There was a wet sheen to Sammy’s eyes now, a sheen Dre wanted gone. Slowly, he lifted his right hand and caressed Sammy’s cheek. Sammy closed his eyes at the contact, whimpering softly. “Sammy, I don’t want you to censor yourself. I already told you I’m a sucker for all kinds of knowledge myself, the geekier, the better. And I’m nervous, too. This is my first date in over a hundred years. My last relationship was terrible and ended in serious heartbreak on my side. So, as you can see, I carry my own baggage. And just for the record, I’m wildly attracted to you as well.”
A tentative smile rose on Sammy’s face. “You think we could work?”
The longing in Sammy’s voice tore at Dre’s heart, because it was so similar to his own. “Yes,mo grah thu, I think we could definitely work.”
“What does ‘mo grah thu’mean?”
Dre smiled down at Sammy. “It’s an endearment, meaning ‘my love’.”
“Oh.” The blush on Sammy’s cheeks deepened, then he grinned. “Mavis and Maribell are probably going to kill me, but I’m really enjoying my date with a demon.”
Dre chuckled. “And it has just started.”
He slung his arm around Sammy’s shoulder and led him down the Monti toward the Roman Forum.
Chapter Five
Sammy couldn’t believe it. He was on a date…in Rome…with a demon. No, not just with a demon, with the most gorgeous demon he could imagine. The food had been beyond delicious and Dre hadn’t gotten fed up with his nervous ass, something Sammy had feared from the moment he’d dropped the glass with the marmalade. He knew Mavis and Maribell wouldn’t have approved of this date, which was one of the reasons why he hadn’t told them. The second reason was that this date was the first happy thing in a long time that belonged solely to him. After the death of his parents, all his happiness—with the exception of the bookstore—had been shared, because he just couldn’t be happy on his own anymore. This thing between him and Dre, though… It made him giddy with joy and tremble in fear at the same time. Sammy just didn’t know if he was strong enough to experience loss again, and with every second he spent in Dre’s company, his conviction grew that losing the handsome demon would be devastating. There was also the fact of Dre’s immortality, which doomed their relationship from the start. Sammy knew they weren’t meant to be forever, but he sure wished for it. His rational mind told him to end it now, before he got too invested, but his heart—and his libido—voted against that. Sammy took a deep breath, decided to give his rational thought a holiday for the time being and concentrated on the gorgeous man next to him. The streets of Rome were bustling with a first onslaught of tourists and the natives going on the prowl for the evening. Many people looked at Dre with admiration and open hunger in their eyes. Sammy could relate. His date was fine, with his red skin, the silver tattoos that licked up his neck and the backs of his hands, his long, silver hair… Sammy frowned.
“Why aren’t people running from you screaming? You don’t look that human.”
Dre pulled Sammy closer, a smile on his lips. “A mixture of selective ignorance and a dash of magic. People tend to ignore what can’t possibly be, and those with more inquisitive or open minds are encouraged to forget the moment they realize something’s odd about me.”
“But I can see you clearly.”
“Yes, you can.” Dre sounded very pleased about that. “There are several reasons… First, you met me when I was summoned. It’s hard to ignore such a blatant fact, even though you weren’t awake when I appeared in the circle. Second, you’re acquainted with the paranormal world. That takes the blinders off. Third, and most importantly, I think we’re drawn to each other, which cancels out the magic.”
“You like that.” Sammy couldn’t help a hint of pride creep into his voice. Dre must have picked up on it because he bent down to place a gentle kiss on Sammy’s forehead.
“Yes, I like it a lot. Now, I believe we have a challenge going on. What do you know about the Roman Forum? And I want the lesser-known facts.”
Sammy felt his brain switch gears. He loved a good geek challenge.
“Okay, where to start… I know! The reason the Roman Forum is on a deeper level than the rest of the city is because the Romans built on ruins, and throughout the centuries, a lot of debris has accumulated. Your turn.”
Dre grinned. “The early days of the Forum go back as far as eight hundred BC, and the people who built it first drained the area to get rid of the grass.”
“The excavation of the site took over a hundred years.”
“There are many forums in Rome, but this one was the most important because the senate met here.”
“Some of the temples aren’t dedicated to gods but to people, because the Romans thought if they had a temple dedicated to them, they would become a deity.”
“That’s a good one. I wonder if Terry Pratchett knew about this when he wroteSmall Gods.”
Sammy chuckled. “I love how you can get from ancient Rome toDiscworldin one sentence.”
Dre bowed with a flourish. “I aim to please. Oh, and parts of the stones of the Roman Forum were used to build other places in the city and can be found in several churches and the Vatican.”
“It’s also one of the most popular sites in Rome visited by tourists,” Sammy added.
“Okay, let’s call this one a draw. Let’s get ourgelatoand move on to the Catacombs.”
“Aren’t they closed at night?”
Dre smiled broadly at Sammy, which did strange things to his stomach and nether regions. “They are, but you’re traveling with me.”
Sammy giggled. “I can’t wait to see them.”
