9. Clark

Clark

I 'm having dinner with a witch.

A real one. How is this my life right now?

Of course, I believe in witches and the occult and anything supernatural—I always have, but I never thought I'd meet one. Or kiss one. Or jerk off in front of one. That's a big ole mind fuck to wrap my head around.

And now I'm a nervous wreck, sitting in my car outside his house.

X is beyond perfect for me. He checks every box on my perfect partner list. Including the same kink I enjoy, which makes me hard just thinking about it.

But there's one thing I wasn't counting on.

Dating a virgin.

Everyone has to be someone's first sometime. But it's a pressure I wasn't expecting. When he said I was his first kiss, it didn't register that I would be his first everything. Not until earlier today, when we exchanged texts throughout the morning, did he clarify that he's never been with anyone. Ever .

And I'm not about to shy away from him after that kiss. I don't know if it's magic or just two people completely aligned, but that was a kiss I'd like to repeat every day. And if I pull myself from the car and go inside, I'll get the chance.

After wiping my hands on my thighs and grabbing the gift bag off the front seat, the front door is flung open before I can even knock. It's not X, but I recognize the man he was with when he first came to my shop. Dressed in suit pants and a dress shirt, he gives me a once-over before stepping aside and motioning me in.

"X is still in the kitchen. He's talked about you nonstop."

"Oh? I, um…if it helps, I've been thinking about him nonstop."

The man cocks his head and finally offers me his hand.

"I'm Dave. One of his roommates. I hope you know how special you are to get invited here. Because not just anybody gets in this door. And if you hurt—"

"Dave! Can you not scare my guest, please?"

X hurries over and takes my coat. He reaches for the closet door but changes his mind and hangs it on the coat rack instead.

"Is that for me?" He gestures to the gift bag, and I shift my gaze to Dave. "Um, no. This one is for Dave." I hold the bag out to the man with a smile. "I hope I chose well."

Dave takes the bag and peers inside before finally smiling.

"You got me cookies!?"

"X said I didn't need to win him over, and it was you I had to charm. Since he said he bakes for you all the time, I thought I'd give him a break and I stopped at the bakery. They make the best—"

"Double chocolate chunk cookies ever!" Dave finishes as he grabs one and takes a bite. "Fuck, that's good. Thank you."

Without another word he spins, humming as he crunches the cookie and leaves X and I alone.

"So that's Dave." X laughs but rubs his arm. "He can be overprotective, so I hope he doesn't scare you off."

"He seems nice."

X hums noncommittally. "He usually is." X steps closer and laces his fingers through mine to tug me closer. He leans in for a quick kiss, but it doesn't stay that way. One kiss leads to two, and the chasteness disappears as he backs me against the closet door.

"I can't get enough of you," X breathes as he plasters himself to me and sucks on my lip.

"You're all I've been thinking about. I barely got any work done."

My hands slip down and palm his ass, pulling him tighter to me, and he moans low into my mouth.

"Why did I ask you to dinner? I should have just gone to your place."

"We can duck out now. They won't even know."

A loud bang comes from the closet door and I scream as I jump away, almost falling on X.

"I'd know, and I'd tell everyone." The man I saw with X at the sex club steps out of the closet and sets a basket of mittens on the floor. His lips curl into a devilish grin.

"So, you're the man who likes to be watched and has our little witch's panties in a knot, are you?"

A groan sounds from X as he steps in front of me.

"Come on, Faustus! Don't embarrass me."

"But it's so much fun." He adjusts the cuffs on his dress shirt as he rakes his gaze over me. He finally offers his hand. "I'm Faustus."

"Clark." His grip is firm, and his stare is intense. It's like he can see into my soul.

"I can. So keep the thoughts PG unless you want dear old Dad to know what you're getting up to."

"Stop reading minds like that!" X shoves at his chest and Faustus gives him an amused grin. "For now, I will. Did you make my favourite tonight?" He bats his eyes at X, who snorts.

"I made my favourite. And Clark's."

"I'm not feeling the love tonight, X."

"Just…can you go talk to the others? We'll be in shortly."

With a shrug, Faustus gestures that he'll be watching me and leaves us alone.

"So, you've met the two weirdest of my little found family. Faustus is Dave's dad."

"Why was he in the closet?"

"Um, because that's how he usually gets here. He's a demon. A high-ranking one, too. Golfs with Satan himself, I'm told."

"A d-demon? Two of them? You're a witch and there's two actual demons here?" Black spots form at the edge of my vision and X's powerful hand on my elbow guides me to a bench in the entranceway.

"Are you going to pass out? Is this too much for you?"

With my head between my knees, I inhale a deep breath.

"I wasn't expecting it."

X's hand rubs my back as I take a few more calming breaths.

"It's a shock. And I didn't want to warn you because your response to them will determine where we go from here."

Finally not feeling lightheaded, I sit up to find X's troubled eyes on me.

"What do you mean?"

He grips one of my hands and rubs his thumb across the back.

"They've been helping me find you so I can break this curse. They're just as much a part of my life as your store is to you. If you have an issue accepting a mish-mash of non-humans…we probably can't continue." He kisses the back of my hand, letting his lips linger. "In a normal situation, I'd ease you into this, but I don't have that kind of time. I've lived with this curse for almost five years. If you're the one…I don't want to wait any longer."

"They won't hurt me, will they?"

X smiles with a soft laugh. "Only if you steal Dave's cookies. They're mostly good people, but they care about me. If anything went badly, they'd not hesitate to protect me."

With a shaky breath, I bring his hand to my mouth and press a kiss to his wrist .

"I'd be a fool to walk away from you, and I don't intend to harm you. Ever."

X leans over to kiss me and his tender lingering kiss has my heart racing.

"If you two have finished making out, I'm hungry."

Dave raises an eyebrow from the doorway and another man I haven't met yet pokes around him.

"Go sit, babe. You won't waste away." He smiles and offers his hand. "I'm Charles and I'm human. That's so weird to say." He snort-laughs and drops my hand. "Unless you consider former Catholic priests too otherworldly. Which I wouldn't."

"Uh…no?"

X stands and tugs on my hand. "Let's eat before Dave gets cranky. And if you're feeling uncomfortable with questions, just…remember Faustus and Dave read minds. Faustus is better than Dave, though."

And with that thought, I'm dragged into the kitchen and sat at the dinner table with two demons, a witch, and a former priest.

Which would make for a great lead-in to a joke if I knew the punchline.

"Dinner was amazing, X. Thank you. I'll help you clean up."

X places a hand on my arm. "Thanks, but I've got this one."

He snaps his fingers. "Fellatio!"

The rest of the table snickers as X leans in. "It's my kitchen clean-up spell. One of the few I'm good at." He lowers his voice. "Although I could be good at the real thing, too."

I feel my neck heat as he drops a kiss by my ear and a bottle of dish soap flies by. The kitchen taps run and I look on, amazed at the spectacle.

"This is so insane." I shake my head as I smile at X. "I can't believe this is real. That you're real."

Cupping his cheek, I lean over for a longer kiss and we get carried away, interrupted by the clearing of a throat.

X puffs a breath in frustration before glaring at Dave.

"What?"

"Will you be home tonight?"

Faustus swivels to watch us and X's hand creeps up my thigh.

"No. Don't wait up."

My hand covers his, and I squeeze back.

X stands and taps me to join him. "The party starts soon. If you don't mind, we'll be going now. I hope you all have a good night."

Charles rushes over and hugs X. "Be safe, and if you need anything, call either of us. We'll be waiting."

"I will." X smiles back and takes my hand, but Faustus stands as we walk by.

"Clark. A moment, please?" He buttons his suit jacket and strides into the adjoining living room.

"Um…am I okay alone with him?"

Dave snorts and pushes me towards the living room. "He's harmless."

I disagree, but X nods and waits patiently as I step into the room with the imposing figure of Faustus.

"I'm sure you're aware by now that we're quite protective of X. I need you to promise me you'll keep him safe tonight."

He casually slides his hands, adorned with rings, into his pockets and waits for my reply.

"Of course. He's…special. I won't let anything happen to him."

His ice-cold eyes stare at me for several beats while I try not to squirm under his gaze. "If you see a man with no hands. Stay away from him and call me." He produces a thick business card from his pocket and passes it to me. "That's an order. Understand?"

When I meet his eyes again, flames burn bright, and, while it's a terrifying sight, I remain calm. This is a man I want in my corner and I'm happy he's looking out for my sexy witch already .

"Yes, sir."

His lips tilt in a smug smile. "Good, boy. You two have a nice night." With a clap to my shoulder, he returns to the kitchen, and I find X waiting in the foyer with a backpack.

"Can I change at your place? I want to get this night started."

"Of course. Let's get out of here."

After tucking the card from Faustus in my pocket, we leave the house and for the first time in a long time, I'm looking forward to not ending an evening alone.