Scavengers: August by K.A. Merikan Read Free Book Online Page B

position! And I will
stay here tonight, even if it’s on the fucking stairs!” He must
have been really set on the idea as he didn’t want to let go of it
and go home.
    Ira looked at
him in disbelief. “No, you aren’t! There’s nothing wrong with me!”
he shouted at him.
    “Of course
there is!” hissed James, pushing him away. “You bed men! You
consider that normal!?”
    “I bed’em
good!” the man laughed, shaking his head, suddenly amused. “I like
bein’ close to men,” he added, suddenly lowering his voice as he
caught James’ gaze.
    “I noticed...”
he said, taking a step back. “Any men? How many?” James
demanded.
    “Men I like,”
Ira breathed quietly. “Don’t know how many... I am 35 y’know.”
    James was at
loss of words and looked down at the tips of his shoes. Ira
observed him for a moment, feeling strange, as if he wanted to hug
him, as if he was just a child. “I like you,” he said finally, with
a soft sigh.
    James’ eyes
shot up clearly surprised. “It seems you ‘like’ a lot of people,”
he said in the end, without anger.
    Ira licked his
lips, their gazes locked... “Why wouldn’t I? They come’n’go.”
    “Makes sense. I
think... I’ll just ‘go’,” James sighed walking away. Ira’s hand
shot up in an impulse , taking hold of his wrist again.
    “D’ya want to?”
he breathed, tired of all this, but it was hard to let James go.
The man seemed lost and scared and Ira felt responsible. He
couldn’t just let him go. A month ago, on their way back from Kent,
he actually thought he didn’t want to let him go at all. Otherwise,
James’ rejection wouldn’t have hurt or disturb him as it did. A
month passed, yet he still thought about this not-so-virgin toff!
Still wanted him.
    “I don’t know
anymore...” James’ answer ripped him out of his thoughts as the man
looked back at him. “Maybe I’ll just stay the night? It would be
safer, right? I won’t disturb you...”
    The other man
swallowed a lump in his throat as he looked at James. Slowly, he
came closer, embraced him gently and led him towards his house.
Somehow, he felt he wouldn’t be rejected this time. James longed
for him enough to embark on a search without even knowing his exact
whereabouts. “You won’t,” he promised. Right then, he wondered if
Joshua intended to work that evening.
    When they
finally got up the stairs, the door was already open as the boy
must have heard their steps... or their screams in the street. He
seemed surprised at the closeness between Ira and his guest. At
least, this time, the boy was fully dressed.
    “Hello.” Ira
nodded at him, noticing that James didn’t fight his embrace
anymore, defeated. They were in a seedy place, and still...
    “Hello! I was
worried. Is everything all right?” asked Joshua. The light from the
fire danced on the side of his face. Ira moved away from James and
took off his coat. Conscious of the dirt on his face, he wiped it
with the back of his hand.
    “Yeah,” Ira
sighed, slowly leading the listless man inside his home, “Give us
supper?” he asked, reaching out for James’ coat. In a way, he
wanted to spend time with him. He was angry at him for the way he
reacted at the information about his origins, but at the same time,
he realized how things were right now. After all, he didn't stress
who he was either, because there was no denying how it affected
people’s perception of him.
    James
hesitated, but finally handed over his coat, not looking up at Ira.
In the light of the fire, they noticed his sleeves were stained
with blood.
    “You hurt?” Ira
asked immediately, shutting the door and locking it carefully.
Unable to stop himself, he stroked the other man’s hair. Joshua
watched this with a bit of tension in his body, but moved towards
the fire to get the supper.
    “No, it’s
probably just a few bruises,” said James and moved away by a few
inches. He had the same elegant clothes on, he'd had at