A Demon's Friend - Book 3

“You promised to go to prom with me, Diamant. Me.”

Lilibeth’s fingers curled tight around the strap of her backpack. “Back in sixth grade we swore—if neither of us had a date, we’d go together. I don’t have a date. And up until today, you didn’t either. So why are you ditching me now?” Her voice cracked on the last word.

Diamant rubbed the back of his neck, eyes drifting past her shoulder instead of meeting her gaze.

A group of guys from the basketball team walked by, snickering at something on a phone. He pretended to watch them and the hallway for a second longer than necessary.

“I know what we said, Lili.” He sighed. “But Charmaine just asked me. Charmaine, the Ice Queen. The only cheerleader I haven’t— Well….You know. And if I go with her, my bucket list will be complete in time for graduation.”

Lilibeth stared at him for a moment, searching his face like she was hoping —praying— he’d suddenly laugh and say he was kidding.

“You disgust me,” she said finally.

“Yeah, well.” Diamant’s grin widened, that familiar cocky tilt of his mouth. The one that had gotten him out of trouble more times than either of them could count. “You love it.”

Today it didn’t make her laugh. Today it just hurt.

“Come on, please?” he said, nudging her shoulder lightly. “Let me off the hook this once. I’ll do anything.”

Lilibeth’s eyes dropped to the floor tiles. Her vision blurred. Her voice came out smaller this time. Raw. “I don’t have anyone else to go with.” She said. “Please. Can’t you just… go with me?”

Diamant shifted his weight, uncomfortable now. “But don’t you have that guy?” he said. “Tom What’s-his-face?”

“Tom Whittaker?”

“Yeah!” He snapped his fingers. “That guy.”

“You scared him off! Don’t you remember? You told him you’d kick him so hard he wouldn’t be able to see straight for weeks if he ever hurt me.” She crossed her arms tightly. “And then he never talked to me again.”

Diamant smirked. Oh, he remembered. He remembered exactly how Tom Whittaker’s hand had looked wrapped around Lili’s. How the guy had leaned down to whisper something that made her laugh.

They hadn’t looked right together. Not even a little.

“I was trying to be a good friend,” Diamant muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Making sure he wouldn’t make you cry.”

“Well, nobody asked me to prom after that,” Lilibeth said. “So now you have to go with me.”

He sighed, long and exaggerated, like she was asking him to donate a kidney instead of keep a promise.

“How about this,” he said. “I’ll take you for ice cream later. My treat. I promise.” He tilted his head, flashing a hopeful grin. “Just let me take Charmaine. Please.”

He stepped a little closer, confidence creeping back into his posture—like he genuinely believed his charm could smooth this over the way it always did.

Lilibeth squeezed her eyes shut. The hallway faded. The memory of this morning came rushing back, hot and humiliating.

Charmaine on one side. Diamant on the other. And Lilibeth stuck in the middle.

They hadn’t even tried to hide it. They talked through her, not to her, like she wasn’t even there.

Notes slid back and forth across her desk all period long.

Tap.

“Pass this to Diamant.”

Their fingers brushed her shoulder every time they leaned across her. Charmaine’s perfume—too sweet, too sharp—hung in the air. Diamant kept leaning closer to read the notes, his voice dropping into that soft, amused murmur he used when he flirted.

Giggling. Flirting.

Their eyes slid right past her every time. Like she was air. Like she wasn’t even there.

Eventually the heat in her chest had built until she thought she might scream. So she’d finally cracked.

“Do you want to switch seats with me?”

Diamant hadn’t hesitated. Not even a second.

“Thanks, Lili.” That lazy, grateful grin spread across his face—like she’d just handed him the keys to paradise.

When she slid over, his foot immediately found hers under the desk. Not accidental. Deliberate. The slow press of his sneaker against her ankle sent a jolt straight up her leg, heat pooling low in her belly.

She froze, breath catching, every nerve lighting up at the contact.

She hadn’t dared look at him. But she stole a glance anyway.

He was leaning toward Charmaine, using the leverage of his foot—on her foot—to propel himself closer.

Like she was nothing more than a convenient table leg. Like her skin wasn’t burning where he touched her.

She had exhaled sharply and pulled her foot away.

He lost balance for a split second. Just enough. His body pitched forward, face-first into Charmaine’s chest.

Those full, perfect breasts cushioned the impact, his mouth brushing the soft swell above her low-cut top. Charmaine gasped, then dissolved into a throaty giggle, cheeks flushing pink as she arched just enough to press herself closer.

“Damn, girl,” Diamant murmured, voice low and teasing, lips still hovering dangerously near her cleavage. “You trying to suffocate me or just giving me the best view in school?”

Charmaine laughed harder, playful, her hand sliding up his arm like she owned it.

Lilibeth rolled her eyes, stomach twisting with disgust and something darker—hotter.

Jealousy that tasted like acid and want. No matter what she did, no matter how she tried to pull away or push them apart, those two only gravitated closer. Magnet and steel. While she sat there, thighs clenched, pulse throbbing between her legs from one careless brush of his foot, aching for the day he’d finally look at her like that.

And sometimes he did, in private times.

Another memory rose unbidden.

Their shared 18th birthday—just the two of them, no crowd, no expectations.

The living room glowed soft from string lights draped across the ceiling, candles flickering on the coffee table beside a half-eaten chocolate cake and scattered Monopoly pieces. Laughter still echoing in her ears.

“You’re cheating,” she accused, nudging his knee under the table as he slid another hotel onto Boardwalk. Her bare thigh brushed his jeans, sending a spark straight to her core.

God, he was close—too close. She could feel the warmth of him, imagine those strong hands pinning her down instead of stacking tiny plastic houses.

Diamant grinned, leaning in until his breath ghosted her ear. “Prove it, Lili. Or are you just scared I’m about to own every inch of you?” His voice dipped low, teasing, but the way his eyes flicked to her lips made her wonder if he meant the game at all.

She swallowed hard, heat flooding her cheeks—and lower. “You wish. I’m still winning this.” But inside, she was losing. Badly.

If he leaned another inch, she’d forget the board entirely, climb into his lap, and let him claim whatever he wanted. Her body ached for it, nipples tightening under her thin tank top at the mere thought of his mouth on her neck, his fingers sliding under her waistband.

He chuckled, pulling back just enough to toss the dice. “Your turn, birthday girl. Make it count.”

They played on, trading barbs and stolen touches—his foot hooking around her ankle, her hand lingering too long when passing cash. But eventually, the game fizzled, too charged with unspoken tension to focus.

“Wanna get out of here?” he suggested, voice husky from laughing—or maybe something else. “Walk around the block? Clear our heads?”

She nodded, heart pounding. “Yeah. Let’s.”

Outside, the dusky neighborhood wrapped around them like a secret. The sky was purple and gold, streetlights humming awake. Crickets sang in the warm air; the sidewalk radiated the day’s heat under their bare feet.

They walked shoulder to shoulder, arms brushing every few steps—accidental at first, then deliberate.

She stole looks at his profile: the sharp line of his jaw, the way his dark hair curled at the nape, the easy roll of his shoulders under his faded T-shirt, muscles shifting with each stride.

“Best birthday ever,” he said quietly, bumping her hip with his. “No drama, no bullshit. Just us.”

“Yeah?” She tilted her head, smiling despite the flutter in her chest. “Even better than last year when you tried to shotgun that soda and ended up soaking my shirt? I could see right through it after that.”

He laughed, the sound rumbling through her like thunder. “Hell yeah. Gave me the best view of the night.” His gaze dropped for a split second to her chest, then snapped back up, a flush creeping up his neck. “I mean… uh, forget I said that.”

She bit her lip, pulse racing. “You’re such a butt.” But she didn’t pull away. If anything, she leaned in, her arm pressing against his. “What if I don’t want to forget?”

He stopped under the old oak tree where they’d carved their initials in fifth grade—faint, weathered, but still there. The air thickened, charged like before a storm.

He turned to face her, closer now, his hand lifting to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her cheek, thumb brushing her jawline, sending shivers straight between her thighs.

“Lili…” His voice was rough, eyes darkening as they locked on hers. He stepped in, crowding her against the trunk, the bark rough through her shirt.

She could feel his heat, smell the faint spice of his skin. His free hand braced on the tree above her head, caging her in. “You know you’re the only one who gets me like this, right?”

Her breath hitched, body arching instinctively toward him. She wanted his mouth on hers, devouring; his hands roaming, claiming. She imagined him lifting her legs around his waist, grinding against her right there, hard and insistent until she begged.

For a heartbeat, he dipped his head, lips hovering over hers—close enough she felt his exhale, tasted the promise of cake and him. Her eyes fluttered shut, lips parting in invitation.

But he froze. Pulled back with a shaky laugh, hand dropping to his side. “Come on, race you back to the cake.”

She forced a smile, swallowing the burn in her throat—and the deeper throb of frustration. “You know I’ll beat you.”

Now, standing next to him in the hallway, him asking if he could take Charmaine instead of her to prom, the truth settled heavy and final in her chest.

She’d always known, buried under every almost-touch and every shared laugh: Diamant could never really be hers. Not for a pretend prom night, not for anything more.

He was the sun every girl orbited—the one they chased, the one they fought over—and he would never choose to stay in her shadow.

Her fingers curled into fists at her sides, nails biting skin.

“Fine,” she whispered. “Go with her. I don’t care.”

His face lit up, relief flooding through the guilt. He pulled her into a quick, tight hug, his broad chest pressing against her breasts. She let out a shaky breath, caught in the sudden heat of him.

And now extremely close, Diamant finally saw her—really saw her.

Plump pink lips parted slightly under sharp cheekbones, framed by a wild halo of wavy blonde curls. Those big, doe-like blue eyes lifted to his, shimmering with hurt and something deeper, something that pinned him in place.

He had to force himself to step back before he did something stupid—like nibble on the soft curve of her jaw, or worse, forget Charmaine entirely.