by Shay Savage
“For all we know, we’re the only humans left.”
“Seems unlikely. If our ancestors survived, others did, too.”
“Survive is all we do now,” Aerin says sadly as she runs her fingers over her book. “Who has time to think up stories when all we do is fight for our survival? Only the elite even know how to read.”
“Naughts still tell stories,” I say. “They can’t write them down, but there was a storyteller in one of the villages I traveled through years ago, before I settled in Plastictown.”
“When did you actually leave the capital?” Aerin asks.
“I was twenty-three,” I tell her, “so about five years ago now.”
“Why did you stop here?” Aerin asks. “Why Plastictown?”
“I like the people, and they seem to think I’m all right. It’s far enough from the capital that there isn’t much chance of me running into any of my father’s groupies. I suppose I was tired of traveling, too. Hilltop is a good place to find things, and I set up a pretty good trade here.”
“How long ago was this?”
“A little more than two years.”
“That’s about the same time I left the capital,” she says. “You’ve managed to steal from the Thaves for two years and have never been caught?”
“I find things,” I say, reminding her. “I also never find things like books and batteries. If I did, I would get caught. I stick with simple items that are hard to find in the valley. Naughts can survive on their own without my help, but life is hard. I just try to make it a little easier for them.”
“You are an interesting man.” Aerin smiles and looks down as she shakes her head a little.
“Why do you say that?”
“You grew up in a mansion,” she says. “You get caught up in a lot of political drama, and your father turns against you. Then, you leave the capital where you had everything and end up in a town made of plastic, stealing things—sorry, finding things—and giving them away.”
“What’s so strange about that?” I feel a little defensive.
“I’d expect someone who grew up with everything to try to recreate that, no matter where they end up or in what situation. I assume you traveled through other communities before you got here, right?”
“Right.”
“Other places are nicer. They have more things for you to find. You could have made up a new Thave identity for yourself and fit into one of those places easily enough, but you didn’t. You came to live with the dregs.”
“They are not dregs.” I stop leaning against the counter and stand up straighter. “They’re families with children, and they just want to live their lives like anyone does.”
“I know that,” Aerin says as she holds up a hand, “but others don’t see them that way. They see extra mouths to feed when there isn’t enough to feed the current population.”
“You are too, and so am I.”
“I don’t mean to say that I disagree with you.” Aerin softens her voice. “I’m just saying this is how we were raised. It’s not right, but it is the situation we have. Naughts don’t really understand what’s happening in the capital any more than those in the capital understand what’s happening in Plastictown.”
“What point are you trying to make?” I narrow my eyes. I don’t know what she’s getting at, but I don’t think I like it.
“I’m sorry,” Aerin says. She places the book back on the shelf and comes back over to me to take my hand again. “I wasn’t trying to upset you. I meant to say that…well, that I admire you. Most people raised in the kind of luxury you were are selfish assholes. You’re not. You genuinely want to help the people here. That’s all I wanted to say.”
“Oh.” I feel instantly disarmed.
“You really care about those people in the valley.”
“Yeah, I do.”
Aerin puts her cup on the counter and then takes mine from my hand and does the same.
“I like that,” she says. “I like the way you are.”
She moves even closer to me and then runs her hand up my arm and to my shoulder. She brings her face closer to mine, and I can’t comprehend exactly what she intends until she tilts her head and presses her lips to mine.
When our mouths meet, I can’t move. I can’t even breathe. It takes a moment for me to even realize I’m not kissing her back and remedy that quickly by wrapping my arms around her waist and pressing against her lips harder. She turns her head and opens her mouth, and I feel her tongue against my lips.
She kisses me hard and deep, and I do my best to keep up with her through my shock at what is apparently happening. When she groans into my mouth and then runs her hand over my chest, my cock responds instantly.
Placing my other hand on the back of her head, I lean over her.
“Do you want to go to bed?” she asks quietly.
“I thought you weren’t tired.” I furrow my brow, confused.
“I’m not.” She grins.
“Oh.” I take a second to process what she’s said. “Oh! Um, I…”
I take a slight step back as I realize I don’t have the slightest idea what I should do or say next. I’ve been spending so much time thinking about how much I wanted to touch her and be close to her, I hadn’t actually made a mental plan now that the opportunity has presented itself. My inability to say or do anything confuses her, and she drops her hands to her sides.
“I’m sorry.” Aerin stares at her feet. “I guess I misread—”
“No!” I reach out and take her arm, startled by my own outburst. “You didn’t. Not at all.”
“Good.” Aerin bites down on her lower lip, trying to hold back a smile.
She reaches up and grabs the back of my neck, pulling my lips back to hers. Subtlety gone, she opens her mouth immediately, and I feel her tongue pressing against mine. Encircling her waist, I pull her body flush against me as I place one hand on the side of her face.
Her skin is soft and warm.
I feel Aerin’s hand on my back, moving lower. She cups my ass and pulls me tightly to her as my cock presses painfully against my jeans, demanding to be freed.
“Damn,” she mutters as our hips meet.
She moves her head to one side and presses her lips to my neck. She moves one hand around to the front of my jeans and palms my cock as I gasp.
“Oh, yeah,” she mumbles against my neck. “Let’s get to that bed now.”
“Okay.” I swallow hard, determined to just keep from talking at all since everything that comes out of my mouth is moronic.
Aerin grabs me by the hand and leads me to the edge of the bed. She kisses me again, grabbing for the hem of my shirt as she does, stopping only briefly as she pulls it over my head. Her eyes twinkle as she runs her fingers over my chest and then looks up into my eyes as she reaches down and pulls her tank top over her head.
A shiver runs down my body, and I have to remind myself that she’s offered this time, and I’m not just being a pervert by staring at her gorgeous, luscious, perfectly shaped breasts. I can’t take my eyes away. I look over them in minute detail, memorizing every curve, every shade of pink, and every tiny difference between the two. If they were the sort of things I could steal, I would lock them away in a safe reserved for only the most precious of objects. I would guard them day and night to make sure no one else could ever lay eyes on them.
“Are you all right?” Aerin asks as she places a hand on the side of my face. She chuckles softly.
“Yeah, I’m, uh…” I realize I’m still just standing here, staring, as perverted as ever. I swallow and shake my head to clear it. “You’re just…beautiful.”
Aerin smiles and blushes. Then she takes me by the wrist and places my hand over one of her breasts. Her eyes glaze over as I stroke the nipple, and I’m not sure if it’s the fact that I’m actually touching her or that look in her eyes that sends a shiver down my spine.
She traces her fingers up and down my sides before moving to my stomach and the s
pot right above my cock. I watch her undo the button of my fly and then the zipper before she pushes my jeans and shorts down my hips. I step out of them awkwardly, nearly falling on the bed because I refuse to let go of her breast to steady myself.
Aerin giggles and grabs my arms to steady me. She kisses me quickly and then looks down at my cock and licks her lips. I nearly come on the spot and have to avert my eyes to keep myself in control as she slides her hands over my hips, down my thighs, and kneels in front of me.
Without the slightest hesitation, she licks the head of my dick in a circle, then wraps her lips around me and takes half of me in her mouth.
“Oh, God!” I grab her hair and lace my fingers into it. I feel the instinct to direct her movements, but I hold back and let her take charge. It’s been working so far, and I’m terrified I’m going to do something to screw this up. Mostly I’m afraid I’m going to come before she’s even naked.
She strokes me in and out of her mouth only a few times before she releases me. She looks up at me with a mischievous grin and stands up, shoves her shorts off, and pulls me onto the bed on top of her.
“I want that cock inside of me.”
I gulp and nod, only too happy to oblige. Aerin leans back and spreads her legs as she pulls me between them. I barely catch a glimpse of her before she has my cock in her hand, pointing the tip right at her. She rubs the head up and down, and I feel how slick she is. I swallow again and groan as I push forward.
“Oh, fuck!” I have to stop moving. If I move even an inch, I’m going to come, so I hold myself still inside of her and force myself to breathe regularly and forget what I’m doing just long enough to get my senses back.
I don’t want to make a fool of myself at this point, so I run my hand through her hair and kiss up the side of her neck. I run my tongue over her earlobe, and she grabs the back of my head, twisting her fingers through my hair.
I begin to move, slowly at first. I stroke in and out of her while I watch her face, hoping she’s enjoying the feeling even half as much as I am. Aerin lies back with her eyes closed and her upturned mouth slightly open, moaning and gasping underneath me. She tilts her hips to meet my strokes, and I thrust a little faster and a little deeper.
I feel her fingers on my skin, scratching softly over my back, shoulders, and arms. Keeping my balance with one hand, I use the other to stroke her breasts and hips as I keep my rhythm steady. I shift my hips a little, changing the angle and burying myself deep inside of her before pulling nearly out, then plunging back in from another angle.
Aerin groans loudly, and I feel her body tense up around my cock. I’ve never felt anything like this before, and I start bucking my hips against her as quickly as I’m able, my balls brushing her ass with every stroke, adding to the sensation.
“God, Talen! Yes! Harder!”
“Shit!” My abs ache with the exertion as I move even faster, slamming into her with each stroke as she wraps her legs around my ass, encouraging me even more.
“Oh!” Aerin presses her hips up against me, crying out as she digs her fingers into my back. She shudders, and I feel her clench around me one last time before she melts into the bedding.
I don’t think. I can’t think. All I can do is feel as the pressure from my thighs and balls intensifies and then explodes down my cock. My stomach tightens. I think I’m screaming, but I’m not entirely sure if it’s my own voice I hear or hers. Waves of sensation crash into my body, making me shudder as I come inside of her.
The feeling ebbs as I stroke in and out of her a few more times. Aerin releases her grip with her legs and runs her hands up and down my back. I hold myself still for a moment, not wanting to pull out of her but also knowing I can’t keep myself in this position forever. Reluctantly, I shift backward and roll to my back, lying next to her.
Aerin hums as she rolls to her side and places her hand on my chest. I wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her a bit closer.
“Was that okay?” I ask, feeling incredibly shy and unsure.
“Was it okay?” Aerin laughs, and I’m not sure what to think of it when she doesn’t follow up.
“Does that mean it wasn’t?”
“Fuck, no, Talen!” Aerin runs her fingers over my beard. “That was incredible. Fantastic. Amazing.”
My cheeks hurt as I smile broadly.
“I’m not just saying that because it’s been so long, either.” Aerin blushes. “I mean, I’ve been traveling and trying to stay under the radar all this time. I couldn’t really afford any complications. I was dating a guy back at the capital for a couple of years, but I couldn’t exactly tell him why I was leaving the city, so I ended up just cutting ties instead.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” I lean back against the pillow and try to keep myself from wondering who this old boyfriend might be, what he looked like, or what they looked like in bed together.
“You’ve avoided relationships, too, haven’t you?”
“I wouldn’t feel right getting involved with anyone here,” I say. “I’d have to lie about who I am, and that’s not exactly healthy.”
“How long has it been for you?” she asks.
“Well, uh…” I don’t really know how to answer. “I had a girlfriend when I lived at home. We were going to, but…well, let’s just say the living room at my father’s house wasn’t quite private enough.”
“You got caught?”
“Yeah.”
Aerin laughs.
“She was leaving the next day,” I tell her. “We had been dating for a few months, but I never heard from her again after Dad ran her out of the house that night.”
“Oh, so you never…I mean, not with her?”
“No. Didn’t get that far.”
“So, who was the last one?”
I close my eyes for a moment, trying to decide what is worse—thinking of the woman who comes to mind or thinking about the man Aerin used to sleep with. They seem equally distasteful.
“A harlot,” I finally blurt out. “I’d helped her, and she wanted to repay me. It was a mistake, and I regretted it even while it was happening.”
“I’m sorry,” Aerin says quietly. “I shouldn’t have pressed.”
“It’s all right. It was only oral, but still—I didn’t want to be paid back. She was very insistent.”
“You still haven’t actually answered my question,” Aerin says, grinning up at me. “Are you avoiding it?”
“Yeah, kind of.” I smirk. “Really, those two are the only ones to talk about.”
“But you said you never did with the first one.”
“I didn’t.”
“Wait a minute.” Aerin sits up and turns to face me. “Are you saying that’s it? Do you mean you never…I mean, before now…?”
I glance away, suddenly embarrassed. I wasn’t expecting this sort of conversation, and I have no idea what I’m supposed to say to her. How do I even explain such a thing?
“That was your first time?”
I nod quickly, unable to speak.
“How old are you?”