A Taste of Home Ch. 05

The gas station was finally empty. This was the first time it had been so busy after midnight since Micah started working there. He sat down behind the counter with his procedures text and found his place. He'd barely read a page when he absently glanced out the windows to the pumps and noticed a folded piece of paper. Someone had tucked it beneath the side of the register.

He reached out and picked it up, wondering if it might be instructions from the owner that the evening clerk forgot to give him. His fingers numbed at the words written and the paper fluttered to the floor. You have one month to present yourself to me of your own free will. After that time, we will bring you back by force. JT & BT.

Although Micah knew there was no one within the store area, he jumped to his feet and looked carefully through all the aisles. When they proved empty, he sat down again and chewed nervously on his bottom lip. He hadn't noticed anyone linger without purpose, so had no clue as to who could have left the note. His grandfather had someone watching him here in Rutherford, and it could be anyone. He needed to keep a careful eye on his surroundings, to see if anyone seemed out of place. A face that kept cropping up wherever he went would give him a clue as to the identity of his stalker.

If he only knew whether his watcher was a nightwalker or not, he might be able to find him. Without the knowledge, however, it was best not to do anything right now. Perhaps his boss would let him watch the security server. His eyes would pick up anyone moving with nightwalker speed on the recording. Of course, from now on, he would be on the alert for the movement in real time as well.

His texts couldn't keep his attention for more than a few moments at a time. After half an hour, he tucked them away and paced up and down the aisles. In the morning, he would bring the note to Ryan and hope that the lab could tease a clue or a print from the paper. Reading through the note again, his eyes stopped on the signature. JT & BT. If he understood correctly, BT would be the Blake his grandfather spoke to on the phone those many years ago. Did this mean that Blake was a Taylor? Perhaps a brother to his grandfather? There was no mention of anyone named Blake in any of the papers or family histories. Was it only a coincidence that his last name began with the same letter?

Micah served two customers absently, not forgetting his smile and easy words, but his mind was elsewhere. As he watched them leave, his heart picked up its beat. Simon was here. He stood beside his car, head turned down. He took a few steps forward, paused, and then moved back to his car. Once again, he did the same thing. Finally, he squared his shoulders and marched inside.

"Simon," Micah breathed, feeling something deep inside. He desperately wanted Simon to agree to his terms. If Simon refused, Micah knew he needed to cut off all contact. He also knew that he didn't want to do it. "I'm so happy you came. I planned on calling you in the morning, one way or the other."

"I didn't know that you would want to see me. I've driven around for almost two hours, trying to gather my courage up to see you."

The soft voice washed over Micah. It made him want to melt and cry. No one who spoke with such care in his voice could be all bad. If only Simon wanted to be with him, wanted to have more than just quick encounters for feeding and sex, Micah would give almost anything. To have the chance to be with Simon, for them to be together, Micah knew he had to speak openly and honestly about his needs and expectations.

"I need to apologize to you, Simon. That first night in the club, we had an intense encounter. I think we both believed we wouldn't meet again after that night. The next time, I needed to feed and our attraction was strong. After that...after that, I should have made my feelings clear. I assumed that since we kept seeing each other, there was more between us than what there obviously was. I imposed my rules on you, insisting we eat dinner and such. I never asked what you expected, and didn't let you know that I was not comfortable with the way things were going."

"No. You told me you shouldn't feed from me so often and I completely ignored you. I didn't treat you very well during our sexual encounters and I didn't even think twice about it. I didn't consciously set out to hurt you, or use you in any way, but once you fed it's like I wasn't in control of myself anymore."

Micah chewed on his lower lip as he considered how to say what was on his mind. The best thing to do was simply come out with it, yet it seemed a little out of context. "I think we should both say what we want and expect. Perhaps what you want won't be acceptable to me, or what I want won't be acceptable to you. There is room for compromise, I suppose, but neither of us should do anything we aren't comfortable with."

Two cars of college-aged young men pulled up and there was a boisterous interruption to their discussion. Micah watched Simon carefully even as he kept a close eye on the half-drunk guys wandering about. One young man seemed intent on hitting on Micah, but he back off quickly enough with just one flash of nightwalker fangs. It amused Micah to see him hurry off to his friends, as well as the surprised looks the others sent in his direction.

There were no problems. As each young man came to pay or wait for his friends, they were quiet and careful. Micah gave them a wide smile, displaying his fangs shamelessly. He was certain that, even without the fangs, they wouldn't have done anything. Tried to hit on him, give him a little verbal annoyance, but nothing physical at all. Still, he didn't believe in taking chances.

"Did you enjoy that?" Simon asked, offering a grin. Micah laughed in answer

"I did. I don't mind a bit of banter most of the time, but sometimes it's best to let people know where they stand right off the bat."

Neither one spoke for several minutes, and Micah began to get nervous. He took his rag and carefully wiped down the counter and rearranged the displays near the register. Soon he had to go replenish the coffee machines, but it could wait a bit longer. His nerves stretched taut as he waited for Simon to speak. It was unfair of him, but he wanted Simon to make his position clear before he said anything. He needed to know where he stood and how much leeway he could give.

"I've never had any kind of relationship, or even any kind of intimacy, with a man before you," Simon said finally. He nodded at the gasp of surprise from Micah at the confession. "There was some groping once, when I was about fifteen, but I kind of pushed it from my mind a long time ago. I made it into a dream, best forgotten. We were just about to indulge in a blowjob when we heard the lady who hired us to work her yard calling for us."

"That's...wow, that's kind of amazing. I remember thinking that perhaps you were inexperienced, but dismissed it because what you did was so right."

"The first time I saw you, in the club, I wanted you. While I've always admired Pen, thought him beautiful, what I felt for you was so much more. There's no confusing the two of you in my mind. When I look at him, I feel admiration and friendship, more maybe than what I feel for other men, Ryan for example, but nothing like what I feel for you. I see you and my blood boils. I see you and I want all of you."

"I felt a strong attraction to you right from the start too. I wouldn't have propositioned you at the club otherwise. Believe me, sex with strangers is something I've never indulged in before." Micah shook his head. He needed to get the rest of it out, no matter if it ended things between them. His heart couldn't take anything less. "If you want to keep seeing me, it can't be about blood for sex. Not anymore. We have to have real dates and it has to be about making love. It's my fault things got to this point, and I'm sorry about waiting so long before saying anything. If you want to use me for the pleasurable sensations of the feeding and quick sex while dating...other people, tell me now and we'll go our separate ways."

"I'm not seeing anyone else. I invited Audrey that night for the dinner, nothing else." Simon moved closer to the counter and reached over to take hold of Micah's hand. He marveled at how strong it was, even though it was small and so soft in his grasp. "I'd like to try. That's all I can promise for now, but I want to try. You'll have to be a bit patient with me, though. I don't know anything about making love to a man."

"You started out well enough that night in the club. Truthfully, making love to a man is not so different from making love to a woman. All the kisses and touches are the same, with only a slight change of topography."

"Will you give me the chance, Micah? Tell me if I do something wrong, or if there's something more you want me to do?"

"Yes, as long as you agree to this one condition right now." He waited until he had Simon's complete attention before going on. Micah knew that now was when Simon would change his mind, if he wasn't serious. "The first few times we're together, there will be no feeding. I don't want the feeding to get all mixed up with the sex."

"I won't promise not to ask, but I do promise not to insist if you say no."

Micah felt full of happiness, enough to burst from it. He almost ran around the counter to jump at Simon and claim a kiss. The taste of this man, even from just a kiss, was enough to send his head spinning and his fingers to dig into hard biceps. It took all his concentration not to allow his fangs to nick the tender skin of those lips pressed against his own, or bite into the tongue that swept through his mouth.

They pulled back at the same moment, staring into each other's eyes and breathing heavily. Simon said something about leaving before he forgot his promises. Micah bit his lip again to keep from telling Simon to forget about any promises. It wouldn't do at all to give in to temptation. It would thrust him back into the same pattern they were in before.

They made plans to meet as they used to, after work for Simon and after Micah was up for the night. It was a Friday night, and they decided that after dinner, they would go to one of the clubs in the area that didn't frown on having a nightwalker patron. They didn't say anything about what would happen later. If they decided to have sex, it would come about because it's what they both wanted, not because it's what they would have done in the past.

Without feeding, Micah reminded himself forcefully as he watched Simon drive away. He couldn't give in. Even if he craved the taste of Simon, Micah was decided that they would make love at least three times before he gave in. He would wait before he gave himself permission to experience a taste of home again.

Pen and Ryan had breakfast waiting for Micah when he arrived. He'd promised to meet them this morning, so they could be sure he was feeling all right. Micah decided that, since he and Simon were making a new start, then he should act as though he was seeing someone new. Unsure how Simon wanted to address the issue with his friends and co-workers, Micah needed to be very careful.

His smile immediately told his the other men that he'd had a very good night. Pen moved forward, his own smile relieved at the change he perceived in his cousin. "You look so much better."

"Yes," Micah answered simply. "Someone came into the station last night, someone you both know, and now I have a nice date planned for this evening. I won't tell you who it is, not yet at any rate, but we spoke for a time, and I was very up front with what I did and did not want from any relationship."

He suddenly remembered the note and fished it out of his pocket. With everything that had happened with Simon, he'd put it from his mind, which was a good thing. Ryan frowned and cursed after he read through it. He excused himself to call in a request for someone to download and examine the gas station recordings, in hopes of seeing whoever had left the note for Micah to find. He was as doubtful of success as Micah was, but there was no harm in trying.

******

Dinner was wonderful. Micah didn't want to push Simon too much and so chose a small, out-of-the-way restaurant where it was easy to blend into the background. He knew which topics of conversation to avoid. Best to proceed slowly, to try and tease the information he wanted to know a little bit at a time, once they were more comfortable with one another.

They went back to Micah's apartment to change clothes for their outing to the club. Micah took his time in the bathroom, fixing his hair up and applying a bit of cosmetics. This was something he'd never done with Simon before. He didn't do much, just a bit of color to his eyelids and lips along with a stroke of glitter over his cheekbones and collarbone. Nothing too obvious, but enough to make it special.

Before rejoining Simon, Micah stepped back as much as he could from the mirror, stepping up onto the edge of the tub to get a full view. The blue leather pants were tight enough to show his body off to perfection. He really liked the way they molded over his ass. The waist was different, higher in the back than in the front, where it dipped perilously low. In daylight, they would be scandalous His top was a sheer, scoop-neck shirt, the opening large enough that it left his entire chest bare. It covered him to the tops of his thighs, yet anyone could easily see through it and admire the chain he secured around his hips. The single sapphire stone on the chain lay just above the snap of his pants, drawing attention directly to his groin.

He stood there for a few minutes, wondering if he should change the shirt. Maybe it was a little slutty looking. There were a few tight shirts he could change into, or the black vest might be a better idea. He bit his lip, uncertain about what to do. He'd never had so much trouble choosing an outfit.

"Are you almost ready, Micah? I don't want to push you, but..."

"Nearly. I think I need to change shirts. This one doesn't...I don't know, it just doesn't feel right." Micah frowned, and then he closed his eyes for a count of five and quickly opened them, trying to get a first impression. "Yes, I definitely need to change shirts. Two more minutes and I'll be ready."

He left the bathroom and stood in front of his closet, torn between a white shirt and his black leather vest. He'd almost decided to wear both when Simon wrapped his arms around him. Those big warm hands pushed up beneath the flimsy material to stroke his stomach. His breath caught in his throat and he closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation more fully.

"Simon, if you don't stop that, we won't leave for the club any time soon," he breathed, leaning his head back on Simon's broad chest.

"I'm trying to care, but it's just not happening. You're so fucking gorgeous. Tell me to let go. Tell me to back away so you can get dressed."

Micah opened his mouth, but all that emerged was a low whimpering moan. He felt the tips of Simon's fingers rub against his lower belly, just above the waistband of his pants. The sensation was incredible, causing his muscles to flutter and a wave of goosebumps to cover his skin. He covered those hands with his own, neither helping nor hindering, just wanting the contact. "I can't tell you that. Touch me, Simon, we can dance tomorrow night."

Micah turned in the circle of Simon's arms and looked up into his face. The expression there kept him still. He could see desire and that hint of something more, an elusive something that he didn't dare yet put a name to. He stared into beautiful brown eyes, unable to look away, wanting to drown in them forever.

"Je veux te baiser, mon bel ange."

"Yes. Kiss me, Simon. Kiss me, touch me, and show me what making love is between the two of us. Make me scream and fly."

Simon shuddered at the words, whispered from that gorgeous mouth. Usually, when he slipped into French, his partners would pause and ask him for a translation, if they weren't too far ahead in the seduction. Micah seemed to understand him perfectly.

For a moment, he wondered how he was supposed to touch Micah, but then remembered the words from the gas station. Making love to a man is not so different from making love to a woman. All the kisses and touches are the same, with only a slight change of topography. He allowed his fingers to ghost along Micah's jaw. He turned his fingers and allowed his knuckles to drift down over the line of the throat to deceptively strong shoulder.

He moved slowly forward and pressed their lips together, a quick touch before moving away and pulling the slender body closer. Again, he kissed Micah, pressing a little harder and longer, and pulling away again. He allowed his hand to drift downwards, rubbing against the leather-clad butt as he sought to get beneath the loose shirt.

Micah whimpered and parted his lips, as his eyes grew heavy with desire. Delicate touches revealed that Micah's hands also wanted to touch skin, pushing up beneath his faded red t-shirt. Things were so easy between them. Simon didn't care anymore that Micah was a man, he just wanted to make love with him, experience everything he'd tried to avoid during their times together.

"Let's go to the bed," he suggested, kissing those soft lips again and again, tasting quickly so he didn't become overwhelmed. "I want us both naked. If, however, you're not ready for this, tell me now while I can still pull away."

Micah walked them towards the bed in answer. His body was on overload from the gentle caring shown him by this man. Each kiss and caress was so precious, since it was such a departure to how Simon treated him before. He'd thought the kissing and touching before were wonderful, but they didn't begin to compare with what happened now. He couldn't quite say what the difference was, only that there was a difference.

Rather than let them fall together onto the bed, Simon instead laid him down gently. Micah tried to reach out for Simon, to pull the man down on top of him, but Simon resisted his effort. Instead, there began a sensual assault of his body. With a combination of lips, tongue, teeth, and hands, every inch was touched and caressed. Simon began at his forehead and worked his way down, taking his time with every part of his anatomy. Micah found himself mewling and writhing helplessly by the time Simon was barely to his shoulders.

Both nipples were treated to intense attention, licked and sucked until they were nearly painful. Micah loved every moment. His body twitched and jerked when Simon's mouth found its way to his stomach, licking around his navel and dipping inside at random intervals. The idea of the next destination in line made him fist his hands in the sheets beneath him, anticipation trying to drive him mad.

"What? No, Simon, please!" Micah wailed when Simon removed himself and urged him onto his stomach. "Simon, I need you. Please, touch me!"

Using a pillow to make sure he was comfortable, Simon whispered reassuringly in his ear. "Shush now, and trust me. I need to give your back the same attention I gave to your front. Will you let me do this for you? I really want to do this."

Micah was lost in a haze of lust and pleasure. He felt as though he and Simon were in their own private world, away from all the problems of life. Nothing existed beyond the boundaries of the bed. He couldn't stop the whimpers and moans that emerged with each touch to his skin, burning him as surely as the sun.

Simon knew arousal such as he'd never experienced before. This one man touched him in ways that amazed him. Was it because he was a man, or simply because it was Micah? At that moment, Simon didn't care to find out. His eyes drank in the sight of the porcelain skin, covered in a sheen of sweat. He leaned forward and blew softly down Micah's spine, delighting in the resulting shiver and goosebumps. His tongue dragged down, passing over each vertebra until he reached the small of the back and the heavier sweat gathered there.