Page 54 of My Demon Manny

I sighed, wishing I was back there with Lux and Gunner.

"You know, I could teleport you here for the night. And then I could bring you back to your hotel room in time for your meeting," Lux suggested, and I blinked at him, the sleepy haze that'd started to cloud my mind disappearing instantly.

"You could?"

Lux nodded, his eyes hopeful as he watched me.

"Then please, by all means," I said, and before I could exhale the breath I'd been taking, I was in my bed, right beside Lux.

Dropping my phone onto the mattress, I wrapped my palm around the back of his neck and pulled him into a kiss. I'd onlybeen away from Lux for a few hours, and yet it felt like it'd been weeks since I'd seen him, since I'd touched him.

Fuck, I truly loved this demon, didn't I?

Twenty-Three

Archer

Walking through the garagedoor and into my house felt like reaching a stream after walking through a desert for hours. After spending the night with Lux, he'd returned me to my hotel room with just enough time to shower and get ready for the meeting.

After the meeting was done, though, I'd had to do things the human way since Jerry and Kat were with me too. So I'd bought the chocolates Kat picked out, before we drove to the airport and waited for our flight.

With Lux's magic, I could've been home in seconds, but without it, it'd taken me close to five hours. The flight had been short, but the drive home from the airport had been just awful. It'd felt like it would never end. But I was home now, and I was looking forward to hugging Lux and holding Gunner in my arms.

"Welcome home!" Lux exclaimed as I stepped into the living room, and Gunner joined in with a cheer. Smiling, I held out the flowers and chocolate, and Lux took them, a look of surprise on his face.

"Are these for me?"

"Of course. Do you like them?"

Lux sniffed at the flowers, then smiled widely. "I do. Thank you!"

Smiling, I leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek before stooping down to pick Gunner up. He patted my chin as soon as he was close enough, and I imagined he was reprimanding me for leaving.

"Hey, Gunner. Did you miss me? I missed you a lot." I pressed a kiss to his temple. He, of course, smacked my jaw some more.

"Looks like he missed you too," Lux said with a chuckle, making me smile.

"Yeah. From now on, I'm making Jerry and Kat take any and all out-of-town meetings." It was something I'd been mulling over already, and the only reason I hadn't told them was because I felt guilty. I'd already taken so much time off recently, and then asking them to reduce my workload after all that...

I knew they would understand, though. And I could always take more of the local meetings to balance the scales.

"We'd like that," Lux said, then glanced at the clock. "Why don't you freshen up and we can have a late lunch together?"

"Sounds good."

Leaning forward, I pulled Lux into a chaste kiss as Gunner cooed and babbled between us. I'd been planning on telling himI loved him when I gave him the flowers, but I lost the moment. Maybe after lunch?

Lux took Gunner from me, and I took my carry-on to our bedroom, leaving it in the corner to unpack later as I stepped into the bathroom, eager to wash the airport off of me.

After lunch, I'd ask Lux to curl up on the couch and watch a movie with me while Gunner napped. And then, when the moment was right, I'd tell him I loved him.

As we ate lunch, I fed Gunner between taking bites of the sandwiches Lux had made. I hadn't realized how much I enjoyed doing the simplest things for Gunner until I had to take a break from them. I loved my job, but I loved taking care of Gunner just as much, if not more.

"How about you put him down for his nap while I clean up?" Lux suggested, and I gladly agreed.

It took a while for Gunner to settle down, but once he did, I placed him into his crib, and spent a few minutes just watching him fall asleep. How could someone so small make my chest feel so full? I'd always known I wanted to be a dad someday, but until the day I first held Gunner in my arms, I hadn't realized how truly precious a child could be. I was so fucking lucky to have him, and I never wanted to forget that.

"Hey," Lux murmured as he approached my side, his arm sliding around my waist as he rested his head on my shoulder. "He's out like a light, huh?"

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