Page 39 of I Accidentally Summoned A Demon
“No, I’m not.” Nex stiffened. “It’s the truth, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m not going to get hurt, and it’s not your business. It’s my choice, isn’t it?”
“Don’t do it, Katherine,” he gritted. “I’m telling you it’s a bad idea. Don’t get it over with. Wait until you find the right person.”
“Who do you think the right person is? You?”
“No, kitten, maybe I’m not, but even I would be a better candidate thanhim.”
“I’m not doing this with you.” Kat brushed past him for the front door.
“Katherine.” Nex appeared in front of her and gripped her shoulders. “If you go with him, I’ll have to follow to babysit you.”
“Don’t you dare.” She pushed his hands away. “I’ll never forgive you. It’s none of your business.”
Red tinted Nex’s eyes. “You want me to let you go be stupid and get hurt?”
“I want you to stay out of it.”
Nex balled his fists. He took a step toward her. The doorbell rang. He growled, glaring at the door. Kat moved around him, but he grabbed her again.
“Fine.” Kat faced him. “Look me in the eyes, and tell me I mean something to you. Tell me you’re not messing with me, and part of you truly cares for me because last night at dinner, you snapped at me and told me you couldn’t care less about me. Did you mean that? Do I mean nothing to you? Because if that’s true, it means you’re messing with meagain, and you don’t actually care.”
Nex couldn’t answer. He did say that, but he didn’t mean it. Her seeing his true form and reacting calmly affected him so much he lashed out. He wasn’t used to kindness and didn’t know what to do with it. Kat stared, waiting for an answer he wasn’t giving. He couldn’t admit the real reason he snapped.
“Tell me you’re not messing with me,” Kat whispered, searching his eyes for the truth. “Tell me you’re being honest because you genuinely care and are worried, and I’ll stay with you instead of going.”
Nex had never admitted to caring for anyone, and the way he cared for her was disturbing. The doorbell rang again, and he wished he had his usual abilities so he could set Jason on fire.
Kat glanced back at the door, then over at Nex. “Say something. If you’re being real with me, really real, I won’t go. But you have to be honest, Nex. I can’t take the back and forth. If I mean something to you, say it now, and if you have any respect for me, don’t you dare lie, then laugh about it later. It’s not fair.”
He stared down at her. The words stuck in the back of his throat with a giant lump because he’d never cared for a human so much, to the point it scared him. He wasn’t supposed to be able to feel this way about anyone. He wasn’t good for her, and he knew he wasn’t.
Pain flashed across Kat’s face, and she tried to move past him, only to be stopped again.
“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t go with him. Don’t let him have you.”
“I don’t trust you, Nex.” Kat yanked her hand away. “One second you’re lying, and the next, you’re not. You mess with me, and then you’re genuine. Sometimes you’re cold and other times . . .” She brought her fingers to her temples. It was too much. She couldn’t figure out what was real, but if he wasn’t denying he was messing with her, she had no reason to believe Jason had bad intentions. “Drop it. This is happening whether you like it or not.”
Kat slammed the front door behind her. Nex took a half-step forward and considered following. Car doors closed, and an engine revved. He moved toward the front door, then growled and went out the back door.
Kat tried to calm herself, but Jason could tell something was wrong. He set his hand over hers and smiled. “Don’t be nervous.” He squeezed her hand. “You look beautiful.”
She smiled and looked out the window to avoid his gaze. Nerves weren’t the problem anymore. Nex had no boundaries and no consistency. How would they find a way to send him home? The idea of him not being around anymore caused a tug in her heart.
Arriving at Jason’s, they sat down to a nice, romantic, candlelit dinner. The dinner was lasagna, warm bread, and a salad. The food would’ve been amazing, but in his house, her anger toward Nex faded, and nervousness at being with Jason took over. Despite the mouthwatering smell of baked bread, cheese, and sauce, she couldn’t eat.
“Is something wrong with the food?” Jason asked.
“No. It’s perfect. Thank you.”
Jason chuckled and stood. He took her hand and pulled her up, kissing her. “Relax, gorgeous. Come on.”
In the hallway, Kat held her breath as he led her to a room at the end. He opened the door to reveal his bed. Kat swallowed. “Jay?”
Jason turned, setting his hands on her hips. “Yeah?”
“I, um, I’ve never done this.”
