Page 62 of I Summoned A Demon For A Date?!
The thought of leaving brought a surprising pang. Not because I would miss this place, the Thompson estate had never truly felt like home, but because leaving meant facing what came next. Whatever that was.
As if sensing my thoughts, Aldaine's fingers traced gentle patterns on my bare shoulder. "Second thoughts?"
"No," I answered without hesitation. "Just processing everything."
I sat up, letting the sheets pool around my waist, no longerself-conscious about my nakedness around him. The mark on my neck tingled pleasantly, a constant reminder of what we'd shared, what we'd become to each other.
"I can feel you," I pressed my palm to my chest where a warm pulse that wasn't quite my heartbeat thrummed steadily. "Inside, like an echo."
Aldaine's smile was gentle, reverent. "The bond. It will grow stronger with time."
I leaned down to kiss him, meaning it to be quick, but his hand slid into my hair, deepening the contact until I was breathless. When I finally pulled away, my pulse was racing.
"You're insatiable," I accused without heat.
"Only for you," he replied, his eyes darkening. "And only forever."
A laugh bubbled up inside me, born from something that felt suspiciously like joy. "Forever is a very long time."
"Not long enough," he murmured against my lips.
An hour later, we'd finally managed to extricate ourselves from bed and start packing. I moved around the guest room folding clothes with methodical precision, trying to reconcile the strange sense of peace that had settled over me. By all rights, I should be freaking out. I'd been marked by a demon, had committed myself to what amounted to an eternal bond, and yet..
I felt right. Centered in a way I'd never experienced before.
"You're smiling," Aldaine observed, pausing with a shirt half-folded in his hands.
"Am I?"
"Like you know a secret no one else does." He set the shirt in his suitcase and crossed to where I stood by the dresser. "Care to share?"
I turned to face him, tilting my head to study the beautiful contradiction that was this man, this demon who had crashedinto my life and changed everything. "I'm happy. It's been so long since I felt that, I almost didn't recognize it."
Something soft and vulnerable crossed his features. "Rosie." Just my name, but the way he said it was like a prayer.
His phone chimed with a message, breaking the moment. He glanced at it with a frown.
"Everything okay?" I asked, zipping my suitcase closed.
"Fine. Just a reminder about a meeting next week." He slipped the phone into his pocket. "Nothing that can't wait."
"Speaking of waiting," I glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "We should probably head downstairs. Dad mentioned wanting to see us before we left."
Aldaine nodded, lifting both our bags with ease. "Ready when you are."
I took one last look around the room, the tangled sheets, the indentation of our bodies still visible on the mattress, the memories we'd made, and followed him out.
My father and Jan were waiting in the foyer, looking like they hadn't slept much. Jan's eyes were red-rimmed, her usually perfect posture slightly slumped. Dad stood close to her.
"Rosie," Dad stepped forward, arms outstretched.
I moved into his embrace without hesitation. He smelled the same as he had when I was little, aftershave and coffee.
"Don't be a stranger, kiddo," he murmured into my hair. "I know we've got a lot to make up for, but I'd like the chance to try."
"I'd like that too," I replied, meaning it. The anger I'd carried for so long felt less sharp-edged now, softened by understanding and the profound shift in my own life.
When we pulled apart, Jan approached cautiously, looking smaller somehow than she had yesterday. She'd always been this intimidating presence in my life, perfectly put together, untouchable. Now she just looked human and vulnerable.
