Page 31 of How Not to Date a Demon

“Better than okay,” he answered with a sigh, his chest deflating beneath her. Galen caressed a pattern on her back. “Everything was so… awesome,” he finally settled on, and Maeve couldn’t help her chuckle.

“Hey, words are hard right now, okay? You just sucked the life out of my cock and then milked me dry. Cut a guy some slack.”

Despite all the words she’d just said to him in the heat of the moment, her cheeks pinkened at his description.

“You’re welcome,” she retorted simply.

His chest shook as he laughed, the soft, deep rumble echoing around the room. Then they were both quiet, and Maeve was working up the energy to drag them both to the shower when Galen spoke again.

“I fuckin’ love you, you know that?” he said, as if the words had been banging around his teeth until he let them out.

It made her heart squeeze, and she suddenly couldn’t speak for the lump in her throat. Pressing into her palms, she lifted herself up to meet Galen’s gaze.

“You’re just so… I mean, at the risk of sounding like a total sap, you’re pretty goddamn perfect.” She watched his lips curl on every word, watched his eyes as they studied her face.

She parted her lips, wanting to return the sentiment, but she couldn’t even put it into words. Galen was pretty fucking amazing too. What she finally decided on was, “I guess you make existing not suck so much. Living together isn’t so bad.”

At Galen’s arched brow, she let a soft smile curl her lips, and she leaned up to let him taste it. “I love you too,” she echoed.

Maeve

Eventually, they worked up the energy to make it to the shower. And then afterwards, when Galen’s skin was all deliciously warm from the hot water?

It was a good thing Galen liked cuddling after they played, because Maeve did too. As they crawled in bed together, she made like a magnet and got comfy with him, soaking up his heat.

“I swear you like my chest more than your own pillow,” he remarked.

“What is it you say?” Maeve asked sleepily. “‘Boobs make the best pillows?’”

“I do not have boobs,” Galen argued.

Maeve slid a hand up his abs until her palm cradled the shape of his pec. “I beg to differ.”

It was quiet for so long Maeve wondered if he fell asleep. But then his shoulders shook. “Insufferable,” he muttered, chest bouncing beneath her cheek.

“You love it,” she retorted, and nipped his skin before kissing the sting away.

She fell asleep on his chest, with his arm around her back and a hand in her hair.

It was the deepest, most peaceful sleep she’d had in days when consciousness tried to interfere. Maeve batted it away with a groan and rolled over. Surely it wasn’t morning yet!

But it wasn’t the light of day that finally dispersed the hazy fog of sleep. It was the lack of warmth in the bed next to her.

Grumbling, she blinked her eyes open and let them adjust to the darkness before searching out the clock.

“Three thirteen? Come on,” she muttered.

The bed was empty again, Galen’s spot still cooling from his absence. Where’d he go now? Another bad dream?

As concern filled her chest, she sat up, swinging her legs over the side. It was chilly without the protection of the blankets, so she aimed for a pair of sweats, but the quiet click of a door closing made her pause.

Her heart skipped a beat as she shut the drawer and pulled open the bedroom door.

“Galen?” she called out quietly.

Silence answered her. She tugged the sweatpants up her legs in record time, and it only took a split second, a short glance around the apartment, to know that he was gone. The puppies snored in a pile in front of the couch, but no Galen.

“What the hell?” she asked aloud. Her gaze traveled to the window, the streetlamps beyond, and the darkness in between. A familiar build tucked away in a long-sleeved, dark tee passed under one of the lights.