Page 60 of I Accidentally Summoned A Demon
Black Friday was the worst day for anyone who worked in retail. Crazy, loud, rude customers were an effective bucket of cold water. Loathing consumerism took her mind off Nex enough to focus. Not thinking about him was easy when the more pressing matter was getting two people to stop fighting over a book.
The day dragged, the only bright spot when snow started falling. Kat watched glittering flakes coat the street and daydreamed about being outside instead of around entitled customers. Had Nex ever built a snowman? She laughed, picturing his expression if she asked him to make a snow angel.
God, I can’t stop thinking about him. Even during the busy workday, her thoughts drifted to him. The way he touched her, kissed her, held her afterward as if he knew how much she needed reassurance.
When she’d thought about being close to someone like that, she’d never considered the other parts of it. The aftercare. Plenty of people had cared for her, but he took care of her in ways she was unaware she wanted until it was done. Sleeping close elevated both her emotional and now physical attachment.
Kat tried to stop her thoughts from going to Nex, but she couldn’t. She wanted to be close to him so much that every time the door chimed, she was disappointed it wasn’t him. She was surprised he didn’t show up during her long day. He usually came by to drive her insane while she worked.
The day came to an end, and Kat sent Connie, the owner, home after offering to close. It took longer than she liked, but she made it out and locked the shop. White flakes still fell, but thankfully not so heavily that walking home would be awful.
She trudged through the snow, regretting not wearing boots that could handle it. Her feet grew wetter and colder with each step. Walking in clothes that weren’t snow-ready, she no longer fantasized about building a snowman. Instead, she longed for a warm bath.
Passing her church, Kat smiled at how pretty it looked with snow covering the roof and steeple. Streetlamps illuminated the snow, making it sparkle and creating a picture so perfect it’d be at home on a Christmas card.
A chill different from the cold caused Kat to stiffen. An instinct warning that someone was watching.
She paused and looked around, but it was late. The sidewalks were abandoned. Occasionally, a car drove by, but no one else was on foot. Kat was the only person crazy enough to walk in this weather. She took in her surroundings one more time before moving forward, her footsteps crunching in the snow one of the few sounds in the night.
Kat tried to shake the feeling, but it wouldn’t leave. Oddly, she wasn’t unsettled, only aware. Being watched was something that would normally unsettle her, and by some strange twist of logic, she was unsettled by her lack of unsettledness. She paused, gaze sweeping the shadows, where the streetlights didn’t reach.
This time, she saw something. In her church. Movement by the window. Then nothing. Someone inside at this hour surprised her, but Pastor Brighton often went to the church when the weather wasn’t good, in case anyone needed somewhere warm to dry off. That must’ve been what it was.
By the time she got home, Kat was ready for a hot drink and dry clothes. Pausing under the covered porch, she removed her wet boots and socks so she wouldn’t track snow inside. She opened the door, let her shoulders slump from the stress of the day, and left her work annoyances outside.
Inside, the lights were off. Multiple candles created a warm, relaxing glow throughout the house. Nex approached and handed her a glass of wine, then helped remove her coat.
Kat’s heart raced. “What’s going on?”
“This,” Nex hung her coat on the hook by the door, “is a redo. If you’ll have it.”
“A redo?”
“Yes. A redo. How your first time should’ve gone.”
Kat’s racing heart slowed to a stop. “You can’t redo a first time.”
“You’re the one who gets to decide that, Katherine.” He set his hands on her waist. “What do you say? Will you let me show you how you deserved it to go?” He cradled her face, staring into her eyes in a way that made her both calm and jittery. “Will you let me show you how good it can be?”
Kat’s heart thumped. She glanced at the candles, then down at the glass of wine. She didn’t know she’d ever want to have sex again, but all day she craved him, and it wasn’t just physical. Her craving to be close to him was based on more than how good he could make her feel.
It was him. All of him.
Nex waited for an answer. Kat wished she would’ve realized with Jason the nervousness was because she wasn’t ready, because he didn’t ignite her like Nex did. The current nervousness was anticipation.
In a twist of fate, she had a demon standing in front of her, wanting her. There should’ve been a part of her that said this wasn’t a good idea. He would go home eventually, and the closer she got to him, the more that would hurt. That, and he was a demon.
Except she didn’t see him that way. He wasn’t just a demon. He was Nex. He was everything, and if she couldn’t have him forever, she wanted to spend the time she had with him as close as possible, so she could hang onto it after he was gone. They’d already passed the point of no return. There was no going back, and she didn’t want to.
Kat took a long sip of wine and met his gaze, etching every millimeter of his face in her mind. In a quiet voice filled with more confidence than either expected, she answered, “Yes.”
Chapter 24
Whole
Nextookthewinefrom Katherine and set it down. Cupping her face, he kissed her. They’d already kissed, but this was more—a promise from him to her that he would cherish her giving herself to him, emphasized by his slow but deep, firm yet tender movements. Kat leaned into him, and he glided his tongue across her lips while she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Nex carried her to the bedroom, where more candles flickered. Setting her down next to the bed, he slid his hand into her hair, pulling her deeper and kissing her more intimately than he ever had with anyone. When he broke away, Kat was breathless, blinking glazed eyes up at him as that first touch of pink reached her freckled face.
