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)
Then Bain expertly flipped him around, his forearm going back to the man’s neck so fast Clive blinked. That was…too fast. Insanely fast. But he was still too flustered to make sense of it.
“Talk,” Bain ordered, pulling his arm slightly away.
He just gasped, some color returning to his cheeks.
“We’re waiting.” Bain’s low taunt in that velvety voice made Clive shiver.
Bulging nose took in several deep breaths before he spoke in a gritty tone that sounded like his throat had been rubbed down with sandpaper. “Don’t know. It went through anonymous channels as usual. I’m just a gun for hire.”
“Bullshit,” Bain bit out.
“I don’t know anything. I swear.”
“Then today is not your lucky day.”
Bulging nose’s eyes flew open wide. “You going to kill me here? In the store?”
“Like you were going to do with my friend here?”
“Was just going to talk to him.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me. You’re an assassin. But here’s the thing. I’m not going to kill you. Not here. You’re going to go back through your channels and tell whoever hired you that Clive Manning has protection now.”
“So you’re just letting me go?”
Bain’s grin was so feral, pure, raw lust hit Clive’s gut. His eyes went wide. What the hell? Were the violent intentions turning him on?
“No, not just letting you go.”
Again, Bain moved so fast Clive couldn’t follow. The next thing he knew, the bad guy was groaning on the ground, his arm bent at a hideously unnatural angle and blood smearing his nose and cheeks. That huge nose of his was no longer centered on his face, and his jaw wasn’t sitting correctly.
Clive’s stomach churned violently but he wasn’t shocked by that. He’d never been a fan of violence. Or so he’d thought. It was the lust tearing through him that truly shocked him. Watching the slim bodyguard take down such a huge man—and with so little effort—had been hot as hell.
Bain must have some kind of martial arts training—but even so, how could he move so fast? He’d been almost a blur. That thought raised that first feeling he’d gotten from Bain when they’d met at the hotel—that there was something off about him. Something that felt not quite…human.
“Come on,” Bain said, holding out his hand to Clive. “Let’s get our stuff and go.”
Clive just stood, blinking at him.
This time, Bain’s grin was so much friendlier, not feral at all. “Told you I’d keep you safe. But no more wandering off away from me, okay?”
Clive nodded.
They left the guy on the floor, went back to their cart, and checked out as if nothing had happened. There wasn’t even a speck of blood on Bain’s pretty purple clothes.
The whole time, Clive was reeling. Bain might dress like David Bowie but he had skills beyond Clive’s belief. He was tough. Strong. Powerful.
And apparently all of that absolutely did it for Clive because he stayed turned on all the way home.
Chapter Six
Bain
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.