Page 54 of Fallen

Alex smiled bashfully. “You really do care, don’t you?” The words were teasing, but there was a sincere glimmer in Alex’s ocean blue eyes.

He growled. “I told you how I feel about you. Whether you choose to believe me is on you.”

Alex’s free hand wrapped around his wrist, and the other remained over his, fingers tangling with Talon’s. “You’re right. You’re just… so different from what I was taught to believe about demons.”

Talon slanted a smirk at him. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should. They were definitely not complimentary in Demonology 101. They also said nothing aboutstamina.”

Talon barked out a laugh.

Chapter 18

Alex

The sun was settingwhen they rolled to a stop in the middle of suburban Irvine, across the street from the address Ira had given him. It was a southwestern style home with a Spanish tile roof. The front yard was carefully landscaped, and they couldn’t tell if anyone was home, because the two-car garage was closed. The sun was falling behind the horizon, casting everything in molten orange. The mailbox out front said ‘The Burches’ in cheerful cursive.

Talon looked delectable in a pair of silver aviators and his raven black hair artfully mussed. He put the car in park and cracked the window, then reached into the middle console for a pack of cigarettes. But when his eyes found Alex over the rim of his sunglasses, he put the cigarette pack up without getting one out.

Alex turned away to hide his smile. Was Talon thinking about secondhand smoke? Remembering what a ‘fragile little human’ Alex was? He was so endearingly attentive to Alex’s needs.

He settled back in his seat. They would probably be there a while. “So how will we know when the demon gets here?” Alex asked.

“I should be able to sense him if he uses any kind of demonic power—which he will certainly do if he’s coming here to kill this family. We just have to bide our time until sundown and wait for him to show himself.”

Alex settled back in the leather seat. Talon returned his hand to Alex’s leg without looking, and Alex smiled, warmth blooming in his chest at the touch. It was downright domestic.

They had a little time before the sun went down, and Alex let his mind wander. Naturally, it wandered right back to what they’d done in Talon’s penthouse. He’d known, of course, that orgasms felt good, having taken himself in hand before, but he’d never known how incredible it could feel with another person. To have someone as close as it was possible to be,insidehim, even. And when he’d offered Talon his blood, a part of him had been taken inside of Talon, too. It was primal, the thrust and grind of their bodies moving as one, and now, cradled in the leather seat of Talon’s ridiculously expensive car, his body gave a little shiver at the memory of what it felt like to be completely vulnerable.

Talon glanced over, his dark eyes heavy-lidded, as though he knew exactly what Alex was thinking about.

Alex leaned closer, angling his legs slightly farther apart. “What does blood do for you, anyway? Do you need it for survival, like a vampire?”

“It gets us high,” he said simply, which wasn’t what Alex expected but not totally surprising, given Talon’s reaction to it in the penthouse. “It gives us a floaty, swirly, everything-feels-amazing kind of feeling. Blood that has drugs or alcohol in it is even better. A lot of the dark bottles atIn Extremiswith no labels are laced with it. Plain alcohol doesn’t do much for us.”

“Hm. Good to know.”

Talon shot him a smile. “You say that like you’re planning something. But you don’t drink or do drugs.”

“I could drink,” Alex said hesitantly. He had no interest in drugs.

“You didn’t like the beer.”

He couldn’t hide the way his mouth twisted in distaste. “No, I didn’t.”

“Maybe a nice wine, then. If you’re interested.” His thumb stroked Alex’s thigh.

He grinned. “Yeah, maybe. You gonna wine and dine me?”

“Would that make you happy?”

It was asked so sincerely that it drew Alex up short. He blinked in surprise, searching for something to say.Wouldit? He’d rarely been on real dates, and he was usually always the one who instigated and paid for dinner. He’d never been doted on, neither in a relationship nor by family. He bounced from foster home to foster home for three years before he was picked up by a guild recruiter. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had gone out of their way to do something nice for him. His squad sent him ‘happy birthday’ texts on his birthday earlier that year, but he didn’t celebrate because he’d had patrols the night before and everyone—including him—was too tired to do anything.

“Alex.” Talon’s voice was soft and honeyed. Fingers curled in his shirt, reeling him in across the console and kissing him firmly. “I’ll wine and dine you,” he murmured against Alex’s lips. Every statement was punctuated with a kiss. “I’ll take you to the most expensive restaurant in the city. I’ll order all your favorite things. You can try every wine on the menu if you want. If you find one you like, I’ll buy you a whole bottle.”

There was a lump in Alex’s throat, and his eyes burned with emotion. He had to stop crying every time Talon said nice things to him. It was getting embarrassing. He ducked his head to hide it, though he doubted he could hide anything from him. “Talon, you’re too much,” he croaked.

In the dim, rosy light of the waning sun, Talon cast him a look of sympathy. “Yes,” Talon agreed regretfully, and it earned a weak chuckle from Alex. “That is one of the hazards of belonging to a demon. We are selfish, indulgent creatures. I’m sorry if that clashes with your pious, guilt-ridden Christian existence.”

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