«Guilty Pleasures» by Alana Church

The tides of fate are swirling. Althea, the immortal succubus, knows the time for the final confrontation with the demon-spawn is nigh. As she prepares herself, she is haunted by memories of the past. Will the love of her new family sustain her? Or will she succumb to despair? No matter what happens, there is still time to indulge in some…Guilty Pleasures.

~~~~~ Excerpt ~~~~~

Alex twisted on the floor, turning to face Maria. “What are you saying?”

“I'm saying, beautiful man, that if you find Sarah desirable, so too do I find her, lover. And there's no reason for us not to explore the delights God puts before us. She is beautiful. If you want to make love to her, I see no reason why you shouldn't. And I think Jeremy is very handsome. And I am sure he is a good lover, or he and Sarah would not be so happy together.” She leaned forward and stroked his cheek fondly. “You know I love you, mi lindo. And I know you love me. I have no fear that you will not come back to me.

“If you want her, go to her.”

“Jeremy?” she asked. She stood, holding her hand out to him. Desire hit him like a punch to the gut, and he found his breath growing short in his chest as the lovely Latina approached.

“Sarah?” he asked her. “If you think this is a bad idea, just say the word.”

“Oh, no,” she breathed. Her eyes were wide as she drank in Alex's form sprawled carelessly on the floor, just a few feet away. “I think this is a fantastic idea. Not because I don't love you,” she added, turning to face him and placing her hand on his cheek. He captured and held it there, then turned his head to kiss her palm. “But isn't what all of this is about? Learning to love, learning to give?”

“Learning to receive love as well,” Maria added. She dropped to the love seat, squeezing in beside Sarah, and gave her a gentle hug. “I know you don't share my desires, dear one,” she said, her voice warm and tender. “But I love you. And I won't come between you and your novio.”

“There is no between,” Sarah said softly. She looked deep into Jeremy's eyes and smiled like a sunrise. He gasped as her face filled with a sudden luminous glory. “Oh, Jeremy, can't you feel it? Do you understand? It's not me and you. Or Alex and Sarah. Or Mom and Daddy. It's…it's just us. All of us. Together. Forever.” Tears pooled in her eyes and spilled down her cheek. “Us.”

She kissed him with a fierce, loving passion which left him breathless, then turned away, standing. She took Maria's hand in one hand, and Jeremy's in the other, and placed them together.

“Be good to each other,” she said, a sparkling joy in her eyes which nearly broke Jeremy's heart, so different it was from the tense, wary prickliness with which she usually guarded her emotions. “I'm going to make love to Alex.” She walked over to him. Rather, she bounced, gleaming with happiness like a child on a summer morning, when the entire world seemed remade and new, created only for her.

“I've wanted you,” she said, drinking in his body, “since that day you came into my room a couple weeks ago, and we talked about our futures. About culinary school and acting. How was I to know that future included you in my bed?”