‘Boyfriend,’ I sign instead.
His eyes light up just a little. He doesn’t display emotion the way I do. He’s still so guarded, and he probably always will be. But I can read him now. Each day, it gets easier.
‘Boyfriend,’ he signs back.
I lean in, and he meets me halfway in a long, slow, indulgent kiss. His tongue is warm, a little sweet from the coffee he’d had right before we left his place.
His hands ruck up my shirt and coast up my spine, one of them wrapping around the back of my neck to guide me the way he wants me. I feel restless, needy for something I’m not sure that either of us can give just yet.
But I chase the feeling, rocking on his lap as he uses his other hand to hold my hip.
He hums against my mouth, a quiet, delicious rumble, and I lick at his tongue, letting his teeth scrape mine as I drag myself away.
We’re both breathing heavily for a moment, foreheads pressed together, sharing air. I want to say something. Or sign something. But I don’t know what this moment needs.
I don’t know what?—
“Ow!”
I jolt hard as Rome throws me off his lap. I miss the sofa and fall onto the floor, my elbow cracking on the coffee table. It takes me a moment to realize why he screamed. A few feet away, Dennis is sitting, staring at Rome with one big eye, casually licking his paw.
Rome’s holding his ankle, but I can see a couple of thin lines of blood pooling on his skin.
He looks at me, outraged. ‘He’s a dick.’
I look at Dennis, who gives me a slow blink, then turns and saunters off, his entire butthole on display via the tail he keeps straight up like a flagpole.
‘Yeah,’ I sign, flopping backward. ‘But he’s my dick now, apparently.’
And although I know I can bring him back to the café, I don’t want Milo to murder me and use his vampire brother’s new coffin to bury me.
So I guess I’m keeping him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ROME
‘Hey, you have time to talk?’I ask after tapping Denver on the shoulder, making him jump slightly.
He’s currently in the basement of the public library, scrolling through 1960s fashion magazines on microfilm.
‘How did you find me?’ I arch an eyebrow at him, and he huffs a nervous laugh. ‘Right. I told you about my secret hobby last year while drunk. You haven’t told anyone else though, right?’
I cross my heart and hold up my hand. He nods and then pulls a chair over with his foot.
‘Sit. What’s up?’
I do as he says and extend my legs out in front of me. ‘First, you. Why are you down here? I know you only look at old magazines when you’re stressed.’
He side-eyes me a moment and then purses his lips. ‘I think my stalker might be back.’
My eyes widen, and I sit up a little taller. ‘Where? How you know?’
He sighs, and I can see the nervous twitch of his lips. ‘I can feel him, you know? Like he’s watching me, and it’s driving me crazy.’
‘Have youactuallyseen him?’
‘I thought I did. In the crowd at the performance last weekend. But I can’t be sure.’
