Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ARTHUR

We were both breathless and panting, smothering each other with desperate kisses. My stomach and chest were a mess, and I had to be careful not to move to keep the puddles of cum off my clothes, but I didn't care. I would ruin every item of clothing I owned just to do that again.

Hendrix's kisses slowed, shifting to something more sweet. Almost like a thank you, which was insane since he was the one who rocked my entire existence. I cupped his face, trying to say without words how much it meant to me. He leaned into it, drawing it out for a second before pulling away.

"I'm gonna get something to clean you up. Don't move."

I didn't want him to walk away, but he had a point. Without moving too much, I pointed towards the hallway. "There's a half bath under the stairs. There should be a box of tissues in there."

He kissed me softly once more before getting off the couch. It felt awkward waiting for him, but he didn't take too long. He kneeled beside me, gently wiping the mess off my stomach. I saw a smile tugging at his lips and tipped my head curiously.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just wasn't expecting that. Not that I'm complaining. I just thought you'd be more hesitant with your lack of experience."

My face flushed so quickly, I almost felt like I could spontaneously combust. "I'm sorry. I–"

"Nope. No apologizing. That was hot. And I'm glad. I was honestly worried about being with a first timer. I'm not exactly patient and I was worried I'd push too hard, too fast." He finished cleaning me up, studying my face as I tucked myself away again. "I didn't, right? It felt like you were into it."

I huffed out a laugh, ducking my head as I sat up. "Definitely into it. More than I expected, honestly." Way more. It was something I'd have to look at more closely later because nothing I'd ever done with Val ever came close to that.

"What do you mean?"

I shrugged, tugging my shirt down and smoothing it out self consciously. "I don't know. I thought maybe I wasn't as into sex as much as most guys. I wanted intimacy, but I never felt that desperation before."

I was glad the only lights that were on were from the light above the stove and what little filtered through the front windows from the streetlights. We never turned on the overhead lights because I didn't want to wake Sophie. The shadows hid my blush, which was working its way down my chest, the heat of it feeling like a sunburn.

Hendrix hummed, stretching his legs out and settling himself on the floor next to me. "You said you've only been with one person, right? No fooling around in high school? Stray hookups in college?"

I shook my head quickly. "Never. I wasn't exactly popular, a little nerdy and awkward, as I'm sure you've noticed." I gestured to my glasses and the bowtie hanging off my collar. "It honestly surprised me when Val asked me out. She initiated every interaction, and I was happy to go along with it because at least she picked me."

Something flashed over Hendrix's face, but I couldn't make it out in the shadows. He could probably read everything on my face, but I couldn't see well in the dark. He wiped away whatever he was thinking, tipping his head back to look at me.

"Well then, I think there's a lot you still have to discover. You figured out you like frotting, but there's a whole list of stuff we can try later."

The thought of him wanting to do more with me made my cock twitch. If I was younger, I'd be half hard already. I didn't have that kind of recovery anymore, unfortunately. I needed at least an hour. And I didn't think Hendrix was going to stay that long. It was already incredibly late, and he had been working tonight. He needed his rest, just like I did. No doubt, despite her late bedtime, Sophie would be up bright and early, asking for pancakes. Still, I didn't want Hendrix to think I was kicking him out.

"I… I'm looking forward to it."

He grinned at me, grabbing the lapel of my suit jacket to drag me closer to him. My earlier trepidation was gone, and I met his lips with enthusiasm, shivering when he nipped at my bottom lip.

"I need to get going or I'm gonna attack you again."

It was disappointing, but I knew I couldn't keep him here forever. I stood when he did, walking him to the door. Grabbing his guitar, which he'd left by the door, he headed out. He spun around on the stairs outside the front door, making me pause halfway to shutting it.

"You know, it's a little weird that my friends have your number and I don't. Am I gonna have to beg the number off of Maya?"

If I kept blushing like this, I was going to permanently stain my face red. I grimaced, shooting him an apologetic look.

"Sorry. I forgot about that part."

In my defense, people didn't normally ask for my number. I didn't have many friends. There were a few people at the office I was friendly with, but none who I'd consider an actual friend. We never spent time together outside of the office. The only reason I had a phone was so Val could call me about Sophie.

Hendrix put out his hand, and I offered him my phone, watching as he typed in a number and called himself. He handed me my phone back with a wink.

"Good. Now I can text you and figure out when our next date will be. See you later, Art."

That name still warmed my middle, and I ducked my head to hide the giddy smile on my face. "Good night, Hendrix."

He chuckled, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like ‘so damn cute' before he disappeared. That wasn't a figure of speech either. I looked up, and he was gone, disappearing into thin air. I was a little jealous that he could teleport like that. I shut the door behind me, locking it and leaning heavily against it. Tonight had been nothing like I'd expected, and I was already counting down the minutes until I could see Hendrix again.

The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful. Both Sophie and I slept in the following morning, and we spent most of the day relaxing and playing together. I took her to her favorite park, we grabbed some ice cream cones from our favorite shop, and we practiced her math together. I found some videos online about making math more fun, and we played some games to make it interesting. She didn't get it right away, but eventually it clicked and she had fun.

We were cooking dinner together when she started asking me questions.

"Daddy, your friend Hendrix isn't human, right?"

Turning to her, I studied her little face. "That's right. He's a paranormal. Does that bother you?"

She shook her head slowly. "No. Was everyone at the wedding a paranormal?"

I pursed my lips thoughtfully. "Not everyone, no. The brides weren't. The band was. Why do you ask?"

Looking up from the bowl she was mashing potatoes in, she frowned. "There's a new kid at school who isn't human. He seems okay, but a lot of parents got mad that he was there. Is there something wrong with him?"

I'd actually gotten a letter from the school about that. There were schools solely for paranormals, but our school system was progressive and allowed their first paranormals into the school system starting this year. I'd dismissed the letter because I didn't have any problem with it, but maybe I should've talked to Sophie about it first.

Plucking her off her little stool, I sat her on the counter. "I think that every life deserves to be treated equally. Human, paranormal, neurodivergent, queer. All of us should be treated with kindness and support. There's nothing wrong with being different. Life would be really boring if we were all the same. And I don't want you treating people poorly just because they're different. Treat people how you would want to be treated. If you were that boy in a new school all alone, what would you want to happen?"

She thought about it, which was one thing I loved about her. She thought things through before reacting.

"I think I'd want a friend. It'd be scary being all by myself."

"I think so too. So why not say hello? If you get along, you can ask him to be your friend. Don't force it, you deserve to be treated nicely too, but it's a kind thing to ask."

Her brow furrowed a little. "Mom said to stay away from him. She said I needed to focus on school."

It took considerable effort not to roll my eyes. I had to have a lot of long conversations to get Val to even consider Sophie's social development and allow her to make friends. All she cared about was Sophie studying. I was a little worried she'd make Sophie miss her childhood if she didn't learn to give her some space.

"Well, your mom and I see differently on that point. But if you want, you could always ask if he wants a study buddy. You can do homework together. Maybe show him some of the games I taught you."

Her face lit up, and she beamed at me. "That's a good idea. I'm gonna try that."

Pride swelled in my chest, and I brushed a kiss over her forehead. "You are a wonderful girl, Sofía Grace. I'm sure this boy will be happy to have you as his friend."

She hopped off the counter and went back to her food prep, a bright smile on her face. I turned back to my own meal prep, my mind wandering to Hendrix. I brought Sophie to the wedding because I wanted to show her the band I loved so much. I never expected it to be a lesson for her. Unless parents were willing to bridge the gap, little kids wouldn't be exposed to paranormals that often. If I wanted Sophie to be open-minded, I had to remember to show her the world was a lot bigger than just her immediate family. I made a vow to myself to expose her to the world as a whole, not just paranormals, but different cultures and beliefs, as often as I could. Val might not agree, but I wanted our daughter to be open-minded. I wanted her to see only possibility and to be okay with being different.

Maybe next weekend I could invite Hendrix over to play for a little while. They got along at the wedding, and if Sophie had questions about paranormals, Hendrix would be a safe bet to ask. I made a mental note to text him later, giving my focus back to Sophie and the dinner we were prepping together. Hopefully, he would be interested in spending more time with her, too. Because there was no future for me without Sophie in it.