Page 65 of Fallen

Talon blinked at him, looking unusually vulnerable. “Is that… how you feel?”

Alex remained stoic for a moment, just to drag it out a little longer, and then cracked a smile. “No, I just wanted to make you sweat.”

Talon’s eyes narrowed.

“I’ll admit, I didn’t like the thought of aging and dying while you’re eternally beautiful.”

Talon leaned over and pressed a kiss to the hinge of Alex’s jaw. “You would be beautiful even as a wrinkled old man, little bird. Time wouldn’t change how I feel about you.”

Alex blushed, forcing himself to focus. “I need to know about things like this, though. You can’t keep these things to yourself. If it’s going to change me, you have to let me make an informed decision.”

Talon’s mouth tightened stubbornly.

“Tal,” Alex said seriously, and the nickname drew those black eyes to his once more. “I mean it. I’m not saying no. I’m just saying let me keep my bodily autonomy.”

“Fine,” he groused, and Alex rewarded him with a kiss.

“Will it change me, though? Like… will I go to Hell?”

“You would have to die first,” Talon pointed out. “And also no. You’ll still be human, just enhanced.”

That was reassuring. “So,” he said, going back to his noodles. “How much blood are we talking? Just what you gave me earlier?”

“Mm-hm. That was enough to heal your wounds. Just bite me or keep bringing knives out when we fuck, and you’ll be fine.”

Alex flushed with heat. He handed the half-eaten container to Talon and said, “How about that shower now?”

Talon nodded, taking the carton and sealing their mouths together. “Anything you want, little bird.”

He took Alex’s hand and led him, naked, downstairs, dropping the carton on the kitchen island as they passed it. The bathroom was lined with black marble tile. There was a jacuzzi tub and a glass-walled shower and enough space between the two to fit his whole living room.

“Towels and washcloths are in here,” he said, opening the closet beside the vanity. Black towels and washcloths—of course they were all black—were stacked on one shelf. Another shelf held various lotions, oils, and at least three unopened bottles of lube. A hamper stood in the bottom of the closet, half-filled with dark clothing.

Demons do laundry, Alex thought hysterically. Somehow he couldn’t imagine Talon doing something so mundane.

“What are you smiling about?” Talon asked, wrapping his arms around him from behind, his naked body lining up with Alex’s.

He shook his head, craning his neck for a kiss. “I just like seeing the little details of your life.”

“Oh.” Talon looked nonplussed, like he hadn’t been expecting that.

“Do youownany white fabrics?”

Talon’s eyes found the black towels and the laundry hamper, and his mouth twisted in thought. “Hm. No.”

Alex chuckled. “That’s okay. I’ll bring some color into your life.”

“Oh, little bird. You already have.”

Alex beamed. He turned in Talon’s arms, wrapping his own around Talon’s neck. “You know what I want?”

“Hm?” Talon’s hands glided up and down his bare back.

“I want to take a long, relaxing shower. I want to clean all the grime off myself. I want to sleep for sixteen hours like a certain someone promised me, and when we wake up, I want you to show me exactly how good you can make me feel. I don’t want to put clothes on all day. I want us to take our time and make up for yesterday.”

Talon’s gaze was dark and hungry. His hands slid down Alex’s body to cup his ass, dragging their groins together so Alex could feel how hard he was. “That sounds perfect, little bird. I want to spread you out and feast on you all day. I want to tie you down and make you scream. I want to hear you beg me for more. I want to make you come more than you’ve ever thought possible. I want you drenched in it so I can lick it off.”

Alex’s body flushed. “Yeah. You have to let go of me so I can shower first.”

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