Page 31 of Basilisk

“It doesn’t hurt me to be a little neater, and making a bed right away is a start. It hasn’t been hard to wash up after myself since I’ve been protecting you.”

Clive had noticed that Bain did that. Washed his dishes after using them and even putting them back into the cabinets in the order Clive liked. But Clive really did want to be less uptight. Fear had driven his need for control, had fueled his hate of chaos. Now that he knew he didn’t need to be afraid—well, once they found whoever was after him—maybe he could loosen up. A little, at least.

That need drove him for the rest of the day as he dug into his files with pure determination. It was time to learn the identity of the person after him so he could focus on what was happening with Bain.

Because something was. Something he wanted with every fiber of his being.

Chapter Fifteen

Bain

Bain had spent part of the day patrolling outside, and now he needed another shower to rinse off the sweat. He’d just undressed and was about to step under the water when Clive came bursting into the bathroom.

“Bain! I figured it out! With one of the companies—” He broke off, eyes flaring wide when he realized Bain was completely naked. “Um.”

Bain couldn’t help but grin as he snatched his towel and wrapped it around his waist because it was obvious Clive had lost his focus. But it was already too late. Clive’s arousal was obvious as his pants tented. His gaze stayed glued to Bain’s abs and his tongue came out to lick his lips.

Fuck, he loved this human’s reaction to him. “What were you saying?”

“Uh, I was saying…um…” Clive cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to have barged in here. You’re so naked. Again.” He looked away, then back. “You’re just so damn beautiful.”

Surprised those words had come from Clive’s mouth, Bain tried prompting him again. “You said you figured it out?”

Clive nodded slowly. “I think so. One of the men who hired me hasn’t been answering his emails, and when I did a quick search, I found out that he’d been killed. His body was found in an abandoned warehouse. This made me suspicious, so I started digging deeper into their files and I found out they’ve been swindling thousands of people, using fake accounts, hiding money. They must have killed him for hiring me. That’s my guess anyway. I compiled everything so we can go to the FBI.”

“What’s the company?”

“Bassinger Holdings.”

“I’ll have Xavier look into them. I’m sure there are preternaturals involved because of the wendigo.” He realized Clive was barely paying attention to him, his gaze back on Bain’s body. His interest, the lust in his expression—it made Bain’s heart pick up beats. Blood filled his cock.

The air between them filled with heat. The silence drew out as Bain waited, but Clive just stared.

“I got pretty dirty tromping through the woods with Alaric, so I’m going to shower. You said you already compiled everything for the Feds?”

Clive nodded.

“Xavier has a contact there, so we could email everything.”

“I’d rather take it myself. I want to find out what they’re going to do and how quickly they can do it.”

“Okay then. We’ll go first thing in the morning—unless you want to go tonight? I’m sure Xavier could have his contact meet us there.”

“Morning’s good,” Clive murmured as he all but devoured Bain with his eyes.

Bain couldn’t resist. He walked to Clive and tilted up his chin, meeting his gaze. “Is there something else you’d rather do tonight, Clive?”

“Big time.”

He couldn’t resist those lips, either, so he leaned down to kiss them. “Wait for me in the bedroom. I’m going to shower first.”

Clive’s fast nod made him want to laugh, but he didn’t because the man turned away and nearly ran from the bathroom.

Knowing his world was about to be rocked, Bain hurried through his shower, cursing at the leaves and dirt he had to wash out of his hair. He dried off fast, ran a comb through his wet hair, then wrapped a towel around his waist. Anticipation built inside him, but he made himself walk slowly into the bedroom, where he found Clive standing beside the bed.

“You need to lose the clothes,” he said, his voice already husky with desire.

Clive started unbuttoning his shirt, revealing creamy, delicious skin. “I guess those company rules don’t really apply to us anymore after last night.”

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