Thomas's Choice

by Tina Folsom

  He was right at the edge—almost there, but not quite. Frustration howled through him and he threw his head back, groaning. “Fuck!”

  Thomas seemed to understand what he needed and brought his second hand to Eddie’s balls, cradling them. Then he started squeezing them in concert with the tugs on Eddie’s cock. The touch was soft, yet firm at the same time.

  “Kiss me!” Thomas demanded, and without thinking, Eddie followed his command, sinking his lips back onto his, thrusting his tongue into Thomas’s mouth just as he was thrusting his cock into his hand.

  His head swam with visions of them making love, of lying in bed together, naked, their limbs entangled, their cocks pumped full with blood. He felt their hands joining, rubbing their cocks together, moving them up and down in synch. He could firmly feel Thomas’s cock rubbing against his own, just as he could feel the excitement build as they drove each other toward orgasm. But just short of that, Thomas suddenly rolled onto his stomach, coming up onto his hands and knees, offering himself.

  Eddie moaned out loud as the vision in his mind blurred, ripping his mouth from Thomas’s.

  He felt his seed shoot through his shaft and erupt at its tip. His body trembled under the intensity of his climax, and his knees threatened to buckle. Warmth and wetness engulfed him as Thomas continued to stroke his cock until his orgasm subsided.

  Breathing heavily, he tried to gather his wits. Why was he here? Why had this happened?

  He remembered the four strange vampires they’d followed and his plan to fool them. It had worked; they’d left, thinking that Thomas and Eddie were gay lovers and hadn’t listened in on their conversation. Nevertheless, the plan had backfired. He’d gotten a hand job from Thomas!

  And he’d come so hard that he’d actually seen stars in front of his eyes.

  Embarrassment swept through him. Panic wasn’t far behind. Would Thomas now think that Eddie was gay? Oh God! Would he assume that Eddie wanted to be his lover? Had he just given Thomas carte blanche to make a pass at him? To seduce him again as soon as they were alone at home? Would this mean Thomas would come into his room, into his bed, wanting to repeat what they’d just done? And not just repeat, but do other things too, even more intimate things?

  Eddie felt a shudder go through his body, and this time it wasn’t an aftershock of his orgasm.

  As fast as he could, he pulled his briefs up and shoved his now flaccid cock into them, pulled his pants up, and zipped up. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Thomas wiping his hand on his T-shirt.

  “About what just happened,” Thomas said.

  Eddie turned away. “It worked. They’re gone. They bought it.”

  He felt Thomas’s hand on his shoulder, drawing him back. “Eddie, please . . . ”

  “It’s fine.”

  “I could have defeated them with mind control. So what we just did—”

  Eddie narrowed his eyes. “You almost died when you fought with Keegan!”

  Thomas noticed the defiant glare in Eddie’s eyes and hesitated for a moment. Was Eddie concerned about him? Was that why he’d taken such a drastic measure and kissed him? To fool the other vampires into thinking they were lovers? Or did something else lie behind Eddie’s actions? Could it be that Eddie felt a tiny flicker of attraction for him? Because what they’d done had gone further than necessary: a kiss and some groping would have been enough to fool the other vampires. It hadn’t been necessary for Eddie to drop his pants and for Thomas to jerk him off. Certainly not that, particularly because the vampires had already left at that point. There’d been no need to make Eddie climax in his hand. But Thomas had been unable to stop, and Eddie had spurred him on, if not with words then with his moans and the relentless thrusting of his hips. Eddie had wanted this; he’d wanted Thomas to make him come. And Thomas had craved the feeling of Eddie surrendering in his arms.

  For that one moment, they’d been lovers. Thomas had never had a more satisfying make-out session with anybody. Even though Eddie had barely touched him, and never once slipped his hand over Thomas’s cock where he would have felt just how hard Thomas had been, his kiss had been passionate and all-consuming. And for a while, Eddie had been completely under his spell and given himself over to the pleasure Thomas could deliver. It had been the sweetest of moments to feel Eddie come in his hand, to feel his balls contract and his warm seed shoot into his palm. At that moment, he’d wanted nothing more than to turn Eddie around, sink his cock into his virgin ass, and ride him to the point of collapse.

  Thomas was still aroused, and he knew it would only take a few strokes for him to come just as violently as Eddie had come in his hand. But looking at Eddie right now, he knew this wouldn’t happen, at least not by Eddie’s hand.

  He read regret in Eddie’s face. Disappointed, Thomas dropped his lids. For a short moment, he’d hoped that Eddie was finally trying to tell him something, trying to show him that he felt the same way Thomas did. But he’d been wrong. All Eddie had wanted was to fool the four vampires.

  Still, his lips formed words he shouldn’t say. “But you let me touch you—”

  “Forget what happened,” Eddie replied brusquely. “It meant nothing.”

  It meant nothing? No, to Thomas it had meant everything. He sucked in a breath of air.

  “Forget? How the fuck do you expect me to forget this? You let me touch you like that. You should have stopped me.” Because Thomas for certain hadn’t had the strength to stop himself.

  Eddie pressed his lips into a thin line. “I did it to stop you from doing something stupid! You couldn’t have fought those four with mind control! It would have killed you!”

  “Oh you think I’m weak?” Where those words suddenly came from, Thomas didn’t know, but he uttered them nevertheless.

  “I didn’t say that!”

  “You did.” He grabbed Eddie by the shirt and pulled him close. “I’m older than you, and I’m stronger. So don’t play with me, or you’ll regret it. Next time you come up with a stupid idea such as kissing me, be prepared to go all the way. Provoke me one more time, and I’m going to take what you’re offering. And next time I won’t stop with a hand job. I promise you that.”

  Shocked, Eddie pulled back.

  Thomas’s chest heaved. Had he really just threatened to fuck Eddie if he ever laid hands on him again?

  You should punish him now! a voice from deep within him suggested. He deserves it for getting you all riled up.

  Thomas fought against the voice, pushing it back into the dark recesses of his heart, where it belonged. He wouldn’t allow this temporary anger to get the better of him. Once he’d calmed down, he would only regret having given into his evil side.

  Eddie shoved both his hands against Thomas’s chest, slamming him into the wall behind him. “You touch me like that again, you’re a dead man!” He breathed heavily. “I don’t swing that way, you get that? I was doing you a fucking favor! I guess from now on I should just let you get yourself out of your own jams and not lift a finger.”

  Thomas felt fury surge from his gut and travel to his chest. His jaw tightened. “Last time I checked, you were in the same jam as I. What were you gonna do without me? Run to your big sister and—?”

  His next words were shoved back down his throat as Eddie’s fist landed in his mouth.

  Fuck! An angry flame shot through his heart.

  Instead of returning the blow, Thomas straightened and glared at him, the dark power in him eager to push to the surface, demanding retaliation. His body hardened, preparing itself for a fight, a fight with himself. “Does that make you feel better?”

  Eddie gave no answer; instead he simply stood there, glaring back at Thomas.

  “Even if it does, it won’t change the fact that you enjoyed being jerked off by a gay man.”

  Or that Thomas would play that image back next time he stood in the shower and stroked his own cock until he came.

  Eddie turned on his heels and fled.

  Thomas braced his hand
s on his thighs and fought against the feeling of nausea. The invisible battle inside him was already raging. His two sides, the good one and the evil one, faced off with each other. Thomas tried to calm his mind and bring peace back into his heart, but bright sparks started dancing on his hands. His vision now tinted red, and he realized that his eyes were glaring red. Sharp claws emerged from his fingertips and dug into his pants as he held on for dear life.

  The next attack knocked him on his knees, white sparks now flying around him.

  The power within him was threatening to escape. It would attract other vampires if he couldn’t contain it. With the last of his willpower, he slashed his right claw over his abdomen, cutting deep into his own flesh. The pain made him cry out, but it did what it was intended to do: it stopped the dark power and made it retreat into safety, deep inside him. The sparks of light extinguished and darkness soothed him. He’d conquered it once more. But each time the dark power made an appearance, it seemed to be stronger and harder to vanquish. It was time to beat it back into submission. Literally. And he knew exactly where to get what he needed now.

  12

  After running home as if the devil were chasing him with a stake, Eddie jumped onto his motorcycle and thundered down the hill into the city. Feeling the wind blow around his heated body made him feel a fraction better. However, it did nothing to wipe away the embarrassment he felt: he’d let Thomas touch him intimately. Hell, he’d encouraged him, spurred him on! What the fuck had gotten into him? Temporary insanity most likely! There was no other explanation for it. Because he wasn’t gay! He’d never been attracted to a man before. So why the fuck had he enjoyed Thomas’s hands on him? Why had he surrendered to his kiss and returned it with such passion? What was happening to him?

  Without conscious thought of where he was heading, he made his way through downtown traffic and finally found himself in front of Nina’s building. He lifted his head and looked up to the top floor. There was light. Somebody was home. He sighed. Maybe he needed to hang out with his sister for a while to take his mind off things. She would distract him somehow.

  He parked and dismounted his motorcycle in front of the entrance. As he removed his helmet and locked it onto the back of his bike, he swept a long gaze over it. Thomas had given it to him.

  He’d said at the time that it was one of his older bikes anyway, and that he didn’t ride it anymore. When Eddie had wanted to pay for it, Thomas had refused to take any money. Just like Thomas wouldn’t take any rent for the room Eddie was calling his own. It suddenly hit him: he lived the life of a kept man. Thomas was showering him with gifts and paying for his living expenses the same way a man would treat his mistress.

  Eddie tried to shake off the thought, not wanting to go down that road, but it was hard not to connect the dots now. From the moment he’d become a vampire, his life had changed. At first, when he’d been groomed by his sire, Luther, he’d not even thought of women because of the thirst for blood that had gripped him violently. Had something happened during his turning that had killed his desire for women? Had something gone wrong so that he now liked men?

  Pushing these thoughts into the background, he walked to the entrance door, when it opened and one of the tenants stepped out. He’d seen the guy many times before and greeted him.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey.”

  The tenant held the door for him and let him get inside.

  “Thanks, see you!”

  Slowly, Eddie strode up to the top floor. When he reached the landing, he walked to the only door on that floor and pressed the doorbell. He heard a curse from the inside and recognized Amaury’s voice. It appeared he was interrupting his brother-in-law. Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to stop by unannounced after all. Did he really want to be in the presence of these two lovebirds?

  Eddie took a step back, half turning away, when the door opened. Amaury’s massive body filled the entire door frame. His shirt was askew, his hair ruffled. Yep, he had definitely interrupted something.

  “Hey Eddie.”

  “Amaury, sorry, didn’t mean to disturb. Why don’t I visit some other time?” He turned away, but Amaury’s hand on his shoulder pulled him back.

  “You’re here now. Might as well come in.”

  “Eddie?” Nina’s voice came from the living room. “Is everything okay?”

  Eddie entered and saw his sister get up from the couch, her hands pulling her T-shirt straight.

  She shot him a concerned look. Behind him, Amaury closed the door.

  “Yeah, sure, I’m all right. Why shouldn’t I be? I was just in the neighborhood and wanted to say hi. Can’t I say hi to my sister?”

  “Of course you can.” She came toward him and threw her arms around him, squeezing him.

  He returned the hug, holding her for longer than usual, until he heard Amaury grunt behind him. Rolling his eyes, he released her. “How you can stomach that man of yours day in and day out, I have no idea.”

  Nina boxed him in the arm and admonished him, “Eddie!”

  “So you’ve come to insult me?” Amaury asked and braced his hands on his hips.

  Eddie grinned. “I hadn’t planned on it, but you bring out the best in me every time.”

  Amaury laughed. “Cut from the same cloth as your sister.” He ran a loving look over his mate.

  When his and Nina’s eyes locked, Eddie felt a never-known longing surging in him. He wanted what they had: a love so strong that nothing could tear it apart.

  “I should go. You guys have better things to do than entertain me.”

  Amaury tore his gaze from Nina, then motioned to the couch. “No, stay. I would offer you some blood, but I don’t have any here.”

  Eddie had figured as much. Since Amaury only drank Nina’s blood, he didn’t keep any supplies of bottled blood at hand. “Doesn’t matter. I’m not thirsty.” He dropped onto the couch, and Nina and Amaury joined him.

  “Been out on patrol?” Amaury asked.

  Eddie nodded. “Yeah. Aren’t you on duty too? I thought I saw your name on the roster.”

  His brother-in-law shrugged. “I changed shifts with one of the guys.”

  Eddie tossed a sideways glance at Nina. “Nina’s idea?”

  Amaury chuckled.

  “I’m right here, guys, so don’t pretend I can’t hear you,” Nina interrupted. Then she put her hand on Amaury’s arm. “Baby, why don’t you get me a pint of chocolate ice cream from the store?”

  “Now?”

  “Yes, now. I’d be really grateful if you did.” She batted her eyelashes at him.

  “How grateful?” Amaury whispered, his voice softer than before.

  “Very grateful.”

  Eddie groaned inwardly. Did those two really have to lay it on that thick? It was nauseating!

  Amaury got up and walked to the door. “Back in a few.”

  The moment the door fell shut behind Amaury, Nina turned to him, her face serious. “Now tell me what’s going on.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She reached her hand out to him. “May I introduce myself? I’m Nina, your sister. And I’ve known you all your life. So don’t bullshit me. You never show up here unannounced. In fact, I rarely see you unless there’s a party.”

  “You’ve never complained before. Besides, I don’t want to intrude on your little love nest.”

  Nina tilted her head to the side. “And I’m not complaining now either. I’m just stating a fact.” She paused and sighed. “Eddie, I know this look. Something is bothering you.”

  He shouldn’t have come here. His sister had a way of squeezing information out of him that he didn’t want to share. Because how could he even start a conversation about what had happened between him and Thomas? No, nobody could ever find out about it.

  “Nothing’s bothering me. I just wanted to hang out with you.”

  “Mhm.”

  “What?”

  Nina tucked her legs underneath her. “You were always such a
bad liar, even as a child.”

  “What’s that got to do with anything?”

  “Spill.”

  He sighed. “Fine. I came to ask you for advice. I was thinking of getting my own place,” he lied.

  She raised her eyebrows. “You mean move out from Thomas’s?”

  “Yes. I mean, I’ve got myself under control now. I’ve learned to handle my vampire skills. I won’t need any mentoring anymore.”

  “Well, it’s been over a year. You haven’t had any episodes of bloodlust, have you?”

  He shook his head. “No, of course not. The bottled stuff is just fine. So, what do you think?”

  “Think about what?”

  “Me moving out. Getting my own place. I’ve got the money.” It was true. He could certainly afford to rent a decent place by himself. What had started as a lie to pacify his sister could be just the solution to his problem. He wouldn’t have to be alone with Thomas anymore. They would only see each other at work. And even there, he might not see him all the time. They wouldn’t always be partnered up. Particularly if Thomas weren’t mentoring him anymore. Maybe by putting a little distance between them, they could preserve their friendship.

  “Do you want me to look around for you to see what’s out there?” she offered with a smile.

  “That would be great, Sis.”

  “Do you have a particular neighborhood in mind?”

  He shrugged. “Just something central. I don’t want to live out in the boonies. Somewhere in town, nothing too residential. And not in Stroller Central either.”

  Nina’s brows snapped together. “Stroller Central?”

  “Yes, Noe Valley. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard that nickname?”

  Nina laughed. “No, I hadn’t. But now that you mention it, it’s very fitting, with all the couples with small children running around. Okay then, I’ll look around for you. I’m sure we can find you something nice and affordable.”

  “Find him what?” Amaury’s voice came from the door.

  “A flat. Eddie wants to move out and live on his own.”