Chapter 4
Chapter Four
B ain
This human was absolutely adorable. He was built slight and had the sweetest face Bain had ever seen. Sexy, pouty lips, wide, light blue eyes, and a small nose. His cheeks and nose were dusted with a smattering of freckles. His short, dark hair had some curl to it, making Bain want to touch those soft waves. His hair wasn’t black exactly, but a shade of dark brown with a hint of red that made it shimmer in the sunlight.
Clive raised every protective instinct Bain had.
Bain immediately wanted to make sure nothing ever hurt the man. But he also felt a strange pull toward him, almost like he knew him from somewhere. He didn’t, had never seen him before, but something about him felt weirdly familiar.
Plus, Bain had felt something more than just protectiveness. Something he easily recognized. Attraction. A strong one.
And Clive’s returning attraction had been just as obvious as his shock over it had been. Bain was used to humans finding his androgynous looks appealing, but knowing this particular one found him attractive gave him a surprisingly warm feeling in his chest. He glanced at him often as he drove, and nearly every time, those pretty cornflower blues were locked on Bain.
“Are you going in first to check if it’s clear?” Clive asked when Bain pulled into his driveway. Clive had a small, perfectly neat, blue bungalow-style house with a low roof that had thick posts supporting it. His yard was pretty bare, unlike the lawns of the houses around it, so Bain knew Clive didn’t spend a lot of time outside.
He didn’t need to check the house—he’d be able to sense whether someone was in the house from outside—but he was also used to pretending to be human. “You’ll go in with me and stay in the first clear area while I check the rest. I’m not leaving you out here alone.”
“Okay.” Clive got out of the car and walked toward his front door. Bain followed him. His gaze zeroed in on Clive’s ass, which was surprisingly round and meaty for such a small frame. Heat speared into his gut. Wow. He needed to see that ass without clothes covering it. It took real effort to tear his gaze away, but he did, moving ahead of Clive and opening his senses.
Bain knew as soon as he was on the front stoop that there weren’t any others in the house. But he waited for Clive to unlock the door, then kept him in the entryway as he made his way through the place. It was a small house, and the first thing he noticed was that not one thing was out of place. Clive brought the word neat to new levels. It was like a magazine layout of perfect Feng Shui, with everything precisely placed. Bain chuckled when he got to the bedroom and saw that even the bed was made. The man had actually awakened to a prowler and still taken the time to make his bed before running.
When he went back to Clive, he found the man basically cowering in the corner of his entryway, and Bain’s heart just clenched. He hated seeing anyone afraid, but for some reason, Clive was raising more emotion than normal for him. “All clear,” he assured him in a soothing tone. “You can go about your regular day. I’ll be here.”
“But what will you do?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Do?”
Clive lifted his hands. “You can’t just stand around doing nothing. You’ll get bored, won’t you?”
Bain smiled. “Most of my job is standing around doing nothing. I’ll be fine. Just know that you’re safe. I’m just going to run out and grab my bag.”
Clive nodded and followed him to the door. It was so obvious he didn’t want to be alone that Bain just melted. So he grabbed the khaki satchel and hurried back, following as Clive led him down the hall to a guest room. It was small with a twin bed that would leave Bain’s feet dangling at the bottom, but he’d slept in worse. Filthy inns in the middle of nowhere. Muddy trenches during wars.
He put his bag on the bed and turned back to find Clive wringing his hands.
“I’m going to shower, then. I just couldn’t in that hotel.” Clive hurried from the room.
Bain purposely did not look at that fantastically round ass again. Clive was a client, therefore completely off limits. He’d have to ignore the strangely powerful attraction he had toward him.
He walked back into the living room and got a better look around him. There was a navy couch with a matching chair, a square, glass coffee table, and bookshelves lining two entire walls. He wandered to those, snorting when he saw that the books were in alphabetical order. Looked like they were all non-fiction with two small exceptions. Okay, not small considering how many there were, but he had quite a few books set in the Star Trek Universe. Bain had read a lot of those himself. And Clive also had a really nice collection of gay romances, especially shifter romances—which often got the lore wrong. Bain spotted a few of his own favorites in the mix. Bain had always been a heavy reader, loving anything from biographies to spicy fiction.
The house had an open plan, the kitchen and living area only separated by an island. Curious to see if Clive’s organization continued in there, Bain opened a few cabinets only to find everything perfectly lined up on every shelf. He didn’t even have a collection of different coffee mugs. Every single one was gray, and the handles all faced the same direction.
Xavier hadn’t been kidding about this one. Bain couldn’t imagine living in such order. His own apartment had clothes draped everywhere, magazines scattered around, and not one of his coffee mugs matched. He’d also left dishes from last night in his sink.
Clive would go insane in his place.
Bain strode back into the living area and settled into the navy chair. He’d been honest about how much time he spent just watching, so he sat back, cleared his mind, and opened his senses. He’d know instantly if anyone tried to break in again.
He stayed quiet as Clive followed his direction and went about his day, which was basically disappearing into his home office after he offered a bagel to Bain. Clive ate his own at the table, washed his dishes, put them away, then was basically gone for hours.
Bain spent some of the time reading a book he’d brought with him—a fantastic science fiction gay romance he’d read before but loved enough for a repeat. He spent the rest of the time thinking. Mostly about why he was so attracted to Clive when the man had done nothing more than show he’d liked Bain’s looks. There hadn’t been a hint of flirting, no sexy banter—Bain was pretty sure sexy banter wasn’t a part of Clive’s vocabulary. All he’d done was stare with his mouth open and his pretty eyes wide.
Just what was it about this particular human?
It was going to be fun to find out. He wouldn’t act on the attraction, but he did enjoy a good round of speculation.
Around six that evening, Clive came out to stand behind the couch, nervously shuffling his feet as he looked at Bain. After his shower earlier, he’d changed into navy slacks and a pale blue polo shirt that matched his eyes. His curls were in disarray, like he’d been frustrated and running his hands through them. “I was going to order some Chinese food. Does that sound good?”
“It does,” Bain agreed. “But don’t feel you have to provide for me while I’m here.”
“You have to eat, too.” He picked up his phone off the table behind the couch. “Do you like movies? I subscribe to a lot of services, so we’ll have our pick.”
“A movie would be nice.”
“I’m having a hard time with just leaving you sitting here all day. You’re welcome to watch TV or read any books I have.” He waved his hand toward the wall of shelves.
“I did see a few Star Trek books I haven’t read yet, and also some romances new to me, so I’ll do that.”
Clive perked up fast. “You like Star Trek?”
Bain nodded. “Very much. The movies, too. I really like all the newer ones, but enjoy the older movies as well.”
If anything, Clive lit up even more. “Oh, we could start a marathon! I own them all.”
“All tonight?” Bain loved seeing excitement shine on his face. He again felt that strange warmth in his chest, one that made him want to do everything in his power to make it happen over and over.
“No. I have to be in bed…by ten, but we could start. It’ll help take my mind off things.”
Bain stood and walked to him, then caved to the powerful need to touch him, placing his hands on Clive’s shoulders. The heat of Clive’s body sent a thrill through Bain that startled him. He let go quickly, worried his body would start to respond to that thrill. “Nobody will get past me. You have no need to worry.”
Clive watched him a moment, then smiled. “After I order the food, I’m going to make you some tea. What’s your favorite kind? I have so many herbal blends I can make anything.”
Bain wasn’t really a fan of tea—especially not herbal. “Black tea is my favorite.”
Clive’s eyebrows lowered, then scrunched. “Just black? But I have so many fun blends. Fruity or spicy. Different mints. Relaxing or peppy.”
“Peppy?” Bain grinned.
Clive shrugged. “Sure. Caffeinated.”
Holy shit, adorable was right. “I’ve never heard caffeinated tea referred to as peppy tea.”
“Well, it sure makes me feel peppy. I don’t often pick those blends. I much prefer the others. I’ve also combined a few for some really exciting flavors.”
Amused, Bain was sure tea could never be really exciting. “Tell you what. Why don’t you surprise me with something…sweet.” Like him.
Clive beamed. “Done.”
Bain ended up with something that tasted like strawberry dried grass, but he made sure to make a yummy noise just to see the pleasure on Clive’s face. He did, however, enjoy the Chinese food, then the salty popcorn Clive shared with him throughout Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
The whole time, Clive sat perfectly straight in his seat, legs bent and still, shoulders tensed.
He was just so uptight. Bain found it fascinating; he had the strongest desire to fluster him, to see him disheveled. What would Clive be like when he truly let go? The heat that streaked through Bain at that thought had shock chasing it, and he narrowed his eyes, truly studying the small man. While Bain enjoyed all types of humans, he normally didn’t find himself attracted to the uptight ones. He liked to have fun. Laugh. Get sweaty.
Clive looked like he never got sweaty.
Which, for some reason, made Bain yearn to get him that way.
A lot.
An image of that sexy man glistening and panting filled his head, and the raw need that sent his blood flooding south shocked him. For the first time in all the years he’d worked at Protective Solutions, he wondered if he’d be strong enough to follow the rules. It had never been an issue, but again, something about this man called to Bain in a way he’d never experienced.
He found himself watching Clive more than the movie. When ten o’clock rolled around, the little accountant started twitching. His suggestion of the next movie in the franchise surprised Bain, and about an hour into it, he noticed Clive’s head drooping, his eyes sliding closed.
Oh, man. He was scared . Too scared to go to bed. Bain wanted to wrap him in his arms and make him feel safe so badly his arms actually ached. He cleared his throat, making Clive jerk fully awake. “Are you nervous about going to bed, Clive?” he asked softly.
He chewed on his lip instead of answering.
Bain studied him, his heart turning over in his chest. “How about I sleep on the floor in your room?”
Clive shook his head. “Oh, no. I couldn’t make you do that. I have a queen-sized bed. We could share.”
Yeah, that was not a good idea. “I’m not sharing a bed with you. I’ve slept worse places than the floor.”
Clive stared at him a long time before he nodded and stood. He turned everything off then walked to a closet in the hallway, Bain following. Clive pulled out two sleeping bags, dropping them on the floor, then grabbing several pillows and a handful of blankets. Bain couldn’t help but wonder why Clive even had sleeping bags if he hardly went anywhere. But he swept them up and followed Clive into his bedroom.
When Clive stacked the sleeping bags and a couple of the blankets, then piled pillows everywhere, Bain realized the sweet man had made him a kind of nest.
“I still think you should take the bed.” Clive stood, shuffling his feet again as he stared at the bedding. “I feel rude making you sleep on the floor.”
“This looks comfy and cozy. I’ll be fine here.”
They settled in, and after a few quiet moments, Clive whispered, “I know this makes me look weak, but I appreciate you doing this. Waking up last night with someone in my house scared me more than I realized.”
“I don’t mind at all.” And he really didn’t. Not if it helped Clive relax. As he settled closer to sleep, he listened to Clive’s breathing. For some weird reason, he found comfort in the sound. He’d awaken instantly if anything in the house changed, so Bain let himself slip away.