“Please, just one dance,” he said firmly so she’d know he meant business. “And then you can spend the rest of the evening flirting with any man you like.” Over my dead body. “But at least allow one man to treat you like the queen that you are?”
“You’re not going to do a jig or anything, right?” she asked.
“Not unless that’s your thing.”
“No,” she replied.
“Then no jigs.”
“Fine. One dance.” Tula huffed petulantly.
“Excellent.” Zac could hardly contain himself. He had this challenge in the bag! “Let us go find the room with the music.” Zac didn’t know where it was exactly, but the bass of the music sounded like it was about to bring down the house.
He followed Tula, noting how nice her ass looked in her tight black dress. Gorgeous. But it pained him how all the other men at the party could see it too.
His possessive beast roared inside. Down, boy. Down. Keep your eye on the prize.
Ignoring the snide comments about his appearance, the two passed through the crowded kitchen and living room and went to a large room toward the back of the home. The furniture had been cleared out to make way for a dance floor and DJ. DJ Roost, he presumed.
Suddenly, Tula stopped, and he ran into her ass. Full face-plant. Not that he didn’t enjoy it, but what happened?
He stepped around her and followed her gaze. Across the crowded room, a pair of turquoise eyes zeroed in on her.
No. Dammit. No.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Hello, Hilbert. Nice to see you, old friend.”
Zac looked up at his own handsome face staring back. “Who the hell are you?” And what the hell was this imposter doing in Zac’s body?
“My name is Zac, of course.” The imposter turned to Tula and took her hand. “My love, it has been far too long, but I am here now. The search is over.”
Tula’s eyes teared, and her lower lip quivered. “Is it really you? I thought you were dead. I thought I’d lost you.”
Oh, now she turns on the niceness. Was that how this worked? In his presence, she was all manners, kindness, and loyalty, but the moment he left the room, she was out chasing dong!
The imposter in Zac’s body took her hand and kissed it. “Nothing could ever separate us, my love. We are mated for all eternity. We are one soul, one heart, one life.”
Tula threw her arms around him, planting a kiss on his lips.
Who was this motherfucker? He was completely going to derail Zac’s efforts to get Tula to listen to her heart and see the real man inside his troll body.
It has to be Hilbert. The king switched both our bodies. Zac should have seen it coming. Hilbert’s soul had to go somewhere, so why not vacation in the body of a god? And now that demon is touching my woman! I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him. Zac knew the demon king would have a few tricks up his sleeve, but this was low.
Grrr… Zac was about to hurl himself at, well, himself, but then common sense got the better of him. Maury wanted Zac to lose the bet. He wanted Zac to say or do something that would disclose his true identity.
Zac shoved his anger down a deep dark hole and smiled. “Tula, you still owe me that dan—”
“Zac? Is that really you?” Gola came up behind him, her eyes pooling with desire.
Poor ugly woman. She could never hope to win such a stunning example of masculinity. Especially because Tula was the only woman for him.
Of course, at the moment, Zac’s body was occupied by a dirty, conniving, underhanded demon.
This is so confusing!
“Yes, it is truly I. And you are?” Hilbert, aka the “new Zac,” looked up at Gola, contempt on his face.
“I am…a friend of Tula’s. She’s been looking for you, and I—”
“That is so nice, but if you don’t mind, I have some catching up to do with my mate.” Hilbert grabbed Tula’s hand and dragged her off.
Zac stood there next to Gola, watching his body walk off with his woman. How is this happening? Tula hadn’t even batted an eyelash in his general direction. Then his body showed up, and that was all she could see. Didn’t matter that it was possessed by an evil creature. She couldn’t tell the difference.
Zac felt his heart cracking. He loved Tula. He did. He’d felt the connection with her from the first moment they met. So how come she felt nothing back?
The sound of slurping and sobs caught his attention. He looked up at Gola, whose big brown eyes were filled with tears. Her lopsided lower lip was quivering.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“No. I don’t think I am.”
Zac could see the woman fighting to maintain her composure. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere but here.” It seemed they both needed a moment to gather themselves.
Gola gave him a nod and followed him out the front door. The two began walking down the winding dark street lined with large, beautiful homes and big bushy trees.
Funny. Neither said a word, but he knew what she was thinking. Mostly because he felt the same. To be rejected like that was harsh, soul crushing, really. Even worse, he would have to face Maury and his gloating.
The demon had been right. He’d won. Tula was not the woman he’d thought.
“So, how did you come to fall in love with Zac?” he asked, thinking that Gola probably saw him around town and became obsessed. Happened all the time. Everywhere Zac went, women ogled and swooned. He even had a fan club on Facebook.
“Can we not talk about that right now?” Gola asked. “Besides, what does it matter? Zac only has eyes for that monster.”
Tula was a monster, wasn’t she? “I have met nicer women, yes.”
“And what’s with men, huh? They see a pretty face, and that’s all that matters? Not the fact that a woman is ready to give her soul and heart and everything to him. No! Not that she would throw herself in front of a bus for him. No! He just took one look at me and kicked me aside like a crusty old diaper.”
“I’m sure that Zac would not do that to you.”
“He just did,” Gola threw back. “Did you see the way he looked down his nose at me?”
It was more like up his nose. Gola was very tall. Still, Zac could not say the truth to make Gola feel better. He could not tell this foul-looking woman that while her looks made him nauseous, he would still treat her with respect because she deserved it. Unfortunately, a demon was at the helm, not the real Zac.
“I am very sorry for the way he treated you, Gola. If I could kick him in his balls, I would. Unfortunately, I don’t think my legs can reach that high, but if they could…” He smiled.
Gola laughed with a dribble and slurp.
He winced.
“Sorry,” she said. “I can’t help it. Only half my lower lip works.”
“It’s all right. My dick is so small I can barely piss out of it. Takes twenty minutes just to fill a Dixie cup. Wanna see?” He grinned, hoping to make her feel better.
“No.” She laughed. “But thanks.”
“You’re very welcome. Anything I can do to ease your pain.” Zac honestly felt responsible for how Hilbert had acted while in his body. So uncool.