THE IMP'S NEST
Another bone-melting massage, another heavy sleep, I thought as a gentle hand stroked down my back.
I knew almost at once that the touch wasn't from Constantine and bolted upright.
Ronan's hand retreated, head dipping. "Sorry. I should've let you sleep."
"He's gone?" I asked.
Ronan frowned and nodded. "Are you… Did he…" He huffed out a breath and shook his head. "I'm trying not to be a prat."
A laugh escaped me, and I didn't have the heart to fight it. "I'm fine. He just…took care of me. We talked a little. I fell asleep."
Ronan nodded again and we fell into an awkward silence, so rare for us it made my stomach churn.
"What time is it?" I asked.
"After two."
I winced. "I suppose I'm staying here for the night." Two nights out of my own home would make the neighborhood stir with new chatter.
"Do you… Are you staying in here, or would you come up to my room with me?" Ronan asked, blinking and pressing his lips flat.
He's nervous, I realized, some of my own anxiety slipping away.
"Your room," I said with a firm nod. I'd been missing Ronan. Watching him from the stage during Beth's act had made my heart hurt, and our cold silence was all wrong, just one more uncomfortable weight on my shoulders.
Ronan's smile flashed bright, and he lifted up my robe from his lap. "Brought this for you."
A few of the stagehands and monster actors stayed in the theater or Mr. Reddy's buildings next door. Our pay wasn't great, and some monsters couldn't afford the disguise charms to keep their homes safe.
But in Ronan's case, I suspected he just liked the room he'd managed to grab upon arrival, and I didn't blame him.
My hand slipped into his as we tiptoed through the hall and back up the stairs to the theater.
"I wonder where he came from, don't you?" I whispered, thinking of Constantine vanishing while I was asleep. "Usually, the rare ones stay here."
"I saw him leave. He has a black carriage," Ronan said, flashing me a wicked grin. "But I didn't get the address…this time."
We stepped out onto the empty stage, the darkness of the theater exceptional at this time of night. I could see decently, able to make out some of the shadows of the first row, but I knew Ronan's vision was even better than mine.
"Ready?" he asked, and there was no reason but reverence for us to whisper alone in the dark like this.
I stepped closer, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, his own twisting around my waist. His tail even coiled around my ankle, more affectionate than useful. "Ready," I said.
Ronan's wings beat once, bringing us up to our toes, and then again in earnest, and we were flying. With a few strong flaps we were up past the rafters of the theater, into the open space, and then Ronan twisted and veered left, flying into the hollow loft space above the theater. At the far end of the broad room, a round window faced the street, the moonlight shining through and meeting a solitary candle.
Ronan landed with a few quick steps, but he didn't set me down and I didn't fight for him to release me. He carried me over to the large mattress he kept on the floor, surrounded by old velvet stage curtains and woolen blankets, a bird's nest of a bed, and one I was familiar with. It was cold up here in the loft, but Ronan ran hot, and I clung to him as he knelt.
"I'm sorry for picking the fight," Ronan said, settling at my side with one of his legs pressed between mine, his wings rising to cover us and keep out some of the cold. The moon and candle glowed through the skin of his wings, cool and hot, lighting up his earnest expression in tandem.
"You can't protect me from the work we do here, Ro," I whispered.
He frowned. "I'm not sure that's true, but I understand you don't want protection," he said, adding before I could argue, "And that…in the case of this demon, you don't need it."
"He's less scary the more time I spend with him," I allowed.
"Your scene is intense, and none of the other girls envy you this time," Ronan said, staring down at me. "But even I can tell you're enjoying yourself."
I snorted and Ronan grinned back at me. His hair was falling loose of his usual sweep, and I tugged him closer, snuggling into his warmth until he had to wrap an arm around my hips.
"How is the orc?" Ronan asked.
I blinked up at him, cupped his jaw in my hand. "Do you really want to talk about him?"
Ronan's smile was faint. "I just want to be ready for the day you leave, nut."
I stared down between us and thought of Hunter missing from his house when I woke up, of his tender touches and heartfelt refusals.
"Historically, I'm not the one who leaves," I murmured. I stroked my hand down Ronan's strong throat, over his chest, found his hips and guided his weight to lying fully between my thighs. His stare was warm on my face as I reached between us to untie my robe and pull it open.
"Whatcha doing, nut?" Ronan asked, even as he pressed our stomachs together.
"What does it feel like?" I asked, searching around his hips for the tie of his pants.
"Like you're changing the subject," Ronan murmured, pushing up on his arms just enough for me to reach my goal. My fingers paused on the tie, gazing up at him and waiting. His smile was slow, but there was the slightest wince at the corners of his eyes, so I stared at his mouth again. "But I like this subject better, and I'm not about to repeat my previous mistake so soon."
I found myself sighing as Ronan's hand guided mine, helping me loosen his waistband and push the fabric down his hips. I hadn't realized how much the recent refusals from Hunter and even Constantine had irritated my pride until I was struck by the sudden relief of Ronan's acceptance. His cock bumped against my sex, and Ronan groaned as his head ducked and his lips found mine. He was familiar, friendly, and whether I liked it or not, he knew me well.
Knew I liked my lips nibbled and the closeness of his nose brushing mine, our breaths mingling. Ronan knew every inch of me, and all my responses, and the urge to teach him more struck me suddenly. To tell him all my secrets, my greatest secret.
"I've missed you, nut," Ronan rasped against my lips, his cock stroking against me with a gentle rocking of his hips. "Missed having you like this."
I wrapped my hands around his face, then drew his mouth to mine in a greedy press and suck, silencing his words and the words that fought to rise to my tongue. Ronan's fingers dug into my back, scratched down to my ass, and tipped my hips to his. I stretched my legs wider and his tail found my ankle, twining around and around, squeezing my calf affectionately.
"I missed you too," I admitted in the smallest whisper.