“Fucking loved it,” Julien answered, still trying to read Emory’s features for that hint of fear again. The thought that something was actually bothering Emory about this didn’t sit well with him. He’d seemed into it. Really into it. And fuck, Julien sure had been. He’d liked it so much, he was looking forward to doing it again.
But not if Emory was reticent for some reason. He stayed braced over the angel, their gazes locked—and sure enough,there was still a hint of something he didn’t like in those gray eyes. The urge to wipe it away was so strong he lowered his face and softly kissed Emory.
This kiss was nothing like the last ones. It was gentle. Affectionate. Emory’s lips clinging to his.
And something profound just clicked into place.
Something Julien felt positive was going to rattle his perfect fucking world.
Chapter Twelve
Emory
Julien was kissing him in a way that had his heart pounding harder than it had during the incredible sex they’d just had. This kiss wasn’t about hunger, but tenderness and intimacy. Just a press of lips that spoke so much louder than words.
And Emory didn’t know what to take from it.
Because he’d just been slammed with the realization that Julien could possibly be his soulmate. The absolute, raw desire he’d felt with the man’s mouth on him had trumped everything, taken him completely out of his head. He’d been dizzy with the power of it.
It wasn’t something he wanted. Had ever wanted. He liked his freedom and his autonomy.
And these fucking…warm…kisses were affecting him even more. Julien had a surprising tender side. He liked this big man hovering over him, and he liked the way his lips felt—the way he smelled of sweat and sex. The urge to pull Julien’s heavy body down all the way on top of him was so strong he curled his hands into fists on the floor.
Julien kept pulling back just to press more gentle kisses to his lips.
It was causing him to catch feelings—and those, he didnotwant.
Yet, he wasn’t moving away, not even when Julien traced his upper lip with the tip of his tongue. A return of that early, dizzying lust started to build inside him. He opened his mouth and slid his tongue around Julien’s, making the man give another one of those sexy, rumbling moans.
He’d known. He’d absolutely known that breaking down that uptight exterior would be amazing.
But he didn’t know which of them was affected more, because he was just as broken down himself.
Julien pulled back to look down at him, a brief flare of something like wonder passing through those blue eyes. He moved aside, stretching out next to Emory, but he kept his hand on Emory’s stomach, lazily tracing his finger through the trail of hair around his navel.
Emory stared at the ceiling but turned his head when he heard Julien’s soft chuckle. “What?” he asked.
“You look just as shell-shocked as I feel.”
“These are your first times with a man, so it makes sense that you feel surprised.”
“It’s not that.”
“Not what?”
“I don’t think it’s because you’re a man. I think it’s because it’s you. I’m attracted to you. In a way I’ve never experienced, so yes, it’s messing with my head a little.”
“Discovering you’re bisexual is a big deal, so of course it is.”
Julien slid one hand under his cheek. “I keep trying to think back to any times I might have been attracted to a man, and I’m coming up blank. I notice when someone is attractive, but Inever had the urge to act on that attraction. With you, it feels like I don’t have a choice.”
Emory frowned. “There is always a choice.”
“Yes, I know. But I constantly want to be touching you. Be close to you. I feel more intimacy in what we’ve done than I’ve felt before, and we haven’t even been completely naked with each other.”
Emory didn’t know what to say to that, so he stayed silent, because the truth was, he was feeling the exact same way. And it was scaring the shit out of him.
“I don’t even know anything about you other than you protect people for a living.”
