Page 7 of How Not to Date an Angel

Julian swallowed as Rami fiddled with the bath. Juliandidhave an assignment here, and if he was going to succeed, maybe he should try being a little nicer to the angel. It was a start, after all.

“Thank you—for helping,” Julian said.

Rami’s shoulders stiffened, and when they turned to face Julian their expression was carefully blank, as if they cared not what happened to the demon. Their features were soft and unassuming, neither masculine nor feminine but somewhere in the middle. Their skin looked smooth and Julian found himself wanting to touch them.

That’s not what you’re here for,he reminded himself.

“Just doing my heavenly duty.”

Julian couldn’t stop his lip from curling. The angel seemed more open to Julian when he was beinghimself.Maybe he didn’t need to be nice after all.

“Come on, then, get undressed,” Rami said, turning their back to face the tub again. “I won’t watch.”

“Wouldn’t care if you did,” Julian responded. The angel’s shoulders stiffened again, and—how had they lasted this long on Earth if they were so easily flustered?

Julian lifted his shirt, all bravado, until he got about chest-height, and then groaned and dropped his arms, clutching at his side.

“Serves you right,” the angel said, suddenly appearing by his side.

They had a pair of scissors in their hands, and they grabbed Julian’s shirt by the hem and placed it between the two blades.

“Do be still—wouldn’t want to hurt you.” Their brow furrowed before they said, softer, “Seems like someone’s done enough of that.”

Then the angel was cutting his shirt off, and Julian didn’t have to lift his arms at all. Rami was close, closer than they’d been so far all evening. They smelled nice. Clean cotton and vanilla and clouds. Which shouldn’t have been a surprise, since they were an angel and all.

Julian shouldn’t have found it pleasant, but he did.

He caught his breath, holding it as the angel moved even closer, and for a second he thought the angel was… embracing him.

But then the fabric of his sleeves was slipping over his shoulders and down his arms and Julian realized the angel was simply removing his shirt.

Julian shivered.

The angel noticed. “Sorry about the temperature. I like it quite chilly in the house.”

“Why? So you can wear your cozy little sweaters?” Julian meant it as a sneer, but it didn’t quite land how he’d wanted it to.

“Exactly,” Rami said easily. They stepped back. “Can you get your pants, or should I help with that, too?”

Their expression was pinched. This was a challenge.

Julian wanted to laugh. The angel was challenginghim!

He did not laugh. Instead he unbuttoned his pants and held the gaze of the angel as he did so, beginning to work them off his hips.

Rami’s eyes flickered, something passing through them that Julian couldn’t read. But they never wavered, not even as Julian’s pants dropped to the floor, and he toed off his shoes and managed to kick them away in a pile.

“Are you quite finished?” Rami asked, arching one perfect brow.

Julian pouted. “You’re not even alittletempted to look?” he teased.

The angel… well, their lips twitched, but they simply turned to face the tub and held out their arm. “Would you like some help or not?”

“Fine, fine,” Julian growled, and grabbed onto his arm.

Rami led him to the side of the slowly filling tub, and then moved behind him. Julian stiffened at first, unsure of having someone at his back.

The angel noticed that, too. “Just giving you something to brace against,” they said, tightening their grip on his biceps before sliding lower.

---