Page 64 of I Summoned A Demon For A Date?!
"About that, yeah. Why?"
He shifted in his seat, a gesture so endearingly human it made my heart clench. "I know it might be too soon, and you may not want to decide anything yet, but," He paused, took a deep breath, and plunged ahead. "I'd like you to stay with me. Permanently."
My pulse quickened. "You mean move in with you?"
"Yes." He glanced at me quickly before returning his attention to the road. "My home is yours now, Rosie. It has been since the moment you summoned me."
The sincerity in his voice made my throat tight with emotion. I swallowed hard, trying to form a coherent response that wouldn't reveal just how deeply his words had affected me.
"Hmm, I don't know," I kept my tone deliberately light. "Do demon lords leave wet towels on the bathroom floor? Because that could be a deal-breaker."
His laugh was surprised and delighted, the tension in his shoulders easing visibly. "I assure you, I'm very tidy for a creature."
"And what about closet space? A girl needs room for her shoes."
"Our entire home is yours to rearrange as you see fit," he promised solemnly, though his eyes danced with humor. "Including every closet, cabinet, and drawer."
I pretended to consider this, tapping my chin thoughtfully. "And will there be breakfast in bed?"
"Whenever you desire it." His voice dropped lower, intimate. "Among other things."
Heat flooded my cheeks at his tone, at the memories it evoked of the night we'd shared. "Well, in that case, how could I possibly refuse?"
Aldaine pulled the car abruptly to the shoulder of the road, threw it into park, and turned to me in one fluid motion. His eyes had darkened, hunger plain in his expression.
"Say it properly," he demanded, voice rough with emotion. "I need to hear you say it."
I met his gaze steadily, all teasing forgotten. "Yes, Aldaine. I'll move in with you. I want to be with you, every day, for as long as you'll have me."
"Forever," he growled, leaning across the console to capture my mouth in a kiss that stole my breath.
His hand tangled in my hair, holding me steady as his tongue swept inside, claiming me with a possession that made my entire body tremble. I moaned into his mouth, heat pooling low in my belly, desire sharp and immediate.
Just when I thought I might combust from the intensity of it, he pulled back, his breathing as ragged as my own. His eyes glittered with wicked promise as he straightened in his seat and put the car back in drive.
"That's not fair," I complained, pressing my thighs together against the ache he'd awakened. "You can't just stop!"
"Can't I?" he asked innocently, though the smile playing at the corner of his mouth was anything but. "We'll have plenty of time for that later. At home."
Home. The word sent a warm glow through me that had nothing to do with frustrated desire and everything to do with belonging.
We drove in comfortable silence for a few more miles, my hand resting on his thigh, his occasional glances warming mefrom the inside out. Then, almost casually, "There's that family meeting next week."
"Family meeting?" I echoed.
"Not blood relations," he clarified, his posture tensing slightly. "Other demons. My clan. The ones under my protection and authority."
"I remember you telling me about that." I hadn't considered that aspect of his life, the responsibilities and connections he must have built over centuries of existence. "And you want me to come with you?"
"Yes." The word was simple but weighted. "They're all complicated. Powerful, intimidating. A little dangerous. And very, very nosy."
I raised an eyebrow. "So basically like meeting any new in-laws?"
That startled another laugh from him. "In a sense, yes. But with more capacity for destruction and significantly less social grace."
His grip on the steering wheel had tightened again, betraying his anxiety. "There's that gathering scheduled next week. I want you there." He glanced at me, his expression softening. "They're complicated, but you're already part of my life. Part of me. I want them to see that."
The vulnerability in his admission touched me deeply. This powerful being, anxious about introducing me to his family. It was so achingly human.
