Beelzebub Girl by Jayde Scott Read Free Book Online

phone when he pulled me close against his chest.
    "I hope so," he whispered, touching my cheek. "You look beautiful."
    This was it, the moment of our first kiss. Our gazes locked, blood rushed to my cheeks. My breathing caught in my throat. Before I could decide whether to try my latent abilities at mind manipulation and force his lips onto mine, he let go of me.
    "I'm sorry. You know I want to kiss you more than anything, but I wouldn't want to be the reason why you're late. I want your dad to like me," Dallas said. "Settle for an IOU?"
    Funny that he shouldn't want to be the reason for our lateness when he had just spent more than an hour in the bathroom to get ready. I turned to the door to hide my disappointment. The same moment, an idea popped into my head.
    The rental car was parked across the street. Dallas held the door open for me as I jumped onto the driver's seat, and we speed through the mid-morning traffic, heading southeast.
    "Have you been here before?" I asked, even though I imagined knowing the answer. Dallas was a born and bred Brit. I doubted he'd seen much beyond Scotland.
    "I spent three months backpacking through the US, then another one in Canada. What about you?"
    I daren’t avert my gaze from the heavy traffic. "I've been to a few places. My father's always emphasised the importance of seeing the world." It wasn't a lie. Dad always said nothing was more important than being accustomed with your potential customers, which is why he had forced me to visit what he called the greatest battlefields on earth: from the Austria-Ottoman Wars in 1529, the Spanish Conquest of Peru in 1532, and the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.
    Throw in a few police chases and the odd suicide, and I'd basically seen it all.
    "We have so much in common, we'll get on like a house on fire."
    Dallas made it sound like a joke, but I could sense the nervous undercurrents.
    I leaned over and patted his knee. "Don't worry. He'll love you." I wished I could believe it, but truth was I'd never brought a boyfriend home before, let alone a mortal one. So, I had no idea how Dad would react.
    "Is that Disneyland?" Dallas pointed at the white towers in the distance.
    "That's Cinderella's Castle." I craned my neck, wishing I could see more than just the towers, even though I had seen it a million times. The fairy tale castle located at the middle of the park was beyond magical, with beautiful, white walls, tiny windows and lots of sparkle. As a little girl I always dreamed of living in a place like that.
    "What are we doing in Disneyland?" The frown on Dallas's face told me he didn't share my enthusiasm.
    I cleared my throat. "He lives there."
    "You're pulling my leg. Does he work there?"
    "He's a—" I hesitated, wishing I had made a list of plausible answers to possible questions. "He's managing the place."
    "He runs Disneyland?"
    "Yep. Not bad, huh?" I cringed at how far-fetched my lie sounded. Who in their right mind would believe it?
    Dallas fell silent. I peered over at him and noticed the scowl.
    Not good. Now he thought he was inadequate, lacking in the financial and educational department. Boy, what would he do when he found out I was an immortal queen destined to rule over Hell for the next billion years or so?
    "He started as a cleaner and worked his way up," I said, realising this lie sounded even more improbable than managing Disneyland.
    "Is Dad happy you're working in customer service?"
    His question took me by surprise. I shrugged. "More or less. He thinks it's just a passing fancy until I join the family—" I stopped myself before I said more. "Let's just say Dad hopes I'll join the company."
    "I suppose Dad wants you to join the team and skip the higher education."
    "Something like that." I slowed down the car as we rolled into a parking lot. My fingers snapped the flip phone open as I kept his attention focused on me so he won't notice me opening the portal. "Is that what you envision for yourself?"
    Dallas hesitated. "I don't