Built 4 It Read online

  “You didn’t want me to touch you?”

  It was Kee’s turn to be embarrassed. He tried to look away from Ben’s eager gaze, but found himself entranced by his beautiful face. “I couldn’t wait.” Kee pressed his lips together, trying to stem the tide of humiliation. Of course, he’d failed this male. Ben was complex and smart and strong. He needed more. “I was in pain.” It had been delicious and wonderful and achy at the time, but Kee just hadn’t been able to resist any longer.

  Ben grinned then—his face as clear as a bright-blue sky. “Really?” His chin tilted up again, and Kee thought he might have been preening. Ben shifted closer so their ankles crossed one another’s. “You know…” Ben’s smile became teasing. “Maybe it wouldn’t have taken that long.” Ben shrugged, doubt flickering in his eyes. “I mean I’ve never done anything before. But if you were so turned-on, I can’t imagine it would have taken me long to—”

  Understanding hit Kee in a scalding flash. “You can do that?” Lo had tried—he’d

  kissed and nibbled and licked. He stroked with trembling hands and even allowed Kee

  to enter his body once. Only for a minute, and only with half of his cock. But the

  sensation had been ecstasy.

  “Do what?” Ben waved his hands around, as if he were inviting Kee to mime right along with him.

  Kee whispered, “Make me spray.” He said it so fast he half hoped Ben wouldn’t understand him. His face burned with embarrassment and he understood why Ben had chosen hand gestures instead of words.

  “Wait.” Ben’s expression turned serious. He scooted closer and linked their hands.

  “Do you mean to tell me this guy Lo never actually got you off?”

  Kee didn’t know how to answer—unsure how to respond while making it clear Lo had meant the world to him. Lo had been his lover at a time Kee had nothing, not even the ability to form words.

  Ben must have read his silence as agreement. His eyebrows lifted. “Well. I guess we’re closer in the experience-level than I thought.” Ben cuddled under Kee’s arm and into his side. It was delicious. “You’ve got more practical experience, but I’m better versed on the theory.”

  Despite not having any idea what Ben was talking about, Kee felt his heart expand in his chest. He kissed Ben’s head—something sweet and gentle, letting them become more than friends slowly this time.

  In response, Ben sighed. He craned his head around to press his lips to Kee’s neck.

  The quick swipe of lips spread heat through Kee’s body. He struggled not to drag Ben closer, or take his mouth hard. But when Ben nibbled a path over Kee’s jaw and to his lips, Kee snarled his approval.

  A car rumbled on the road. Unlike the others that had passed, this one squealed to a stop. “Hey!” A voice rang out through the woods, sounding like the female from the day before. “Get over here!”

  They rushed to obey, limping through the brush to where a blue car idled by the road. When Kee didn’t know how to get inside, Ben opened the door and urged him with a quick shove.

  Kee landed on the soft, plush seats. The fabric felt amazing against the bare flesh of his back. Ben climbed in next to him and Kee felt as if he could happily have stayed in the car forever.

  “Get a seatbelt on him, human.” Shani boarded the vehicle and closed the door with a thump. The motor growled and the car started forward. Kee reached up to grasp the door’s handle as they tore away.

  “So. I take it you two have worked out your issues?” Shani called to them from the front seat.

  Frightened of the world passing at dizzying speed, Kee kept his focus on Ben. Kee wasn’t sure. He thought they were lovers, or at least friends. But this was a whole new world—one where trees poked his skin one minute, but velvet cupped his body the next. And in this new reality, his male wanted things Kee wasn’t sure he could give.

  *

  The Zombie Underground was a lot more organized than Ben would have expected. Located in a basement space under Pike Place Market, the organization had

  medical equipment, banks of computers and electronics, and a dozen rooms.

  “We kept the rest of the Built guys here last night, but Frank hooked them up with a temporary apartment a few blocks away.” Shani spoke as they passed an open door that led into a room filled with cages not unlike the ones at the labs.

  “How long ’til Kee can join the others?” Ben felt like Kee’s parent at a college orientation, and it was similar to the way he’d felt checking his mom into the nursing home.

  Kee hadn’t said a word since they’d left the woods, and he roamed the hallways, getting the lay of the land. Ben didn’t mind being in charge. That way he didn’t have to think about his own lack of apartment, or clothes, or the fact he’d broken numerous laws in not killing Kee and the other steins.

  The disposal company would have arrived for the body bags sometime that afternoon. Ben had planned to divert the pick-up guys somehow, to claim he’d used another group for waste disposal. Since he wasn’t at the labs though, his plan went to shit.

  “Frank’s going to want to run a scan on him first, make sure he doesn’t have any malfunctions that could show up later.” Shani rounded on them in a large central room of offices. She pointed in various directions. “There’s a kitchen you saw on the way in, a couple of bedrooms set up in the back.” Shani leaned over one of the desks, checking phone messages. “Did you guys eat enough on the road?”

  Ben nodded, feeling odd having such a casual conversation with a stein. Until yesterday, he hadn’t really understood steins could talk at all. “Yeah. Thanks for that.”

  On the road, Shani had bought Ben some fast food and given Kee a bag of organ meats.

  Apparently, the Zombie Underground had it all figured out. For the zombie side of the equation at least.

  “Can I stay with him tonight?” Ben knew he’d have to figure something out the next day—a place to live, money, everything. For now it was easier for him to fall back on his default mode of operation, taking care of someone else.

  “Sure.” Shani shuffled some stuff on her desk. She seemed as uncomfortable talking to a human as Ben was talking to a stein. “And the boss, Frank, said we can help you out. I mean—especially since you dialed in a rescue. He’s going to want to talk to you tomorrow.” Shani scrubbed a hand on her face. She was good-looking, Ben realized.

  Then again, so was Kee. Maybe it was an undead thing.

  “Yeah. Thanks.” Ben wasn’t sure what help they could give, but a roof over his head and some money for food would go a long way to getting him started. Of course, he’d have to come up with an alias if he ever wanted to find work again. But the ZU must have had ways of creating identities if they kept freeing all these undead. “I’m dead on my feet.” Ben had meant to say I’m tired, but realized his snafu too late. “Oh, I didn’t mean…”

  Shani started toward the hallway that led to the door. “No worries, human.” She lifted her jacket from the hooks that hung near the office’s doorway. “The two of you will be okay here tonight, right? I wanna head home and there’s no one around to babysit.”

  “Uh, yeah sure,” Ben called after her. He thought it strange Shani hadn’t tried

  talking to Kee at all. Then again, Shani probably knew better than anyone how to handle shell shock.

  The door closed, shutting Ben and Kee inside. Ben listened to Kee’s footsteps around the rooms of the office, but then found himself drifting through the space as well. He wandered to the kitchen and drank some water from the running faucet. He

  looked in the fridge, though he found only plastic containers of raw meat. In the cupboard, a box of crackers was clearly labeled, “Ben”.

  It was nice to know someone had run to the store and picked up something they must have associated with a “human” diet. A pile of crisp twenty-dollar bills sat on the counter. A Post-it Note sat on top that read, “Ben—you could order pizza. But make sure you meet them up in the market, not Kee. Q-ter.”
/>
  The whole place felt a lot like Built, except backward. The steins were free and humans were the odd men out. Ben found that he didn’t mind the change. He

  wandered back into the hallway. “Hey, Kee.” He looked in a few doors, but finally located him—sitting in the back of one of the cages. “Kee?”

  The cage door hung open, so Ben stepped inside. The cell was a lot nicer than the ones at Built. It contained two twin-sized mattresses on lowlying box springs. A half-wall protected the toilets, and mirrors hovered over two sinks. Of course, both mirrors were broken, but that wasn’t surprising. If the ZU went around snatching steins away from their human owners, a lot of the ones they collected might be violent at first. Ben wasn’t an expert in stein manufacturing, but he knew a lot of them were programmed with homing mechanisms that compelled them to return to their makers if they got lost.

  “You okay?” Ben folded onto the floor next to Kee. The big stein hadn’t even chosen to sit on the bed.

  Kee shook his head, his eyes on his feet. He pressed his forehead into his hands.

  “This is a lot. It’s a lot to learn.”

  Ben knew what he meant—had seen the look of loss on Kee’s face as they drove into the city and through the darkened streets. The stein was smart, and getting more intelligent so fast. Still, he was learning a lifetime of information in only a day.

  “You don’t need to do anything different tonight, okay?” Ben looked around the room outside the cages and saw a shelf with some bedding. He hopped up and grabbed a couple blankets, deciding not to confuse Kee with sheets. “Here.” Ben handed Kee a blanket and then joined him on the floor with his own. “We’ll sleep here.”

  The stein leaned his head on Ben’s shoulder in a move so tender it tugged at Ben’s soul, healed something broken inside him.

  Kee sighed. “I am so happy you are here.” The stein pressed his lips to the crown of Ben’s head.

  The simple gesture sent a sizzle of heat under Ben’s skin. Perhaps it was because Kee wasn’t pushing or making a move—hadn’t since the lab—that Ben’s dick thrilled to life under his loose-fitting pants. When Kee tried to kiss him on the cheek, Ben buried his face in the crook of Kee’s neck. He sucked the warm skin into his mouth, nibbling while Kee gasped.

  Kee hesitated before gently stroking Ben’s arm. It was as if the desperate, almost violent lover from before had become as timid as a kitten. Ben licked a path up Kee’s neck. It felt incredible—being forceful and eager with a man who wouldn’t turn him down or laugh. Who would do anything Ben wanted.

  Who Ben could repay for all the awful things he’d done.

  “You’re not scared?” Kee asked.

  Ben swallowed Kee’s question in a kiss. The scrapes on his skin stung, and Ben wanted to take a shower, but later. After he had a chance to get dirty. “No.” He breathed into Kee’s open mouth. “Not at all.”

  Kee growled at the next meeting of their lips, his mouth soft and open. He tasted salty and male, and only seemed to be able to hold back for a few seconds before wrapping an arm between Ben’s shoulder blades and dragging him onto his lap.

  In a scrabble of limbs, Ben climbed on. When Kee would have cradled him like a child, Ben threw his leg over and straddled the larger male. The move seemed to startle Kee for a second, so he dropped his fists to his sides.

  With a smirk, Ben took charge—gripping Kee’s brawny shoulders, rubbing his hard-on against the pronounced ridges of Kee’s belly. Under Ben’s ass, Kee’s cock firmed and grew. But Ben just kept up his bouncing and grinding even when it became

  clear Kee must have been uncomfortable. He chuckled into Kee’s neck when the larger male whined that Ben needed to stop.

  “Want me to pull out your big cock?” The flush in Ben’s cheeks echoed the blood rushing to his dick. He felt as if he were in the middle of his very own porno. Complete with a muscle-bound sweetheart and a sexy jail-cell scenario. He couldn’t help but add the dialogue.

  A muscle twitched on Kee’s jaw. He nodded with a desperate, glazed look in his eyes. “Yes, Ben. Yes, touch my…ah…” He gasped when Ben’s fist closed around him

  under his pants, then jerked at the rough way Ben tugged him into place.

  “Better?” Ben lined their cocks up, both half-covered in loose hospital scrubs. Then he pressed in tight. “Grab my ass,” he directed, leading Kee’s hands until he cupped Ben’s cheeks.

  Taking the hint, Kee wrenched Ben closer. He ground their bodies together—

  muscles clashing, bodies fighting for dominance. Kee wrestled Ben’s shirt off. Then he rubbed a thumb over one of Ben’s nipples.

  “Oh yeah,” Ben moaned into his lover’s mouth. This was the way Ben had always imagined fucking—face-to-face, his lover’s hands on his butt and tweaking his most tender spots. “Kee?”

  Kee stopped kissing Ben’s collarbone. “Yes?”

  Ben couldn’t stop his hips from bucking, even while he tried to form his imaginingsinto words Kee would understand. “You know men can have sex like…” Ben passed his hand down their bodies and repositioned Kee so the tip of him lined up with where Ben wanted him to be. Where Ben wanted to try at least. He knew they were skipping a few steps, most obviously the oral one. But though Ben wanted to try that too, it wasn’t first on his list—not by a long shot. Besides, Ben knew he’d need time to learn how to give a decent blowjob. He didn’t want to spend their night together getting it wrong.

  “Hmm…” Kee growled his agreement of Ben’s suggestion. His body moved with Ben’s in an age-old dance. “Yes. I’ll lick you.” Kee’s hand speared into the back of Ben’s pants. His fingers, when they teased, were gentle. “Make you soft and wet.”

  The thought of Kee spreading his cheeks and licking the spots inside almost had Ben coming. But Ben knew from reading online that spit was only going to get them so far. “Let me find something.” Ben rose from Kee’s lap, sure his face was red as a beet.

  His dick poked out the top of his hospital scrubs.

  “Take those off.” Kee nodded at Ben’s pants. “I want to see you.” The sleepy, sexy look in his eyes was almost enough for Ben to want to strip down, lay on his back, and assume the position.

  Ben reminded himself—he knew things Kee didn’t. Kee would do whatever it took to please him, whether or not it led to his own orgasm. Ben couldn’t abide that, not if they were going to spend any time as partners.

  “Okay. But then I’m going to find some lube.” Ben shucked his pants to his ankles and stepped out of them. He watched with fascination while Kee did the same. God—

  Kee was amazing. Gorgeous like a wet dream. And for some reason, he really seemed to like Ben.

  Kee fisted his hands at his sides. His cock bobbed as he rose to sit on the bed. There, Kee waited. His patience etched desperate lines on his forehead. “I know it hurts.” His green eyes were wide, their pupils lust-blown. “We can do it just ’til you…”

  “Come?” Ben’s hand drifted to his sex. He rubbed himself in long, deep strokes. He was going to come just from this conversation. “So, you did it before?”

  Nodding, Kee took himself in hand as well. His eyes didn’t leave Ben’s. “With Lo. We did one time. But not…”

  “Not long enough?” Ben noticed their hands were moving in the same rhythm. If he didn’t go now, they’d both climax just from the sight of each other. “We’ll see if I can last longer than he did.” Ben slipped out the door before Kee could argue.

  Ben found the medical supplies easily. Like the med kits at Built, the Zombie

  Underground stocked surgical lubricant. He grabbed a tube and headed back to where Kee was still perched—erect and sweating—on the bed. He climbed onto his knees next to Kee, tube clutched in his hand. Now that he had supplies, Ben wasn’t sure what to do next. Did he put the lube on, or should Kee? They always skipped that part in the videos.

  Kee looked as confused as Ben felt. “What’s it for?” He took the lube from Ben, studying as if he couldn’t f
igure out how to open it. But his clever fingers located the ridge of the clasp and he opened the top. He eyes widened when he touched his fingertip to the clear, slick fluid.

  “Ah.” Kee dripped some more on his fingers. He rolled it between his forefinger and thumb, wonder in his eyes. “This is good.” With the excitement of a little kid, he touched the tip of his cock, smoothing the lube over his glans. His eyes fluttered closed.

  “Nice, right?” Ben had a variety of brands stashed away at home, in the same drawer as the plug he’d used for years. Scared as he was, Ben figured he’d be able to handle the actual event just fine. Once everything was where it was supposed to go.

  “Now you.” Kee eyed the length of Ben’s body, his gaze landing on Ben’s hips and ass. For a moment, Ben worried Kee would try to roll him over. For some reason, Ben didn’t think he could handle not being able to see Kee’s face.

  Kee dribbled more lube onto his hand and then leaned in to kiss him. His lips were soft and moist and hungry. Ben eased back on the bed, letting Kee perch on top of him.

  Kee’s hand pressed between Ben’s legs, slick lubricant sliding over his balls, his taint and his puckered entrance.

  Before Ben could even breathe his surprise, Kee’s fingertip breached his opening.

  Ben squirmed at the intrusion. He’d thought he would be ready, but as Kee’s touch bore deeper, Ben felt too open, too vulnerable.

  “Wait. Kee. Give me a second.”

  Kee stilled. “Did I hurt you?” His fingers withdrew and he cupped Ben’s balls.

  Kee’s sex beat hot on Ben’s inner thigh. He humped gently, seemingly unable to stop himself.

  “No.” Ben shifted his body to align with Kee’s. Their cocks rubbed the lubricant between them. “Oh, I want to so bad.” He thrust up into Kee’s abdomen, the slide of it maddening, but at the same time not enough. “Okay, add some more.”

  In urgent agreement, Kee nodded. He dribbled lube right on Ben’s dick, and then lower. The moisture dripped between his legs. “More.” Kee lowered himself on top, their bodies wet and slippery. Excitement ratcheted Ben higher, until he tilted his hips up so Kee was poised at his entrance.