Pieces of Stronghold

by Golden Angel

  It wasn't sexual, and yet it turned him on anyway.

  But that wasn't what they were here for. Still feeding her bites of the cookie, he turned his attention back to the heavens.

  ******

  The cookie practically melted on her tongue like butter. Butter covered in chocolate. Leigh had to keep herself from moaning. She knew damn well that both she and Angel had the tendency to make "sex noises" when they were enjoying their food, and she'd been embarrassed by it more than once when around other people. More than once, Michael had hissed at her to be quiet when she ate - which was only appropriate since his co-workers were giving her weird looks at the time. So she'd learned to tamp down her impulses most of the time. Part of her wanted to just let loose, because she felt comfortable around Jared, but... she still wasn't quite sure whether or not this was a date.

  It felt an awful lot like a date. But he hadn't done anything that she could pinpoint as being date-like. The wine glasses had made her heart flutter, but he might just not like drinking out of a bottle. He'd made cookies, but he also acted like it hadn't been a big deal. Sure they were cuddling, but it was also freaking freezing out. She didn't want to misinterpret Jared being nice for Jared being romantic. After all, she'd heard a lot at Stronghold about how much he liked "taking care" of the women there. Not sexually, but actually taking care of them.

  For all she knew, all the sweet gestures, all the generous little touches, might just be Jared being Jared. Which meant she needed to keep her hormones and emotions in check.

  Their nice, comfortable friendship could get super awkward super fast if she read too much into the little things he did. Especially because she realized she was starved for little bits of attention, the small things that said "I care," because Michael hadn't really done much of that for months. Possibly years. It was hard to remember. She could absolutely picture Jared taking care of any of their other female friends this way. No one would ever think anything of it. Which meant that if this was a date, she was going to need a hell of a lot clearer sign before she labeled it as such.

  In the meantime, she could enjoy the snuggling and the company.

  "Holy!-" Jared's voice cut off and Leigh gasped as the brightest meteor she'd ever seen flashed across the sky. It was huge, easily two or three times the size of the last one she'd spotted, and glowed a kind of greenish color. "Did you see that?!"

  "Yeah, have you ever seen anything like it?" she asked, awed. It had been so big and beautiful, there so quickly and then gone.

  "Never." Jared sounded just as awed, so at least she didn't feel like an idiot for her reaction. He glanced down at her, and Leigh grinned up at him. "I'm glad we both saw it. I would have hated for you to miss something like that."

  "Me too." She lifted her glass of wine out of the blankets, holding it up in the air. Despite her gloves, she could feel the cold. "Cheers."

  "Cheers."

  They clinked glasses and sipped.

  As the night went on, and they finished their glasses of wine and Leigh finally told herself that she had to stop eating more cookies (despite how cute it was when Jared fed them to her), they ended up lying on their backs staring up at the sky. Somehow it felt incredible intimate, to be cuddled under a blanket, even though there was no sexual touching going on, not even any caressing. They hadn't kissed. Sometimes they talked, if one of them felt like they had something to say, but both of them were also just content to lay there and stare at the velvet darkness of the sky with its sparkling pinpoints of light.

  Meteors flashed at random intervals, making both of them start and jump with excitement, happy to have caught the sight.

  Despite all of Jared's care, Leigh was having a harder time keeping warm. She didn't know how long they'd been lying out, watching the meteor shower; neither of them had on a watch, nor were they checking their phones. It almost felt like a moment suspended in time that could go on forever... except that she was getting cold and tired. But she still didn't want to leave. She was enjoying herself too much.

  Unfortunately, certain involuntary reactions were impossible to suppress. The third time Leigh shivered, Jared had obviously had enough. He'd listened to her the last two times that she'd said she was fine, but this time he sat up, pulling her up with him.

  "I swear, I'm fine!" she protested as he tugged the blanket from her resisting fingers. Even as she said it, she shivered again.

  Despite the darkness, her eyes had adjusted to the starlight enough to see the stern look he gave her. "You're freezing. And it's late." His voice turned more coaxing. "How about we go back to my place and have some tea to warm you up?"

  Unable to stop another shiver, Leigh had to admit to herself that she was probably ready to go in. Especially if Jared wasn't going to end the night right now. Even if she didn't like most teas. She was a self-admitted picky eater most of the time, but sometimes a girl just had to suck it up to spend some time with her crush.

  "That sounds good," she said, getting to her feet and rolling up the blanket they'd been sitting on.

  The drive back to Jared's place was short.

  Jared's apartment was on the ground floor, with a direct entrance from the parking lot, and its own little garden area right to the left of the door. Which Leigh appreciated, since it meant they were able to park practically right next to his door and then hurry inside. The ride hadn't been quite long enough for the car to really start to heat up. The blast of warmth she felt just stepping into his apartment was enough to make her moan in appreciation. She quickly stepped to the side so that he could follow her in, her eyes already taking in the setup of his apartment.

  The door they'd just come in was right next to the dining room table, which was huge, enough to seat at least six people, although it looked like it could expand with an insert, and a buffet up against the wall (although she couldn't imagine how he could need more surface space). Right across from the door was the entrance to the kitchen, but she couldn't see much more than an immaculately clean counter and a stove. To her left was the main room, which also had what looked like the door to the rest of the apartment building. Both the dining area and the living area had huge Persian rugs over the hardwood floors. There was a big, brown leather couch and two matching armchairs, all liberally scattered with colorful cushions, and a heavy looking coffee table with a half completed puzzle on it. Across from the couch and coffee table was a big, wooden entertainment center, the kind that could be closed over the television so that it just looked like an armoire.

  The overall feeling would have been heavily masculine if it wasn't for the little touches like the cushions and the paintings on the walls. Leigh couldn't help but wonder how much his ex had had a hand in decorating the apartment. Something a little bit like jealousy niggled at her, but she pushed it away as unworthy. She, better than anyone, knew how much lives could become intertwined in a long-term relationship. It would be silly to expect that Jared and Marissa's would be any different.

  "This is really nice," she said, completely sincerely. It really was; very comfortable and warm and welcoming. She loved wooden furniture, and the bright colors in the rugs, cushions and paintings kept things from becoming too brown and white.

  "Thanks," he said, helping her take her coat off. Leigh found herself wishing that she'd dressed up just a tiny bit more, but she really had been thinking comfort over anything else. Especially since she wasn't sure if this was a date or not. She'd gotten her nails done, but she was just wearing jeans and a big, warm sweater, with a plain, long sleeved t-shirt underneath. And long johns under her jeans. "I actually can't take any credit for it. When my mom got married and moved out, she left most of her stuff here."

  "How long ago was that?" Leigh asked, feeling slightly confused. Hadn't he been living with Marissa? Or had she just assumed that?

  Jared paused as he hung up her coat on the coat rack in the corner, obviously having to think about the answer. "About five or six years ago I think."

  "So you just kept ever
ything?" The corners of her lips lifted.

  "I grew up here with the apartment like this, I like everything the way it is, why change it?" he asked, smiling back at her as he shucked off his own coat.

  "What about Marissa?" she asked, too curious not to. Not that Jared ever seemed to mind her asking about his ex. He asked stuff about Michael sometimes too. It was part of what they liked about spending time together - neither of them felt the need to pretend that the previous relationship had never existed. With their other friends it seemed like they wanted the exes to be out of sight, out of mind, but that wasn't how it worked. For Leigh, Michael had been such an integral part of her life for so long, if she pretended he hadn't been, she didn't have much of a past to talk about. Jared had told her he felt the same way. "She never brought anything over?"

  "Most of it she kept in my room," he said. "It didn't really go with the stuff out here, she has more modern tastes."

  Leigh made a face. "Michael too. He was all about monochromatic color schemes and metal. I like this though," she said, trailing her fingers over the big dining room table. "I love wooden furniture."

  "Me too." Jared grinned at her, moving towards the kitchen. Like a lost, little puppy, she followed after him, enjoying the chance to check him out. She loved good shoulders on a man. And a good butt. Both of which Jared had. Happiness and a kind of anticipation fizzed and popped inside of her. Not because she thought they were going to get it on or anything, just because this was fun. The flirting. Finding new little things that they had in common. Connecting with someone that she was attracted to. Talking about Michael to Jared always hurt less than talking about him to anyone else. "Marissa never actually lived here, so I didn't have to redecorate, thank god."

  "Really? I always assumed she did."

  "No, she traveled too much. She would stay here sometimes, and she had some stuff here, but she always just kept it in my room. Especially since we weren't always together when she came back. We had a couple of fights about her moving in. I think she basically split her time between here and her parents' house."

  "I think I'm kind of envious," Leigh said, a little wistfully. "I mean, I wanted to live with Michael, but splitting up all our stuff was brutal. I'm out half my DVD collection and a bunch of my books."

  Jared made a face. "Yeah, I'm glad I didn't have to worry about anything like that. She never really put down roots anywhere, including here."

  Which was something that Leigh just couldn't understand. As much as she and Jared really got where the other was coming from, every once in a while he would pull out one of these random facts about Marissa that made her wonder just what the hell was wrong with the other woman. She and Jared had been together for years, but sometimes when Jared talked about her, it was obvious that Jared had been the one putting all the effort into the relationship - not that he ever actually said that, it was just pretty self-evident from the way Marissa had treated him. It made her incredibly pissed off on Jared's behalf, and also a little mad at him for not seeing how Marissa had been using him.

  "So what kind of tea would you like?" Jared asked, completely unperturbed by the revelation he'd just dropped. That was the other thing - Jared never seemed to act like he thought he deserved better than how Marissa had treated him. Which just made Leigh want to shake him. Even she recognized that she had deserved better than the way Michael had begun treating her by the end of their relationship, and Michael had been a way better boyfriend than Marissa had a girlfriend. "I've got a bunch of herbal teas if you want to skip the caffeine."

  The kitchen was small, square shaped. The counter that was next to the stove was the only counter. To the left, behind the wall so that it wasn't visible to the dining room, were the fridge and a large black shelving unit that was covered in dishes and dried goods. Jared pulled down a large cookie tin from the top shelf and Leigh's lips quirked as she saw that it was filled with colorful teabags.

  "Um, yeah, herbal," she said, trying to make it sound like she wasn't completely out of her depth.

  "Berry tea work for you?"

  "Berry sounds good." She'd never tried berry tea before, but she knew she didn't like green or black. Herbal was too nondescript, but she liked all kinds of berries, so she probably couldn't go wrong there. Glancing at the clock over the stove, she winced. Was it really almost 1 am already? Good thing she was still on winter break or she'd be screwed. Late nights as a teacher were not a good thing, especially not when teaching high schoolers who would rather be skipping class than reading Shakespeare.

  Picking out two tea bags, Jared laid them on the counter and put the tin back in its place. Grabbing a metal tea kettle from its spot on the shelves, he quickly filled it with water and put it on the stove. Leigh couldn't help but smile at the incongruity of the big, muscular man and the stereotypically feminine ritual of putting on a tea kettle. Maybe that made her a sexist, but there was something about the sight that made her want to giggle.

  "Come on, let's go sit down." His eyes twinkled as he turned, reaching out to place his hand on the small of her back and propel her towards the main room. "After all, a watched pot never boils."

  Allowing herself to be led over to the couch, Leigh stifled a yawn as she sat down, pulling a cushion on her lap and hugging it. When she was tired, she liked to hold things, especially when she was sitting down. Actually, what she really liked to do was cuddle, but she wasn't sure how that would be received now that there was no need to share body heat, so she just hugged the pillow against her stomach instead.

  "So... what kind of Dom are you?" Leigh asked the first question that popped into her head. In the darkness, under the stars, the silence between them had felt natural and intimate. Here, in his well-lit apartment, on his couch, with him looking at her, she felt the need to fill it. Besides, it was a question that had been playing on her mind for a while. Not that she really needed to know the answer, because he was just a crush that she was enjoying right now, but she was curious.

  "How do you mean?" he asked, not at all perturbed by her question.

  "Like... Patrick's a 24/7 Dom. Adam's a Dom just in the bedroom, but Angel says he's not nearly as bossy as Liam apparently is, but Liam never ties Hilary up or spanks her the way Adam does Angel. Justin and Chris are both Doms, but Jessica says that Justin is kind of the leader when it's the three of them, and that he's the only one that ever tries to take control outside of the bedroom, whereas Chris usually follows Justin's lead and usually doesn't try to pull the alpha male thing unless they're doing a scene. Maria says that Rick's more like Liam with the bossiness thing, but he also won't let her orgasm sometimes, when all the other guys seem to make that their goal. So... what kind of Dom are you?"

  Jared burst out laughing, looking almost cross-eyed by the end of her recital. She smiled back, still hugging the pillow. He was lounging against the other side of the couch, close enough that she could reach out and touch him, but far enough that it didn't feel like he was crowding her on the large piece of furniture. In his pale blue knit sweater, which contrasted gorgeously with his chocolate skin, he looked almost like a model. Except that most models weren't quite as muscular as him, and it was impossible to miss his build even under the clothing.

  His laughter quieted down to chuckles as he raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not sure any of my friends know exactly how much you ladies compare notes."

  "Uh..." Crap. Leigh hoped she hadn't just gotten anyone into trouble. A lot of information got passed back and forth during girls’ nights. Since she didn't have any experience with a lot of what they were talking about, she tended to just sit back and listen, absorbing it all.

  "Don't worry, I won't tell on them," Jared said, waving a hand at her. "It's probably good for them to be able to talk about everything with each other." His dark eyes glinted. "It's not like the guys keep everything to themselves."

  "Oh really?" Leigh perked up, hoping he would expand on that comment, but instead his gaze became introspective as he answered her original
question.

  "I think I'm closest to what's generally referred to as a Service Dom," he said thoughtfully. His fingers tapped against the back of the couch, where his arm was laid out. "I get the most satisfaction out of seeing to my submissive's needs. Pampering her. Making her feel good. That doesn't mean no spankings or punishments, but I'm not really into play scenes, making up reasons for a 'fun' punishment. If I did administer a spanking, it would be because I felt like she needed it."

  "When does someone need a spanking?" Leigh was fascinated. Although she knew Adam spanked Angel on the regular, she also knew that it was often just because he liked to spank her and Angel liked to be spanked.

  "When they're acting up to get attention. Or if she did something I felt was dangerous or not in her best interest."

  "That sounds kind of like Lexie and Patrick."

  "Kind of..." Jared tilted his head and she could tell that he was trying to think of how to describe the difference. Because there definitely was a difference, one that she could sense, just because Jared and Patrick's personalities were so different. While they were both big, intimidating men, Jared had always reminded her of a giant teddy bear, even though at first glance he was a little scarier than Patrick just because of his size. But the sense of power around Patrick was overwhelming; Jared didn't seem weaker exactly, just more contained. More subtle. "I've been told that I would make a good Daddy Dom, but I'm not into age play, even though I like the idea of taking care of a woman in every way. In some ways, it's more controlling than Patrick and Lexie's relationship. Theirs has a contract, with specific rules; whereas I prefer to make all the rules and I do it on the spot."

  "You know, all of you Doms seem to think you're the most controlling," Leigh teased, changing the subject just a little while she turned over Jared's words in her head. "Rick thinks he is because he controls Maria's orgasms, Liam thinks he is because he and Hilary don't use bondage, Justin thinks he is because he does use bondage, and Adam thinks he is because... well I guess because he's Adam and he's a control freak."