It had been so long since Kyle had been given a choice as to what he wanted to eat that he had to think about it. Normally, he was so grateful to be allowed to eat at all that he didn’t care what it was. Memories of his mother drifted into his thoughts. She had always smelt of syrup and spice. Though she’d worked in an office, her passion had been cooking, and she had fostered the same love of cuisine in Kyle when he was younger. He still loved to cook, but the true, carefree joy of it had been lost long ago.
“Pancakes?”
Lucas chuckled. “I’ve got pancake mix. What else do you like?”
He thought again. “Lit’l Smokies baked in a sugary paste. French toast with powdered sugar. Oh, and mixed fruit coated with orange squeeze.” He hadn’t realised he was bouncing on the balls of his feet until Lucas laughed and placed a hand on his shoulder, adding pressure to keep him still.
“That all sounds great. Do you remember the ingredients?”
Kyle nodded emphatically. It wouldn’t be the same as cooking these dishes with his mom when she was alive but it would be close. The thought gave him more pleasure than anything had in years.
“Good. If you can think of anything else, throw it in the cart.”
He knew Lucas had the liquor required to make the paste at his house, so he collected the other ingredients that were needed. It took them longer to pack the car this time, and even more time to unload it once they arrived back at the house. Kyle had begun putting the food away, his mind already wandering to what he would cook for dinner, when Lucas took the cans from his hands and set them on the counter.
“I’ll take care of this. Why don’t you go get ready for tonight?”
Kyle furrowed his brow. “What are we doing tonight?”
“I’m taking you out to dinner. Or have
you
forgotten?”
He flushed all the way down to his toes. There was a heated look in the man’s eyes that told him Lucas was more than up to the challenge of his earlier attempt at flirtation, but he didn’t think he could handle any more anxiety. Outside, there were a wealth of threats to his newfound freedom, and they all revolved around Craig and his brother. But here, in the privacy of Lucas’ home, he could be himself without that ever-present thread of fear he’d come to live with on a daily basis.
Lucas must have sensed his hesitation. He found himself cradled in the steady arms of his boss, taking solace in his solid presence.
“We can go out another night. I don’t want to push you. What you’ve accomplished so far is amazing. I’m very proud of you.”
“You are?”
“How could I not be? It takes a lot of courage to leave behind everything you know and make a fresh start.”
Kyle didn’t think what he’d possessed this past week was courage. If not for Lucas, he would most likely still be in that closet or kneeling at Craig’s feet, awaiting his next command or punishment. But he didn’t want to argue. Whether it was true or not, Lucas’ praise lit a slow-burning fire within him. He couldn’t stop himself from wondering what his life would have been like had Lucas been the one to come over that day to his brother’s apartment instead of Craig. Would Lucas have helped him? Would he have been as gentle as he was now?
Did it really matter? He was here now, and safe.
Lucas patted him on the bottom and stepped back. “Go put on something comfortable. I’ll finish putting the food up.”
Kyle wanted to say something—anything—to show the man how much he appreciated his understanding, but words seemed far too inadequate. Instead, he stood on tiptoe and kissed the man’s cheek briefly then gathered up his bags of clothing and took them to the bedroom. After emptying them onto the bed, he laughed as he noticed that nearly every article was black.
Chapter Four
Lucas stood in the doorway to the kitchen and admired the slim figure bent over the door of the stove, giving him a perfect view of a tight ass covered in low-riding, relaxed jeans. He massaged his erection for the hundredth time that day while Kyle wasn’t looking, trying to prevent the case of blue balls he could feel coming on.
What had started out as innocent comfort at the beginning of their trip to ease the man’s worries had quickly escalated to a constant need to hold him, touch him. The power he felt in the trust that Kyle had willingly given to him was more intoxicating than anything he’d previously experienced. Whereas most people had a tendency to grow jaded and cynical under the kind of abuse the young man had endured, Kyle contained a quality of purity that was as stimulating as it was sweet.
Kyle straightened and closed the oven, then began whisking a concoction in a large, ceramic bowl. His narrow hips swayed vigorously from side to side in time with his beats and Lucas groaned. Lust warred with self-loathing and he made a beeline for the living room. He was not such an animal that he would give in to his sexual urges for a pretty face. It was the emotions behind that face that clawed at his rigid control.
No wonder Craig had been so possessive over the younger man. Kyle was not only small and beautiful, but a natural submissive. Lucas had recognised it in him the first time he’d set eyes on the man. Such a combination was sought after by humans and Tsielen alike. It was also often devoured and destroyed like every other precious commodity both species could get their hands on. How Kyle had managed to come away with his spirit intact was beyond him, but he fully intended to keep it that way.
Even if it meant denying himself the pleasures Kyle promised with his sultry eyes and seductive body.
Taking a couple of wine glasses and a bottle of cabernet from his liquor cabinet, he poured them each a drink. He put Schubert in the CD player on low volume then took a seat on the couch while ruminating on how easy it had been to sacrifice his solitude for the little wisp of a man in his kitchen. His experiences in sharing his home with someone had been limited to those occasional times when he’d worn a one-night fling to exhaustion, offering them a spare room to sleep in until morning. With Kyle, though, the peace of solitude had been replaced by pleasant companionship.
Several minutes later, Kyle came out of the kitchen with two steaming plates in his hands. Lucas took one and set it on the coffee table in front of him, glorying in the aroma and presentation of the food on his dish. “This smells wonderful. What it is?”
Kyle sent him a shy smile before taking his own seat a few feet over. “Chicken Cordon Bleu with cornbread stuffing and steamed spinach. Dessert is in the oven.”
“Damn, kid. Where the hell did you learn to cook like this?”
Lucas caught the spark of anger that flitted across Kyle’s face before he looked away. A few seconds later, Kyle looked back with an expression of fierce determination. Without preamble, the man launched himself at Lucas. Jean-clad legs straddled his waist while the brunt of Kyle’s collision pushed Lucas back onto the leather cushions behind him. Kyle wound thin arms around his neck as his plush lips crushed against his. Momentary shock gave way when a wet, seeking tongue brushed along his upper lip, and the offering became more than he could resist.
He grasped the young man’s pelvis and ground it against his rock-hard erection, grunting at the jolt of arousal that shot up his spine. Sucking in Kyle’s questing tongue, he bit the tip gently before plunging in, seeking out every crevice he could reach inside the hot mouth. It tasted of the sweet aromas that filled the air with a faint touch of pumpkin.
Lucas’ cock pulsed and jumped when Kyle threaded his fingers through his short hair and increased the urgency of their kiss. It was then Lucas realised the man was trying to prove a point. He prided himself on being able to spot a submissive or dominant out of a crowd, and this behaviour was far beyond what he deduced came naturally to Kyle.
With a Herculean amount of effort, he pulled Kyle back and saw his suspicions confirmed. That initial spark of anger smouldered in the sea-green depths of the man’s eyes, affirming his display of defiance.
Breathing heavily, Lucas rasped, “What brought that on?”
“I’m not a kid,” Kyle said sternly, his lowered eyelids belying his sudden bravado. “I haven’t been a virgin in years and I can take care of myself.”
Lucas’ heart constricted as he recalled cleaning the thin lines of dried blood trailing from Kyle’s anus to his inner thighs. The idea that Kyle had been subjected to rape, abuse, and who knew what else all to keep his brother happy and stay off the streets brought out his killer instincts, but he tamped them down. Kyle’s aggression was born of insecurity, and the last thing the man needed was someone else making the decisions in his life.
Carefully, Lucas grazed a thumb over Kyle’s lips. “You’re right. You’re not a kid. I didn’t mean to imply that you can’t take care of yourself. I guess when you get to be as old as I am, anyone younger seems like a kid.”
Kyle grinned coyly and tilted his head to the side. “You can’t be older than thirty.”
Add on a few centuries and he was damn close. “Be that as it may, I’m still a dirty old man and if you don’t get off of me, I can’t be held accountable for my actions.”
Green eyes lightened with knowledge and the little imp pressed his crotch forwards before sliding back to the other side of the couch. Lucas clenched his eyes shut and adjusted his aching hard-on, trying to erase the imprint that Kyle’s stiff cock had left against his.
“My mom.”
“What?” Lucas sat up and rubbed his face to regain some composure, trying to decide if he was strong enough to sit through the meal without taking a cold shower.
“My mom taught me how to cook. Not this, exactly,” Kyle gestured with his fork to the food in his lap, “but how to make anything taste good. It’s all about instincts, you know?” He took a bite and chewed, face hidden behind a mass of reddish locks. “She told me once that no matter how many times you cook the same dish, it will always be different because it’s a reflection of your mood and where you are in life. I think…I think she would have been okay with me being gay.”
It wasn’t a question, and yet Kyle looked over, silently pleading for confirmation.
Lucas cleared his throat, taken aback by the mixture of wisdom and vulnerability in the young man next to him. “It sounds like your mother was a very smart woman. Did she pass away?”
Kyle returned his gaze to his plate, shovelling another bite into his mouth. His nod was almost imperceptible. Lucas wasn’t sure what to say. He’d only known his own mother for the first ten years of his life before he’d been sent away for training. His people didn’t place the same values on family structure as humans, but Kyle was hurting and that pained him more than he was willing to admit.
“I’m sure she would have loved you no matter what.”
The small man slanted him a brief, appreciative smile that let him know he’d said the right thing. They ate the rest of their meal quietly, the soft sounds of classical music drifting in the air providing a soothing filler. The timer on the oven went off just as Lucas scraped the last morsel from his plate. Kyle gathered the dishes and left to get the dessert, coming back a few minutes later with two saucers and a tub of whipped cream.
Oh, he could so get used to being pampered like this.
Kyle added a dollop of cream to each piece of pumpkin pie, then handed one to Lucas. The first bite melted in his mouth and he groaned as though in the throes of ecstasy. Kyle let out a peal of laughter that was more satisfying than the delicious concoction in his mouth.
“This is amazing. Did you make it from scratch?”
Kyle giggled. “Nah. We’d need real pumpkins for that. I just added in a few extra spices.”
Lucas moaned around another bite. “Keep cooking like this and I’ll have to give you another raise.” The blush in Kyle’s cheeks was so adorable, he didn’t think twice about reaching out and feathering his thumb along one delicate cheekbone. Blood pooled to his groin and his forgotten arousal bloomed to life when the other man leaned into his touch instead of flinching away.
Kyle’s bruises had faded significantly, leaving only small streaks of red and purple along the undersides of his eyes. Lucas longed to erase them—to restore what he was sure had once been an adventurous and confident heart—but Kyle needed more than he could offer. He needed a lover who could devote his life to him…without endangering him.
Reluctantly, he took his hand away and finished his pie. When Kyle moved to clear the dishes, he stopped him with a hand on his wrist and tugged him towards the bedroom. “I’ll clean those up. You’ve had a long enough day as it is. Let’s take care of your back so you can get some rest.”
Lucas went into the bathroom to retrieve the Bacitracin while Kyle stripped down. This had become their nightly ritual to care for his wounds, but the sight of Kyle’s naked body spread out over the comforter was getting harder and harder to resist. Fortunately, only a few more applications of the topical cream would be needed to ensure infection didn’t set in.
Lucas took a deep breath and massaged his hard length again, trying to ease the congestion of blood. He settled on the bed beside Kyle and started on his shoulders, smearing the ointment lightly over each laceration.
“Lucas?” Kyle twisted his neck to peer over his shoulder.
Lucas shifted, bringing his knees together to hide the erection straining against the front of his pants. “Yeah?”