not, he was exquisite to behold and I could imagine those pure white wings stretching out to frame him. I swallowed hard at the unexpected lump in my throat.

He watched me watching him as he brought his hands to the remaining buttons on his shirt. My heart rate quickened as his long nimble fingers undid the first one. The sides of the garment opened to reveal his flat stomach above his navel. He continued slowly to the next closure, taking his time working it free. I pressed my mouth together as I waited for him to unveil more. I knew he was observing and cataloging even my most minute reactions.

His lower abs came into view along with a narrow line of tantalizing dark hair leading towards the top of his trousers. He must have decided to skip that bit of manscaping this go around, and I was grateful I got to enjoy the sexy view. I licked my lips. My eyes rose to his and I was startled by the intense shiver that went through me when they met. His serious expression was far from the smugness I always anticipated he'd wear at a moment like this. I had to break eye contact with him because it felt like he could see into my soul. My gaze dropped back down to his hands to see him pop open the final button.

Lucifer parted the edges of the shirt, displaying his full upper body. For someone I never saw exercise and who lived on a steady diet of booze his physique was marvelous. Of course, that whole devil thing might have something to do with that. He carefully stripped the fabric off, taking the gray waistcoat with it. His muscles rippled under his skin and I felt an answering flutter in my stomach.

Lucifer stepped forward and reached out, gesturing for my hand. "Come here," he whispered.

I was suddenly nervous as he helped me up and guided me to stand in front of him. I placed my hands on his chest, allowing the steady beat of his heart to calm me. Focusing on his unblemished torso, I noted there were no lingering effects from the bullet he took from Malcolm. Yet another mark in the proof he's the devil column ̶ Blood pack my ass, Amenadiel, I thought. ̶ I chanced looking into the dark pool of his eyes again, not caring anymore if my soul was bared to him.

When our eyes locked, Lucifer said, "Touch me, Chloe . . . please."

"Okay," I said, feeling a little breathless. Starting at his neck I glided shaky hands down and across his collarbones. Heat seemed to radiate from his pores and beckoned me to press myself against him. I resisted the temptation as I continued to explore, barely grazing his nipples and moving along his abs. They contracted under my attention and his breathing stumbled a little. He put his hand on my hip, squeezing the flesh there and pulled me to him until we were flush against each other. As we embraced my hands slid along his rib cage around to his back. I consciously kept my point of contact low, just above his belt.

Lucifer swept his tongue into my mouth with vigor before letting the kiss turn slow and gentle and my stomach felt like it flipped. He reached up to pull my hair back behind my shoulders to keep it from hanging between us. Smoothing it out behind my back, he let the strands cascade through his fingers.

He shifted his hands down to my elbows and with mild pressure guided my hold upwards on his back. I broke our kiss and leaned away a little, trying to talk between breathy huffs. After a moment I was able to ask, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, darling." He nudged my position higher and then let go of my arms so I could make my own progress. I could feel the difference in his muscles now that I was approaching my destination. His graceful, fluid motions were tight and restrained. It was hard to believe, but he acted like he was nervous.

I tentatively inched my way up his back until the smoothness under my touch gave way to a rough, uneven canvas spreading from halfway down his back to the tops of his shoulder blades. Starting at the bottom tip of one of the jagged scars, I traced around the edges of the mutilation.

Lucifer shuddered against me and my actions ceased.

"Am I hurting you?" I asked quickly.

He shook his head and I heard him swallow, "No."

"Tell me if you want me to stop."

He placed his arm around my waist and anchored me to him.

"Don't. Don't stop," he said, his voice gravelly.

I expanded my caresses to trace the inner part of the markings too. I was using only my fingertips to discover the story on his back and I wanted more information so I spread my fingers wide to see if I could span the width of them. I was careful not to apply too much pressure, unsure of how bold to be. Lucifer may have said he was all right, but his body said something else. He was still coiled so tight I was afraid he'd shatter if I proceeded too fast.

I experimentally dragged the heel of my palms to stroke downward and in the process pushed into him more firmly than I intended. Lucifer's breath stuttered out against my neck and he groaned. It was a cross between pain and pleasure and it resembled the noise he'd made in my dream.

I had been so preoccupied with thinking about what I was doing to him I hadn't realized until this moment that Lucifer's hands were under my hair, kneading me in the same spot as where his scars were. I wondered if he was subconsciously touching me the way he wanted to be touched.

Lucifer's gesticulations against my back were definitely firmer than the ones I had been administering. His felt like a deep tissue massage compared to the timid brushes I was using on him. I decided to give it a go, and for good measure said, "It's okay, Lucifer. Relax."

More aware now, I began to imitate his touch. As I pressed deeper into the flesh of his back, his posture started to loosen and the tension he was carrying slowly dissipated. He slouched into me, murmuring quietly in my ear, "Mmm, Chloe, like that."

The verbal confirmation of his approval and knowing that he was letting his guard down for me triggered a rush so strong I had to fight to keep my hips from jerking into his. Instead I said, "Kiss me, Lucifer."

He responded immediately, capturing my mouth with his, thrusting his tongue through my lips in a much more demanding kiss than we had previously shared. His hands slid down my back to cup my ass and pull my hips into his. The form-fitting material of his trousers did next to nothing to hide his evident arousal. I continued to apply pressure to his back with one hand while letting the other drift once again into his dark locks.

I returned his kiss with the same intensity, nipping at him and winding my tongue around his. Lucifer bent his knees and grabbed me under my thighs to lift me off my feet. Instinctively, I wrapped my legs around his waist, bringing me closer than ever to his straining erection. He turned and headed inside.

Outside of his bedroom he stopped to press me against the artsy wall column and grind his lower half into mine. In the midst of this, I somehow managed to wiggle out of my shirt, bite him on the neck, and let out an appreciative moan all at once. My brain was in such an oversexed state I was impressed at my ability to even perform those simple tasks.

Lucifer grinned when I bared my breasts to him, even though I did still have my bra on. If he made a crack about Hot Tub High School right now I was going to shoot him again.

"Ah, lovely," was all he said as he hauled me higher and began to investigate the new territory, nudging the cup of my bra aside with his nose. When he wasn't getting the access he wanted he switched his grip on me so he was holding me by one arm under my backside. This left his other hand free to undo my bra in the back. Once that was done, he left it hanging on me and turned to ascend the stairs to his bedroom.

The sheer black curtains were already drawn over the floor to ceiling windows and low lights glowed from the corners of the room, keeping it from being too dark. There was minimal decor since he preferred to be the center of attention to any visiting guests. We reached his huge bed and he lowered me down onto his devil-only-knows what thread count sheets. He removed my bra before kneeling on the bed by my side. I had the urge to cover myself when I saw his eyes roaming over me, but when he breathed out, "Beautiful," it eased my worries.

Situating himself between my legs, he stretched out lengthwise over me, the erotic heaviness of his body making me ache. He easily kept most of his weight off by leveraging himself on one arm. My nipples were already hard and tight as he passed a hand over one breast, using his flat palm to tease a straining peak, before rolling it between thumb and forefinger using subtle pressure. He transferred his attention to my other breast, squeezing it and running his fingers over the pink tip. He watched me for reactions, keeping eye contact with me as he lowered his head to take a nipple into the hot cavern of his mouth. When he slowly flicked his tongue over it, dragging it back and forth and adding a little suction, I gasped. What he was doing was sending pulses of pleasure straight down to my center.

All the while he was slowly grinding his arousal into me through our clothing. My own hips were moving in rhythm with his and I spread my legs a little in an attempt to feel the hard length of him even more. Lucifer repositioned and with each new swivel of his pelvis, he bumped against my clit, drawing stronger tingles to my core. I wriggled an arm between us and managed to find enough room to palm him through his dress pants. I squeezed him and he thrust into my hand with a quiet grunt. Of course, I'd already seen him naked on several occasions because he had no qualms about prancing around in the buff but to actually feel him, hard and thick, was a different matter entirely. My body clenched at the thought of him inside me.

He left my breasts and journeyed back up to claim my lips again. From there he sampled my chin, then the hollow of my throat, then between my breasts. He extricated himself from my exploring hand and scooted down, just out of my reach. He smiled at me when I raised my head and made a disgruntled noise. "Fear not, love. It's going to get better."

He worked his way all along my stomach, stopping at my belly button to lick into it. He found a particularly sensitive area near my hip bone that he nibbled at until I squirmed. Then he staked a path along the top edge of my jeans, running his tongue along the line there. Slipping his long fingers behind the metal snap, he skimmed the top of my underwear before undoing the button.

I wanted this so bad. I wanted him so bad. Then somewhere my voice of reason piped up to say Do you really want to sleep with him already? Uh, yes. What a moment for introspection. I tried to squash it down, back into wherever it went to hide when I made my dumber decisions in life (making Hot Tub High School, for one) but the damage was done. I did want to sleep with him, almost more than anything, however I also knew it was probably too soon.

Lucifer realized I was no longer responding and glanced at me. "Something wrong?"

I patted the area near me and said, "Come here, we need to talk."

He looked between his hands suspended in the act of unzipping my pants to my face and back again. "What? Now? Are you sure?" He sounded genuinely confused.

I nodded, and bit the inside of my cheek to keep from giggling at his befuddled expression. He'd probably never had anyone tell him to stop before.

He did what I asked, although I thought I heard him mumble something about humans having to talk about every bloody thing. He lay next to me on his side and I rolled over so I was facing him.

"Lucifer, I don't think we should have sex yet, it's too soon."

"What?" he asked again, blinking at me. His hair was disheveled and I could see the obvious effect our shenanigans had on him by the significant rise under his zipper. Poor guy, I was clearly throwing him for a loop.

"I just don't want to rush the sex thing," I told him.

He rested his head back against his pillow and let out a small sigh. "Okay, Detective. I understand." He paused for a couple beats and looked accusingly at me, "You enjoy giving the devil blue balls, don't you?"

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Very well, then. C'mere and we can have cuddles." He gestured for me to slide over.

Hmm, never figured Lucifer for a cuddler. I put my hand on his arm. "Lucifer, I said we should wait to have sex, I didn't say we had to stop other things." I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Reaalllyyy," he drew out, a slow sexy smile spreading out on his face as he ran his tongue along the inside of his bottom lip. I secretly loved it when he did that, made me go melty inside.

"Really," I said, taking the opportunity of him still off guard to give him a push so he flopped over on his back.

"Oh, so naughty," he chuckled. "Lucifer likes."

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you thought, or if you have any questions.

To be continued ...