“You haven’t really been one to ask many questions or even talk to me.”
Julien’s lips twisted. “I know. I’m sorry about that. I have this need to keep everything in my life perfectly organized, and this penumbra has messed that up. It pisses me off. But that’s no excuse for how rude I’ve been toward you.”
“You haven’t exactly been rude.”
“I’ve ignored you. Truth is, I wasn’t ignoring you mentally. I was all too aware of you at all times. Still am. I’ve always been able to turn off outside disruptions and focus on my work, but a part of me stays on you. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m highly attracted to you.”
“Yeah, I think I’ve figured that out,” Emory said with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
Julien snorted. “I can’t keep my hands off you.” As he said that, he slid his hand from under his cheek and put it back onto Emory’s stomach. It was warm on his bare skin. “What do you do besides security?”
“I tend to go out a lot when not on the job because most of my jobs take up a lot of my time. Sometimes, I’m on twenty-fourhours a day, like this job, and sometimes Xavier switches us out in shifts. I’m surprised he didn’t do that with you.”
“I’m glad he didn’t. What do you do when you go out?”
He shifted a little under that warm hand. “I enjoy fucking, so I mostly do that.”
Julien’s lips quirked. “Well, you’re good at it. Must be the many years of practice.”
“We haven’t truly fucked,” he said softly.
“I consider all forms of sex fucking, but is that something you’d want to do with me?”
Just the thought of them taking it to that level ramped up his desire again. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” he finally said after several moments of silence.
He expected Julien to ask why but he stayed quiet, just staring at Emory, one finger still making lazy swirls in his belly hair.
“What’s it like living for hundreds of years? The mothman who works for me is over two hundred, and he told me that preternaturals live long lives. You said five hundred years earlier. Until you and Xavier, he was the only person who knew what I see.”
“Yes, I’ve been alive over five hundred years, and I’ve seen a lot of changes in those years. I was born in what was once the Kingdom of England. I’ve fought in wars, and I’ve moved all over, discovering different countries and ways of life. But I’m happy settled here, now. I have two close friends who also work at Protective Solutions, and they’re my family.” He paused. “What about you? Any friends or family other than the parents you told me about?”
Julien shook his head. “No, it was just me and the chaotic parents.”
Emory couldn’t help but frown. “Growing up with all that must have been hell for someone like you.”
“They honestly drove me crazy, so I’m glad they prefer to travel and not live close now. As it is, when they do visit, something bad inevitably happens.” He frowned and looked away from Emory. “They once left me for three days. Just forgot me.”
Emory’s gut tightened. “What do you mean forgot you?”
“We’d stopped at a Love’s station. I went to the bathroom and when I came out, the RV was gone. When they eventually remembered they had a son and returned, they just laughed it off.”
“How old were you?”
“Eight. It’s a wonder I managed to hide from the station employees as long as I did. I hid in the bathroom at night.” His voice lowered. “I was so scared, sure they were never coming back. I never felt safe with them again after that, so it wasn’t just their flightiness that messed me up. And it’s why I’ve worked so hard to reach this point of security. I will never go hungry or feel that sense of homelessness again.”
Emory pictured Julien as a boy, terrified and alone in a fucking gas station for days, and a burning fury filled him.
Julien slid his hand up higher under Emory’s T-shirt. “I can feel you tensing up. That happened a long time ago.”
“You were just a small child. I’m surprised you have anything to do with your parents now.”
“They are still my family and like I told you, they come bearing gifts and apologies. They have cleaned themselves up now, though they will always be chaotic. So I’m glad the visits are short.” He stroked his fingers over Emory’s chest. “What they did may have left some deep-rooted issues, but it did make me the success I am today.”
It had also made someone afraid to live any sort of life outside of work. Emory’s heart ached for him.
“I can’t stop touching you,” Julien murmured as he slid his hand back down to Emory’s belly. “You have wonderful skin.” He let out a low chuckle. “I’ve been really curious about how your wings feel. I wanted to touch them when you backed me into the wall with them out when the penumbra was here. They look so soft.”
Emory sat up, partly to dislodge Julien’s wandering hand and also to pull off his shirt and release his wings.
