Watchmen as a rule called themselves family, and a gentle banter took up around Nathan. He noticed that the ones sitting on either side of him were both Balances, and next to them sat their Watchmen. The two Balances were plastered to him from shoulder to thigh. He looked around them to their Watchmen and gave them a thankful nod. It was an attempt at giving him some respite from the pain he could no longer hide from his brothers- and sisters-in-arms. Someone else’s Balance could not change his chemical profile, but their soothing presence was still a balm for his aching head. The people at the table kept conducting quiet conversations around him as they ate dinner.
The two couples escorted him to his quarters a half-hour later. They followed him into his bedroom, and he left himself in their hands as they undressed him with gentle hands and laid him on his bed. He fell asleep to the feel of their hands on him as they stroked and touched him, his tense muscles easing at the physical contact.
“Thank you…” he whispered, and darkness rose to claim him.
Chapter Two
“I am soon to lose my Watchman. This is untenable. Where is his Balance? One is not born without the other. Why has his Balance not been found?”
Nathan heard the musical voice of a woman. It sounded as if her voice carried bird song. Even if, at the moment, she sounded furious. He heard another female voice comment before another woman spoke.
“We do not know, Gaia. His Balance should have been born, and they should have met in the fullness of time, but obviously this has not occurred. My sisters in time and our sisters in fate shall search for his Balance,” she said.
“Find his Balance. I will not lose a Watchman so easily. Do what must be done. The laws of time and fate, future or past, have no relevance against the life of one of mine. Be about your duties, ladies, and leave me now.”
Wow, Nathan thought, even in my dreams Gaia’s tough. He turned over as quiet settled over his sleeping mind again and burrowed into his pillows, chuckling quietly to himself.
The next morning, Nathan woke feeling better than he had in the last few days. The touch therapy his fellow Watchmen and their Balances had gifted him with had allowed him some reprieve. Watchmen didn’t regularly allow their Balances to touch another Watchman. By all rights they were all stingy bastards in the sharing stakes. It spoke to how far-gone he was that he’d been put to bed feeling the hands of two Balances on his body. He didn’t know if he’d be that generous in his fellow Watchmen’s shoes, but Jesus, he was grateful. He showered and headed off for breakfast.
Nathan spent his day patrolling San Francisco International Airport with his patrol group and their sniffer dog. They had pulled in five suspected mules before their shift was done. All of them had been smuggling some of the new “synths” flooding the market. The catching apprehension had been quick for all of them. Nathan’s nose was on the ball, and he quickly caught when an inconsistent scent crossed him, and then it was only a matter of tracking it down. Five busts weren’t a record, but it wasn’t a bad day either. He was acting as their Scenter today. The other two Watchmen had eyesight and hearing enhanced.
They finished the copious amounts of paperwork for the busts with minutes to go until the end of their shift. They grabbed dinner in one if the airport food courts before heading to catch the ferry to head back to the Tower.
Nathan was exhausted as he stripped and walked into his shower. A quick shower later and he stumbled into his bed, asleep as his head hit the pillow.
He heard those female voices again.
“We have found him, Gaia. His Balance was born in the wrong time. He was born in the past, in nineteen seventy-five, and has not been re-born. We can create a doorway for them to meet. His Balance will be twenty-four at this time. It will aid your Watchman greatly. We will keep searching for a way to bring them together, but for now, the doorway will help. He cannot be forced to walk through the doorway, however. It must be his choice.”
“Very well, my sisters. Create the doorway for him, and we shall see whether he walks through,” Gaia replied.
Nathan didn’t need anymore. It might be a dream, but any chance of even dreaming about his Balance was a chance he’d take. He looked around him in the darkness, and there it was. A plain wooden door stood behind him. He didn’t wait. He ran to it, took a deep breath, and pushed through.
* * * *
Nathan blinked his eyes as he walked into a tiny cafe. He took a couple of steps in and let the now glass door close behind him, his eyes already locked onto the beautiful young man behind the counter. He was pale and had a mop of thick brown hair falling over his eyes. He had a defined chest and shoulders, the tight black T-shirt he was wearing not hiding anything from Nathan’s hungry eyes. Nathan already knew this was his Balance. His body chemistry was already changing, Nathan could feel it. His mouth watered as his eyes ran over the young man in front of him.
“Hey, ahh, take a seat at the counter, buddy, and tell me what I can get you,” the young man said.
Nathan took the few steps necessary to reach the counter. He glanced down at himself and almost laughed. He looked like a tree logger a lumberjack, from the twentieth century, all flannel shirt and blue jeans. He hooked himself onto the stool directly in front of the guy.
“I’m Kian. Welcome to the Shoebox. Here’s a list of my pies. Can I get you a cappuccino or another kind of coffee?” Kian babbled as he pointed out a chalkboard with a list on it and a sparkling red machine.
Nathan shrugged mentally at the young man’s strange accent. Where the hell was he dreaming of? He stuck his hand out. “I’m Nathan, and a black coffee would be great. I haven’t had pie in an age. What do you recommend?” he asked.
“Well, since I make them all, I recommend them all. But my favorite has to be the cherry pie,” Kian said as he took Nathan’s hand.
Nathan felt as if he could finally breathe properly as he held on to Kian’s hand longer than courtesy allowed, but he didn’t really care, and as Kian kept smiling at him, it appeared Kian was okay with it, too.
“Hey, Kian, I gotta get back to work. How much do I owe?” A customer walked up to the counter.
Nathan released Kian’s hand, both of them blinking rapidly.
“Umm…that’s five ninety-five, Mark.”
“Here you go.” Mark handed a ten-dollar bill over, and Kian took it to the register to get the guy’s change.
Nathan felt a hand drop on his shoulder as stiffened up, expecting trouble.
“He’s a good kid. Don’t take him for a ride. And watch out for the local gang enforcers around here. Kian won’t pay the protection money,” Mark said quickly and quietly in Nathan’s ear. “I hope I can trust you,” he finished. When he pulled back, a look of confusion crossed his face as though he couldn’t understand why he’d told all that to a stranger.
Nathan nodded once seriously and let his eyes scan the surrounding area, looking for trouble. All he could see were a few customers and people walking past the door and windows. He heard a deep thump, thump, thump coming closer and turned toward it. Kian was standing in front of him, handing the other man back his change. He took it and quietly left the cafe.
“So have you decided what you want, handsome?” Kian asked, cocking a hip against the counter.
“What do I get if I say you?” Nathan threw back at him.
Kian beamed a glorious smile at Nathan and the Watchman felt those glorious eyes move over his chest.
“Tell me something about yourself before I answer that. Where are you from? The accent says the U.S. What are you doing in Australia? Business or pleasure?”
Nathan blinked in surprise. How the hell was he dreaming about Australia? That was on the other side of the world, a place he’d only heard about briefly. But since he was dreaming, he went with it.
“Now that I’ve met you, definitely pleasure, baby, pleasure all the way. I am having the best dream ever,” Nathan said, smiling back at Kian, his eyes watching the man in front of him hungrily.
&n
bsp; Kian turned toward the coffee machine and laughed over his shoulder. Nathan knew he had to get that man into bed before he woke up. He was going to have the best dream of his life.
He watched as Kian sashayed over to his coffee machine to make him a coffee. His lean hips and tight ass held Nathan’s attention. He knew he was being obvious and didn’t care. He watched as Kian played with one machine then another, put a cup in, pressed a button, and then walked back over with it. He put it in front of Nathan, and the most amazing aroma of coffee hit Nathan’s nose. He had it in his hands and to his lips in seconds. He didn’t even try to hold back a groan of pleasure as it passed his lips.
“Fuck…if you make that sound for a coffee, what do you make in bed?” Kian whispered, as though in shock.
“Why don’t you close up and find out?” Nathan smirked at him.
Kian shook his head vigorously, trying to clear it. He reached into a cabinet and placed a slice of pie on a plate, dropping it in front of Nathan, as well. Nathan took the fork Kian handed him, letting their fingers touch and eyes locked never leaving each other. He scooped up a bite of pie and popped it into his mouth. Closing his mouth slowly, he chewed on the pie and blinked in shock.
“That is the best thing I’ve ever had in my mouth. What is it?”
Kian chuffed at him. “Fuck, you are unbelievable. That’s cherry pie. I figured you’d know that one.”
Nathan shrugged at him. “Best pie ever. So when can I take you somewhere private?”
“I close in about an hour. Enjoy your pie and we’ll see what happens later,” Kian said and walked away to help another customer.
Nathan took the advice and enjoyed his pie and coffee. He ate good food at the Tower, but this stuff tasted incredible. Must be a dream thing again.
Nathan leaned on the counter and looked around, just watching the other customers in the place and people walking outside. Nathan watched. He watched as customers came and went. He watched as Kian made coffee and served pie. He watched Kian take money and give back change. All in all, Nathan watched. Kian had a steady trade going, his pies obviously popular.
Then things changed, and the steady trade suddenly became a deluge as people swarmed in, all ordering pie and coffee to go. They all seemed to stop in to grab something for the trip home, and they all came in at once. Kian went from being calm and chatty to fast and stressed. Nathan didn’t even realize he had jumped the counter to stand between Kian and a customer angrily demanding his coffee and pie. Nathan placed his hand on the guy’s chest, carefully keeping him away from Kian.
“Okay, buddy, just relax. I’ll get your pie to go, and Kian will get your coffee and take your money,” he told him, pushing Kian toward the coffee machine. The angry guy backed away and cast his eyes down, mumbling a confused apology.
For the next hour or so, that was all that happened. Kian made coffees and charged the customers while Nathan bagged and packed pie slice after pie slice.
As suddenly as it had begun, it was over and Kian was locking the front door and leaning against it. “Phew, that was intense. Thanks for the help,” he said, pushing away from the door.
Kian walked around the counter again and pulled out a broom, mop, and bucket from a cupboard. They didn’t talk much as they boxed up leftover pie and cleaned the tables, counters, and floors. Nathan was content to follow where Kian led and simply bask in the other man’s scent and heartbeat. He’d been hearing it since he’d given that guy a warning, and it kept him calm. He was lost in the sound when he jumped at hearing a knocking on the door.
He looked over and saw Kian was opening the door, letting an older lady in, chatting brightly with her as he led her to the counter. “Here you go, Esme. These are all the leftovers for today. Esme takes my leftovers to the local homeless shelter, Nathan. As soon as I help her load up, I’m done for the evening,” Kian told him.
That was music to Nathan, and they quickly had the boxed-up pies in Esme’s car and she was driving off.
Kian led Nathan back inside the cafe, locking up behind them again. Kian started shuffling his feet, now nervous. Nathan understood the nerves, even for a dream. He pulled Kian into his arms and buried his nose in Kian’s neck, just enjoying the smell of this man.
“You don’t ever need to be nervous with me, Kian. Just think of this as a wonderful dream. I am. You can’t possibly be real,” he whispered into Kian’s hair. He felt Kian shiver in his arms.
“Upstairs, I live upstairs…” Kian stuttered out.
He pulled out of Nathan’s arms enough to turn around and took Nathan’s hand, leading them through the cafe and up a set of stairs. Nathan followed at Kian’s heels. Nathan kept his eyes on Kian’s beautiful ass climbing the stairs in front of him. It was so perfect he just wanted to put his hands all over it. Grab it, hold it, lick it, bite it, and fuck it. He wanted to claim that gorgeous ass and the man it belonged to as his own.
Kian was standing on the top step, and Nathan felt his arms reach up and his hands wrap around Kian’s hips to hold him in place. He pushed his face into the small of Kian’s back. He pulled the tight T-shirt up enough to get to Kian’s skin and ran his lips over the small patch he’d uncovered. He felt Kian lean back into him slightly and heard his breath hitch.
“Kian, honey. I really need to fuck you, but that’s up to you. If you say no, then I’ll abide by it. It’s not in me to hurt you in any way. I’d just like to know where I stand,” he whispered into the flesh under his lips, allowing his hands to run over Kian’s hips and ass as he spoke.
Kian turned in his hold slowly, and Nathan kept pulling the T-shirt up as Kian turned, keeping his lips to Kian’s skin. He went on until Nathan felt the dip of Kian’s belly button under his lips. He opened his lips and allowed his tongue into that tiny dip, licking in out of it until he felt Kian start to shiver in his arms.
“Tell me how far you are willing to go, Kian. I promise to stop when you need me to. Just…just…oh God, Kian…” he breathed out, feeling Kian run his fingers through his hair, the nails scrape gently over his scalp, setting Nathan to tremble under his hands.
“Bed now. Nathan, bed now. And if you stop before you make me lose all control…I’ll make you regret it,” Kian rasped out.
Nathan took that as the order he was waiting for and surged forward up the final steps, scooped Kian into his arms, and made for the bed he could see through an open doorway. He stripped Kian out of his clothes in seconds and ripped his own clothes off while Kian was still bouncing on the bed where Nathan had tossed him. Nathan climbed onto the bed after him and crawled right up over Kian, only stopping when they were lying full length together. Kian opened his legs, and Nathan slipped happily between them, rubbing his length gently over Kian’s hardness.
Nathan pulled up enough to look down at their hard lengths. He looked carefully at them both. Kian’s beautiful cock was about the same size as his, and at nine inches, Nathan was no small fry. Kian was just slightly thinner. Nathan knew he had a thick girth—thick enough to let a lover feel him the next day, even. And Gaia, he was beautiful to Nathan’s eyes. He couldn’t wait to feel Kian inside him, but that was for later in this dream.
Nathan scooted all the way down Kian’s body, dropping kisses here and there as he went. Kian stretched his arms over his head and moved his body, meeting each kiss bestowed from Nathan’s lips. Nathan didn’t stop until he’d reached Kian’s ankles. He gently wrapped his hands around each delicate one. Nathan’s eyes roamed over the delectable body under him and he took in a breath. He could smell the very essence that was Kian. The very part of him that made him perfect for Nathan. His ears could hear the rapid thumping of Kian’s heart. It was beating so hard, and Nathan knew it was beating for him. He could feel his own heart beating in time with Kian’s, and it felt perfect and balanced.
He took his left hand off one ankle to cup both hands around the other and lifted Kian’s leg enough to run his lips over it, giving the sensitive skin there a nip and suck as he went aroun
d it. He heard Kian gasp and giggle and raised an eyebrow at him.
“Ticklish?” he asked.
“No, no.” Kian’s answer was so obviously a lie.
Nathan tucked the knowledge away and kept exploring. He ran both hands along Kian’s legs, gently memorizing every muscle and feeling each tendon. Nathan let his hands move over Kian’s pliant body at will, always following their lead with his lips or tongue, mouth and nose. He inspected Kian’s front intimately then nudged him over to play along his back. He traced every muscle of Kian’s back until he had it memorized. He worshipped the back of Kian’s defined legs until he saw them clearly if he closed his eyes. He avoided the beautiful ass calling to him. He knew if he allowed his attention to it he’d lose all control and find himself plunging into it before they were ready.
He rolled Kian over again. The younger man had his eyes shut, and his lips were red and swollen from biting them. He was shaking and gasping for breath. Nathan licked a stripe from Kian’s belly button to his jaw line. Kian opened his eyes as Nathan came eye level with him. His eyes were blown, only pupil remaining. He lifted his arms and clamped them around Nathan’s neck, pulling him down and ravaging his lips.
“Lube and condoms are in the top drawer. I don’t see a lot of guys, but I don’t bareback either. Please hurry.”
Nathan scrambled for the top drawer bedside the bed. He pulled so hard he almost dropped the thing on the floor but just managed to push it in enough at the last second. Another frantic scramble and his hand found a tube and a small box. He pulled both out. Eying them carefully, he saw both were sealed. Obviously brand new. Frantic seconds later he’d rolled on a condom over his aching and hard cock and had one generously lubed finger inside Kian’s very tight asshole.
The Watchman of Alcatraz (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Page 2
