Eleven
Eshim
"Y ou can stay like that, if you want," Jerry said after a moment, and I bit back a gasp. Did he mean that? Did that mean he truly wasn't scared?
"Nah, that's okay. I'd like to sit with you on the couch, and I don't think it can handle this," I said, waving to myself.
Jerry smiled, then took a step back with a nod.
What I'd said wasn't technically a lie, but the couch problem could easily be solved with a bit of magic. I didn't want Jerry to get overwhelmed, though, so I changed my form once more. Just getting to show him was enough. For now.
"How about you find us a movie to watch and I'll bring dinner out?"
"Sounds good."
I took a seat on the couch as he disappeared into the kitchen, then grabbed the remote and found a romance with a good description. Just to be safe, I looked it up online to make sure there was no sad ending.
When I glanced up, Hella was standing in front of me, her tail wagging softly. Tom, noticing her, jumped off the couch and started barking happily and jumping around, his tail wagging a mile a minute.
"Holy fuck!" I jumped at Jerry's shout, then turned to see him in the doorway with two dishes piled with food.
"Sorry, she just showed up."
He frowned, then took a few cautious steps closer. "Isn't she Kat's dog?"
"She's actually a demonhound, and she sort of bounces around between all of us demons."
"Oh." The surprise on his face quickly turned to hurt before he shook his head and gave me a smile.
I knew he wasn't happy with his friends right now, but I didn't think it was my place to say anything. I understood why Kat and Archer hadn't told him, and while I didn't fully understand why Jerry was hurt, that didn't mean his feelings weren't valid.
I was just starting to get to know Jerry, and there was so much about him that I still didn't know and was eager to find out.
"Come, sit," I said, then raised a finger at Hella. "Not you. You can sit on the rug."
Hella huffed, but crumpled to the floor. Tom jumped on her instantly, then raced to the other side of the room before looking at her. When she didn't chase after him, he doubled back and did it again.
Leaving them to play, I turned my attention back to Jerry, taking the plate of food he offered.
"Is this okay?" I asked, waving toward the flatscreen showing the movie details.
"Sounds good," Jerry said with a small smile, and I hit play.
We watched as we ate, but I couldn't tell you what happened in the movie because Jerry held my complete attention.
We talked about silly things: the movie, Tom and Hella, what we liked to do in our free time. Jerry loved drawing—which I should've expected, given his work—and I was still discovering what I enjoyed doing, though walking around town and exploring all things human was definitely at the top of my list.
After we'd finished dinner, I insisted on helping Jerry with the dishes, and we did it the old-fashioned way—that was, without magic—so I had a reason to stand right by Jerry's side with our elbows and arms brushing every once in a while.
We returned to the couch after that, and resumed the movie. As it played, Jerry shifted closer to me, and then leaned his head against my shoulder. Biting back the wide smile that threatened to take over my face, I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and tugged him closer.
He gave a happy, contented sigh, and my smile broke free. That was now my second-favorite Jerry sound.
We stayed like that until the movie ended, and while we were both quiet, I still didn't pay any attention to the rest of the movie. How could I, when my mate was so damned close to me? I could stay like this forever.
But not really, because when the movie ended, Jerry sat up with a sigh. He stretched his arms over his head, arched his back, and groaned, and I adjusted myself inconspicuously so he wouldn't notice my reaction. I had a feeling Jerry could get me to the edge with just his voice. Maybe I'd get to find out someday.
"We have work tomorrow," Jerry said, and it took me a minute to figure out he meant it was time for me to leave. Humans had this weird tendency of rarely saying what they actually wanted to say.
"We do. I should...head home," I said, and Jerry snorted. Probably because I'd done absolutely nothing to hide my reluctance. And why would I? I wanted Jerry to know exactly how much I enjoyed spending time with him.
"I'm so glad I work for you," I said, and he blinked, then squinted at me.
"You are?"
I nodded. "I get to see you every day until the weekend. And I get to make sure you don't burn yourself out working. It's a win-win."
Jerry stared at me for a long moment, then glanced away, though I could see his lips curving up.
I had a feeling we'd keep talking if I stayed, and while I didn't need a full night's sleep, Jerry did. He'd worked hard today, and with the meeting with Hanover's on Thursday, I knew he'd have a ton to do tomorrow as well.
"Okay, time to leave," I said to myself as I stood up, and Jerry followed. I stopped to give Tom a few scratches, and Hella watched me from the floor as if she planned to stay right there. "You coming, Hella?"
She huffed, but didn't get up, and I sighed, then turned to Jerry. "She'll...leave when she feels like. Is that okay?"
"Of course. They get along, so I don't mind her staying."
I almost asked if I could stay too, but stopped myself just in time. Lux had told me humans didn't rush into things as easily as us—probably because of their short, fragile lives—so I needed to be careful not to push Jerry.
At the door, he stopped to look at me, a small smile on his face. "Tonight was fun. I really enjoyed spending time with you."
"Me too! We should do this again. Soon." Like tomorrow, maybe?
"I'd like that."
We stood there, and I didn't want the moment to end even though I knew it had to.
"Can I kiss you?" I asked, partly to break the silence, but mostly because I really, really wanted to.
Jerry sucked in a breath, then nodded very, very slowly.
Stepping closer, I cupped his hips and pulled him closer, then pressed my lips against his, humming at how absolutely soft they were. I'd imagined kissing Jerry since I first saw him at the interview, and everything I'd imagined paled in comparison to the real thing.
As I ran the tip of my tongue over his lower lip, Jerry's breath hitched, and the soft sound went straight to my cock.
Because I really wanted Jerry to get some sleep, I stepped back after a few moments without deepening the kiss.
I pressed a soft peck on his cheek before pulling back completely, then smiled at him.
"I'll see you tomorrow at work," I said, then winked at Jerry, who looked a little stupefied.
Then, I used my magic to get home, because now that Jerry knew, I didn't have to find a dank alley to travel from.
Jerry
My mind was still reeling. So much had happened this evening, and I...I needed some time to process.
After Eshim disappeared, I walked back to the couch, then fell on it. Tom instantly clambered up and plopped himself in my lap, but I was surprised when Hella followed him, then lay on the couch beside me, her head resting on my thigh.
"Hey, puppies. That was something, huh? I don't even know what to think about first."
Eshim's true form returned to my mind, and I shivered. He was so...big. And strong. I was sure he could break me in two quite easily. Surprisingly, I was just as sure he'd never do that. And those arms…
I didn't know much about this fated mates business, but I couldn't deny Eshim and I had a connection.
I eyed my phone, then contemplated calling Archer or Kat to talk things over with them. I'd given them the cold shoulder all day. What if they didn't pick up?
As if he'd read my mind, my phone started buzzing, and Archer's name flashed on the screen. I picked it up quickly.
"So?" Archer asked without preamble, and I blinked.
"So what?"
"Lux told me Eshim and you had a date tonight. How did it go?"
I swallowed hard to dislodge the sudden lump in my throat. Despite how badly I'd treated Archer and Kat—for something that wasn't their fault, no less—he'd called me because he'd known I would want to tell him about it.
"I'm sorry," I blurted out instead of answering his question.
There was a pause, and then Archer spoke, his tone soft. "We're okay, Jerry. I—and Kat—understand why you were hurt. I'd be too if the situation was reversed."
I sighed, grateful he'd said that but not quite sure if it was true. Still, I was glad he wasn't mad at me, and very much ready to close this topic. I'd call Kat later to make sure we were good too, but I had no doubt she'd forgive me just as easily. Kat wasn't one to hold grudges. Not unless someone wronged someone she loved.
"Now, stop trying to distract me and tell me how the date went."
I sighed like it was the last thing I wanted to talk about, even though we both knew it wasn't.
"It was good. Really, really good. I haven't connected so easily to someone in a long time."
Archer hummed happily. "That's good to hear. You do take a while to let people in. Do you think it helped that you'd spent time with him in a non-romantic capacity first?"
I wanted to protest his observation, but I couldn't. I did take a while to let people in, because I'd learned over the course of my childhood that being left behind—or sent away—sucked, and it was easier when you weren't attached to people. While I'd gotten over most of my hangups, that one had stuck around. I tended to keep people at a distance until I could be sure they planned to stay.
"Maybe. I got to know him a bit at work, and that certainly made things easier."
"Yeah? I'm glad. What did you two do?"
"Nothing fancy. Dinner at home and a movie. Hella showed up. She's still here," I said, glancing over at the large black dog, whose ears had pricked up at the sound of her name.
"She's a sweetheart, isn't she?"
"She is," I agreed, reaching over to scratch behind her ears. Then I took a deep breath and said what I'd actually wanted to talk to him about. "I saw Eshim's true form."
"Yeah? What did you think?"
"Have you seen him?"
"Nope, not yet. How was he? Scary?"
I thought about how I'd reacted and snorted. "Not really."
"Hot?" Archer asked, a hint of knowing in his tone, and I swallowed hard.
"Is that weird?"
"Not at all. I think Lux is hot as hell in his true form."
I thought of Lux's true form with his goat horns and fluffy tail, and while he wasn't scary or anything, I didn't really find him sexy. Then again, that was true of his human form as well. I liked my men on the bigger, bulkier side. Like Eshim.
"So have you..." I trailed off, unsure if I wanted to know the answer. It wasn't like we didn't talk sex from time to time. Archer, Kat, and I were pretty open about most things.
"Oh yeah. And it's better than anything you could ever imagine."
My brows shot up, and a picture of me on my hands and knees filled my head. Eshim leaned over my back, two hands on my hips as he fucked me, one braced against the mattress while he cupped my throat with another.
I exhaled shakily, and Archer snorted. "I didn't mean you should start imagining now ."
"Shut up," I said without heat, and he laughed.
"Seriously, though. You'll be fine. We can't sense the mate bond the way they can, but I think something deep inside us can. I've known I could trust Lux since the day I met him, and I bet you feel the same way about Eshim. Let your instincts guide you, and don't worry too much about it, okay?"
"Okay," I agreed with a sigh, knowing he was right. Even if my active mind was running in a hundred different directions, my subconscious knew exactly where I should go: straight toward Eshim.