Page 33 of My Demon Assistant

A few of our employees came up to chat or congratulate us, and I got dragged into a conversation about the current marketing themes and what kind of designs we could draw up to fit into them while still standing out. It was the biggest hurdle when it came to advertising of any kind, and the conversation ran longer than I'd expected.

By the time the two women I'd been chatting with drifted off, it was almost midnight. Archer and Lux had already left since they had to relieve their babysitter, while Kat and Fressia were on the small dance floor cleared in the middle. Eshim was right where he'd been sitting all evening, his side pressed against mine. I glanced over at him and he smiled as he met my eyes.

"So, where would you like to go?"

I blinked, then realized what he was talking about. "Hmm...I want to spend the time getting to know you, so nowhere crowded. We'll have time later to do touristy things, right?"

Eshim nodded. "Whenever you want."

Smiling, I took his hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. "Then maybe somewhere outside the city? Somewhere it's just us and we can have some peace and quiet."

"I like that. I'll find us something tonight, and we can go tomorrow?" he suggested, though it turned into a question at the end as if he was unsure.

"Sounds good. I'm looking forward to it."

If Eshim wasn't friends with Lux and Fressia, if he wasn't a demon, if I hadn't known about the whole fated mates deal, I would never go on a weekend trip with someone I'd only been on one date with.

But I knew Eshim better than a first date. I'd known him for a while now, and everything I discovered about him just made me like him more. He was sweet, a little clueless. He mixed up his phrases and idioms, got them so wrong sometimes that I struggled to figure out what he wanted to say, and it was the cutest thing ever. He could also be bossy, which turned me the fuck on. I wanted to see more of that side of him, and I hoped I'd get to this weekend.

Thirteen

Jerry

Theknockatmydoor bright and early the next morning had my heart racing in excitement. Kat had been by earlier—she was an early riser—to pick Tom up, and I was glad for her offer to pet sit. While I adored Tom, I really did want this weekend to be just about Eshim and me. I wanted to give him all my attention, because I knew that would get harder to do once we got back to work.

I pulled the door open, and smiled at Eshim. His blond hair was perfectly styled as ever, and he was dressed in faded jeans and a Henley that clung to him like a second skin. My outfit was similar with light blue jeans paired with a navy turtleneck. I'd left my hair loose, and I smiled when Eshim reached out to gently tug a strand.

"You look stunning," he said, and I stepped aside to let him in.

"You don't look so bad either."

Eshim chuckled, and I turned to him once I'd closed the door. "So where are we going? Are we driving?"

"I rented us a cabin in the woods a few miles out of town. It's stocked up for the weekend, and there are hiking trails all around if we feel like spending some time outside."

"That sounds amazing," I said, and he held a hand out, brow raised.

"Shall we?"

Blinking, I placed my hand in his, and he grabbed my duffle bag with his free hand. I turned toward the door, but he tugged me closer, then wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Eshim?"

"Hold on," he murmured, and I grabbed his hips a moment before our surroundings flickered and started to blur. When everything cleared up again a few seconds later, I realized we weren't in my living room anymore.

"What the..." I mumbled as I stepped back, then instantly stumbled over my feet. Eshim grabbed me, then led me toward a small couch.

"Careful, it can feel a little dizzying to humans the first time."

"What was...what was that?"

"It's how demons travel. The most accurate description would be teleportation."

"You can teleport someone else too?" Holy fuck, what couldn't he do?

"Well, yes. That's how we got here, remember?"

"Don't be sassy," I grumbled, and he chuckled.

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