Kept Man: Firsts and Forever Stories

I turned and fled down the sidewalk.

I got back to Micah’s house about three hours before he was expecting me. After I let myself in with my keys, I exhaled slowly. I felt safe and comfortable, and it was a relief to be back here.

Micah wasn’t in the kitchen, so I left his gift on the counter and went upstairs to see if he was in his bedroom. What I found made me smile.

He was sitting up in bed, reading a thick paperback. He’d pulled his hair up into two messy pigtails and was wearing his reading glasses with their heavy black frames, along with a ratty, gray cardigan. He was also hugging a huge, open bag of barbeque potato chips with one arm, which had the words “party size” written on the packaging.

All of a sudden, he spotted me in the doorway and let out a shriek worthy of a horror movie. Then he disappeared by rolling off the far side of the bed. I couldn’t help but laugh.

When he popped back up from behind the bed a few moments later, his hair was down and he’d taken off his glasses and sweater. His self-consciousness was endearing. It made me think he wanted to look cute for me, and somehow failed to realize how adorable he’d been in the first place.

“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

He got to his feet and tried to look casual by putting his hands on his hips, then crossing his arms before putting his hands on his hips again. “Hey. I wasn’t expecting you until later. What happened to the class?”

“It just wasn’t for me.”

Micah glanced at the clock on his nightstand and said, “You didn’t stay long.”

“Actually, I didn’t even go into the building.”

“Then how do you know it wasn’t for you?”

I broke his gaze and shrugged. “I could just tell.”

He circled around the bed and tilted my chin up with a gentle touch. When I made eye contact, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

I didn’t know what made him ask me that. I’d been trying to keep my expression neutral, but apparently it wasn’t working. “Nothing. I’m fine. I think I’ll go upstairs and change. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

I started to leave the room, but he caught my arm and said softly, “You’re running away. Please don’t.”

He was absolutely right about that. When I turned back to him, there was nothing but kindness and concern in his dark eyes. Something in me broke a little, and I let him draw me into his arms.

Micah held me securely while I clung to him and buried my face in his shoulder. After a while, I murmured, “I couldn’t do it. I wanted to go and be a part of it, but it was in this fancy gallery, and the guy running the class is this incredibly talented artist, and I just couldn’t walk through those doors and act like I belonged there.”

“But you did belong there, Jasper.”

“You can’t say that. You’ve never even seen what I make. It’s not like the stuff in that gallery.”

“It doesn’t have to be. It’s something you’ve created, and it matters to you. That automatically makes it valuable and important.” I nodded and let go of him. He was still in full caretaker mode, and he brushed my hair back from my face as he asked, “Are you hungry? I have a special dinner planned, and I can go ahead and get it started.”

“No, not yet.”

“Is there anything else you want?”

There was definitely something I wanted. I looked up at him as my pulse began to race and conflict churned in me. He was the client, and he was supposed to call the shots. Don’t initiate, I told myself. You just need to step back and get yourself together.

I ignored all of that as I grabbed Micah and pressed my lips to his.

In the next instant, we were all over each other. He pushed me against the doorframe, and I tangled my fingers in his hair as his kiss consumed me. I couldn’t get enough of him—his clean scent, his taste, the warmth of his body as he leaned against me. He flooded my senses, overwhelming me, but I needed more.

He carried me across the room and tossed me onto the bed. Then he stripped my clothes off before pushing me back and climbing on top of me. My cock throbbed as he explored my body with his hands and lips and tongue. I let myself get lost in the moment. He pinched and sucked my nipple, then rubbed his hard cock against me through his sweats, and I rasped, “Fuck me, Micah.”

He murmured, “Finally,” before kissing me roughly. His hand slid to my cock, and I pushed into his palm. He jerked me off for a few moments before sitting up and stripping himself.