Micah was able to take in a muscled chest covered in dark hair and two dusky pink nipples before Damon turned and showed off his back. Spanning across his shoulders was what Damon claimed was his family emblem, which looked like a shield and pair of swords superimposed over the wings of a regal-looking bird, perhaps a species of eagle or hawk.

Micah had been sorely tempted to reach out and touch it – trail his fingers across the inked skin. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed when Damon shrugged back on his shirt before he could give in to the urge.

Regardless, it provided a smooth transition for him to ask more questions about Damon’s family. Micah learned that Damon’s sister’s names were Caprice, Joelle (whom he’d already met), and Sophie. Caprice, the oldest at thirty-four, was married to a man named Jason Vitali, who – as Damon put it – was “in business” with him. Joelle, the second oldest, was described as the most “free-spirited” of his sisters. Apparently, she had an unconventional, on-again-off-again, open relationship with a man Damon simply referred to as “Fernando”. And finally, there was Sophie, the youngest at twenty-two – only a year younger than Micah – who was still in college, and unattached as far as Damon knew.

Micah had eventually worked up the nerve to ask about his parents and how they had died, and while Damon had briefly hesitated to answer, he’d ended up telling Micah that their names had been Anthony and Natalie, and that they had died in a car accident when Damon was just twenty.

In an effort to ask about Damon’s “job” without actually asking about Damon’s “job”, Micah had also asked if the man had ever fired a gun (he’d gotten a terse “yes”), and what the worst injury he’d ever sustained was.

Micah had been relieved when Damon had answered he’d gotten his ribs and nose broken in an ill-advised fight in his youth.

Of course, turnabout was fair play, and Micah had had to tell Damon the embarrassing story of how he’d broken his arm in an attempt to fly off the roof of his childhood home when the man shot the question back at him. (He’d seemed as assuaged by Micah’s answer as Micah had been by his.)

Micah had had to give up other information about himself as well. Surprisingly (thankfully), Damon seemed as leery of asking Micah about his “profession” as Micah had been of asking Damon about his, so he hadn’t even had to lie.

Most of Damon’s questions had been fairly tame, like asking Micah his favorite food (anything that could qualify as dessert), or his favorite color. (Micah had immediately blushed after blurting out the word “blue”, avoiding Damon’s deep blue eyes for a while after.)