Page 19 of Jinn

He couldn’t help but look back at Ajax, grinning. “You were in the band, weren’t you?”

“Yep. I was definitely a band geek. It was good for me. Kept me in music, and since I never was interested in dating, it kept me social.”

“So no dating in high school?”

He shook his head. “My first boyfriend was when I was twenty. A long-time friend.”

“Why didn’t you stay together?”

“The band took off, and he couldn’t handle it. Couldn’t take the lack of privacy. I had one other boyfriend before Alan. Same story. I think that’s why I ended up turning the friendship with Alan romantic. With him, I knew he wouldn’t dump me for that reason. He loved everything about fame. Started touring with us, as you know. But you also know what happened after that.” He sipped his coffee. “You’ve never really been in a relationship? You told me how old you are. That’s such a long time to not have even one.”

“There were a few guys I slept with for a few months, but it was never serious.”

“Ever slept with a woman?”

He nodded. “I did. I like women but more as friends rather than lovers. I’m gay.”

“What was it like to be gay three hundred years ago?”

“Private. There were places to go and find company, but we had to be careful. The magical world was more accepting, so a lot of my lovers were preternaturals. The first male I slept with was an incubus.”

“Like Ivor.”

“They’re hard to resist. I was actually a little worried leaving him with you.”

“I’m not attracted to him at all.” Ajax pinned that green gaze on Finn. “Just you.”

Finn swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. “So, was it a new song that got you out of bed so early?”

“More words to one already in progress. It’s called “Smoke Moves” and, well, at some point, I want to play it for you. Not yet, though. It’s different.” He sipped from his mug again.

He looked kind of…cuddly. Disheveled brown hair, soft sleep pants—and despite having been up for hours, he still looked like he’d just crawled out of bed. It was so easy to imagine being in that bed and seeing his eyes first open, still glazed and sleepy. Finn would tug him into his arms and bury his nose in his neck to find that scent past the vanilla. Though he was now becoming quite addicted to the vanilla itself.

Then he would roll on top of him, spread those long, lean legs and…

“Finn?”

He blinked at Ajax. “Sorry, checked out for a moment there.”

“Is there someone climbing the fence again?”

“No, they’re all just sort of hovering in one spot, though there is one who seems particularly anxious to see you. I watched him yesterday. He ignores everyone around him and just stares through the gate while holding onto a thick envelope. Wonder if he’s trying to serve you.”

Ajax scowled. “It’s probably that one fan I told you about. Every time I’ve encountered him, he’s carrying one of those envelopes.”

“The one who gives you demos?”

Ajax nodded then looked out over the pond. He was quiet a few moments before releasing a relaxed sigh. “I really like this place. If it weren’t for the constant stream of visitors, I’d think of trying to buy it as another vacation spot.”

“Another?”

“I have a place in Colorado that I’ve managed to keep secret but that’s because I haven’t braved more than a week here and there. But I’d like to be able to spend more time there. It’s in the mountains, so it’s possible I could keep it secret longer. I’m still not sure how this spot got out so fast because I did nothing that anyone could trace here. I’m honestly a little suspicious thatsomeone I know spilled the secret. And if they did, I hope it was an accident.”

“Your assistant, maybe?”

“Oh, never.” He shook his head as he crossed his legs and lowered the mug into the circle he made. “Anton is a vault. One who goes out of his way to make sure I stay protected.”

“What about one of your band members?”

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