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)
And while he loved his life of plenty when it came to partners for sex, a small part of him had always longed for more. Someone to hold in the night, to share a life with. At one time in his life, that longing had turned his world dark.
Clive was making that small part of him speak louder.
He stared at the shadows on the ceiling as Clive let out a soft snore. It made him smile. The human was just so damn cute. And his fear made Bain want to wrap him in a protective bubble. He got the feeling Clive had always been alone. He’d mentioned family during their dinner, but there was no sign of them now. And his need for complete order possibly had come about because of the things he saw. He seemed to believe that if he could have control over every possible part of his life, the things out of his control could be set to the side. Compartmentalized, so to speak.
Knowing someone was out for his blood had to be breaking his spirit. That realization filled Bain with a kind of anger he’d never experienced. He needed to make Clive feel safe, and that need ran so deep it overshadowed everything else.
He turned on his side, wincing at the hardness of the floor through the pile of sleeping bags and blankets. But he didn’t mind sleeping here if it helped the human.
Clive’s arm suddenly flopped over the side of the bed, hand dangling. The urge to reach out and hold that hand was so strong, Bain almost did it. Instead, he buried his hands under the pillow and stared at Clive’s fingers. What was it about Clive that was raising all these feelings? He was cute, yes. Sexy as hell, yes. And his core personality was filled with so much sweetness, he was nothing like the humans Bain usually hooked up with.
Thing was, he didn’t want to just hook up with Clive. He wanted more. And that, in a nutshell, was what was keeping him from resting. That longing to share a life with someone special had reared its loud head, and he wasn’t able to crush it back down. For the first time in his life, he was actually listening to it and not trying to force it back into a locked box.
He’d always been too scared to let himself love knowing he’d outlive anyone special enough to break through his barrier of that dread. Knowing his heart couldn’t handle that kind of loss. The thought of letting himself truly care for Clive only to watch him eventually waste away…scared him.
He stared at Clive’s hand a long time, until he was finally able to sleep. That sleep was restless, though, his dreams filled with memories of his long life. Memories of loneliness.
A soft noise woke him, and he blinked open his eyes. Morning light was just starting to stream into the room, and Clive was peeking at him over the side of the bed. His hair was a wild mess of curls; there was a pillow crease on his cheek and a soft sleepiness about him that sent the need to cuddle through Bain. He smiled.
Clive blinked a few times, then responded with a tender smile that gripped Bain’s chest. It felt like his heart stopped. They gazed at each other a long time, Bain barely able to breathe. Then Clive abruptly sat up and swung his legs to the side of the bed. He ran his hands over his hair and cleared his throat.
“Thank you for sleeping in here again, but I’m feeling too guilty about you being on the floor. So tonight, you can sleep in my guest room, okay?”
Bain sat up. “Okay. But I truly don’t mind.”
“You look kind of tired, Bain. And I think I’m good. You’ll hear if anyone breaks in again, won’t you?”
“Most definitely.”
“Good.” Clive stood and walked toward the bedroom door. His pajama pants cupped that round ass, making Bain’s mouth water. “I’ll make us some tea.”
Bain wondered what flavor he’d get this time. He’d much rather have coffee but the man didn’t even have a coffee pot. Maybe he’d order one and have it delivered.
He got up and folded all the bedding, setting it neatly in a chair in the corner. He hadn’t done that the day before out of worry he’d awaken Clive, but today, since he was well aware of Clive’s need for order, he straightened up. After gathering clothes from his satchel in the guest room, he took a quick shower and dressed in the one pair of regular blue jeans he’d brought. He paired them with a shimmering, colorful button down in shades of orange, brown and yellow. That mix of colors should have been ugly, but the designer had muted the colors and made them blend into each other. Bain had bought the shirt instantly when he’d seen it.