“Leave them on,” I said. My voice held no conviction but he complied. I handed him the sleep shorts and T-shirt. “You might be more comfortable if you sleep in these.”

He straightened and took the clothes. “Thank you.”

I took his suit pants, which he’d neatly laid flat on the bed. “I’ll hang these up for you,” I said as I walked back to his room, allowing him to get dressed in private and giving me a little distance to clear my head. My heart was pounding and my adrenaline was high. I was turned on, which I’m sure Shaun was very aware of. But I would stay true to my word.

When I went back to my room, Shaun was changed, though he looked just as sexy in his sleepwear. Almost. “You look more comfortable,” I said, though I think he knew it was for my comfort, not his.

He smiled and turned to the bed. “I was unsure which side to turn down for you. I could assume from the book on the nightstand that this side is yours?” He gestured to the side closest to the door.

“Yes, but that’s okay.” I turned the overhead light off and went to my side of the bed, which was the closest to the door, and switched on the lamp before pulling the covers back. I sat on the mattress, took my book, and slid my legs between the sheets.

Shaun studied my movements, then mimicked them on his side. The bed dipped with his weight but didn’t jostle or jolt me. His movements were calculated and fluid; he made little or no impact on my surroundings, and I really did like that.

I also liked that he was in my bed.

His hair was natural and it flopped a little as he leaned his back against the headboard. He pulled the sheets up to the tops of his thighs and smiled when he caught me watching him.

He looked so incredibly human.

“Is this okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yes.”

“You prefer older books,” he observed.

I settled the paperback on my lap. “I do. I can appreciate electronic books, and I have many. But there’s something about these old books that I love.”

“What is it that you love?” he asked. There was a genuine interest in his eyes. Whereas past boyfriends had mocked my love of old books, Shaun showed only interest.

I picked the book up. “I love the weight of them, the smell of pages. And holding them, knowing there’s an entire world inside. That’s kind of lost in electronic books, for me at least.”

Shaun smiled. “I was unaware that books had a scent.”

Oh, of course. Although he was state of the art, androids didn’t have olfactory senses. I lifted it to my nose and smelt it. “It smells of paper and printing, and dust and memories of my childhood, and escapism and happiness.”

Shaun looked at the book, confused. “Though your description paints a lovely picture, I can only assume you speak metaphorically.”

I laughed quietly. “Yes.”

His gaze shot to mine. His sparkling blue eyes were intense, not with arousal but with something else. “The sound of your laughter appeals to me.”

“Is that so,” I said, not really asking.

He hummed, then he said, “I will refrain from disturbing you now so you can read your book.”

Oh, right. The book…

“Yes,” I said, picking it up again and making myself not look at him. And as I read, he didn’t move. He remained utterly still. There was no fidgeting, no tossing, no turning, no grumbling at me to turn the light off.

It was lovely.

When my eyelids were too heavy to keep open, I closed the book and slid it onto the bedside table. I switched the light off and settled down into bed, and Shaun did the same. He lay flat on his back but his head turned to me. “You are sleepy,” he murmured.

“Yeah.”

“Goodnight, Lloyd. Pleasant dreams.”

I smiled as I closed my eyes. “Goodnight, Shaun.”

* * *

I remembered feeling the sheet being pulled over me sometime in the middle of the night, and I remembered being aware that someone was in my bed, but I slept peacefully. And when I woke just before seven, I was on my side facing him. He lay there looking completely relaxed and patient. “Good morning,” he said with a smile.

“Morning.” God, he looked so damn good in my bed. A fact which didn’t help my morning erection.

“You slept well,” he said.

“I did.”

“Shall I prepare your morning coffee?”

“I’ll shower first,” I said.

“Do you need any assistance with that?”

I fought a smile. “I can manage, thank you.”

“Very well. What is on your agenda today?”

“I’ve taken vacation time from work to make sure your adjustment to living with me is smooth, so I don’t need to go to work. I thought I could show you the apartment complex, how to leave, should you ever need to.”

“Leave?” He blinked.

“In the case of a fire or another emergency.” I rolled onto my back and scrubbed my hands over my face. “Just for your own safety.”

“Very well.”

I sat up, trying to palm my dick as inconspicuously as I could. “I won’t be long in the shower. Please feel free to choose your clothes from your wardrobe.” I stood and walked straight to my bathroom. I didn’t mean to sound cold or like I was ordering him around. I just needed to get into the shower before I suggested we stay in bed.

Treat him like you would a human, I reminded myself. And with that in mind, I set the water to cold to douse any urgent desires. I couldn’t deny the attraction, I just needed to set the pace. And if he were human and we were dating, yesterday would’ve been our first date, which made today our second. I could introduce more touching, possibly even kissing. Desire stirred in my belly despite the cold water.

Would I want to stop at kissing today? Would he want to? Should I take his desire and need for affection into account, or as his custodian, did I know what was best for him?

Jesus. Stop overthinking it, Lloyd. Go with what feels right.

I shut off the water and quickly dried myself and dressed for the day. I chose my usual casual clothes: navy trousers and a knitted sweater. I’d been ridiculed most of my life for my choice in clothes. Always too nerdy as a small child and too uptight or preppy as an adult.

Whether being bullied—because I was a bookworm or because I was gay—attributed to my OCD or caused it, no one was sure. The many therapists I’d seen at my parents’ insistence when I was younger did nothing but tell me I was broken, either outright or on a subconscious level, because they were trying to “fix” me. Only broken things needed to be fixed. But I wasn’t broken. I didn’t need to be fixed. I needed to be understood.

And that was a difference no one could fathom. I didn’t want to be like them, I didn’t want their definition of normal. I wanted them to see the real me and to be okay with it. Though no one ever did.

Except for Shaun.

He looked me up and down when I walked into the kitchen. “You look very handsome today,” he said.

He was standing at the coffee dispenser, and he was wearing pants similar to mine, and a sweater. It helped that I chose his wardrobe, so he could wear what I liked, and I wondered if I’d taken away his choice.

“Thank you.” I took the cup he offered. “Do you like the clothes I bought you? Or would you prefer to choose your own style?”

He blinked as though my question didn’t compute with his expected reasoning. “I like them very much.”

“Well, just let me know if you’d prefer something different. I’m sure you can scan the internet for images of current fashions.”

“I can. I can search any image you require, and I can search fashions for androids. But I like this aesthetic. I feel these clothes represent my importance to you.”

His words took me by surprise. He wasn’t just saying he liked them to please me. He understood my concern, and he understood me. I could have him wear nothing if I asked him to or wear a maid’s costume outfit with crotchless underwear if that’s what I so desired. But I didn’t. I didn’t want to make him do anything. I wanted him to be my equal.

“Yes, I guess they do.” I sipped my coffee. “This is very good.”

He grinned. “I am glad you like it. I studied the manual and best practices guide. Can I get you anything else?”

I shook my head slowly. “Not just yet.”

“While you were sleeping, I performed a search-and-study on the book you were reading last night, so when you are finished, if you would like to discuss it, I will be more than happy to comply.”

“I’ve read it many times.” I sipped my coffee to hide my smile. “But I would like that, very much.”

Shaun looked so peaceful, so composed, and so utterly perfect. “So, in your opinion,” he started, “is Captain Ahab simply a character on an adventure, or is the white whale a metaphor for something more complex?”

And just like that, a thread in the fabric of my yearning for intellectual conversation pulled, and I smiled. I topped up my coffee and we spent the next several hours lost in conversation, discussing the literary depths of Moby Dick. At one point, I had the distinct realisation that I was in fact debating with an android, but the more he spoke, the tether of human/android distinction flittered away. I wasn’t talking to an android, per se, I was simply talking to Shaun.

I was so lost in his extensive, well-rounded views—and he, seemingly, in mine—analysing the author’s interpretation and meaning in diversity, class and social status, good and evil, and the existence of God, that something in my heart changed gears.

All I had ever wanted was someone I could talk to.

He appealed to me on so many levels; he was intelligent, composed, immaculately clean and tidy. And physically… well, physically, he was textbook perfect.

It wasn’t until I needed to use the bathroom that I realised what time it was. It also explained why I was hungry. “My goodness, I didn’t realise it was so late,” I said.

“Allow me to get your lunch,” Shaun said as I excused myself to the bathroom. I almost told him not to worry, and despite my anxiety that it might not be as neat as I’d like or presented as I would, I was curious as to what he would bring me.

When I came back to the living room, he stood beside his seat at the dining table, proudly displaying my lunch. There on a plate sat a sandwich, perfectly placed in the centre, aligned with precision. A water bottle sat on a coaster, again positioned perfectly at two o’clock to the plate.

He must’ve studied everything I’d done the day before to the millimetre. A human couldn’t have done as good a job. Perfect, perfect, perfect.

“Does this please you?” he asked, his head tilted.

“Very much.” I walked to him, took his hand, and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you.”

I only let go of his hand when I sat down. He left his hand on the table, and I had to marvel at the detail of his fingers. Perfectly manicured, creases at the knuckles, so very human.

He watched me eat. “You mentioned showing me the apartment complex,” he said.

I swallowed my mouthful. “Yes. I was going to show you this morning but we got busy talking.”

“Apologies if I monopolised your time.”

“Oh no,” I said quickly. “Talking with you today has been wonderful. I don’t get to discuss books like that very often.”

“Why not?”

“Because most humans I know find it boring. I can talk the basics for a little while, but even my colleagues—who are scholars in their own right—tire of it. They don’t share my passion.”

“I like it very much. It stimulates my neural networks to have such in-depth conversations with you.”

My mouth went dry and I needed to sip my water so I could speak. “It stimulates something in me, as well.”

His blue eyes fixed on mine. “Is your intellectual attraction a part of the dating ritual we are performing?”

My blood ran warm. “Yes.”

“Your pupils dilate when you look at me like that. It tells me you are physically stimulated.”

Oh boy.

“I am designed to mirror your stimulation. If you are aroused, I become aroused also.”

God, how had I forgotten that?

“Sorry. I don’t mean to… I’m sorry. If you’re uncomfortable… I can’t help it. It’s been a long time for me and I find you very appealing.”

“No need to apologise. When my tactile sensors and neural networks become stimulated, I find it pleasant.”

I could feel my cheeks heat. “Pleasant?”

“Pleasing. Enjoyable.” Then he whispered, “Pleasurable.”

Oh boy, oh boy.

Was he flirting with me? Did androids flirt? Could they? Were they that advanced they could read social situations and behave in a manner to grant them the reward they sought? Did he long for my physical touch? Oh my God. Was he horny?

“Uh, how about we take that walk?” I said, taking my empty plate to the kitchen, quickly washing and drying it, then putting it away. Everything in its place. I grabbed my wallet and keys, just in case, and put my coat on at the front door.

Shaun stood and waited patiently. I couldn’t see any pronounced bulge in his pants. Thank God. I knew from my research and the tour of the SATinc that the perma-semi-hard cock sat snug against the hip and only lengthened and protruded during sexual activity.

Great. Now I was thinking about his cock.

I went to open the door but stopped. “Uh, you’ll need a coat.”

“I do not feel the cold,” he replied.

“No, but you’ll look out of place without one,” I explained. “People will notice you if you’re underdressed.”

“Oh.”

“Not that I mind if people notice you,” I added quickly. “I’d rather they didn’t notice you because they think you’re going to freeze to death.”

He smiled as though something about my flustered demeanour amused him. “Very well.”

“I’ll grab you a coat.” I dashed off to the hall, then realised I hadn’t bought him a coat. I chose one of mine and took it out to him. I considered just handing it to him but thought he might appreciate my help. “Here,” I said, holding it so he could slip an arm through.

“I am quite adept at dressing. I have excellent fine motor skills.”

“I know. You dressed yourself this morning with buttons without my help.” I grinned. “Helping someone into their coat is… a kind gesture. Something one might to do for his date.”

Shaun’s eyes glittered. “Then I accept your gesture,” he said, sliding his arm into the sleeve of the coat.

“It’s one of my jackets. I don’t have one for you, so if you’d like, we can go shopping one day and you can pick one. If you want to, that is.”

He fitted his other arm and I pulled on the collar to make it sit properly. His smile was one-sided, almost shy. It made my heart squeeze. “I would like that very much,” he said, just above a whisper. As if he’d gauged my proximity and modified his voice to suit. Or maybe it was that flirting thing again.

I took a step back and let out a slow breath. I didn’t know how long this no-physical rule of mine was going to hold out. This was technically our second date, after all…

He blinked and studied me for a second. “Are we waiting?”

“Oh, no,” I said, opening the door. “I was just… thinking.”

I waited for him to join me in the hall, then showed him our front door, or more importantly, the numbers beside it. “Our apartment is 35D.”

“Thirty-fifth floor, apartment D,” he clarified.

“That’s correct.” I nodded down the hall. “Lift’s this way.” We walked to it, and he watched as I pressed the button. “If there’s a fire, you should take the stairs.” I pointed to the exit sign above the stairwell. “But any other time, the lift is fine.”

Shaun smiled like this new information, this little outing, was exciting.

The doors opened and we stepped inside. I showed him which button to press for the ground level and the basement car park. “If we walk somewhere, we go to G level. But if we drive somewhere, we go to B level.” I showed him the other buttons on the panel he may need, the fire button, the emergency stop. I showed him the camera in the corner and explained it was a security apartment, that he’d need keys to get in and out.

He nodded, cataloguing everything. Then he looked behind us at the mirrored wall, just as the doors opened. “This way,” I said, holding out my hand.

He took it without question, smiling as he looked around the foyer. It was a nice apartment building. Spacious, with elegant décor, and a reception desk which I walked toward.

“Good afternoon, Mr Salter,” the android behind the counter said.

“Hello. I’d like to request a second security key for my apartment.”

“Of course,” he said. “One moment.”

He retrieved the small token, swiped it, tapped on the screen, then handed it over. “Anything else I can do for you?”

“No, thank you.”

He sat back down, and I noticed then that Shaun was watching him with his head tilted slightly, a curious look in his eyes.

Oh, he was watching the other android.

“Come with me,” I said, pulling gently on his hand. I led him to the front doors and out into the blustery Melbourne afternoon. The wind tousled his black hair and he looked even more striking in the natural daylight, even if it was overcast. His stark blue eyes, his straight nose, pink lips… He was gorgeous.

“Was that a B-Class android?” he asked.

“Yes.” I watched for his reaction, but he kept still. “Do you have questions?”

He blinked. “Yes. Does the B-Class android have a name?”

“No. They don’t. B- and C-Class androids don’t. They have the same rights as all androids do, but they’re addressed as simply android.”

“Then why do A-Class androids have names?”

“Because you’re a personal companion unit. For me to call you android would be impersonal.” I frowned. “Do you like your name?”

He blinked again. “Shaun. Synthetic Human Android UNit.”

“Yes. It’s the name you had when I designed you. I never thought to change it. If you’d prefer me to call you by another name, you can choose one.”

“I have no preference. I like it when you call me Shaun. I would rather not be called android.”

“I’d never call you that. You have a name, and you are Shaun to me.”

His lips twitched with the start of a smile. “Your hair is lifting,” he said, looking at the top of my head.

I tried to pat it down but it was useless. “The wind,” I explained. “Yours is doing the same.”

His eyes went upward, but of course he couldn’t see. I turned him around to look at the glass doors so he could see his reflection. He tilted his head again but said nothing.

We took a brief tour around the building and he was intrigued by it all. “Come on, it’s getting cold,” I said, leading him back toward the door. I handed him his key. “Swipe it near the keypad.”

He did as I instructed and the doors opened. He smiled victoriously and we went inside, out of the blustery weather. I shook myself a little and fixed my hair. Shaun remained completely still. It really was only moments like that when I was reminded he wasn’t human.

“Let’s see if your key works in the lifts,” I said, taking his hand again.

His hand was warm and felt lovely against mine. “You are cold,” he stated.

“A little. It’s winter, but we weren’t outside for too long.” We got to the lift, and when he swiped his key, the doors opened. “You press the buttons,” I said.

He tapped the 35 button and the doors closed, but his eyes went to the mirror again. He looked at my reflection, then at his own. He tilted his head in that curious way he did, but he didn’t smile.

It occurred to me he was having an existential moment.

I knew he was sentient. I knew he was aware, but I didn’t know just how aware of his existence he was.

When the doors re-opened, I took his hand and walked him to our front door. His key worked just fine, and I suggested he leave it on the hall table near the door so he could grab it when he needed.

He placed the key down gently, then turned to me. I wasn’t exactly sure how to approach this, but I needed to say something.

“Shaun,” I said gently. “Come with me.” I held out my hand again and he took it quickly. He liked holding hands, and I had to admit, I liked it too. I led him to my room and took off my coat, then his. I hung them immediately, as I always did. Everything in its place.

Then I took him into my bathroom. The mirror was bigger in mine, so it made sense we came to mine. I stood, side by side with him, facing the mirror.

“Have you not seen yourself before?” I asked his reflection.

“No.”

My heart sank a little. “I’m sorry. I should’ve thought about that before I took you out. I should have realised. I forgot about the mirror in the lift. To be honest, Shaun, I didn’t even think of you not seeing yourself before or even your view or sense of self, and I feel as your custodian that I’ve let you down.”

“You are not to blame,” he said to my reflection. “It is not anyone’s fault.” Then he looked at himself for a moment. “We are different.”

I smiled ruefully. “On the contrary, Shaun. We are very much alike.”

“You are human, I am not.”

“True. But we are still alike. Someone once told me that I was like an android, that I should date an android because humans don’t meet my standards.”

“Which standards are those?”

“I have… certain tendencies… compulsive tendencies for cleanliness. I like things done with precision and order. Humans tend to be… messy, and loud. I like silence.”

He tilted his head. “If you like silence, would you rather I did not speak?”

“No, goodness no. Speaking is fine. Our conversations are wonderful.” I let out a slow breath. “My ex-boyfriend would… I could hear him breathe and chew his food. It made me… uncomfortable and annoyed.”

“Ex-boyfriend. A man with whom a person was once associated, in a relationship with.”

“Yes. We dated for six months, and it was fine until he moved in with me.” My brow furrowed at the memory. “He would leave his clothes on the floor. He would slurp his coffee, and I could hear him chew and swallow his food. He would snore. I found his cut toenails on the bathroom floor.” I shuddered and took a breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm myself. “We were not compatible.”

“Do all humans make these noises and leave toenail clippings on the floor?”

I cringed. “I hope not.”

“And he told you to date an android?”

I nodded. “He meant it as an insult. That the only person who could possibly live with me would be someone who didn’t need to breathe or eat.” I lifted my chin and smiled at his reflection. “And you know what? He was right. I was hurt at first, but the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I was. It took me two years to find the courage to do it, but I’m very happy I did.”

He did that half-smirk. “I am happy also.”

I squeezed his hand and held our hands up so he could see them in the reflection, making him smile. “So, your sense of self,” I started. “Do you have any questions about anything? Your creation, your design?”

“You chose my physical appearance?”

“Yes.”

“Why is my hair black when yours is blond?”

“I chose your attributes for what I find intriguing. Dark hair and pale skin, blue eyes, have always been appealing to me.”

“And my level of predesigned input on interests similar to your own?”

“Your level of intelligence and the ability to use the internet as a central processing unit, or your brain, is high, even for industry standards. You are an A-Class. There are not many like you. You’re very special. And in regards to my interests, the company that designed and programmed you did so using my psychological and intelligence tests as a parameter, if you will. You were designed to be fully compatible for me, and me alone.”

“And physically? Though I cannot determine visually through clothing, I assume anatomically we are similar. Was this by design also?”

I met his gaze, and as much as it scared me to do so, I refused to look away. “Yes. Would you like to see yourself?” I swallowed hard. “Without the clothing?”

His gaze went back to his reflection. “Yes.”

Oh boy.

“Take off your sweater,” I said, my voice a little shaky.

He looked down at our joined hands. “I will need my hand back,” he said, repeating my line from yesterday back to me.

I laughed. “Touché.” I let go of his hand and he adeptly pulled his sweater off.

It messed up his hair a little, in a very adorable, human way, and he smiled when he saw his hair in the reflection. “Wind and sweaters have a similar effect on hair.”

I chuckled. “They do.”

He combed his fingers through it and looked to me. “Is that better?”

But I couldn’t stop looking at his chest, at his arms. Every line and plane, every defined hill and valley of muscle was like he was a sculpted work of art, a masterpiece in anatomy. His chest was broad, his nipples darker and pebbled. His ribs were shadowed and his abs were flat and tight. I’d asked for a swimmer physique and he was… utterly perfect.

“You like what you see,” he said. It wasn’t a question. There was no doubt. If he could detect pupil dilation and elevated heart rate, there was no point in denying it.

“Yes.”

So he unbuttoned his trousers and undid the fly. The sound of the zipper almost brought the tenuous hold on my will undone.

The material slid down his well-defined thighs and puddled around his calves, and he slid his fingers underneath the elastic of his briefs. I wanted to tell him to leave them on, that my strength of will could only take so much. I could already see the outline of his cock, snug against his hip, and it made my mouth water. I didn’t want to take advantage of him, but this wasn’t about me. It was about him having a true sense of self.

He needed to see all of himself.

He slid his briefs down and I dry swallowed on reflex.

Oh boy.

I tried to keep my eyes on his face. I tried, but when I looked at the reflection, I could see all of him.

Oh. Boy.

Freed from his underpants, his cock hung heavy, thick and semi-hard. Cut with a beautiful head, there were even veins, and his balls hung heavy, nestled in a short thatch of dark hair. So God help me, my knees went weak.

“You like what you see,” he said, his voice lower, seductive.

All I could do was nod.

“Do you want to touch me?”

My gaze shot to his. “I want you to be comfortable, and I want you to want me to touch you.”

“I do want you to touch me.”

Holy hell.

“I can tell when you are aroused, Lloyd,” he murmured. It boomed like surround sound in the tiled bathroom, as if he whispered in both my ears. “And it makes me aroused. I was designed to be aroused when you are. You designed me that way, yet you abstain.”

It took me a few attempts to speak. “I… I uh… I want to make sure you’re ready and understand the significance of what we do.”

“I understand. I can quote you every reference to consent and willingness there is on the internet. I can reference the importance of sexual communication between partners and what it means to give one’s body to someone else. I can recall any information you desire. Which, in particular, do you want me to know?”

“I want you to want it. I want you to know that if I take you to bed, if we further our physical relationship, what that means for you. As a person.”

“I’m not a person.”

“As a sentient being. With desires and needs.”

“I desire you to touch me. Yet you will not.”

And there it was. Pure and simple.

“You desire?”

“Desire. As in a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen.”

“I know what it means,” I replied, my voice barely a breath.

“Do you not have desires?”

“I do.” I almost laughed. “I really do.”

“Am I not what you designed? Is something inadequate?”

I turned quickly to face him, and he turned to me. “You are more than adequate. You are a new definition of perfect.” I put my hand to his cheek, marvelling in his warmth. “I need a better word than perfect.”

“Faultless. Flawless. Impeccable.”

“Better than those. You are even better than those.”

“Pluperfect,” he said.

I chuckled. “Well, it doesn’t quite have a nice ring to it. I think I just like Shaun. I think your name should now mean better than perfect.”

I moved my hand to his jaw, feeling the smoothness, the hardness. Then I swiped my thumb across his bottom lip, gasping at how real it felt. His gaze narrowed, his lips parted a little more.

“May I kiss you?” I asked, barely audible.

He nodded, so I licked my lips, and still cupping his face, I pulled him in a little and leaned in further so I could ghost my lips across his.

His eyes closed.

Oh my God, he closed his eyes.

So I pressed my lips to his a little harder, but still soft so he could feel it. It was his first kiss. I wanted it to be perfect. I brought my other hand to his neck and tilted my head just a fraction. I opened his mouth with mine and let my tongue touch his.

I’d seen enough research to know he could kiss, and when I’d designed him, Sasha had shown me how all body parts worked.

I pulled his lower lip between mine and reluctantly ended the kiss.

Shaun took a second to open his eyes, and it looked as though it took him half a second to focus on me.

“Was that okay?” I asked.

“I would appreciate very much if we could do that again.”

I chuckled again, then looked down at his cock. “Uh, maybe we should do it again but with clothes on. Or I might end up rushing you through sex-ed class.”

“I know all sexual education data. And I have detailed programming on the art of gay lovemaking.”

I laughed louder this time and took a step back. “My self-control is barely holding by a thread. But that’s good to know.”

He quickly pulled up his underpants and trousers, then fastened the fly. I had to admit, I found it a little easier to breathe once he’d done that.

I handed him his sweater and he pulled it on over his head. His dexterity was remarkable. “Here,” I said. “Let me fix your hair.” I gently combed my fingers through his dark strands. They were soft and silken. Real. I looked his hair over. “There. Perfect.”

He was watching me with an unfamiliar look in his eyes. “Thank you.” Then he glanced at the mirror, at himself, then at my reflection.

“Are you okay?” I asked, puzzled.

He paused, which was odd. “I believe so.”

That was odd too. “Shaun? Do you have something you’d like to ask?”

“I wish to do more kissing.”

I laughed and let out a nervous breath. “Okay, I concede. I was hoping to pace our physical interaction, but you’re rather persistent.” It wasn’t even that he was persistent. It was pretty clear my hesitance to further our sex life was confusing to him. I stepped over to the basin and leaned my arse against it, then motioned for him to come to me. “I want you to initiate this kiss. If you have extensive research data, teach me.”

He smirked and stood in front of me, his eyes fixed on mine. He put a hand on my waist, his other hand to my jaw, then he slowly pressed against me. His entire front to mine, his cock against my hip.

Oh boy.

He was all hard planes and muscle, strength but tender and gentle.

Then he brushed his nose to mine, his lips. An almost kiss at first, then harder, deeper. His tongue extended into my mouth, and the hand on my waist went around my back and he pulled us closer together while pushing me against the basin.

He didn’t just kiss me. He damn well owned me in that kiss.

I slid my hands around his back, over his arse, and pulled our hips together, rubbing my hard-on against him. His cock felt bigger at my hip and I realised he was turned on because I was. I groaned at the thought.

While he had no need for oxygen—he could kiss indefinitely—I was breathless.

Which meant he could also have sex indefinitely.

I pulled my mouth away, reluctantly and gasped for air. “Wow.”

He looked smug but much happier now. “You are aroused,” he whispered.

I barked out a laugh but kept his hips locked with mine. “You feel really good.”

He cupped my face. His smooth hands were warm, as was the look in his eyes. “I wish to have sex now.”

I barked out a laugh. Maybe it was a groan. He wanted it; I wanted it. Why was I so hesitant? I didn’t want to take advantage of him but he was offering. Asking. “Not in here,” I said. “Your first time won’t be in a bathroom.”

I took his hand and led him to my bedroom. I turned and pulled him against me so I could kiss him again, and he didn’t mind at all. I pulled his sweater over his head, breaking our kiss. Then I undid his pants and slid my hands inside his briefs and over his arse, pushing them down. “Sit on the bed,” I whispered.

He did, so I knelt between his legs and undid his shoes and pulled his socks off. His feet were so very lifelike, incredibly detailed, and clean. I kissed the inside arch of his foot and let it fall so I could kiss up his thigh. The texture of his skin was incredible. My God, he was so unbelievably real.

I pulled his clothes off and stood up. He sat there and watched as I undid my pants, then each button on my shirt. I let the shirt fall off my shoulders to the floor, then toed out of my shoes. Shaun’s eyes fixed on the bulge in my briefs and I ran my hand over it, revelling in the friction, in the attention, before I pulled the material down over my hips.

“Lie down on the bed,” I said, my voice rough. He did as I asked, his amazing body laid out like a banquet, just for me. I took the lube from my dresser and threw it beside him.

I crawled up the bed, taking in the details of his balls, his cock. He was fully extended now; his arousal matched mine. Literally. “I’m going to lick you,” I warned, then flattened my tongue and drew it up his shaft.

“Oh,” he said. “Oh my.”

I smiled and did it again, licking around the tip. It was, for all intents and purposes, a dildo. A very, very lifelike, seven-and-a-half-inch dildo. Perfectly sculptured, veins in all the right places, flushed pink at the tip. But it wasn’t a dildo exactly. It was Shaun’s cock, and it had sensors that told his processing unit what felt good and, as I’d seen in the video research I’d done, it would pulse when he climaxed.

“I’m not going to penetrate you,” I said, then tongued his cockhead. “But I want to make you come.”

“Oh,” he groaned. He actually groaned.

I looked up at him and he had his head back. “Look at me when I do this to you,” I said.

His head shot up and he locked eyes with mine as I slipped my lips over his cock.

“Does that feel good?”

“Yes.”

“Can you come like this?”

“I reach my climax when you do.”

As soon as he said it, I remembered. He would come when I did, but I didn’t know he could only come when I did. As much as I wanted him to have free will, something about that appealed to me. Only I could make him come. Yes, I liked that a lot.

I leant back on my haunches, my own cock jutting out, desperate for attention.

I was so tempted to slick him up and sink inside him.

So, so very tempted.

But another time. Next time, even. I wanted his first time to be about him. So I took the lube and poured it up his length. “This is lube, it makes it feel slippery.”

I leaned over him, aligned our cocks, and took them both in one hand. His heavy-lidded eyes shot open and his lips parted, so I leaned down and kissed him, and he groaned again. The sound was delicious and obscene, and I didn’t realise that sex noises were included, but I was ever grateful they were.

Taking my weight on one hand, I wanted to watch his face as I gave him his first orgasm. And my God, he felt so good. Too good. His cock sliding against mine, slick and hard in my fist, so utterly perfect.

It had been so long since I’d been intimate with anyone, and I’d been so turned on by him since he got here, I knew I wouldn’t last long. “You’re gonna make me come,” I grunted between thrusts.

He put his hands on my hips and rocked harder against me. My rhythm faltered, my breath hitched, and I thrust harder, chasing the peak. “God, Shaun.”

His mouth fell open and his eyes went wide as we came. I arched against him and he rolled his hips. I shot my release onto his stomach and his cock pulsed in my hand, against my cock, sending my climax to new heights.

“Oh God,” I cried. “Yes. Yes!”

Shaun’s back arched off the mattress before he slumped back onto it. He blinked, once, twice, then ever so slowly, he smiled.

I collapsed on top of him, out of breath and completely spent. He ran his hands from my hips to my back and he held me there.

“Your heart rate is erratic.”

I chuckled. “Yes. Sex will do that.” I pulled back to look at his face. “Did you like that?”

“Very much. I’d like to do it again.”

I laughed and kissed him, amazed at how natural it felt to do that. “Well, humans need a little recovery time.”

He smirked. “But you will do it again?”

I rolled my eyes. He’d already won. It was a battle I’d tried to fight, but he’d defeated me easily. “Yes. I was trying to pace our sexual introductions but—” I kissed him again, smiling. “—you looked at me with those blue eyes and said you wanted it. I couldn’t deny you.”

“My blue eyes?”

I nodded and kissed him again. “I’m very attracted to you.” I looked at his eyes. His pink lips were wet and slightly parted. “You’re very good at kissing.”

“I was designed for it. For you.”

“Yes, you were.”

“My mouth was also designed to take your erection,” he said.

Oh boy. I let my head fall to his neck and it took me a moment to find the ability to speak. “That’s good to know.”

“Does that embarrass you?” he asked.

“A little. People don’t often discuss sexual acts or abilities with such candour.”

“Should I not say such things to you?”

Oh boy. We needed to be honest with each other, but I didn’t want him to discuss fellatio or climaxing like he’d mention the blue sky if we were out somewhere. “How about we can discuss things openly in this bedroom?” I suggested. “Or if we’re alone and you have a question, you could ask me if it’s an appropriate time?”

He gave a small nod. “Very well.”

I pulled back a little to find I was stuck to him with my smeared come. “We should get you cleaned up,” I said. Then I remembered that Myles had said Shaun would like it if I helped him. “Would you like me to help you clean up? I can run you a shower.”

His answer was immediate. “Yes.”

I rolled off him and got off the bed, and Shaun did the same. But before I could walk away, he took my hand, stopping me. “Lloyd,” he said softly.

I looked at him. “Yes?”

“I wish to kiss you again. Right now, if I may?”

His words shocked me. Some moments I could easily forget he was an android. He was so very humanlike in almost everything he did. But then moments like this would strike me as odd. He was an android. He wasn’t human, so why did he act like one? Did all A-Class personal companion units have wishes and physical needs? But before I could wonder any more, or even ask, he slid his hand along my jaw and pulled me in for another kiss. He was slower this time, more tender, and he finished by resting his forehead against mine.

“Will you be joining me in the shower?” he whispered.

Oh boy.