Chapter 6
Chapter Six
B ain
It tickled Bain pink that the human was turned on by violence. All that buttoned-up anxiety, and yet seeing Bain beat up a bully had pheromones pouring off him like mad.
And Bain wasn’t immune. Once they arrived at Clive’s, it was all he could do not to cart the small man down the hall to his bedroom. The overwhelming scent of lust had his nostrils flaring and caused every cell in his body to fire hot. He couldn’t believe how drawn he was to Clive. He still wanted to see him panting and coated with sweat. Wanted to lick it off every inch of his skin.
But he also wanted to…care for him. Make sure he felt safe at all times. See to his needs. He wanted to just be with him. Something about the little accountant filled his heart with joy, and he wasn’t sure why. He’d always been attracted to humans, but this one raised unfamiliar feelings. Ones he wasn’t sure what to do with.
The man’s attraction to him was like icing on an already moist, perfect chocolate cake. And Bain sure did love chocolate.
The whole time they cooked dinner together, Clive kept sneaking him all these sexy little looks. His carnal thoughts were plain to pick up on. A sweet flush stayed on his cheeks and every now and then, he breathed just a tad heavier.
It was so hard to resist.
Bain ached to touch him. He loved sex, yes, and he had a lot of it. But this somehow felt like more. Like he might expire if he didn’t get his hands on Clive. As he watched Clive grade cheese, Bain tried to delve into the feeling, understand it. Clive was definitely an attractive man, and all those freckles were fucking adorable, but just what was setting him apart from all the other humans Bain had been attracted to over the years?
His need to have Bain close the night before had touched him. His insistence that these tea flavors he came up with were good was awfully cute. His neat-freak tendencies just made Bain want to mess him up. And now, that hint that Clive was turned on by watching Bain beat the shit out of an incompetent assassin? That just added facets to his personality that made him intriguing.
Clive was an interesting little puzzle.
One Bain wanted to solve badly.
They were making pasta Alfredo with chicken, and Bain’s stomach growled. He hadn’t eaten since the bagel, so he was more than ready for the creamy dish. And that was the only creamy dish he was going to be tasting tonight, he reminded himself as he eyed Clive’s ass again. Xavier trusted him with his clients, and the last thing Bain wanted was to disappoint his friend. But he’d never wanted to break the rules so badly in his life.
As they were setting the table, Bain’s skin pricked as his senses went on alert—right before the doorbell rang.
“Stay in here,” Bain said as he left the kitchen to answer the door. The man on the doorstep was so surprised by Bain, his mouth dropped open.
“Who are you?” he demanded, narrowing his eyes. “Is Clive here?”
“Hi, Andrew,” Clive said from behind Bain. “He’s a friend. You can let him in.”
Bain stepped aside, eyeing the tall man in the gray suit. Objectively, he was kind of good-looking with his thick blond hair and square chin, but his pinched mouth and narrow eyes made him look like he’d swallowed something bad. Bain didn’t like him immediately. Mostly because he knew his was Clive’s lover. He had a proprietary air when he looked at Clive that set Bain’s teeth on edge.
Andrew swept inside like he owned the place, marching up to Clive and bending for a kiss. Clive turned at the last moment so the kiss landed on his cheek. Andrew pouted. “So I’m just a friend now? I thought we were more than that.” He turned, aiming a smug look at Bain. “Who are you?”
Bain narrowed his eyes. “Another…friend.”
Andrew looked him up and down, then turned to Clive. “This guy, Clive? Really?” He sneered as he glanced back to rake his gaze over Bain’s clothes. “A gold belt? He’s so obviously gay.”
A bark of laughter shot out of Clive. “And you aren’t?” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re telling me that you’re judging someone’s sexuality because of a shiny belt? You’re more of an asshole than I thought.” He sighed. “Why are you here, Andrew? I thought you said you didn’t want to date.”
“I changed my mind. Came over here to tell you that. I didn’t expect you to have moved on already.”
“Moved on from what? I was nothing more than a booty call, and I’m sure that’s why you’re here now. Is that what you expected? To just come here for sex before you go back to your closeted life?”
Andrew was silent a moment before he grinned. “Always worked before.”
Despite the grin, the disdain dripping from his words raised the hair on Bain’s entire body. When Andrew turned back to him, Bain had to work not to bash the man’s face in. This guy was a complete tool; Bain couldn’t see what had attracted Clive to him at all. Even his somewhat good looks paled compared to the haughty disdain he brandished like a sword.
Andrew was not hiding his feelings at all while facing Bain’s stare, but he smoothed out his features before turning to Clive. “I’ve missed you. Thought you’d be happy to see me.”
“I’m not, Andrew. You’ve made your feelings more than plain. And, well…” Clive paused and squared his slim shoulders. “The sex really isn’t that good. I’m tired of being a piece you keep on the side, and I’m tired of your lies.”
“I’ve never lied to you. I told you from the beginning exactly what this was about, and you agreed.”
“To what? You coming here whenever you need to scratch an itch? We’ve never even been on a date.”
Sheesh, this loser obviously had no idea how special Clive was. Bain’s hands curled into fists as he resisted the urge to use them. Barely.
A bark of laughter shot out of Andrew. “You don’t leave this house. How were we supposed to do that?”
“That’s not true.” Clive stepped closer and poked his finger into Andrew’s chest. “I do go out. Went out today, in fact. And I would have loved to actually have a real date. I made that plain. You just ignored me because sex is all you’re interested in.”
“So? Like I said, you knew exactly what was going on. And don’t tell me the sex wasn’t good. I happen to know better.”
Bain doubted that.
“Then maybe it was good for you, but it certainly wasn’t for me.”
“I know that’s not true.” Andrew dropped his voice as he gripped Clive’s finger that was still pointed at his chest. When Clive winced, Bain narrowed his eyes and grabbed Andrew’s biceps to yank him back.
“What the fuck? Don’t you touch me!” Andrew snarled at him as he jerked away. He shot a highly derisive glance at Clive before he looked back and had the gall to wink at Bain. “You like knowing that we have sex? That all I’ve had to do is show up here and this agoraphobic freak immediately went ass up for me?”
Bain saw red.
He was going to rearrange that face after all. He took one step forward but Clive beat him to the punch. He growled. The fierce expression on that pretty, freckled face made Bain want to cheer.
Clive stalked to the door, opened it, and pointed outside. “Leave and never come back. You never had any intention of dating. You lied to me for months.”
“I’ve never lied to you.”
Clive snorted. “Please, hardly anything that comes out of your mouth is true.”
“How about this truth, Clive?” Andrew narrowed his eyes. “I come here just because I like that big, juicy ass of yours.”
That was it.
Bain lurched forward, picked up Andrew, and threw him outside. The man went flying, landing on his hands and knees on the concrete walkway. Landed so hard his suit pants split at the back seam. He scrambled to his feet and twisted around, his intent to fight obvious in his clenched fists. His hands had been scraped bloody in his fall and the knees of his trousers were shredded. Bain relished the idea of rearranging that face, and he started to march outside, but Clive firmly shut the door in Andrew’s face then gave Bain a wobbly smile.
“That’s enough of him. Ready to eat?”
It took a moment for Bain to calm down, but looking down into Clive’s sweet face helped. He obviously wanted to just move on, so Bain nodded. “I am.”
They filled their plates and sat, staying silent for several bites. Then Clive set his fork onto the edge of his plate and looked at Bain. “I’m sorry about that. I knew it was a dead-end relationship, so it shouldn’t have taken me so long to kick him to the curb. But he was an outlet, you know? A chance to not feel so lonely.” He frowned. “As I said, he wasn’t even that good of a lay. Kind of selfish really. The man barely used his hands, and foreplay was not a part of his repertoire.”
How in the hell could a man have the opportunity to be with Clive and not want his hands all over him? “You deserve better, Clive.”
Clive shook his head slowly. “I’m not exactly prime dating material. I barely leave my house. You heard what he called me.”
“He’s an asshole. How’d you meet him?”
“Andrew is the brother of one of my clients. We only went out a couple of times before it turned into him only wanting to come here for sex. He could be married for all I know. He was never much for sharing. I know he’s a lawyer, and that he’s in the closet.” Clive scowled and looked down at his plate. “I was so hard up for some kind of touch, I put up with it all. Doesn’t say much about me.”
“Needing touch is perfectly normal. I need it, too. Everyone does.”
The frown that pulled down Clive’s lips just flat out shouldn’t be there. “Like I said, there wasn’t a lot of touching. He’s more of a wham bam kind of man.” Clive sighed. “There’s more to sex than just penetration. At least that’s what I think. I’ve never had a lot of experience in it.” He peeked at Bain. “Am I coming off even more pathetic?”
No, he was breaking Bain’s heart. Clive was too fucking special not to be treated like the prince he was. “Not in the least. I imagine it’s hard to meet people when you work from home.”
“Oh, it’s not just work. I barely leave even when I’m not working. What Andrew said is true. Sort of. I don’t have agoraphobia, and I do get out, but I much prefer being here.”
Bain wanted to ask why but he had a nagging suspicion. At the bank earlier, he’d seen where Clive was staring. Right at a demon. And Bain had been able to taste Clive’s fear because it had been so obvious, so visceral, it had poured off him in the tinge of cold sweat.
This one thought had been nagging at Bain since, and now he was pretty sure he knew what was going on.
Clive could see through glamours.