Page 47

Cillian laughed and pulled me closer.

It was a lovely sound, deep and unrestrained, and hearing it in my bedroom made me smile all over again.

We lay quietly for a while afterward. I could hear the occasional car passing outside, its tires whispering over the damp street. Somewhere in the building, a door closed, followed by footsteps on the stairs.

Ordinary evening noises.

I'd never imagined how reassuring they might feel after discovering that Heaven existed and one of its former residents was currently sharing my bed.

I traced a small section of Cillian's tattoo with my fingertip. His skin was warm beneath my hand, and the slow movement of his breathing was pleasant against my cheek.

"I'd like to see your wings again sometime," I said.

"You can. Whenever you'd like."

"Perhaps somewhere with more room than my apartment."

"Probably wise. I'd hate to damage the furniture before I've been properly introduced to it."

I laughed and glanced around the bedroom. The room was comfortable but hardly spacious, and my wardrobe occupied most of one wall. There wasn't a chance his enormous wings would fit without knocking something over.

The thought reminded me of Saturday night, when those same wings had seemed like the most extraordinary costume I'd ever seen.

I'd never imagined that the man wearing them might become someone I wanted in my ordinary life.

Cillian brushed his fingertips along my arm.

"What are you thinking about?"

I considered making another joke, but something more personal had been on my mind since our conversation earlier.

"When you told me you couldn't father a human child, I understood what you meant. I just hadn't thought very far beyond tonight."

He shifted slightly so he could see my face.

"How far were you thinking?"

I smiled, a little self-consciously.

"Years, I suppose. Not because I'm trying to rush anything. I've always imagined I might have children someday, but it's been one of those things I've assumed would happen when the time was right. I haven't spent much time worrying about it."

Cillian listened while I explained what I'd always pictured.

I'd never had a detailed plan involving a particular wedding date, a house with four bedrooms, or an exact number of children. I enjoyed my work and wasn't interested in abandoning it. But I'd thought that if I met someone I loved and we wanted a family, the possibility would be there.

It was a comfortable assumption, one I'd barely examined.

"I don't expect you to do anything about it," I added. "I'm certainly not asking for a baby. We've only just decided to start dating properly, and I haven't even found out what you like for breakfast."

His hand rested against my back.

"I understand. And I'm glad you told me. I don't want you discovering years from now that I've kept something else important from you."

I moved closer, resting my chin against his chest.

"There is something else I'm curious about. You told me you're immortal. Does that mean you don't age at all?"

"Not as a fallen angel. I haven't aged since I came into the mortal world."