Free The Mating of Michael by Eli Easton Page B

notice about my hand?”
    “You have very l-long fingers. Long and thin.”
    “Do they feel bony to you?” He elevated his index finger so Lem could get around it.
    “Um….” Lem felt it cautiously.
    “It’s okay. You can say whatever comes into your head. I won’t be insulted.”
    “Maybe a little bony. But not in a bad way. More like, I dunno, a bird or something.”
    Michael smiled. “That’s a lovely image. And the back of my hand?” He turned it over.
    Lem took a deep breath of a sigh, but he seemed to be a little less nervous. He stroked it repeatedly. “Softer than your palm. I can see your veins. That means you’re in good shape. I mean, I can tell that just by looking at you but… veins are good. You have wide nails.”
    “I do have wide nails. How do you feel inside when you touch my hand?”
    “All right.” Lem kept petting the top of Michael’s hand as if it was, indeed, a Pekinese. “But I’m not really thinking about it like… like… you know.” He couldn’t get the words out, and just thinking them made him blush scarlet again and pull away his hand as if he’d been caught doing something wrong.
    “Like something sexual? That’s okay. It would be awesome for you just to get used to touching someone. You don’t have to think about it in a sexual way right now.” Michael turned his palm back over and left his hand on the couch.
    There was a tentative pause before Lem reached out and touched Michael’s palm again. By his elevated breathing, and the blotchy affect appearing on the back of his own hand, Michael would put money on the fact that Lem was thinking about sex this time. Michael felt a little touch of arousal as Lem stroked his palm. He could go with it and get hard if he wanted to, not because he found Lem physically attractive, but because the man was sweet and he tugged hard at Michael’s empathy. But Lem was far from needing an erection from Michael, and if he sensed there was one, it would probably scare the poor guy to death. Michael took a deep breath and willed it away.
    “That feels really nice,” Michael said gently. “Would you like to talk about how it makes you feel when you think about sex?”
    Lem huffed. “Bad.”
    “Bad how?”
    “G-guilty. Like it’s wrong to think about it. To want it. Like I’m a bad person.”
    “When you pet Margaret, do you feel guilty about that?”
    Lem looked insulted. “No. But I don’t feel that way about her. I mean, she’s a dog.”
    Michael smiled. “I know. But it’s affection. You give Margaret affection, and she gives you affection in return.”
    “I guess so.”
    “Do you think she likes it when you show her affection?”
    “She loves to be petted.”
    “And you feel happy when she licks your face and shows you she loves you?”
    “Sure. She’s my best friend.” Lem smiled at the words. He really did love that dog.
    Lem was petting Michael’s palm, calmer now, and Michael let his fingers curl up just a little so they brushed against Lem’s hand as it moved.
    “That’s not something to feel guilty about, is it? Giving affection to your dog and getting it in return.”
    “No. But that’s different.”
    “It is different. But when you really like a person, and they really like you, then it’s natural to want to show each other affection. And sex is a great way for two people who really like each other to show affection and make each other feel good, feel happy. You don’t need to feel guilty about making someone happy, or even making yourself happy.”
    “That’s what Dr. Halloran says. He says my body was made for it, or I wouldn’t have those feelings. I wouldn’t be able to… you know, if my body wasn’t made to do that. It’s just like it was made to breathe or eat and digest food and eliminate waste. That means it is by definition natural and being natural means it’s not wrong.”
    Michael could tell Lem was a logical thinker, and this reasoning brought him some comfort.
    “Well,