Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
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.
Chapter Seven
Bain
Sleep just wasn’t going to happen that night. Bain lay on the makeshift bed on Clive’s bedroom floor and listened to the little human breathing. He should have called Xavier and demanded to know what it meant. Why Clive could see preternaturals. He would at some point, but something was stopping him. Making him wait.
Mostly his own mind.
Tonight, it was all tangled up with questions about humans like Clive—special humans, as Xavier called them. But it was also crowded with memories. Of his parents, for some reason. He’d always wondered what had become of them. They’d told him that basilisks only mated long enough to raise a young one to puberty, but they had seemed to truly love each other. They’d told him that his kind didn’t mate for life, but he also wondered if that wasn’t true. Basilisks were so rare, he’d only come across two others in his long lifetime, and they had both been carefree bachelors like himself.