Page 34 of My Demon Assistant

"Are you okay? I should've told you what I was going to do first, right? I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I feel better now."

I did feel steadier, and I proved it by getting to my feet and turning to take in the room. The walls were all rustic wood, the floor creaky but well-maintained. There was some abstract art on the walls, a small flatscreen on a cabinet opposite the couch, and the front door and window on one side and a door leading deeper into the cabin on the other.

I walked over to the window and peered outside, the chirping of birds greeting me along with the warm sunlight. A breeze blew in through the window, cool and smelling of grass and leaves. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been surrounded by nature like this. I needed to do this more often.

"Do you like it?"

Weshould do this more often.

"I do. It's cozy, and hiking sounds fun. Maybe later, though."

"We can go whenever you want. We'll have three whole days here. And we can come back anytime."

If it were up to me, we'd spend every weekend here. I had a feeling Eshim would want to do just that if I said it out loud, so I didn't. Eshim hadn't said no to a single request I'd made, and I was a bit worried about what that meant. I knew it had nothing to do with me being his boss, but even as his mate, I didn't want to have too much power over him. I wanted to know he felt comfortable saying no to me, but I didn't know how to ask him that.

The mature thing to do would be to come right out and ask the question. Or I could make increasingly crazy requests and see how he reacted...

Nope. I was in my thirties for fuck's sake. I was old enough to know better than to play stupid games like that.

Time to bite the bullet.

"Eshim?"

"Yeah?" He glanced over at me, and the sunlight fell on one side of his face, making his hair gleam and his blue eyes shine like there were stars buried in their center. Fuck, he was so damned beautiful. "Jerry?"

I blinked, then realized I'd completely blanked on what I wanted to ask him. What was I...oh, right.

"Uh, I wanted to ask you something, and I need you to answer honestly, okay?"

Eshim's brows furrowed, and he nodded, then took a step closer to me. "I would never lie to you, Jerry. Not now that you know everything."

Nodding, I rolled my eyes at myself. "It's nothing bad—I promise. I'm making a big deal out of it. I just wanted to ask...if I ever ask for something you don't feel comfortable with, you'll say no, right?"

If anything, Eshim's frown deepened. "What do you mean?"

I twisted a strand of my hair around my fingers as I tried to find a way to explain what I was trying to say. Which was hard when I wasn't sure myself.

"I just mean that if I ask to do anything that makes you uncomfortable or pushes past your boundaries, you'd tell me instead of trying to accommodate me."

Eshim tilted his head, still confused. "You mean sexually?"

I blinked. Ah, this was why people preferred the stupid games. This was painful.

"Well, yes, but other things too. Like, I want you to enjoy the time we spend together too. I don't want to do something I enjoy if you aren't enjoying it too."

Eshim's eyes widened, and then he smiled, a bright, happy smile that made me smile automatically. "Oh, that makes sense! Sorry. And yes, I understand. I love spending time with you, and seeing you happy makes me happy. But yes, if you suggest something I don't feel up to, I will say something. I promise."

Feeling like a weight had been lifted off me, I exhaled and rested my forehead on his shoulder. I made a happy sound when he wrapped his arms around me, and for a few moments, we just stood there, soaking in the sunlight and basking in each other's warmth.

Eshim

My Jerry was a bit of an overthinker. It was cute, but not when he was making himself anxious doing it.

Once his heart had calmed down to a steady cadence, I pulled back and smiled down at him. "So, what would you like to do?"

Jerry gazed at me with pursed lips, then took a step back. "Will you show me your true form again?"

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