19. Clark

Clark

One week later

" I told you, sweetheart. I'm fine."

X hovers just out of my reach as I lay on his bed. After the events of last week, he's nursed me back to health in his room. While I clearly appreciate it, he's been keeping his distance and I need him to get out of his head.

"My brain agrees. I know you're okay. I'm…I guess I'm still scared."

Finally, he steps forward and sits on the edge of the bed. Taking my hand, he presses the palm to his lips with a shaky sigh.

"Baby…please? Just a kiss? I need you."

I hate begging, but X has kept his distance, and my arms ache to hold him. To feel him wrapped around me at night. Sure, for the first few days, I was a bruised and exhausted mess. Sex wasn't on my mind as he used his touch and plant potions to heal me. I was in awe. Even in my beaten state, my heart yearned for the love of this man who literally saved my life.

Near-death experiences at the hands of supernatural beings have you second-guess a lot of your life choices and compel you to live in the moment.

The last three days X has fed me soup when I really want a giant plate of pasta or a huge hunk of steak. But I noticed the tremble in his hands and the shake of his voice. While I was the one refusing to believe I could love someone this fast, he was all in since day one and scared to lose what we had growing. X wears his feelings on his sleeve.

"The first night you were here, you were a purple mess." His voice hitches and he swallows. "But I knew I had the power to save you. Everything to help you heal existed within me and I just went for it."

He presses my hand to his cheek, and I stroke his soft skin with my thumb.

"You did and thank you isn't enough." As I push myself up, I wince, acknowledging that my ribs are still tender, but I'll deal with it. "X…"

He turns to me, and those enormous brown eyes that bare his soul lock on mine.

"Baby, you're a gifted witch and I'm so honoured to watch you flourish. To see you do what you were born to do. And I know it likely scared you seeing me like that and treating me, but there was one thing I needed most that you didn't let me have."

His brow furrows and I tug him until he relents and gingerly straddles my lap.

"Kiss me." Touching our foreheads together, I dust my lips over his. "I need you to kiss me." Pressing my hand over his heart, I curl my fingers into his shirt, waiting for him to lead.

His hands cup my face, and he angles his head. His lips are tentative at first, barely brushing mine, but I meet him and hope for more.

"Tell me if I hurt you?" he whispers.

"I promise."

And he finally opens up, kissing me long and deep, his fingers curled in my hair and pulling with a gentle sting. His hips rock on me in a subtle grind and it's the rush I've been wanting. The all-consuming passion that's been between us since the day I saw him in the club.

My hands slide up his back, and I press him against me.

"Fuck, I've missed you. Missed this."

X's hands drift down and slide under my shirt. I lean back and he pulls it off with a gentleness that's so like him. Still hesitant not to hurt me, yet desperate to touch and taste now that he's confident I won't break.

X removes his shirt and tosses it behind him. A pink glow travels up his pale skin, and he looks at me from beneath his long lashes.

"Why are you so shy suddenly? Talk to me, baby."

"I want to hold you. I want to lie with you and hold you and hear your heartbeat against my ear because it's the sound that makes me feel safe. It's the essence of you, and I want to be as close to it as I can."

I don't even know what to say to that. I can only nod and tug at the blankets while he crawls off me and I ease myself down next to him.

"Clark…I, we, need to talk about what comes next."

"It's not you wrapping yourself around me and falling asleep on me?"

"After that." He slides his leg between mine and tucks his head up onto my chest with a contented sigh. "We need to be like this every night. I know you have your own place, but you rent, right?"

I trail my fingers lazily across his skin and watch the ripple of bumps that follow.

"I do. Do you want us to get a new place together?"

"Um, so, the thing is…this house gives us protection. Me and Dave live here because it's not a house that anyone could sneak up on us in." He lifts his head to make eye contact. "If there was ever a legit witch hunt or a purge of demons, we'd never be found here. Or if angry brothers were looking for me or my boyfriend, he'd not be able to sneak up on us. It's kind of like that."

"God, X. So you need to live here? Is that it?"

His fingers swirl across a faded bruise on my chest as his head nods against my body.

"It's been recommended, yes. Would you live here with me? There's a larger suite on Mike's side of the house. We'd have our own bedroom and bathroom like this, but much larger. He even has a fireplace in his and he said he'd be happy to take something smaller if we'd like his. I know it's not the same, and it might be weird having roommates but…" He shifts up and stares down into my eyes. "This is the only home I'm able to have, and I'd very much like you to share it with me."

"C'mere."

X lowers his head until our lips touch and I kiss him.

"I'd love nothing more."

His lips linger on mine before he lowers his head to my chest again and presses his body closer.

"Then we need to talk to Louis. Thankfully, he was unconscious and didn't witness all the shit you did, but he's been asking to see you."

Not that I'd forgotten about Louis, but, well…I'd lost track of the days, and we haven't been in touch.

"Shit. I need a new phone too. How is he?"

"He's physically okay, but I think he's worried about you. I would've brought him yesterday, but I wasn't sure if you'd want him to see you like this or not. And…what do we tell him about this?"

"Whatever you feel comfortable sharing. Should we keep you being a witch a secret?"

X remains silent for several minutes, but his finger traces hearts on my chest and it makes me more gooey for him than I was before.

"It's not safe for me to tell many people. Not that I think Louis will blab all over, but the more people who know…the more risky things become. Dave and I talked about it already and we think we can explain it all away, so Louis won't question anything. But just because he doesn't know what I am doesn't mean he's not welcome to come over or whatever. We have things in place for that."

He presses a kiss to my chest. "I don't want you to think you have to give up your friends to be with me. It doesn't need to be like that. I'd never ask that of you."

My eyelids droop, the exhaustion slamming back into me, and I hug X close.

"I know, babe. Whatever you decide, I'm on board with. You have more at stake than I do." Yawning, I drop a kiss to the top of his head. "But I'm in love with you, X. I'll do whatever you need to keep you safe. You have my word."

He also has my heart and my last breath if he ever needs it.

This man will never know what it's like to be alone again. Not as long as I'm in the picture.