Page 39 of Johann

Jay’s cheeks were pink, and he smiled wide, looking brighter and happier than he had a few minutes before. “Very okay. You can kiss me anytime you like, you know.”

“I don’t think you realize what you’re giving me permission for, kotyonok.”

Jay cocked his head. “To kiss me. Anytime. Was that unclear? Maybe not too much tongue in public though. You might make my fangs pop out.”

“Is that a euphemism?” Alicia called out from the other end of the counter.

They both ignored the question, Jay biting at his lip and looking thoughtful. “Do you—would you want to come to family dinner tonight?”

Someone else’s family dinner would normally be Alexei’s idea of a waking nightmare. He had barely survived his own relatives; he had no interest in being surrounded by anyone else’s. But for Jay? Who asked the question so sincerely, with a vulnerable edge to it even Alexei, completely out of practice with any real emotion or vulnerability, could recognize?

“Of course. I’d be honored.” And because he wanted more of relaxed, happy Jay, Alexei pushed the forgotten box on the counter toward him. “Also, this is for you.”

“For me?” Jay whispered, his gray eyes shining. Well, fuck. So the little vampire liked gifts? If Alexei had known, he’d have been bringing them from the very beginning. Probably shown up on day two with a goddamn diamond ring.

He held his breath as Jay opened the little box to reveal the bougie vanilla cupcake hiding inside. Alexei had a brief, panicked moment of feeling incredibly foolish again. Had Jay been expecting something more exciting? Something—anything—better than a stupid fucking cupcake?

But Jay was already gasping in delight. “It’s so pretty!”

“You think so?”

“Mm. What a beautiful little cupcake you are.” Jay directed his words into the box. At the actual cupcake.

And now Alexei was jealous of a baked good. He cleared his throat. “You mention them to me often enough. Thought I’d bring you one.”

“The nicest human,” Jay whispered. Then he shut the lid on the box. “I’m saving it for my break. Toreallyenjoy it.”

“That’s fine.”

Alexei lingered at the counter as long as he could, listening in delight as Jay prattled on about family dinner. How since he was issuing the invitation, he would pick Alexei up but was hoping to take him to his own apartment afterward. How his place was still looking very neat and tidy, but they could mess up all the pillows when Alexei came over. How he had already purchased “supplies” and they didn’t need to worry about that. (Alexei had no idea what that might entail, unless Jay was just casually bringing up lube and condoms at the café counter. But then, knowing him, that was probably exactly what he was doing.)

Eventually another customer came in, and Alexei was forced to step to the side.

Alicia, waiting for him at the other end with an Americano, smirked at him. Always smirking, that one. “You’ve got it so bad,” she accused, clearly pleased as fucking punch.

Alexei grunted noncommittally. Not that he was saving much face. He’d brought a goddamn cupcake, after all.

“That was a good move though. The public smooches. You know how many people have tried to give that one their number? That sleazy doctor Monroe was in here earlier, practically salivating.” Her smirk only grew as she watched Alexei’s muscles tense at the thought of someone else salivating overhisvampire. “Anyway, good to lock the Jayster down.”

Alexei couldn’t even pretend to himself that locking Jay down didn’t sound like the best idea he’d ever heard.

The house they pulled up to (Alexei had ended up driving, since apparently Jay had a tendency to “terrify people” behind the wheel) was a cute yellow number, backing up to the pine forest surrounding their town. Not too far from the local hospital either. Jay had told Alexei his friend Danny was a nurse.

A vampire nurse, which sounded only slightly terrifying. Not thatJaywas terrifying in his vampire form. He was gorgeous and sweet in every iteration, fangs or no. More like, it gave off the impression that vampires had infiltrated all these mundane aspects of the human world. They were in hospitals, obviously enough. What about schools? Were there vampire elementary schoolteachers? Politicians?

There was so much Alexei didn’t know about Jay’s world. He said he’d been raised in a den, but how many dens were out there? Were they all as isolated as his?

Alexei did his best to put it out of his mind, to focus on getting into a socializing mindset. He didn’t want Jay to regret inviting him to dinner.

The man who opened the door, a barking cattle dog at his side, answered a question that had been in the back of Alexei’s mind: whether all vampires were adorable aliens like Jay.

No. Definitely not.

This guy—almost as tall as Alexei, dressed in a full suit, with blue eyes so cold it seemed like the already frigid evening air dropped by another ten degrees just looking at them—was the furthest thing from adorable. He reminded Alexei much more of the mobsters he’d grown up with than the sweet-natured vampire beside him.

But Jay seemed unfazed by the chilly demeanor. “Roman!” he greeted happily. “I brought my human friend Alexei. I already asked permission from Danny, so I’m not being rude.”

Before Roman could respond, Alexei’s mouth worked against his will, his earlier conversation with Alicia hovering in the back of his mind. “Boyfriend.”

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