She stared at him, wide-eyed and silent. What he said…well, it was probably the nicest thing anyone had ever said about her. How he saw her was simply amazing, because all the people she knew, including herself, only saw her as a hunter. But what Julian saw terrified her, just as her feelings for him—and how badly she wanted him—terrified her.
He rested his forehead against hers. “Oh, Lily, don’t you see? There’s nothing wrong with wanting love, the house, and even the damn picket fence. Desires and passions do not make you a bad person.”
Oh damn, she was really close to crying. She turned her head, squeezing her eyes shut. He pushed back the curtain of reddish-brown hair that fell across her face, gently turning her to him. She opened her eyes, damp with unshed tears. If she knew better, had some experience in these sorts of things, she would have thought the way he looked at her meant something powerful and real.
His fingers trailed down her cheek. “Lily?”
“I really hate you right now, you know that?” she murmured.
“No you don’t. That’s the whole problem. You don’t hate me at all.”
She exhaled unsteadily. No, she didn’t hate him. But she kind of wished she did. It would make things a hell of a lot easier. But Julian understood her in a way Luke and Nathaniel never could. The invisible barriers slowly cracked.
He kissed her so deeply that she thought her soul would burst into flames. He laid claim to her soul, just as he had already done to her heart.
Chapter Nineteen
Two weeks after Julian had basically handed her the truth, and his words still brought a smile to her lips. The kind of smile that didn’t fade even as she stared down at the minion she had just vanquished. Stepping away, she gazed out into the night sky.
Damn, she was tired.
Between monitoring Michael’s training and hunting at night, she was only getting four hours of sleep tops. Granted, she would get at least five and half hours of sleep if she’d stop sneaking off to spend time with Julian.
The soft breeze kicked up, stirring a few tendrils of hair around her face. She gave a little half smile. She’d gladly give up an hour or two of sleep before she was due back at the Sanctuary if it meant going to sleep well sated.
Julian was rather adept when it came to ways of entertaining her. He used his lips or his fingers, and she was never uninterested. They hadn’t done it yet, although they came close a few times. Just last night she begged him to take her. She hadn’t cared that they were on the rooftop of the Hilton. Right there, out in the open. She had wanted him that badly, and he had known it.
Julian had still refused her. Damn him.
Although Lily was reluctant to admit it, it wasn’t just his touch she looked forward to all day. Things had changed since that night they had fought and Julian had forced her to confront her feelings. She no longer thought of him as a Fallen—if she ever really did. As dangerous as that was.
They even exchanged phone numbers. When Julian had ordered her to enter his cell number and the numbers for all three clubs he owned into her phone, she had found it hilarious. He had looked at her strangely, and she’d tried to explain why she thought it was funny they were now just at the exchanging-phone-numbers stage. He didn’t get it, and she had given up on trying to explain.
Her smile spread.
The voice in the back of her head picked up, whispering,
Swatting the voice to the side, she stepped to the ledge, and a shiver danced over her skin. Turning around, she was surprised as a giant of a man landed in the middle of the roof.
Gabe sauntered toward her, a cocky little grin on his lips. “Hey, babe, long time no see.”
Lily almost stepped back, but stopped before she toppled over the ledge. Other than passing each other at the Sanctuary, she hadn’t seen Gabe since the night in the laundry room. Heat tinged her cheeks. “Hey,” she said lamely.
He stopped in front of her. “Haven’t had any bad shifts recently. I’m kind of disappointed.”
Now the tips of her ears burned. “Yeah, well, things have been…good.”
His smile spread as he studied her. Gabe was good-looking—very much so. Any girl, Nephilim or not, would be throwing off their panties for him, but Lily didn’t feel the slightest urge to do so.
“Well, you know where to find me.” He hopped up on the ledge beside her. “Even if you’re having a good shift.” Then he bent, kissed her under her ear, and jumped.
She stood there, face flaming. “Sweet baby Jesus.” Spinning around, she waited a few minutes, then took off for the spot she’d been meeting Julian.
Five minutes later, she landed on the balls of her feet atop the Hilton Hotel, a little grin playing over her lips.
“You took long enough.”
She crouched, perched on the ledge. “I had to work, unlike some.”
“I don’t think work is what kept you.”
Lily frowned. “What do you mean…oh God, don’t tell me you heard Gabe and me? I didn’t feel you.”
He walked up to her. “The Nephilim wants to sleep with you.”
She busted out laughing. “Gabe? Gabe wants to sleep with a lot of people.”
“But you’ve—”
“Are you jealous?” She laughed again.
“Never,” he said, though not in an entirely convincing way.
Lily leaned forward, clasping his smooth cheeks in her hands. Bringing his lips to hers, she kissed him softly. “You have nothing to be jealous of.”
“Of course not.” Julian scowled. “Anyway, I do work.”
Not believing it for one second, she took a moment to appreciate the sensual tilt to his lips, the overtly male swagger, and how the shirt hugged his upper body. God, she could drink him up all in one gulp. “Convincing the young socialites of DC to do naughty things isn’t work.”
Julian looked offended. It wasn’t believable by any means. “I would never do such a thing.”
“Really?” she snickered.
“Well, there was this nun I convinced to leave the church to pursue a career in pole dancing.” He flashed a wicked grin. “That was fun.”
“Seriously, Julian, what do you do all day?”
He rested his hands on her bent knees. “I don’t think you want to know.”
They were back to the one topic Julian wouldn’t budge on. No matter how many times and how many ways she asked him, he refused to tell her what he did, as if doing so would be handing over his trade secrets. Lily was still curious, not thwarted. “Try me.”
He looked down at her, arching one eyebrow. “I slept till noon, if you must know.”
She curled her lip. “Lucky.”
He grinned. “Then I observed a young man who was following this little girl far too closely.”
Ugh. She didn’t like where this was going. “Um, what do you mean?”
Julian slid his hands over her hips. “What do you think I mean? I believe his name was Larry. Anyway, Larry likes little girls.”
“You didn’t…I mean, you didn’t put that in him did you?” She was afraid of his answer. It wouldn’t be unheard of. The Fallen made humans do things they normally wouldn’t conceive of doing. It was a way they sought to cure their boredom.
He made a face at her. “Give me some credit, Lily. No. I could sense his…tastes. So I watched as he followed her to this alley where she waits for the bus to take her to her grandmother’s. I simply suggested the
