“Oh, someone is back in challenge mode. Let’s see, Ostia Antica most likely started out as a military base founded after the Romans beat the neighboring city Veji. There are some hints that it may have been built by Ancus Marcius, the fourth king of Rome in the seventh century BC, but historians aren’t sure Ancus Marcius even lived, and the first mentions of Ostia Antica are from the fourth century BC.”
“Good one, Dre. The name ‘ostia’ comes from the Latin wordostium,which means river mouth and refers to the Tiber where it was built. It served as a harbor for trade, the only rival to Alexandria and Cartago, and to ship military. When the water of the Ostian Sea receded, two artificial harbor pools were built under the rulers Claudius, Nero and Trajan.”
“I see you did your homework and I’m suitably impressed. But”—Dre lifted his index finger—“I bet no amount of reading prepared you for this.” He tugged Sammy off the uneven road they’d just walked on toward one of the roofless houses where a kind of stone bank with holes the size of soup plates ran along the walls. “Tadah! A publiclatrinae. What do you say now?”
For a moment, Sammy seemed to be stunned. Then he started laughing. Between a cross of snorting and hiccups, he finally managed to say, “How utterly romantic. I don’t know of any date in the history of dating where the couple went to see a public bathroom. This is hilarious!”
Dre did his best to look offended. “At least you can’t accuse me of being boring or unimaginative. I put a lot of thought into this date.”
Still chuckling, Sammy placed a hand on Dre’s chest. His eyes burned with an emotion Dre hoped he didn’t misinterpret. “You did. It’s the best date I’ve ever had.”
Dre raised a brow. “It’s your first date.”
“The best first date I ever had. The best date I could imagine, and believe me, I can imagine quite a lot. Tonight was everything I could have asked for and some more. Thank you, Dre.”
Sammy went on tiptoe to press a kiss on Dre’s lips. He still had to lower his head a bit for them to meet, though. When Sammy started to lean back, Dre slung his right hand around his nape to keep him in place. He loved how Sammy tasted, loved how soft his skin felt against his own, loved Sammy’s scent that was now an intriguing mix of arousal and something more innocent. He wanted to plunder Sammy’s mouth, wanted to drown in him, wanted to become one with him. Suddenly, Sammy moaned deeply against their locked lips and a wave of pure longing washed over Dre, followed by the coppery taste of blood. Dazedly, Dre realized it was Sammy’s blood flooding his mouth. He reared back.
“Damn, Sammy! Are you hurt?”
Dre felt his fangs grow out fully and couldn’t do anything against it. He stared at the thin red smear on Sammy’s lips in horror.
“I’m sorry, Sammy, so sorry! I didn’t mean to—”
Sammy lifted his right hand to his lips, dipped a drop with his index finger and stared at it in wonder. “So that’s what it feels like.” He sounded surprised.
“Baby, I—” Dre started patting his pockets for a tissue, only to come up empty. He felt sick to his stomach for hurting Sammy and guilty because he loved how Sammy tasted. Sammy reached for Dre’s hand.
“It’s okay, Dre. I wanted to know what it was like when you kissed me with your fangs.” A broad smile appeared on his lips. “It’s great.”
“But, but you’re bleeding!”
Sammy shrugged. “It’s just a nick, nothing bad.” He licked the blood from his lips. “Kiss me again.”
Dre hesitated. He so wanted to comply, wanted to taste Sammy, feel him melt in his arms, but he didn’t want to hurt him. Sammy closed the short distance between them, put his hands on Dre’s chest and walked him backward until the back of his knees hit the edge of thelatrinae. Dre sat down. He slung his hands around Sammy’s waist when his date straddled his thighs. Their faces were so close that Dre could smell the hint of vanilla on Sammy’s breath. His fangs were digging into his lips, making it difficult to speak.
“Shammy.”
Sammy smiled. “The way I see it, kissing with your fangs out requires some getting used to. We need to train until we’re proficient.”
“Ownwy you can make kishing shound like a shore.” Dre made a face. He sounded like a drunk. Sammy giggled.
“I’m sorry, Dre.” He pressed light kisses on both of Dre’s fangs. “It’s just I can’t remember when I last was so happy. Thank you for that. Now let’s see if we can’t work this out.”
Sammy put his lips on the gap between Dre’s, slowly dipping his tongue in. Dre moaned and opened.This feels so good. When Sammy started swirling his tongue around his left fang, Dre felt his cock pulsing in the same rhythm. He had never kissed with his fangs out before, but he found he liked it. Sammy did some more exploring, nibbled on Dre’s lips and teeth, then swiped his tongue around in his mouth as if he were looking for something. When he felt confident enough that he wouldn’t accidentally hurt Sammy again, Dre did some exploring of his own. He didn’t know how long they kept on kissing. He just allowed himself to get lost in the wonderful sensations of having Sammy in his arms, tasting and feeling him, pulling him so close that it felt as if they were one. Only when Sammy started squirming in his arms did Dre loosen his hold.
“What’s up?”
An adorable blush appeared on Sammy’s cheeks. “I’m afraid I need to use the bathroom. Can you…you know, do your thing and transport me somewhere with a porcelain bowl?”
Dre was about to get his claws out to open time and space when he suddenly had an idea. “Number one or number two?”
“Huh?”
“Do you need to piss or take a shit?”
The blush deepened. “Number one.”
Dre grinned. “Then we don’t have to go anywhere.” He made a sweeping gesture. “We’re in a bathroom.”
