Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 40972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 205(@200wpm)___ 164(@250wpm)___ 137(@300wpm)
But no matter how hard he tried to focus, his mind kept going back to Emory and his apparent attraction to the angel. That fucking mouth with its sultry, pouty lines.
Julien approached everything with clear focus, and this problem wasn’t any different. So, he was attracted to a male.
He wouldn’t be acting on that attraction. Emory worked for him, which put him firmly off limits. But he couldn’t help being curious as to why this was happening at this point in his life. At thirty-two, he would have thought there would be some inkling before that he could be bisexual. Maybe it was just because the angel was simply too beautiful to feel real.
It felt like more, though, and that was the part he was having trouble coming to terms with. The urge to put his hands on Emory was strong for having just met, and that didn’t make sense. Even as he’d worked and mostly ignored the angel’s presence in his office that day, a part of him had stayed completely aware of the new feelings. He’d been able to compartmentalize them and get his work done, but even the fact they were there annoyed him. He’d been telling the truth about not liking disruptions in his world. After growing up in an unstable atmosphere, his need for control and routine affected every decision he made. Everything and everyone in his life had their place.
His bodyguard had his place. He was there to protect Julien from the penumbra. So this surprising attraction would have to be ignored.
Chapter Six
Emory
While Julien was back in his gym early the next morning, Emory poked around his living area.
The guy was way too neat.
The place was like something out of a magazine spread, with not one thing out of place and absolutely no clutter. From the cozy yellow exterior, Emory had expected a warm interior, but it was the complete opposite. Julien’s home didn’t look lived in at all. Like it was just a place he passed through on his way to bed. Emory was dying to get a look at Julien’s bedroom. Surely there were some signs of life in there.
But not out here.
He picked up a candlestick and sniffed the unused candle set into it. No scent. It was one of many candles in the room, and not one had ever been lit. He set the candlestick back down and looked around.
There wasn’t even a television. No books on the shelves—just boring decorative items like vases and more candles. And none of it held a layer of dust either.
Did Julien beat back the dust himself, or did he have a housekeeper?
Still curious, Emory walked into the small kitchen, which smelled of fresh coffee, and opened a few cabinets. Everything was stacked neatly no matter which one he opened. He even looked in the pantry only to find rows of perfectly placed canned goods and bags of healthy-looking snacks.
It was honestly sad.
The house itself was pretty and could have held a lot of cozy warmth, but it felt…cold.
Like the man who lived here.
Wandering back into the living room, he went to one of the front windows and gazed at the perfectly manicured lawn. The sun was still rising, throwing light onto half the lawn. Emory supposed he could join Julien in the gym, but the man’s general unfriendliness kept him away. Julien was obviously used to being alone and seemed to prefer it that way.
Which was fine with Emory.
So he watched as Julien’s neighbors trickled out of the houses one by one to leave for their jobs, and when he heard Julien coming up the basement stairs, he turned.
And felt like he’d been punched in the chest.
Julien wore a sweat-soaked white T-shirt that clung to every muscle. His shorts were pretty damned short as well, revealing glistening thighs, also thick with muscle and dusted with dark hair. The sharp scent of sweat came into the room with him, his intriguing personal scent there as well.
It was like Emory’s senses were overtaken completely by the absolute hotness of a sweaty Julien. Like seeing the man not perfectly coiffed for once made him more appealing.
“All clear?” Julien asked in that sexy, deep voice of his.
Emory swallowed back the sudden lump in his throat as he worked not to let his gaze roam over that incredible body again. “Yes. There’s no sign of the penumbra right now. I don’t sense its magic either, so I don’t think it followed you home. I would have sensed its magic last night if that were the case. It is a night creature, which is why I was surprised to sense it in your office during the day yesterday.”
Julien walked farther into the living room. “You said it feeds on fear. Do they kill as well?”
Emory nodded. “Xavier doubts that’s what it’s after, but they do occasionally kill, once they’re full from the fear. Don’t worry, I won’t let things get that far.”