“Thanks again for the ride—and the coffee,” Nathan said.
Storm was loath to say goodnight. He wanted more. Would Nathan let him push? So far, he’d never told Storm no, never protested anything Storm told him to do.
He couldn’t resist trying. “You could invite me in.”
Nathan blinked at him, his lips parting in surprise.
Storm leaned in. “Maybe for a cup of coffee.” His voice was low, melodic. “Invite me in, sunshine.”
Nathan’s eyelids fluttered at the endearment. “Okay.”
A sense ofpowershuddered through Storm. This human was so incredible. So strong, and yet he yielded so prettily to everything Storm suggested. How far could he push? Nathan obviously felt the same pull that he did. He wouldn’t trust him so instinctively if he didn’t.
Invited beyond the threshold? Alone in Nathan’s house together? There was no better opportunity to explore what they might be to each other.
He crossed the walkway in long, easy strides at Nathan’s back, resisting the urge to lean in and smell him as Nathan pressed the key into the lock. He turned as he stepped inside, flicking a switch by the door that bathed them in light.
Nathan’s slate-gray eyes met his. “Come in, Storm.”
A shiver rolled down his spine at the sound of his name on Nathan’s lips. Storm pressed closer, and Nathan stepped back as Storm crossed the threshold.
Nathan set his keys in a ceramic bowl by the door, and Storm looked around with interest while he went to the kitchen.
It was sparsely decorated, which Storm might’ve expected from a rigid soldier boy, but there were some elements of his personality. There wasn’t much decoration on the walls, but colorful throw pillows decorated the couch. There was a row of movies in the entertainment console under the dark television. On the right, the polished, square dining table sat beneath a farmhouse-style chandelier made of weathered wood.
Beyond that, the pocket-sized kitchen was small but well-equipped, with a doorway to the dining room and another to the hallway, the walls open above the counters. Nathan was visible within, pouring coffee grounds into the machine and pressing the button to turn it on.
“Nice place you’ve got here,” Storm said, stopping in the doorway.
Nathan turned, leaning back against the counter while the coffeemaker gurgled. His smile was sheepish. “Thanks. It’s not much, but it’s all mine.”
“What time do you want to go to the morgue tomorrow?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Midmorning, I guess. We’re patrolling tomorrow night, which means I’ll need to sleep in a bit to get enough rest.”
Oh, good. That meant Storm didn’t have to hurry out tonight.
“What happens on a patrol? You fight the big, bad demons?” He drifted closer.
Nathan’s mouth twitched with amusement. “Exactly.” Concern flashed across his face. “I mean. That doesn’t bother you, does it?”
Storm snorted. “No, sunshine.”
Nathan’s eyes softened again at the nickname, and Storm dared to get even closer, almost lining their bodies up.
“The monsters you hunt are like animals. They aren’t capable of higher forms of thinking. Just hunt, kill, eat.”
Nathan laughed, arching back with it. Storm wanted to touch that exposed abdomen. “You’re saying we’re the animal control of the supernatural world?”
That surprised a laugh out of Storm, too. “I’ve never thought of it like that, but I guess so.”
Nathan tipped his head back to look thoughtfully at the ceiling, putting the long column of his throat on display. He had no idea what these vulnerable positions were doing to Storm. “Ah, well. There are worse things to be.”
Storm wanted topush. Their shoes bumped together, and Nathan straightened, his gaze darting down Storm’s body and back up, as though just realizing how close they were.
“Mm. Tell me something.”
“What?” Nathan’s voice was breathless. Anticipatory.
