“Dated?” That word stuck in my mind. “What do you mean by that?”

He shifted on the log though held my hand in place on his thigh. “I mean, it usually started by getting a meal together, seeing a movie in the theater, roller skating, dancing at a club... Then we usually ended up at one of our places where we had sex. Though sometimes we didn’t even make it there.”

His body warmed under my touch, though I had no idea why, still trying to figure out what he’d said. “Movie theater? Roller skating?”

He giggled and kissed my cheek. “That’s what got your attention, huh? Well, a movie theater is a large building where they play a visual recording of a story on a large screen so many people can watch it at the same time.”

“These dates commonly occurred with many people around? When we moved into the hut today, I couldn’t wait for everyone to leave us.”

“In my world...” He weaved his fingers through mine like he had the day before when heading to Walter’s. “Sometimes it’s safer to get to know someone when there are lots of people around. At least until you learn whether you can trust them. There are many people in my world who plot to harm those of us in the queer community.”

“So, do you want me to go get others from the village? Until you can trust me?” I wanted to do right by Nelson, even if I still wasn’t used to the new living arrangement.

“No!” He squeezed my hand and moved it farther up his thigh. “No need for that. I trust you. We’re already at the moving-in-together stage.”

I thought back on what he’d said about dating. “I think we missed a step.”

“We did.” He slipped my hand farther up his leg until I felt his hardness. He kissed my cheek then down my neck, his breath sending heat straight to my groin and provoking my own erection. “We skipped the sex part, the mating.”

With a groan, I tamped down the urge to rip off his underwear and bend him over the log while I made him mine. “But we’re not...we haven’t had our ceremony.”

In one swift motion, he moved to straddle me, his shirt having disappeared without me noticing. With his hands on my shoulders, he rubbed his hot shaft against mine, only a thin piece of clothing in between. “In my world, meetings that produce offspring don’t always happen right away, but it’s important to get a lot of practice in beforehand.”

“Okay.” If he needed practice, I could do that for him, especially with it getting more difficult to resist my own urges. Letting instinct take over, I breathed in his foreign andintoxicating scent while I trailed my fingers down his back then tucked them beneath his briefs. Cupping his ass, I pulled him closer and kissed his neck and along his collarbone.

With every soft moan, I continued to explore his body, each movement by instinct alone. While I knew how to bring myself pleasure, I had never had the opportunity to find the same gratification with anyone else. Yet, it seemed easy with Nelson. Easy and right.

I slid my finger over his puckered hole, and he jumped on my lap.

“Oh, lube. Do you have lube?”

I stilled, completely confused as to what he referred to.

He pressed his palm to his forehead. “Why would you? You don’t have any clothes, so no pockets to carry anything. I’m sure Ahmed brought some from the outer-world, but I can’t be fucked without any. Tried it before and I hurt for days.”

Nelson rambled on about how things were done in the outer-world, and I worried he would decide to return there after all.

Suddenly, he kneeled in front of me and wrapped his fingers around my shaft. “But we can do other things out here.”

In an instant, his mouth surrounded the head of my cock and he ran his tongue over the very tip. My body filled with an intensity so much stronger than the magic I used to shift between forms. I gripped the log, trying to remain upright.

Then he bobbed his head up and down, taking more of my cock into his warm mouth each time. I felt the rough strength of his tongue caressing the shaft and head of my cock with forceful sweeps. His saliva coated my length, allowing his movements to be smooth and purposeful. But when my cock hit the back of his throat, my hips thrust forward on their own accord. Nelson gagged and pulled back, tears in his eyes.

“I’m sorry.” I kneeled on the ground beside him and pulled him into my embrace. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

He smiled at me, saliva around his mouth shining in the moonlight. “It’s okay. You’re not the first guy to do that.”

“But I don’t want to do anything to make you cry.” Oscar had told me to always keep Nelson happy.

“I’ve had guys get off on having me choke on their dick, but I’m glad you’re not one of them.”

I really didn’t understand the outer-world at all but hoped I could be a good mate to Nelson. “What else should we do, then? To make up for skipping over sex?”

His grin widened, and he had sparkles in his eyes. The same way I saw Walter look at Oscar the other night. “Lie down.”

I obeyed his order, my back flat on the grass between the log and the edge of the pond where the reeds grew.

Nelson shuffled out of his briefs before he shimmied up my body to straddle my hips. His cock and testicles rested over mine, the weight of them bringing conflicting feelings of peace and an intense need. I struggled to remain still, letting him take the lead to show me what he liked and wanted.