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He could feel Jay tense under his hands, the vampire seemingly alarmed by the sound. “What’s wrong?” Jay asked. “Do you need more food? Water? Am I too heavy on your lap?”

Alexei’s arms moved without permission, banding around Jay’s waist so the vampire couldn’t escape. “No. I’m just—” He paused a moment to think. With anyone else, he might have considered teasing a bit, but he had a feeling with Jay, he needed to be quite literal to get this ship sailing. “I’m very attracted to you, Jay.”

“Oh.” Alexei watched in fascination as Jay went pink all the way to the tips of his ears.

That was promising, right?

He tried to keep his voice soft, gentle, nonthreatening. “Do you find me attractive, kitten?”

Jay’s small hand clenched against Alexei’s arm. “Oh yes. I think you have the prettiest eyes and prettiest hair, and you’re the most handsome man in the coffee shop.”

Alexei could work with that. He coulddefinitelywork with that. “You said you have no experience. Sexually. Would you like to remedy that?”

Jay’s tongue darted out, wetting his lips. “You want to, um, show me sex stuff?”

Alexei let out a long, slow breath. “Yes. I would very much like to show you sex stuff, if you like.”

Jay’s eyes flashed, and his hands moved up to clutch at the collar of Alexei’s shirt. “And let me bite you?”

“Yes.”

“And teach me how to make syrniki?”

Alexei blinked. He’d forgotten he’d said that, honestly. But he would take literally any excuse to get closer to this creature, even if it was in the kitchen. “Yes.”

“It’s like Christmas,” Jay whispered, toying with Alexei’s collar. Then he shot him what Alexei had to assume was supposed to be a stern look. “But not tonight. I got light-headed just from drinking you. You’re tipsy,” he accused, his brow furrowing even further.

Alexei hadn’t realized how much his muscles had tensed from waiting on Jay’s answer until he felt himself relax back once more against the cushions. He had the strangest urge to start laughing again. “Perhaps I am. But the offer will stand in the morning, I promise you that.”

Jay ducked his head, but Alexei didn’t miss the shy smile gracing his lips.

So fucking adorable.

After that, Alexei was subjected to more of Jay’s caretaking. He was given another glass of water and was forced to refuse more pizza bagels three separate times before Jay was willing to believe Alexei was actually full.

When Jay told Alexei he wouldn’t be sleeping himself for many more hours, Alexei insisted on remaining on the couch to be near him, assuring Jay multiple times that not sleeping on the bed wasn’t going to cause permanent damage to his fragile mortal body (how bizarre, to find outhewas the delicate one in this dynamic).

His eyelids started dropping as he watched Jay draw what was looking to become an exquisite portrait of a woman’s face in pencil.

Alexei drifted off wondering who she might be.

Alexei woke up to the smell of peppermint invading his nostrils. He breathed in deep, tightening his hold on the warm bundle in his arms. The peppermint was nice, cutting through the little bit of hangover fog he had going on.

And cutting through the fog was good. Very good. Because Alexei had a lot to process, didn’t he? Jay and Colin in the alleyway. The existence of vampires (which begged the question, the existence of what else?). Jay biting him on the couch.

And the bite. That fucking bite. Nothing could have prepared Alexei for how good getting the blood sucked out of his goddamn body was going to feel.

His morning wood gave a little jerk at the thought of it.

“You’re awake?” Jay’s soft voice had Alexei opening his eyes with a start, at the same moment he realized the bundle in his arms wasn’t one of the couch pillows after all.

“You weren’t up here with me when I fell asleep,” Alexei pointed out mildly, his voice husky with sleep, as he tightened his arms almost against his will. Jay had definitely still been sitting on the floor in front of the couch when Alexei’s eyes had drifted shut.

Jay giggled, an absurdly adorable sound. “Well, you sort of pulled me up on the couch with you in the middle of the night.”

“I pulled you up in my sleep?” Alexei asked, incredulous.

Except that actually sounded just about right. His obsession with the barista—thevampirebarista—was so deeply ingrained at this point he wasn’t at all surprised it had seeped even into his subconscious.

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