Page 113 of I Accidentally Summoned A Demon
“Yes.” Kat tilted her head to the side. “Are you mad at me?”
“Shouldn’t I be?” Nex stepped back. “Why did he not only have his hands on you, but youallowedit? Why was he here?”
“It was just a hug.” Kat pulled her hand back. “And he was here because I’ve been missing and not responding to him. He was worried.”
“Not responding? He’s been texting you?”
“Yeah.” Kat’s brows furrowed. “He’s a friend, and I’ve been helping hi—”
“I don’t want you to text him. I don’t want anyone touching you except me.” He grabbed her waist and pulled her toward him. “Are you forgetting who you belong to?” He lowered his lips toward hers. “Should I remind you?”
Kat turned her head before their lips met and set her hands on his chest, pushing him back. “No.” She folded her arms. “Why are you mad? I didn’t do anything wrong. Jeremiah’s a friend, and he’s going through some personal stuff. He doesn’t have a lot of friends. He’s shy like me.”
“You’re mine. Just mine. Other men can’t touch you. I don’t give a fuck if it’s a hug.”
“What do you think me belonging to you means? I thought it meant that in terms of intimacy, you’re mine, and I’m yours, and there’s no one else involved. But you’re treating me like property, which is not how you treat someone you love. Why are you so jealous?”
“How would you like it if I brought Arda here and hugged her in front of you?”
“I wouldn’t mind.” Kat lifted her chin, then walked to the kitchen and grabbed the kettle. “You don’t see her like that anymore, and sometimes Arda needs a hug, and you two are friends, so there’s nothing wrong with that.” She filled the kettle, needing some tea to soothe her, and hopefully Nex’s, nerves. “I wouldn’t have a problem, and you shouldn’t have a problem with me having a friend that happens to be a guy.”
“I do have a problem, Katherine.” He stomped after her. “You can’t see him again. I don’t want him texting you, and I certainly don’t want him touching you.”
“Are you serious?” Kat set the kettle down and turned toward him, clenching her fists. “You’re trying to tell me I can’t see a friend?”
“I’m nottryingto tell you, Katherine. I’mtellingyou. It’s not fucking happening.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Kat threw her arms up. “You can’t tell me what to do and who to see. Don’t you trust me?”
“It’s not you I don’t trust. It’s everyone else. You’re mine. All of you is mine. You belonging to me—”
“Doesn’t mean you control me.” Kat rested her hands on the counter and fixed him with a glare that made him step back. “When I say I belong to you, I mean my romantic intimacy belongs to you. My heart belongs to you. You’re the only person I want to be close to in the way we’re close. You’re the only one I want to fall asleep with and,” she blushed, darting her gaze away, “be intimate with. But it doesnotmean you control who I see, tell me who I’m allowed to be friends with or hug. That’s not respectful.” She slammed her hand on the counter, and he hated the heartbroken expression on her face. “You think I’d hurt you like that? Let someone else in and leave you? That hurts, Nex.” She shook her head. “It hurts that you think so lowly of me. I’m not yours because I’m property to control. I’m yours because my heart is yours.” She turned the stove on and placed the kettle on the burner. “I’m a person, Nex, not an object.”
Blinking, Nex stayed in place. Anytime Katherine wasn’t calm and reasonable was because he’d crossed a line. He couldn’t help it. His fear of losing her was amplified by the new threat and his inability to protect her. The thought of losing her dropped a weight in his heart so heavy it suffocated his lungs and sank to his stomach in a tight knot. Regardless, it was unfair to put that insecurity on her.
Guilt crept in for hurting her, for snapping at her since the incident with Lilith, for doing exactly what she said—pushing her away. As if that would make it easier to lose her. He deserved a whipping. Pain and fear surrounded them, and instead of consoling her, he made it worse. His stomach churned, and his gaze dropped to the wooden floor.
He didn’t deserve her, but he promised himself he’d do everything he could to get there. His outburst wasn’t a move in the right direction but admitting fault was. He stood behind her, turned the burner off, and pulled her against him. “I’m sorry.” He rested his forehead on the back of her head. “I’m sorry, my angel. Truly. You’re right. I was wrong.” He nuzzled her curls and breathed in her scent. “Can you forgive me?”
Kat twisted to face him. “Are you going to throw a tantrum if you see me with Jeremiah again?”
Nex shook his head. That wasn’t fair. “It won’t happen again.” He raised her hand to his face, hating that he hurt her, vowing to never repeat the action. “I . . .”
“What?”
“I don’t want to lose you.” Nex covered her hand with his. “The thought is unbearable.”
“You’re not going to lose me because of another guy. I only want to be with you.” She rested her head in his chest. “I’m yours, Nex. I can be yours and be my own person.”
“I know.” Nex hugged her, relieved to have her in his arms again. He never wanted to give her another reason to want to be anywhere else. “I know I’m not good enough for you, and I’m waiting for you to see it too. I’m waiting for you to do what the angels want and walk away from me.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized what needed to happen. He had to let her go. Let her go, or let her get hurt. He stepped away from their embrace.Idiot. How could you not think of this sooner?
“What does that mean?” Kat sighed, looking up at him. “How do you measure if someone is good enough for something? Why do you think about yourself like that?” She brushed her thumb over his cheek. “Stop trying to measure up to some ambiguous standard you’ve set. If I say you’re good for me, can’t that be enough?”
“No.” Nex shook his head and pushed her hand away. His soul fractured, then fully cracked when he spoke the words he didn’t want to, but her safety was his highest priority. “Don’t you see? This is how we make sure you don’t get hurt. We must be apart. If I leave, it might be enough to keep you out of it.”
“Leave?” Kat’s chin trembled. “No. No, you’re not leaving. How can you say that?”
