“I honestly believe he’s been doctoring them all along. I’ll figure it out. Confront him. He hasn’t been his usual polished self for a while now, so something is obviously going on.” Julien looked down at the mug he held in one hand before raising it to sip the liquid. His gaze flitted back up to Emory and roamed over his chest before coming back up to his mouth. The man held an obvious fascination with Emory’s lips.
He must have realized he was staring because he cleared his throat and looked away. “Tell me about angels. You said that thehuman idea of angels is incorrect, that you’re from here just like I am.”
“Yes, we aren’t heavenly beings who came to earth to live. As I said, we’re a species just as demons are. They aren’t from some kind of hell dimension. As for angels… Well, a lot of them are adamantly against having children with humans and other species—they believe the species should be kept pure. I had a human mother, so I wasn’t too popular among those particular angels. But what sets us apart is the wings, of course, and different abilities. I can move things with my mind, and I’m strong. Though strength is a standard thing that sets all preternaturals apart.”
“It must be amazing to be able to fly.”
“It is.” Emory bit his lip to keep him from blurting out that he no longer could. It wasn’t something he liked to share, so he changed the subject. “What do you do beside work? Any hobbies?”
Julien shook his head. “I’m hideously boring. No hobbies or interests outside of my business. It takes a lot to run that company, and I’m so focused on that, I don’t do much else.”
“I noticed you don’t even have a television.”
Shrugging, Julien lifted his mug to his lips and sipped before setting it back down. “I do watch the occasional movie, just on my laptop.”
“I’m the opposite. Love shows and movies and I really love my huge television screen.” His voice trailed off when he noticed Julien staring at his mouth again. Heat coiled low in his stomach as a hint of interest flared in Julien’s eyes as they came back up to meet his. Did the man realize he held a fascination with Emory’s lips?
Their stare picked up in intensity, and Emory couldn’t help but lick his lips. Julien’s gaze dropped instantly, his lips partingand his expression glazing over like he was imagining kissing Emory.
Emory suddenly couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t even remember what they’d been talking about. His eyes widened as the absolute strength of this attraction barreled through him. He cast about for some way to break the tension, but it just seemed to increase.
“What the fuck?” Julien whispered as his face flushed. He suddenly jumped to his feet and cleared his throat. “I’m hitting the gym. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen.” His movements weren’t as coordinated as usual as he set his mug in the sink. He didn’t look at Emory again as he hurried from the kitchen.
Emory just sat still, stunned by whatever the hell that had been. His body was awash with lust on a scale he’d never experienced. He should be running, but he was too damn fascinated. And Julien might think of himself as a straight man, but he’d just looked at Emory with a desire that had bordered on actual need.
Emory couldn’t help but wonder if he even realized that.
Chapter Nine
Julien
Unfortunately, the next day was taken up by other problems in the office, and Julien didn’t have time to delve into the financials. He brought his files home, planning to go through them that evening, but all he could think about was that intense moment between him and Emory in his dining room. A low hum of desire had simmered inside him the entire day, wreaking havoc with his ability to focus. He’d stolen looks at the angel often, which had only ramped up that desire. He really was quite beautiful but Julien had realized it wasn’t only attraction pulling him in. It was a need to know him as well.
He couldn’t make heads or tails of these strange feelings. It was like they had an odd connection—something he’d never felt with anyone else. There was something more there. More than just that sexual awareness. Though that in itself was stronger than anything he’d ever felt. He’d just accepted that he wasn’t the sort to feel raging passion.
But maybe he was?
That thought sent a strange, giddy excitement through him. He was so damn curious, he left all his files and settled in a chairin his living room with Emory, the angel sitting on the couch with his arms spread along the back. He wore his usual business attire of slacks and a button-down, but he’d opened several buttons, leaving a sexy expanse of golden skin revealed.
Julien sat there in silence as he stared, knowing he was doing so and unable to stop.
“Do you have family?”
Emory’s question pulled Julien from his thoughts, but it took him a moment to answer. “I’m an only child with two absolutely batshit crazy parents.”
Emory lifted his eyebrows. “Do share. Batshit how?”
“They are incapable of holding down jobs or living in one place. Or even keeping their attention on anything for any period of time. I spent my childhood living in a small RV and traveling all over the country.”
“You didn’t go to school?”
“I homeschooled myself and, as soon as I was eighteen, left them and went to college. There I discovered an affinity for computers, figured out what I wanted to do, then moved here to Seattle because of the tech industry here. I started my company at twenty-four, and it went public four years later. My parents show up around once a year, create chaos, then leave on their adventures.”
“So you’re against traveling?”
He shifted in his chair. “No, it’s not that. I have nothing against those who spend their lives traveling. It’s just they never stuck around anywhere long enough to make our lives easier. I existed on fast food and snacks, and there were many times we didn’t have money for even those. I wanted to go to school so badly but I was stuck in that tiny RV, cleaning up after them because they truly didn’t care if they lived in filth. When they visit now, I do not go into the RV because I can only imaginewhat it’s like inside.” He brushed some lint off his pants. “To be perfectly honest, most of their money went toward drugs.”
“Oh,” Emory said softly, leaning forward. The movement made his open shirt separate more. “I’m sorry.”
