Page 67 of How Not to Date an Angel

He snickered quietly at his own word choice.

“Do you even know what these are for?” he teased.

Rami’s face was all pinched when Julian glanced over. “Of course I do,” they snapped. “I am rather well-read, you know.”

Julian arched a brow at that, his gaze turning to the toys for a split second as he walked down the wall a bit before snapping back to the angel, studying them closer. Rami owned rows and rows of books.

“Well, sure,” Julian agreed. “But, I mean. You know of it outside of books, too, yeah?”

The angel was quiet, and Julian slowly turned to them, reading the purposefully blank expression easier than he was sure the angel wished him to.

“Feathers,” Julian hissed. “Never?”

Rami shook their head, lips thinned, eyes pointedly avoiding the wall of phallic objects.

“How have you—” He lowered his voice. “How have you been on Earth this whole time and never had sex?”

Julian’s skin itched. He knew the angel was holy, butholy hell.

Rami was looking increasingly uncomfortable, and Julian was too shocked to cull his reaction.

“Why would I?” they asked.

Julian’s mouth dropped open, and it took him a moment to work through his surprise. “What do you mean,why?You’re on Earth! Sex is, like, humans’ favorite thing. They start wars over it!”

“Had it not occurred to you that is the exact reason I have no interest in it?”

Julian arched a brow at that. “No interest? Really?” he asked, recalling the pause at the aquarium, the particularly sinful way the angel’s lips had wrapped around the chocolate just the night before. The kiss. Julian stepped closer. “Not even a little?” he asked, softer, slower.

It worked, drawing the angel’s attention to his lips. Julian watched as they floundered, dragging their silvery gaze back up, the memory playing behind those eyes.

“No, not even a little,” they lied.

Hmm.Julian smirked. “Then it won’t bother you if I look around a bit more, then?” he asked jovially.

Rami’s lips opened and closed twice before they shook their head. “That’s your discretion.”

Did their voice sound strained? Julian resisted the urge to let a victorious smile slither over his lips.

He grabbed the angel’s belt loop as they turned away, stopping them in their tracks. “Oh, no, you don’t,” he said. “You’re shopping with me.”

Oh, he should’ve done this from thebeginning.

Their cheeks were flushed as Julian dragged them along. It wasn’t as if Julian planned to use any of the items, but subjecting Rami to the uncomfortable topic was too good to pass up.

“Who knows,” he asked. “You might learn something you didn’t know.”

“I’m certain I know plenty,” Rami said lowly.

“So that’s what you’re always reading? Porn books?” Julian teased, and leaned forward to grab a far-too-large tentacle dildo, reading the package as if he cared exactly what was in the silicone.

Rami sputtered, eyes going wide at the sight of the item in the box. “I—I do not readpornbooks, and even if I did, I’d have nothing to be ashamed of. Not when you’re here… fondlingthatthing!” they hissed.

“Romance, then, I bet,” Julian needled. “Yeah, you seem like the type.”

“I beg your pardon. What type is that?”

“A hopeless romantic. You do tend to romanticize the human experience. Bet that’s not all you romanticize,” he said, waggling his eyebrows and rubbing a thumb over the silicone suckers on the tentacle through theTry Mehole in the plastic.

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