Page 28 of Jinn

Ajax had never seen anything like Dax. The bodyguard was bald and over seven feet tall, and he had two small tusks poking out from his bottom lip. He had massive shoulders and arms, his body built thick. And his face was…intriguing. He had long eyelashes and attractive features. Two dark green horns jutted out from the sides of his head.

He was also so, so polite.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I like your music.” Dax held out his hand as he stood in the living room, towering over Finn and Ajax.

It was hard not to stare, but Ajax was sure this…man…was used to it. He knew preternaturals used glamours to blend in with humans, but there was no way this one could ever completely blend. Not with that height. Ajax shook his hand, feeling like his own was small in comparison. “I’m happy you enjoy the music, and it’s nice to meet you, too. I wish it was under better circumstances.”

“So do I,” Dax replied as he aimed green eyes at Finn. “I’ll walk the fence line—that work for you?”

“Yeah. I’ve got Daniel searching the web to see if we can figure out who hired our visitor.”

“Want me to scare away the crowd?”

Ajax shook his head. “No. You’d just end up in the tabloids. Though you probably already will, since they saw you drive up. Sorry about that.”

“It happens,” Dax said with a shrug. “We often shadow famous people, so it wouldn’t be the first time.”

Dax went outside, and Ajax turned to Finn. “He’s kind of amazing, isn’t he? What kind of preternatural is he?”

“Ogre. And he’s wicked smart. Has all these degrees. His kind have an unfair reputation for being big, lumbering, and dumb, and Dax is anything but dumb. He’s actually a little shy, so don’t expect a lot of conversation from him.”

“I wonder how he kisses with those tusks.”

Finn frowned. “Why the hell are you wondering that?”

“I don’t want to kiss him, was just wondering if they get in the way. Have you ever kissed anyone with tusks?”

Finn’s mouth twisted. “I have. It works, trust me.”

The spark of jealousy that went through Ajax made him frown this time. “Was it Dax?”

“No, it was a demon. There are different species of demons—some have tusks.”

“I’m not enjoying picturing you kissing someone else.” He stepped closer and placed his hand on Finn’s chest. “I know I said we have fun while I’m here, but how would you feel if we took it a step farther? I know there will be issues with us living in different states, but I—” He paused and slid both arms up around Finn’s neck. “I feel something more than casual. How would you feel about something more…exclusive?”

“Ajax, I won’t be kissing anyone else while I’m with you. I have no desire to.”

That flitting hint of melancholy flashed on Finn’s face, so brief Ajax almost missed it. “What is it, Finn? Every now and then, you get this look on your face that really worries me.”

Finn framed his face with his hands. “It’s nothing. I do want to be exclusive with you. For as long as you’ll have me. We’ll figure out the logistics. I can collect a lot of frequent flier miles.”

Ajax stared at Finn for a long time. Something was still wrong. Finn seemed sincere, though. He did seem like he wanted more with Ajax. Hell, Ajax wanted to offer him the job of his permanent bodyguard, but he knew it was too early to ask. Not when something was still holding Finn back.

And now he actually had someone trying to kill him.

He burrowed into Finn, who wrapped those meaty, safe arms around him tight. Despite the fear, this felt right. Finn felt right. He wanted this man in his life, wanted him to be a part of all of it. The feelings coursing through him were stronger than anything he’d ever felt with anyone else. Those relationships felt like pencil on paper—easily erased. Like he’d been just going through the motions of what he thought he should have felt. This was real. The passion raw. The affection deep.

But would someone who lived hundreds of years want to spend a handful of them with him? He leaned back. “How long do jinns live?”

Finn was quiet, the silence stretching out as he gazed at Ajax’s face. When he finally answered, his words seemed to be formed reluctantly. “As I told you, I’m three hundred and forty years old, and I will live hundreds of more years. Maybe. I don’t actually know how long.”

“Oh,” Ajax said softly. He didn’t know what to say to that. He couldn’t imagine growing old and watching Finn stay just like this. Couldn’t imagine asking him to watch that happen to Ajax. It would. He would grow old and feeble while Finn wouldn’t.

No wonder he’d never been in a relationship. Not with a human for sure.

Ajax stepped out of his arms and cleared his throat as if that could erase his tangled thoughts. “Do you think we’ll be able to figure out who hired this guy to hurt me?”

“Ajax, he came here to kill you. We have to figure out who did this. The people at my job are good. They’ll figure this out. But you think on it, too. Like that fan you told me about. The one with the demos. Could he be angry enough to do something like this?”

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