My Demon Saint by R. G. Alexander Page A

those computerized billboards that showed advertisements for cologne and car dealerships.
    I love you, Ume
    Ume bit her tongue in shock and looked around. Surely that couldn’t be…? No, she straightened her shoulders and kept walking. There had to be at least twenty other Ume’s in the San Francisco area alone. Someone was proposing, in a grand scale yes, but not to her.
    She passed an idling car full of people and the radio blared, the station changing until she heard the distinct sounds of Blue Oyster Cult’s I’m Burning For You.
    She took a deep breath. Nothing to see here. A coincidence. Just keep walking, Ume. When she came upon yet another billboard, she didn’t want to look, but she couldn’t help herself.
    I mean you, Ume Wu. I love you. Saint Loves Ume. Clear Enough?
    Without a word she turned on her heel and walked home as fast as she could, not looking anywhere, not listening to anything. The cramp in her thigh wouldn’t slow her down. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening.
    Not even if she desperately wanted it to be.
    She opened the door to her house, locking it behind her, then walked the length of it making sure everything electronic was still unplugged.
    “Did you get my notes?”
    Ume shrieked and whirled around to find Saint sitting comfortably on her sofa. “Oh shit.”
    He winced. “Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for, but understandable.” He stood. “I’m not going to make a menace of myself, Ume. I mean, I could. I want to. I was planning on it. But I’ll try to leave you alone if you can answer one question.”
    She was trembling. Still unable to believe he was really here, in front of her. Anger and hope warred inside her, her stomach was in knots and her heart was racing.
    She’d really missed him. He made her feel alive.
    “What? What’s the question?”
    He pulled out his Blackberry and turned it around so she could see the box on the screen.
    The Demon has admitted he loves you. Do you love him back? Y/N
    She could feel the pearl warm against her chest. The kitsune spirit? Was it warning her or sending its approval? It was impossible to tell. She’d have to make this decision on her own.
    “You lied to me, Saint. Used your powers to pull me into a game without my permission. Tied me up and spanked me. All while making me believe you were someone else.”
    Saint paled. “Yes.”
    “You also showed me how my mother truly died, let me see the truth about my heritage, and played matchmaker for my cousin and Liam.”
    Hope flickered in his dark gaze. “Yes.”
    She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I probably shouldn’t put the spanking in the bad category. Its not bad if I like it, is it?”
    Those full, beautiful lips of his were twitching. “That’s always been my motto.” After a few, long moments, she heard a groan rumble in his chest. “Ume, please. It isn’t a good idea to leave a love-sick demon hanging.”
    That just made her mad. “You mean the way you left me hanging for two mo—”
    He was kissing her. Finally. Yes . Just the way she remembered. She wrapped her arms around him and he made a desperate sound against her lips, as if he’d been just as lost without her, just as tormented as she’d been.
    Saint pulled back and tore his jacket off, dragging the white T-shirt over his head and letting it drop to the floor. Her Sinner. Her Saint. He was glorious.
    She sucked on her bottom lip, insecurity taking over for a heartbeat.
    “What is it, Ume?”
    She motioned to her chest, far less ample and obvious than it had been when they’d last been together. “Any false advertising issues? Beyond this point lies no bouncy castle.”
    Saint laughed, the sound rich and sensual, full of promise. He pushed her hands away and took off her shirt, inhaling sharply at the small golden mounds he found bare beneath. “You are perfect, Ume. Let me prove it to you.”
    He gripped her waist and lifted her off her feet, until her breasts were parallel with