I meant to say it in a joking manner but it came out more serious than intended, which made me sound pathetic.
But Daemen wasn't looking at me with pity. He almost looked like he was scheming.
"I have a proposal," Daemen said slowly. "You say you need a date to this wedding."
"A fake date," I added, because nobody was desperate enough to want to date me in earnest.
"Right." Daemen smiled, flashing those pearly whites. "What about me?"
I laughed before once again realizing he was serious.
"Um," I said, my voice a couple octaves too high. "I appreciate the offer, Daemen, really I do, but you're so busy, and this is sostupid, and I wouldn't want to take you away from your important work and—"
"So that settles it," Daemen said confidently. "I'll be your fake date and spare you from being nagged to death. After all, it’s a doctor’s duty to make sure his patients don’t die, right? It's a deal."
I gaped at him. Did he not hear anything I said or was he choosing to ignore it?
"Daemen, really—"
"Miguel."
The sultry way my name rolled off his tongue made me freeze.
"Do you have anything to wear to the wedding?" he asked, smiling.
"Er, not really."
"Are you free tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Tomorrow we'll get that sorted out." He smiled. "Don't worry about it too much, all right?"
I nodded slowly, as if under a spell. Because for some strange reason, when I was with Daemen, it felt like things would be all right no matter what.
5
Daemen
Ever since realizingMiguel was my fated mate, being parted from him was pure anguish. The only way I got through the sluggish hours before I saw him again was slipping beneath the bed covers, moaning his name and furiously jacking off.
What? An alpha demon has needs.
But of course, pleasuring myself did nothing to sate my urges. The primal need to breed Miguel was intense and difficult to ignore, but he didn't even know I was a demon, let alone that he was my fated mate. My overflowing love and lust would have to wait for now.
When I saw him waiting for me at the mall, my heart skipped a beat. He was utterly adorable, even in that casual graphic T-shirt and ragged pair of jeans. I loved him no matter what he wore, but I was also excited to take him shopping and dress him up like a doll.
"Hey, Daemen!" he said.
The way his face lit up when he saw me made my heart melt. If only humans knew about fated mates, this would be so much easier. But alas, he probably thought his feelings towards me were a mere crush. I saw the way he doubted himself. His self-confidence was shaky at best. I needed to uplift him so he would realize how perfect he truly was.
I took Miguel's hand and brought it to my lips, giving it a quick and casual kiss. His eyes widened and he stammered something incomprehensible.
Poor baby.
"What? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten our plan already," I teased.
The gears in Miguel's brain apparently clicked back into place. "Fake boyfriend. For wedding. Gotcha."
