by Ariel Tachna
“Thank you,” Michael said, setting his bag down next to the foot of the bed. “I appreciate having the choice.”
“You always have a choice,” Lee assured him, putting his arms around Michael’s waist. Michael leaned into the embrace, resting his head against Lee’s shoulder.
“This is nice,” he said after a moment, “standing together this way. No pressure, no demands. Just being together.”
“There’s definitely something to be said for being together,” Lee agreed. “Do you want to see the upstairs too? There are two more bedrooms and my office.”
“It’s a big house.”
“My great-grandparents had a big family,” Lee replied. “Or I can show you the workshop if you want.”
“Tomorrow,” Michael declared. “Tonight, I want to sit with you on the couch and enjoy being in your house instead of my condo.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Lee said, leading Michael back out into the living room. “It’s too warm for a fire, although the fireplace does work if we want to build one this winter. Do you want to watch a movie? Or we could play cards?”
“We watched a movie last weekend,” Michael said. “Do you have Risk?”
“No, but I have Senet,” Lee grinned. “It’s an Egyptian game, supposedly the oldest board game in the world.”
“I’ll give it a try,” Michael said with a laugh. “We met at a gaming convention. You know I’m up for all sorts of games.”
“Me too,” Lee said, “but only out here. I don’t play games in the bedroom.”
Michael smiled, finding it far easier than he would have expected to ignore the half-finished leather flogger sitting on the chair across the room.
Lee rummaged in the cabinet next to the fireplace and came back with the game. “This will be easier around the table than here on the couch.”
“Let’s go,” Michael said with a grin.
They set the game up and settled down to play.
Three hours later, Michael admitted defeat. “This is something else! It’s going to take some getting used to. I want a rematch tomorrow.”
“You’re on,” Lee said, putting the game pieces back in the box. “Do you want something to drink before bed? Some coffee? Anything?”
Michael shook his head, rising and following Lee to the game cabinet. When Lee turned around from putting the game away, he turned right into Michael’s arms. “I’m far more interested in bed than in drinking.”
“Are you sure?” Lee asked.
“I’m sure.”
“My room’s upstairs,” Lee invited, but Michael made no move to back away and let Lee show him the way. He simply leaned into the other man’s body, pinning him to the cabinet with his weight. Their lips met tenderly, their first kiss of the evening, brushing back and forth as the shadow of their beards rubbed against each other. The gentle contact wasn’t enough for long. Michael parted his lips in invitation. Last weekend, he had taken control of their interactions, but tonight he was in the mood to give rather than take. Lee’s tongue explored his lips and teeth carefully, with that same attention to detail he gave to everything else, and Michael relaxed. Even now, Lee was asking, exploring, rather than taking. The last of Michael’s hesitations fled as he stood still and let Lee ravish his mouth.
The kiss continued for what seemed like forever, until Michael could barely breathe with the joy of it. Lee broke the kiss, his breath as rushed as Michael’s. “Let me take you to bed, baby?”
Michael nodded, stepping away enough for Lee to slip free and pull him toward the stairs. Like the lower level, the second floor was decorated in turn-of-the-century style, but Michael didn’t take the time to look closer than that. He had far more interest in the man leading him down the hall. Lee switched on the light, revealing the master bedroom, the pale blues of the walls and bedspread cool and comforting. This was a safe room, a comfortable room. Michael moved easily into Lee’s arms at the foot of the bed, renewing the kiss from downstairs with eager passion. Lee responded in kind, his hands beginning to explore the rest of Michael’s body, running up and down his back and finally over his backside, pulling Michael closer into the cradle of Lee’s hips so their burgeoning erections rubbed together through the layers of their clothes. Michael groaned into the kiss, suddenly resenting anything that kept him from his lover’s body. He pulled back to unbutton his shirt, but Lee caught his hands.
“Don’t rush,” Lee said.
Michael groaned in protest, but he stopped what he was doing and ceded control to Lee again.
Lee took over the task, unbuttoning the top button on Michael’s shirt and tracing the deep vee with the tip of one finger. Michael squirmed in Lee’s embrace, the touch so light it almost tickled. Lee freed another button and bent so he could kiss the uncovered patch of skin. His teeth tugged gently at the hairs that poked free. “I love a hairy chest,” Lee said, looking up and meeting Michael’s eyes. “I always hated my smooth skin until I realized how good it felt against a thick pelt.”
“I’m glad,” Michael said hoarsely. “So when am I going to get to feel that again?”
“Soon,” Lee promised, undoing another button and rubbing his cheek against Michael’s sternum. The slow unveiling had the desired effect on Michael. His body already ached with erotic tension, but his heart and mind felt the deliberate care instead, relaxing into the caresses and the moment, as surely Lee had intended.
Finally, Lee had the last button undone, Michael’s shirt hanging open. Lee stripped his polo shirt off over his head quickly and pressed his lips to Michael’s navel, slithering his way up to standing again, his chest rubbing against Michael’s the entire time. Michael groaned as Lee’s lips crashed down on his again, all patience suddenly gone. He clutched frantically at Lee’s hips, trying to keep his balance beneath the onslaught, but Lee was having none of it. He spun Michael around and tipped him backwards onto the bed.
“Fuck,” Michael gasped as the movement broke their kiss. His body pulsed with need, his thoughts scattering before the rising passion, and with it, his ability for coherent speech. “Please.”
“Soon,” Lee promised, kneeling between Michael’s legs to strip off his shoes, socks, and pants, leaving Michael naked before his new lover for the first time.
Michael had a moment of worry that he wouldn’t meet Lee’s approval, but the look on Lee’s face put that notion to rest immediately. Lee looked like a kid in a candy shop, and Michael was his desired treat. Wanting to keep Lee’s face in sight, Michael pushed up on one elbow, waiting to see what Lee would do next.
To Michael’s surprise, Lee lifted one of his feet and set it on a jeans-clad thigh, tracing over Michael’s instep with gentle fingers.
“Careful,” Michael gasped. “I’m ticklish there.”
Lee added a little pressure to the caress so it stopped tickling. Michael relaxed into the touch again and shivered as the firmer touch sent tingles up his leg to his groin. He’d never known his feet were so erogenous. Like with everything else, though, Lee seemed a step ahead of him, massaging his legs in all the right places until Michael was sure he couldn’t feel any better. Lee’s hands kept working, though, adding sensation upon sensation.
Finally, Lee set Michael’s foot back on the floor, only to pick up the other one and repeat his attentions on the other side. Michael bit back another plea, trying to relax and let Lee take his time, but he felt like he’d explode if he didn’t come soon. Right now, in fact. It would be easy enough to reach for his aching cock, but he didn’t want the pleasure to be self-delivered. He wanted Lee’s hands on him, or better yet Lee’s mouth.
As if reading his mind, Lee suddenly swept down on Michael’s cock, sucking it deep until the tip hit the back of his throat. Michael tried to call out a warning as the unexpected heat and pressure pushed him over the edge, but the words didn’t make it past his lips. Lee didn’t seem to care, though, licking and sucking at Michael’s shaft until it finished twitching.
Michael slumped back on
the bed, panting as the stimulation continued, keeping him hard despite his climax. “What?” he managed to gasp.
Lee lifted his head, his hand taking over the caresses. “You didn’t think once would be enough, did you?”
“Once is all I’m usually good for,” Michael admitted.
Lee smiled. “Then you’re in for a treat. Trust me?”
Michael groaned, the promise in Lee’s voice enough to have him turned on again already. Not to mention that with Lee’s hand stroking him so intimately, he didn’t seem to be softening.
“Yes.”
“Good. Lie back and relax,” Lee urged. “Give me half an hour, and I’ll make you come again.”
“And what are we going to do for half an hour?” Michael asked, only half teasing.
“I’m going to make you feel good,” Lee said.
Michael moaned in delight at the thought, but his innate sense of fairness protested. “Shouldn’t I make you feel good too?”
“You will,” Lee promised. “When you let me inside you, it will feel amazing, even through the condom.”
Michael wasn’t sure that was enough, but Lee’s hand moved with more purpose along his erection, stealing Michael’s breath again. His other hand slid up Michael’s stomach to his chest, tangling in the thick hair in search of his nipples. Finding them, Lee tweaked and pinched at them, keeping the stimulation constant and distracting.
Michael’s eyes closed, the lids too heavy to stay open beneath the onslaught of sensation. He undulated on the bed, completely uncaring of how wanton or needy his movements made him appear. Lee’s hands never paused, so he obviously wasn’t disturbed by the show.
Michael’s eyes flew open when he felt cool fingers press against his entrance. He had no idea where Lee had gotten the lube, but he spread his legs wider.
“Roll over,” Lee murmured, kissing the inside of Michael’s thigh.
Michael rolled onto his stomach, moving at Lee’s urging to the middle of the bed. He looked back over his shoulder at his lover, still dressed from the waist down, kneeling between his legs. One hand settled reassuringly in the small of Michael’s back while the other delved into his crease. Michael pulled one knee up to the side, letting the new position part his cheeks and put his hole on display. If the sudden groan from Lee was any indication, the posture met his approval. Michael smiled and lifted his butt invitingly.
Lee nipped at one curved cheek. “Behave yourself.”
“Why?” Michael quipped.
“Because you’re too tempting already,” Lee said softly, “and if I get inside you too soon, I won’t be able to hold back until you can come again.”
Michael shivered at the thought of Lee fucking him to completion. “I’ll be good,” he promised.
Lee’s fingers found their target again, playing teasingly around the edge of Michael’s entrance until he thought he’d go wild with the sensation. Only when he was squirming and pushing back against Lee’s fingers did the other man finally work one inside him, no more than to the first knuckle, slipping in and out until Michael sobbed out his need.
As if that were the signal Lee had been waiting for, suddenly the finger went deeper, probing the walls of Michael’s passage until he cried out again at the pressure on his prostate. A second finger joined the first, but Michael was too far gone to do more than register the stretch in passing as Lee massaged his sweet spot with unerring skill, leaving Michael feeling like he could come again any second. Lee didn’t let him, though, always backing off when he felt his release nearing. “Please,” Michael begged. “Fuck me already.”
The sound of foil tearing had never been so welcome. The fingers disappeared for a moment, to be replaced by the blunt tip of Lee’s cock. Michael almost asked to roll over, wanting to see Lee’s face as they made love, but then Lee filled him, and Michael changed his mind. He didn’t want Lee to pull away for anything, even that. There would be other opportunities, maybe even this weekend, to make love face to face. For now, he needed to come, almost as badly as if his previous climax had never happened.
Lee seemed to sense his urgency, rocking into him steadily, rhythmically. Michael pushed up to meet each thrust, moving up onto his elbows to give him a greater range of motion. Lee’s hands closed around his hips, helping him keep his balance as they moved with greater force, the bedsprings creaking beneath them as they strove for release.
Every thrust of Lee’s cock across Michael’s prostate added to that need, a little jolt of pleasure that built and built and built until he thought he couldn’t stand it anymore. The brush of the sheets along his shaft as he moved was almost unbearable, another layer of stimulation on already over-stimulated flesh.
His elbows gave out as a particularly powerful thrust forced his climax out of him. He grunted as Lee lost control behind him, thrusting erratically now until he finally collapsed across Michael’s back. They lay like that for several moments until the stickiness beneath Michael grew uncomfortable and the necessity of dealing with the condom became urgent. Lee rolled to the side, pulling Michael with him even as he withdrew.
“That was amazing,” Michael said with a long sigh of repletion. “I didn’t know I could feel like that.”
Lee grinned at him. “Let’s get cleaned up, and you can return the favor later tonight. If you want to stay up here with me, that is.”
Michael’s arms tightened around Lee, even knowing why his lover started to pull away. “Try to make me leave and see what happens.”
Lee laughed. “Not interested. I’d much rather keep you here.”
Michael let Lee go long enough to dispose of the condom and to return with a warm cloth to clean them up.
When that was done, Lee snuggled into bed, his body curling around Michael’s. Michael sighed again, with contentment this time, still amazed at everything Lee had made him feel. He had no idea when Lee had finally removed his pants, but they were skin to bare skin now, and that only added to his enjoyment of the moment. Lee’s lips nuzzled at the back of his neck, bringing a fresh smile to Michael’s lips. “I could get used to this,” he said softly.
“So could I,” Lee said, snuggling even closer, “but we don’t have to rush into anything. If this is right between us, it will still be right in a month or six months. We can take our time and let things develop naturally.”
Michael rolled in Lee’s arms so they were facing each other. “Or we can realize what we have and grab onto it with both hands. When it’s right—and nothing has ever felt as right as being here with you—time doesn’t matter.”
“We’ve known each other three weeks,” Lee reminded him. “We’ve had a total of three dates.”
Michael shrugged. “My parents met at a wedding. They saw each other the next weekend, and the weekend after that, they got engaged. That was thirty-five years ago.”
“So you believe in love at first sight?” Lee asked.
“I believe in love,” Michael replied, “whatever that looks like. How can I not with that kind of example in front of me? I’m not saying we should run away to Massachusetts and get married right away, but if you feel the same way, is there any point in not admitting it right away and making plans based on those feelings?”
“I didn’t think you’d want to move that fast,” Lee admitted. “You were pretty nervous around me when we first met.”
“And since then you’ve shown me I have no reason to be,” Michael reminded him. “Other than those unfounded fears, everything about you is exactly what I need. Even not seeing you every day, the past three weeks have been the happiest I can remember in years. I want to hold onto that.”
Lee smiled. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”
Michael paid his registration at the Houston Gay Gamers Convention and picked up the schedule. Lee had already taken their bags up to the room and probably had the booth set up by now, but once Michael had his badge, he headed toward the dealers’ room to check anyway. He couldn’t stop the smile on his face when he caught sight of
his lover, wearing jeans and a T-shirt still at this point rather than his full leather gear. He’d save that for tomorrow when more attendees were wandering around. Lee wore a leather vest over the T-shirt, though, a little bit of advertising even now.
Looking around, Michael found the booksellers’ table, the same publisher as the year before and the same women, but no kids. “Hi,” the redhead said as he approached. “What do you like to read?”
“Everything you publish,” Michael said with a laugh. “You hooked me last year, and I haven’t looked back. The kids didn’t come with you this time?”
“Not this year, thank goodness,” the other woman said. “We survived the weekend thanks to Lee, but it’s not an experience I’d care to repeat. Nice vest. Is it one of Lee’s?”
Michael looked down at the brown leather vest he wore, fingering the hem. “Yes, he made it for me.” He looked across the room at Lee and then back at the booksellers. “I’m almost sorry your kids aren’t here this year. If it hadn’t been for them, I never would have looked at Lee twice.”
