His laugh was overtly masculine, dark. “I think you like it when I do.”
Her mouth dropped open as she stared in disbelief. Her temper, which she never really had a good grasp on, rose to the occasion. Shoving her half-eaten burger into the bag, she placed it on the ledge and then jumped from the clock tower. Landing in a nimble crouch a few feet from the fallen angel, she popped up, releasing the blades from the silver bracelets around her slim wrists. The polished bracelets weren’t just for looks.
His smile spread. “You’re incredibly sexy when you’re angry.”
Something akin to pleasure shimmied over her skin, and that just pissed her off. There was a good chance she was angrier with herself than him, but at least she could act like a Nephilim was supposed to when confronted with their most dangerous of all enemies.
“I’m so done with you tonight. I have things to do. Like deadheads to hunt, minions to kill, and an order of fries with my name on it.” She stopped in front of him, craning her neck to look him squarely in the eye. Being that he was well over six and a half feet, this wasn’t easy to do for someone who barely stood five foot three…in heels. “Now get going or else.”
“Or what?” He reached out, running the tip of his finger over the sharpened edge of her blade. The way he caressed it elicited another shiver from her. “What will you do?”
She smiled sweetly. A second later, she spun around and slammed her booted heel into his midsection. He grunted but did little else, which really ticked her off. She swung at him.
Julian caught her hand and whirled her around, drawing her against his chest and pinning one arm between her heaving breasts. “You can do better than that, my Lily.”
Her first thought after he’d subdued her so quickly was, wow. The second was, holy shit, I’m dead. She drew in a ragged breath, fully aware of how her body fitted against his hard slabs of muscles and the…other thing that seemed equally proportioned to his large body. He smelled decadent, like deep, rich male spice. Liquid heat pooled low in her belly, which was wrong on so many different levels it wasn’t even funny.
And worse yet, behind the tempting heat building inside her was raw fear. Not good. Fear wasn’t something Lily was accustomed to, but Anna hadn’t known fear, either. And wasn’t she doing the same thing Anna had done? Allowed one of the Fallen to get too close, to get under her skin? Her heart picked up as ice drenched her veins. Look at what happened to Anna.
Anna was dead—slaughtered like an animal.
Heart racing, she gripped Julian’s arm as she shoved her elbow into his chest with all her strength. Startled, he let go. Not wasting any time, she darted away and whirled around, raising her— What the hell? Where were her blades? She shook her wrists, releasing them from the silver cuffs once more. “Don’t ever do that again.”
“I can smell your fear,” he said softly.
“You smelled my revulsion.” She stepped back. “Never my fear. I’m not afraid of anything, especially not you.”
“You’re a terrible liar.” He prowled forward, stopping when she moved into an offensive crouch. His hands clenched at his sides. “Do you know what else scents this air? Your arousal.”
Her cheeks burned. Thank God it was night or she would have to stab him again. “You’re insane. There’s no way I’d ever think—”
He
“No.” She tried not to breathe. His scent was purely intoxicating. Taking another small step, she wondered how in the world she kept ending up in situations like this. Of all the Nephilim in the world, why was she the one stuck with a Fallen who liked to play with his food before he devoured it?
He lifted his chin, and his nostrils flared. A smug smile graced his lips. “Ah, yes, you’re afraid and you’re… aroused. I can practically taste it on my tongue.”
Heat flared somewhere it shouldn’t. “That’s disgusting.”
His smile turned indulgent as he leaned forward. “You know what?”
Lily inhaled. The smell of him swamped her senses. Julian usually stayed at arm’s distance unless he was feeling particularly froggy. Guess tonight was going to be one of those nights. “What?”
“Twice tonight you’ve disengaged your blades.”
Her gaze dropped. Goddamn it, he was right. Unconsciously, she had released them again. She really needed to stab him.
“And you want to know what else?” His words stirred the tendrils of hair that had escaped her messy twist.
Awareness coursed down her neck, and her nipples tightened. Oh crap, she needed to get away. Right now. No ifs, ands, or buts. Their encounters were always relatively brief, and Lily knew better than to hang around. Twisting to flee, she gasped.
Julian stood in front of her, so close that the tips of his Italian leather shoes brushed her boots. At least he had good taste in shoes. “I know what you’re really afraid of. You’re attracted to me, though you loathe the very idea of it.”
Angels had no sense of decency or the ability to be humble. Apparently the Fallen were no exception. She fixed a smirk upon her face. “Not likely.”
His burning gaze slipped downward. “Then why are your nipples as hard as pebbles, my Lily?”
She flushed all the way to where her toes curled inside her boots. At a loss for words, she simply stared.
Julian then did the strangest thing. He reached behind her, untying her hair. A mass of auburn waves fell around her shoulders and tumbled down her back. Pleased with his work, he threaded one hand deep into her tresses. “You blush like a virgin.”
As impossible as it seemed, she was sure her face turned even redder.
His eyes widened. Lily couldn’t think of a time when she’d seen him surprised. Well, when she stabbed him. That had surprised him. But now he gaped like he’d found a diamond he hadn’t expected in a pile of rocks.
“You are a virgin,” he whispered somewhat unsteadily.
“No, I’m not.” Clenched hands shaking and body burning, she tried to step away, but his grip tightened. “And it’s none of your business.”
His grip relaxed, fingers finding their way through the mass of her hair to run the sensitive skin of her scalp. “There is no shame in that.”
“I’m not ashamed!” She knocked at his hand. “Stop touching my hair.”
His lips parted. “How is it possible that you’re a virgin? I’ve seen you with guys…Nephilim. You like to go to that club downtown. This is a curious development.”
Sweet Jesus, did he follow her everywhere? Her sex life was something she was never going to discuss with him. She punched him in the stomach, but he didn’t even flinch. “I swear to God, if you don’t let me go…”
Unfazed, he shook his head. A sandy lock fell across his forehead as his hand circled the nape of her neck. “What does a Fallen do with a virgin? Dear God, there are so many options.”
“Would you stop saying that!” Her heart raced, and the skin under his hands tingled in a way it shouldn’t. “And let go of me.” There was no way to break his grip without breaking her neck. Warning bells were going off everywhere in her. “What has gotten into you?”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he let his free hand roam down her arm.
She jerked. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” he whispered darkly. “I’m not hurting you. I’m not trying to persuade you or possess you, am I?”
He wasn’t. Julian wasn’t deploying any of the mind tricks the Fallen were notorious for. Nope, the warming in her was all her own. It was why this was so wrong, so stupid. What was happening was going to get her in trouble, one way or another. If any other Nephilim spotted them, she would be in a world of hurt. Standing here and not killing him was breaking an entire set of rules, let alone allowing him to touch her.
Julian had to know that.
He caressed the back of her neck. His fingers went to work soothing the tight muscles in a way that surprised her. She never had her neck rubbed before, and she really had been missing out. It felt so, so good.
