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)
Not just the wings, either.
This was true attraction in a way he just hadn’t experienced. Julien wanted to be closer to Emory. To know what he smelled like up close, to see how silky his hair really was and if his skin felt as smooth as it looked.
And he had the strangest, and strongest, urge to bend the angel over the nearest surface. When he’d come out of the gym that morning, it had been all he could picture, and even now, the imagined image threatened to break him out into a sweat. Well, more than he already was from this relentless heat.
Then he’d gone and said something he shouldn’t have. This bodyguard didn’t need to know about his idiosyncrasies. He was just a temporary blip in Julien’s life. Julien knew he had some deep-rooted issues, and he knew exactly why. Emory certainly didn’t need to know about them.
So why had he said that?
Because he was so drawn to the angel? Fuck. These were all new feelings for him. He wished he were the type of person to talk over those feelings with a friend, but the closest thing he had to a friend was William, who was more of a colleague.
He glanced at Emory to find the angel watching him. “Do you have a girlfriend who misses you when you’re on jobs like this?”
Emory shook his head. “No girlfriend and no boyfriend either.”
That was interesting information. Julien reached out and turned up the air conditioning in an effort to stall while he took that in. “You’re bisexual?”
“Very.”
Because he was struggling with a similar situation, his curiosity got the best of him. “Did you always know that about yourself?”
“From the time I had my first dual crush at the tender age of thirteen.” Emory softly laughed. “The crushes were actually on two people who were a couple—I couldn’t decide which one I was more jealous of.”
“Thirteen. So young.”
“I longed for them from afar and was much older before I confirmed my suspicions.”
“Was it with one of them?”
“Oh no, they were just around when I was too young to do anything about it. I’ve been happily attracted to both sexes since. I’m not one to settle down, though. I like my freedom.” Emory shifted more toward Julien. “What about you? Anyone serious in your life?”
“No, though I have tried a couple of times. My work gets in the way.” That was putting it way more simply than it actually was. Words like cold and boring had come into play during his breakups. Uptight was another. He could have taken the time to explain why he worked so much. Why he needed a thick layer of safety in his world. But he’d never gotten close enough to either of the women he’d tried to be in relationships with—had never felt the need to explain himself. If he’d actually loved them, maybe it would have been different.
He wasn’t sure he was even capable of love. He imagined it came with too much chaos.
They were silent as he finished the drive and pulled into the restaurant’s lot. He was meeting William for a lunch meeting at a restaurant close to the office. As he parked his car, he looked over at Emory again. “I need to discuss business during this lunch, so I’d prefer it if you sat at a separate table.”
Emory gave him one of those quick smiles that transformed his already pretty face into something mesmerizing. “Not a problem. I’ve eaten here before. They have really good pasta.”
“I’ll cover your lunch.”
Emory shook his head. “That’s not necessary. Expenses are in your contract.”
Julien nodded because he knew that. Of course he knew that. He never signed anything he hadn’t read thoroughly. These new feelings were wreaking havoc with his mind.
He got out of the car, strode into the restaurant, and spotted William at a table near the back. He left Emory to deal with his own table and headed that direction. As he approached the table, he noted that once again, William looked disheveled, completely the opposite of his normal put-together appearance. His lips were pinched, and he ran a shaking hand through his light brown hair, leaving the ends to stand up. But he quickly smoothed out his expression when he spotted Julien.
“You’re early,” Julien said as he took the seat across from him.
“Well, you usually are, so I thought we’d be arriving about the same time.”
Julien was chronically early to every appointment, so he understood. He absolutely loathed people who were always late and felt it was the epitome of rudeness. He glanced around to find Emory a couple of tables away and giving a rather flirtatious smile to the male server.
That smile was sexy as fuck, and he didn’t stop staring soon enough. William had followed his gaze and the obvious interest widening his eyes stabbed through Julien.