Page 35 of Starlight

“I’m not blaming you. I blame my cousins. Not that assigning blame changes anything.” His fingers swept over the top of Akai’s wing in the softest of caresses. “The last time you appeared in my life, it was changed irrevocably. I figure the same will happen this time. I don’t know how, but I expect to be knocked off course.”

He sounded resigned as if there were nothing he could do about it. Akai didn’t mean to knock his life off course, and it was certainly never his intention. And yet that is exactly what he would be doing if he invited Cole to solstice. He couldn’t do that to him again.

“Oh.” There went that plan.

“It’s already begun to happen.”

“What do you mean?” Akai glanced over his shoulder, hoping that Cole would keep touching the edge of his wing because it was better than not being touched at all. Even though it wasn’t where he wanted to be touched. He really needed to stop thinking about that because that was something that would definitely knock Cole’s life off course. That he was staying in Cole’s cabin would have an impact…was already having an impact.

“Well, I didn’t imagine you being there seven years ago. And this week I told my father I no longer wanted to work weekends. I hate my job. I actually hate my life. Mostly because it’s not the one I was supposed to be living. So I figured if you’re here to shake things up, I might as well get a head start.”

Akai spun around on the stool to face him. “Why do you hate your life?”

“Because it’s the one my cousins were living. They wanted to work in the construction business. So after the accident, and once I’d recovered, it was the easy option for me, and I took it. Maybe I should’ve fought harder to do what I wanted.”

“What do you want to do?” Akai took Cole’s hands, noticing for the first time how much smaller the human’s hands were.

Cole glanced down but didn’t pull away. He lifted his gaze, slightly taller but only because Akai was sitting. He laughed and shook his head as if nothing mattered. “That’s the problem I don’t know. I only ever had one plan, and since then, I’ve been going in whatever direction I was pushed. But I’m tired of being pushed if you know what I mean?”

“Not really.” He was doing exactly what he loved…though it had been more fun doing it with his sister. Though that was mostly because he wasn’t on his own. Maybe Cole would want to come to solstice with him?

He didn’t need to ask tonight. They had the whole weekend.

Cole’s pulse had quickened, and his scent changed. Akai wanted to pull him closer and breathe him in. To lick over the pulse in his neck and taste him. To press against him and find out what was beneath his clothes.

Cole held his gaze. “You’re lucky.”

He wouldn’t have considered being shot a stroke of luck. However, given the way Cole was looking at him, perhaps it was. “Perhaps it is you who is upending my life this time.”

Cole smiled and pulled his hands away. “I hope something good comes out of this, for both of us.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

He should not have enjoyed the way Akai held his hands so much. His touch was warm and gentle, despite his claws, and his attention was intoxicating. Like he was the center of Akai’s universe.

Like the monster wanted the same thing as him, which was impossible, because why would a monster who was living his best life, doing exactly what he wanted, want someone like him who barely had his shit together on a good day, and most days weren’t good days.

He glanced over at the monster in his kitchen, seemingly taking up every inch of space with his tall frame and wings, even though they were neatly folded, throwing together a salad. The steaks were resting, and he’d taken the lid off some store-bought potato salad. All that was left was to crack open another beer and play cards or something. If it was only him, he’d watch the stars or read for a bit.

But he wasn’t alone, and he needed to do something to entertain his guest. They couldn’t sit in silence. Though that was infinitely better than accidentally saying what was on his mind and keeping his dick half-hard.

Watching the way Akai moved in the kitchen, chopping up various bits of greenery, how he handled the knife so gracefully despite his large hands and claws, it was a little too easy to wonder what else he might be good at handling. Cole drew in a breath and looked away. Maybe a second beer wasn’t a good idea.

Or perhaps a second and third were exactly what he needed because then his guard would be lowered, and he could blame the words on the alcohol. It didn’t feel like the kind of thing one should do drunk, even though being drunk would definitely lubricate his tongue so the words slipped out more easily.

When Akai had held his hands and looked at him with such concern that he hated his life, Cole hadn’t wanted to let go. But he had.

Should he have said something then?

He didn’t even know what to say without sounding like an idiot. It wasn’t as though this was an anonymous hookup.

Were they friends?

His gaze landed on Akai again. Honestly, no part of him should be finding the grey hairy monster with giant red eyes attractive. Maybe it was some kind of monster pheromone that was getting to him?

Or perhaps it was the way Akai listened to him and saw him, and now he couldn’t get the monster out of his head and didn’t know how to get him out of his pants.

Akai added the last thing to the bowl. “Done. Everything is safe for you to eat.”