Page 31 of Accidentally Summoned an Incubus

Chapter 15. Lex

My sleep was blissful and deep. Lochran had carried me directly to my bedroom door before letting me down, but not before gently pulling me into his chest as if he would savor every last second of my consent for him touching me.

It had been all I could do to change into my pajamas before collapsing face-first into my bed, where I remained like a satisfied statue for the next few hours. But when the high finally wore off at around two in the morning, my body jolted me awake. A mixture of anxiety and determination fueled me down the stairs and, with a quick pit stop to make a cup of tea, to the comfort of the couch to write my final ten pages.

The soft pillows enveloped me, the house ensuring they were warm and comfortable, as I detailed the morning of the hex. The moment I’d written the final sentence, the journal disappeared with a softpop, presumably reappearing in my grandma’s spell room for her perusal when she woke.

The clenching of my chest seemed to lessen as I stared intothe crackling fire, heat blooming around me. Now that the journal was out of the way, for now at least, I found myself craving Lochran. In a sexual way, yes—having had a taste, I didn’t think I could evernotcrave him in that way—but mostly just for his company. I had enjoyed hearing snippets of his life before being summoned, and while it might not have been an overly happy one, I found myself wanting to know more about him. It had been a roller-coaster few days, filled with dueling thoughts and consumed with the need to finish the journal. And now that was done, all I could think about was why I didn’t know my mate’s favorite color, or how he’d gotten his scar, or literally anything he could tell me about himself.

And I wanted to tell him about me too. Like how I missed my best friend. How, as much as I hated my brother at times, he was, reluctantly, my second best friend, and I secretly championed the fact that he was doing his PhD. How, aside from my last job, I really enjoyed working office jobs alongside the mortals, and how I was both excited and afraid that someday, decades from now, I would be sitting in my grandma’s position, leading the coven and passing judgement on other wayward witches.

Speaking of which, I should probably fill him in on what to expect from the trial tomorrow—technically today, I guessed. If my father’s reaction was anything to go by, giving him time to process before the trial might help diffuse an undoubtedly murderous reaction to seeing it firsthand.

I found that I wanted to tell him. To let him know that he was not the reason I’d needed to take things slow. In fact, his patience and understandinghad been a massive part of my healing process. To know that I could make a man be uncontrollable in his lust for me, but for him to still hold my boundaries as sacred, had made me trust that side of myself once more.

I wasn’t to blame.

My eyes flicked up to Lochran’s room above me, and I wondered if he was awake.

I didn’t have to ponder for long. A moment later, I heard the click of a door, and Lochran’s footsteps on the stairs, cat-like as if trying not to wake me.

Warmth spread through me at the gesture, and I quickly righted myself as my mate stood on the squeaky final step of the stairs. A split second later, a sheepish Lochran appeared in the doorway wearing only a pair of thin shorts. I gulped as I took in his disheveled hair and mischievous grin before slowly racking my eyes down his thick torso. His dark nipples were taut, and I wondered what one would feel like against the flat of my tongue—

A cough brought me to my senses, and I internally cursed myself for my gaze not making it as far as the delicious V-line that dipped below the hem of his shorts.

“I can go back to bed if you need some alone time?”

I shook my head a little bit too enthusiastically, causing my mate to grin. “Couldn’t sleep either?” I asked him.

“I wasn’t allowed to,” he said through a yawn as he dropped onto the couch beside me. “The room was like an icebox.”

Lochran’s hand grasped around a tattered old blanket draped over the back of the couch. He sniffed it tentatively. Deciding the scent wasn’t too offensive, he held it out to me,even though his teeth had started to chatter.

“I’m okay,” I said, automatically reaching out to push the blanket toward him. Our fingers brushed, the touch sizzling like a spark between us. Memories of last night flooded my brain, my cheeks flushing as my eyes locked with Lochran’s. His chattering had momentarily stopped as his chest moved in a deep, single breath. He sighed, and the chattering began again.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yup,” I squeaked. “The house has kept me warm with a fire.”

Lochran’s head bobbed once before he threw the blanket outward, spreading it fully in one swift motion and pulling it up to his neck.

The blanket suddenlypoofed out of existence, causing Lochran’s head to roll back in frustration. “Why is this house determined for me to freeze my balls off?”

“I think it’s maybe... um... hoping that we snuggle up for warmth.”

The house creaked in acknowledgement.

While I wasn’t opposed to the idea—in fact, the thought of pressing my body against Lochran was becoming more and more appealing by the minute—I’d already made up my mind that I wanted to find out more about my mate first.

But I wouldn’t be opposed to some more physical explorations after.

As I was forming how to articulate this to the house, Lochran turned to me and said loudly, “The house isn’t doing a very good job of getting us together.”

I had to bite back a laugh.In just a couple of days, my mate had found out exactly how to play the house at its own games. I scrunched my face into a look of confusion—I was a terrible actor, but thankfully the magic of the house was pretty innocent and easy to trick. “Oh? Why’s that?” I asked, my voice sweetly demure.

Lochran seemed to be just as terrible an actor. He tried his best to look concerned, but he couldn’t seem to hide the grin threatening to burst past his lips. In an attempt to school his face, he took a deep, steadying breath.

The house let out an impatient wheeze before Lochran finally said, “Because I’m so cold, I think my dick might fall off. And then the house will never see us together.”

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