“Fun indeed,” he added, and I nodded.
“Yeah.” I looked into those amber eyes, wondering what happened now. This wasn’t exactly my usual territory. Random hookups with strangers in back alleys weren’t something I had a lot of experience with.
“So,” Valen said, seeming to read my uncertainty. “Want to go back to the bar? Or...” He left the question hanging, but there was something hopeful in his expression.
I glanced back toward the direction of the tourist strip, where I could still hear the distant sounds of the bar crawl continuing. The responsible thing would be to go back, find Amelia, and pretend this had been nothing more than a moment of rebellion.
But looking at Valen, still slightly disheveled from what we’d just done, I found I wasn’t ready for this to be over.
“Or,” I said, echoing his earlier words. “Definitely or.”
His smile was brilliant. “I was hoping you’d say that.” He held out his arm. “Can I buy you a drink, darling?”
“Only if you keep calling me that,” I grinned, looping my arm through his.
As we walked back toward the main strip, I couldn’t stop stealing glances at him. There was something about the wayhe moved that seemed almost predatory, like he was aware of every person around us without even trying and I found it oddly comforting. Like I was walking with someone who could handle whatever the night threw at us.
“So what’s your story, Valen?” I asked as we approached the first bar on what I assumed was going to be our own personal crawl. “What brings a guy with your... particular skill set to the mountains of Tennessee?”
He laughed, a rich sound that made warmth spread through my chest. “My particular skill set?”
“Don’t play coy,” I said, bumping his shoulder with mine. “That wasn’t your first time fucking someone in an alley. You knew exactly what you were doing back there.”
“Guilty as charged,” he admitted, holding the door open for me as we entered what looked like a slightly more upscale establishment than the first bar. “Though I have to say, you weren’t exactly inexperienced yourself, darling.”
I felt heat creep up my neck. “Yeah, well, college is a time for experimentation, right?”
“Right,” he agreed, but there was something in his tone that made me think he was holding back laughter. “College experimentation. Of course.” He paused for a moment. “Does that mean I’m the first man you’ve been with?”
Nowthatmade me laugh. “Oh my god, no,” I smiled back at him. “As much as my parents would like me to be straight, I don’t think I could get it up for a woman if I tried.”
“I should have known,” he nodded. “You took my cock far too well for a beginner.”
We found a quiet booth in the back corner, away from the main crowd but close enough to the bar that we wouldn’t have to shout to be heard. Valen slid in across from me, and even in the dim lighting, those amber eyes of his seemed to glow.
“So what are you studying?” he asked, signaling the waitress with a subtle gesture that somehow immediately got her attention.
“Uh… communications I guess,” I said, remembering the rules for tonight. Valen was a human, so there couldn’t be any talk about magic or Widdershins Academy or anything paranormal. Those were the rules. “But I don’t really want to talk about school.”
“What would you like to talk about then, darling?”
I scooted closer to him so that our thighs were touching. “I want to talk about you kissing me again,” I said, sliding my hand over his thigh and, very obviously, letting my thumb brush over his growing bulge. “And perhaps a round two when we’re feeling ready for it?”
“You are insatiable,” Valen cooed, leaning down to press a cool kiss to my lips. “I like it.”
Chapter 5
Valen
Iwas still on cloud nine when I woke the next day. Honestly, couldn’t remember the last time I’d had such a nice night. Archer and I fucked three times before we finally called it a night and gone back to our respective parties. There had been a lot of making out and a lot of booze, but I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.
And the feeding I got from our sexual chemistry… fuck. I hadn’t felt this energetic and full of life in… well, over a century at least. The sexual energy I’d consumed in the night would easily last me a month or two. Maybe longer if I was careful not to spend a long period of time in full sun.
But as I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling of my faculty cottage, I couldn’t shake the lingering thoughts of those blue eyes and that perfect ass. Christ, the way Archer had responded to my touch, the little sounds he’d made when I’d fucked him against that wall... I was getting hard again just thinking about it.
I forced myself to get up and start my day. I had fencing tryouts to prepare for, and dwelling on a one-night stand with some human college kid wasn’t going to help me get the teamready for the season. Even if said college kid had been the best fuck I’d had in decades.
After a quick shower, during which I definitely did not think about Archer’s hands on my body or the way he’d tasted, I threw on some workout clothes and headed down to the athletic complex. The fencing salle was empty this early in the morning, exactly how I liked it. I could get some practice in before I started getting things ready for tryouts.
