Page 18 of Cooking Up a Demon
“I’ve spent the last month calling in every favor, searching for every loophole, and bending every rule I’ve ever come across, but I’m here. And, if you’ll have me, I’m not going anywhere.”
“What do you mean? Won’t you get summoned back? I can’t do this again, Kallax. I can’t go on not knowing where you are and if you’re okay.”
“Oh love, no. Not again. Never again.” He presses a gentle kiss to my mouth and sets me down on the counter, but maintains his position wrapped between my legs.
He uses gentle fingers to wipe at the tears that start falling without me noticing. His gentleness has my throat tightening.
“You summoned me. Which binds us together. If we reverse the deal, we’ll be able to stay together.”
“What do you mean? Reverse the deal?” I try to remember the exact deal he told me, but I hadn’t really been paying attention. I knew every time he showed up he stole a day off my life. Which, at thirty, isn’t a big deal. It will be one day.
“Every day, you do me a favor and you take a day off my life.”
“Kallax, no!” I’m horrified he would even suggest it. I don’t want any of his days.
“I have a lot of days, love. And can always get more. It’ll be a hundred years or more before we go through my life span. I don’t want to live in a world without you in it, and this way I get to stay with you.”
He pauses and takes a deep breath. “That is, assuming you want me around.”
“Of course I do.” I can see how he wouldn’t know that. I’ve given him very little to believe I want him around. Sure, we fucked every which way but, before then, I’d resisted his presence. I’ve had time to think about how I felt about him and know the last month without him sucked. I missed his interfering presence.
“It would mean you can’t have children.”
“Don’t want them.”
“You could change your mind.”
“I have an IUD and I’ve tried for the last decade to get a hysterectomy. It isn’t changing. What else?”
His forked tongue sweeps out to dampen his lower lip, and I figure I’m really not going to like this next part.
“A favor for a day.” He repeats.
“What counts as a favor? Me making you breakfast? Doing your laundry? Giving you a blowjob.”
“Yes.” His eyes drop to my mouth, and I flush hot as I think about the first and last time I’d had my lips wrapped around his huge cock. “That would do it.”
I press my hands against his chest until he takes a step back. I slide off the counter, trapped between the cool laminate and hot demon.
“I guess you’d better let me get started then.” I drop to my knees.
Chapter Thirteen
Thirteen
“Honey, I’m home.” I call, letting myself into the cottage. I walk into the kitchen to find Kallax standing at the stove wearing nothing but his leather pants and a frilly white apron I’d bought him as a joke months ago.
He insists on wearing it when cooking and cleaning. I can’t decide if it’s because I gave it to him or because he knows it amuses me and is trying to make me laugh.
“How was work?” Kallax asks, blowing over a spoonful of red sauce. He offers the spoon to me, and I taste it. I let out a small moan as flavor explodes over my tongue.
Kallax doesn’t eat. Not people food. He told me once he sips off of other’s sins when he encounters them, but he doesn’t drain anyone. Since people aren’t dropping dead all over Ghostlight Falls, I believe him.
One of the things he’s found great joy in since moving topside is cooking. I thought he was just doing it to please me at first, because he’s that kind of demon, but he really seems to like doing it.
“Perfect.” I say, releasing the spoon from my mouth. “Work was good. Biggest group for book club yet.”
For the last few months, I’ve managed to grow my first book club to fifteen members. Plus, there has been enough interest to start two more for contemporary romance and mystery novels. My schedule is filled with local and visiting authors looking for places to hold book release parties or small signings. I even have a wedding booked for next month.
