Page 31 of Johann

He was given a new, deepened glare in return, but Colin made no move to shove off. Unfortunate.

Alexei sighed, pushing his coffee to the side and crossing his own arms, giving Colin a level stare. Apparently this conversation was happening whether he wanted it to or not. “Why is everyone acting like he’s a babe in the woods and I’m the big, bad wolf? He’s my elder byhundredsof years.”

Alexei hissed as he received a sharp kick to his shin, Colin looking around the room as if KGB spies were clocking their conversation. “Lower your voice, dude. It’s because he’s—”

“Inexperienced. Yes, I know. So were we all at some point.”

Colin shot him a withering look. The guy certainly knew a hundred different ways to glower. “No. It’s because he’s sweet and kind and lovely andhimselfin a way very few people are.”

Alexei shifted in his seat. That was actually a point he couldn’t argue. So he folded instead. “I know all that. Why do you think I’m so obsessed with him?”

Colin gave a mirthless laugh. “You are, aren’t you? Here every day…” But Alexei’s declaration seemed to ease something in him, the tension slowly leaving his lanky frame. “Are you going to let him keep biting me?” he asked, voice deceptively light.

Not on your fucking life.But rather than start another fight, Alexei shrugged. “It’s not up to me. But I’m not going to lie. I’d be…discouraging, if he asked.”

Colin nodded glumly, pinching at his lip. “Need to find myself another vampire,” he muttered, more to himself than to Alexei.

“Jay told me you’re…asexual. Is that right?” Alexei wasn’t sure why he pried, other than a desire to know more about the relationship between Colin and Jay. To assess the potential threat to his own budding connection.

Colin’s brows rose. “And why would you think that’s an okay question to ask someone you barely know?”

Because I’m entranced and obsessive and I need to know the exact nature of your relationship or I’ll simply pass the fuck away.“Because I want to understand.”

For such a moody fuck, Colin seemed to take that at face value. “Jay actually used that term?”

“Not quite.”

“I’m not, exactly. Or maybe…somewhere on the spectrum. I just have trouble getting out of my own head, in the moment. And I don’t like most people. You included, by the way. It wasn’t about sex with him. It’s just…” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Monsters arereal. How could I not want to experiment a bit, knowing that?” He shrugged. “Plus, Jay needed a friend.”

I’ll be his friend, Alexei thought, the possessive yearning hot and liquid in his chest. Maybe Colin was right to be concerned. “Jay said he has people of a kind. Here in town.”

Colin nodded. “Yeah, he has a few friends he’s close to, I guess. But you’d have to be blind not to see he’s lonely as hell, even so. The more people around him, the better, I think.”

There was a long moment of silence as they both processed that thought. Eventually, Alexei cleared his throat, offering his own version of a cease-fire. “I won’t hurt him, you know. Just because I’m attracted to him doesn’t mean I’m some dastardly villain.”

“And when he falls in love with you because he’s affection-deprived, touch-starved, and you’re his fucking first?”

That answered the question of whether Colin knew Jay was a virgin. It also sounded like the perfect fucking outcome to Alexei. But to say so would be giving away more cards than he was willing. So he only shrugged, aware Colin still probably thought he was a complete asshole. “We’ll cross that bridge if we ever come to it.”

Colin still didn’t leave the table.

“This is the most I’ve ever heard you speak,” Alexei said a bit pointedly.

“I could say the same for you. I speak when it’s important.”

Alexei nodded in understanding. “He’s important.”

“He is.”

On that they could agree.

Alexei’s impatience knew no bounds, waiting on Jay’s arrival. He’d already cleaned his little one-bedroom—he was renting from a man who took cash over checking a credit report and didn’t look too closely at government ID—like a madman earlier that morning.

Jay’s place had been neat and tidy, and Alexei wanted the little vampire to feel comfortable in his space.

He took a last look around to try to assess for any flaws. Alexei’s kitchen was definitely nothing special, but it had a working gas stove and good natural light, and with the counters practically gleaming and all the ingredients laid out, it didn’t look so bad.

Even with his expecting it, the doorbell ringing had Alexei’s heart in his throat. Jesus, what the fuck was wrong with him?

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