by Opal Carew
“Remember, think about vanilla milkshakes.”
Then she took it deep again, gliding fast and squeezing.
Casey groaned, then her cock swelled and exploded into Jenna’s mouth. Jenna sucked deeply until every last drop had spilled.
She drew back with a smile, then surged up to kiss Casey, gliding her tongue into Casey’s mouth to share the spoils.
Jenna eased back and smiled, feeling the glow of happiness beaming from her face.
Casey laughed. “I’m glad you enjoy how I taste.”
Jenna grinned. “Maybe Darrick will like it, too.”
The thought of Darrick’s lips gliding up and down her cock had Casey’s insides quivering. He could suck her cock while Jenna sucked his and Casey could feast on Jenna’s pussy.
She drew in a breath and pushed herself from the bed. With how volatile these penises were, she had to get her mind on something else and fast.
“I’m going to shower and then I’ll make us some breakfast,” Casey said.
After a long and very cold shower, Casey returned to the bedroom, back in her female form again. Jenna was gone. Casey dropped her robe on the bed and pulled on her uniform, then brushed out her hair and fastened it in her usual ponytail.
She peered into Jenna’s bedroom and saw that she wasn’t there either, but a quick check in her private bathroom told Casey she’d used the shower. When Casey walked into the kitchen, she saw Jenna sitting at the counter in the soft, fluffy robe that Casey had left for her in the bathroom.
“I wanted to get breakfast started, but I don’t know how to use any of the stuff in the kitchen.”
Casey laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll show you sometime soon, but for now let me take care of it. I need to go on duty in about an hour.”
Casey made breakfast and sat down with Jenna.
“So will Darrick be back after he’s finished today?” Jenna asked.
Casey peered at Jenna over her coffee cup, then set it down.
“Jenna, I told you the three of us might be meant to be together, but I didn’t tell you that Darrick has some issues with that idea.”
“What kind of issues?”
“When you asked if a bond with three people happens, I told you not often. What I didn’t tell you is that a lot of people consider that kind of relationship taboo.”
“Really? Your race seems so open sexually.”
“It’s one of those strange things. Some people feel it’s unnatural. That the people involved are making some kind of illicit choice. They don’t accept that the bond is just as strong within a threesome as it is between a couple.” Casey sipped her coffee. “Things are changing, but these things take time.”
Jenna’s stomach tightened and she pushed her plate away.
“I take it Darrick is against threesomes.”
“Yes, I’m afraid so, but not because he disapproves. Darrick grew up with parents who were in a threesome relationship. He had two fathers and a mother. It was painful for him and his siblings. The frowns and nasty looks from adults, the cruel taunting from other children. And he hated how his parents were treated.”
“That’s terrible.” Jenna’s heart ached for Darrick. “So you don’t think he’ll even consider it?”
Casey shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve known Darrick a long time. We grew up together and I saw firsthand how he was treated.” She locked gazes with Jenna. “But I haven’t given up hope. Things are changing more quickly now since our people have started finding their tanash’aei on other worlds. People understand we have to be open to other beliefs and with an other-worlder as part of a threesome relationship, most people will find it harder to question that.” Jenna reached out and took Casey’s hand in hers.
“So you’re saying it’s going to be a difficult path,” Jenna said, “but maybe a little easier for us because I’m from another planet.”
“Yes, but I’m not sure Darrick will accept that.”
Jenna reached out and took Casey’s hand in hers. “Then we’ll just have to convince him.”
Casey checked her comm device as she waited for the elevator. Darrick had been avoiding her for days. She frowned as she saw that he still hadn’t answered any of her messages. She couldn’t let this go on.
The doors swooshed open and she stepped inside.
“Hello, Casey.”
“Commander. How is everything?”
She’d heard that Larson had been having some difficulties with his tanash’ae relationship. At least, that was what most people assumed because he’d been frustrated and on edge, which was not the sign of a man enjoying time with the love of his life.
“Eva and I had a rocky start,” Larson said, “but I’m happy to say that we’ve worked out our problems.”
She glanced at him and saw that his eyes gleamed with the deep contentment of a man in love.
“How are things with you and Jenna?”
“Just like with you, things were rocky at the beginning. But things are good between Jenna and me now.”
“And what about Darrick? I assume he’s not accepting the relationship.”
Casey hesitated. The commander knew her and Darrick’s history.
“He knew when we left Sa’oul that our relationship was over.”
“Casey, you don’t have to hide anything from me. I know that you and Darrick are true tanash’aei. Anyone who knows you can see that. So clearly the fact that you’re called to another mate means that all three of you are meant to be together.”
Casey pursed her lips. “Darrick doesn’t see it that way.”
“Because of his background. I know. But you’d better do something about it before he gets himself into trouble I can’t help him get out of.”
Her heart pounded. “What do you mean?”
“On duty, he’s been distracted and withdrawn. He’s arrived late a few times and he’s prickly and running on a short fuse. Off duty, he’s been spending a lot of his free time in the Red Room. Last night he drank more than he should and got into a brawl.” His concerned gaze locked on her. “He needs to get his act together.”
“I’ll talk to him, Commander.”
“Good.”
The doors opened and the commander strode from the elevator. The doors closed behind him and Casey directed the elevator to change destinations. When it arrived, she strode to the Red Room and saw Darrick sitting at a table with Selea and Linet. Jealousy surged through her, knowing that the two women had a thing for him.
She sucked in a deep breath, then strolled to the table.
“Darrick, could I have a word?” She stared at the two women pointedly.
Casey knew they were intimidated by her.
“We’ll leave you two alone,” Salea said and the two of them stood up.
“No,” Darrick said firmly. “Stay right here.”
Reluctantly, the women sat down again, eyeing Casey nervously.
Darrick leaned back in his chair. “Don’t you have to report for duty, Casey?”
Casey stared at Darrick, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the even darker cloud of bitterness in their depths. He was trying to push her away, but she wouldn’t let him.
“Darrick, we need to talk. Privately. We can’t leave things the way they are.”
He scowled, but tipped back his drink, draining the contents, then signaled for another.
His comm unit bleeped and he turned his wrist to glance at it.
He stood up. “Sorry, ladies. I have to go.”
He stepped past Casey and strode from the room.
“Casey,” Linet said. “You don’t have to worry about Selea and me. We don’t know what’s going on with the two of you and how the Earth woman fits in, but we know that you and Darrick are in love. We’d never come between you.”
“He’s confused right now,” Selea said, “and getting himself into trouble. We’re concerned about him and were trying to have a friendly talk with him. It looks like he might have gone too far, though, b
ecause I saw that the message he just received was to report to the captain.”
“Oh, no,” Linet said. “I heard rumors that he might be reassigned to another ship. We’ll be rendezvousing with the Yansome in a couple of days.”
Casey’s chest clenched. The thought of Darrick disappearing from her life indefinitely, maybe forever, made her heart sink.
Casey walked back to her quarters at the end of her shift, looking forward to seeing Jenna again, longing to snuggle into her arms. Yesterday she’d found Jenna wearing one of Casey’s shirts and nothing else, with only one button fastened. Casey was taller than Jenna so everything was covered, but the woman had kept teasing Casey with glimpses of satiny flesh until Casey had grown a pair, backed her against the wall and driven into her, taking Jenna hard until she screamed in ecstasy. It had been thrilling.
The only issue was that Casey wanted to be the recipient of that kind of potent sex sometimes, too.
Worry about Darrick had been heavy on her mind the whole time she’d been on duty, but she’d kept her focus and tried not to think about it.
Now she stood outside her door, knowing she’d have to tell Jenna about Darrick’s struggles and the fact he might disappear from their lives. At least she’d been able to build years of memories with Darrick. Jenna would only have that one night together to remember.
“Hi,” Jenna said as Casey stepped inside.
Casey’s gaze shifted to Jenna, who sat on the couch with a tablet in her hand. Jenna smiled at Casey as she stood up and walked toward her, abandoning the tablet on the cushions. Casey’s heart thumped as Jenna slid her arms around Casey and gave her a big hug. Casey returned the hug, squeezing her tight.
“Hey, what’s happened?” Jenna asked.
Casey loosened her hold and Jenna tipped her head with a smile. She ran her fingertips along Casey’s cheek, then stroked some loose hair behind her ear. The gentle touch and caring look in her lovely blue eyes made Casey’s heart swell.
She slid her arm around Jenna’s waist and they walked to the couch and sat down together.
“I ran into the commander and he has concerns about Darrick. It seems Darrick’s been having problems dealing with his feelings and getting into trouble.”
“How bad?”
Casey gritted her teeth. “I heard rumors that he might be transferred off the ship.”
The look of shock and dismay on Jenna’s face rivaled Casey’s own tumultuous feelings.
Casey’s comm unit chimed and she glanced at it.
“It’s Darrick. He wants to talk.”
CHAPTER 13
As soon as Darrick stepped into Casey’s quarters and saw Casey and Jenna waiting there for him, his heart clenched. His gaze lingered on Casey’s taut expression and the glow of concern in her violet eyes. Then shifted to Jenna’s lovely heart-shaped face. Casey, whom he’d known most of his life, and Jenna, whom he’d only known for days. Both stirred in him an unbidden desire that was strong enough to topple his resistance.
Almost.
He walked in and sat in one of the cozy armchairs facing the couch.
“Casey, I’m sorry about how I behaved earlier. And about not answering your messages.”
“I understand. This situation has been difficult for you.” Casey sat with her hands resting on her long, lean thighs. In her crisp, fitted uniform, she was magnificent to behold.
His gaze flicked to Jenna. She wore snug pants and a soft blue sweater that matched her eyes. Casey’s hair was almost white and Jenna’s was glossy black. Casey was tall and muscular while Jenna was average height with a soft, rounded build. It would be wonderful to feel Jenna’s soft body snuggled close to his right now.
But it was Casey he loved.
Fakkreh, who was he kidding. The feelings he had for Jenna were just as strong.
But even if he was bonded to Jenna, he couldn’t live that life. Couldn’t put Casey and Jenna through that.
“I told Jenna about your background,” Casey said, “so she would understand the situation.”
His chest tightened. He didn’t like people knowing. But he knew Casey had a good reason to tell her. Jenna was her tanash’ae. And Casey believed she was also his.
Jenna’s beautiful blue eyes were filled with hope as she stared at him. Casey’s, too.
Damn, they thought he was here to talk about making a relationship work between the three of them.
“I came here to let you know that…” He hesitated, not wanting to just blurt it out.
“Are you being transferred off the ship?” Casey asked.
His gaze shot to her. He shouldn’t be surprised she knew. She wouldn’t have been sitting idly by while he’d been drowning in his sorrows.
“Darrick, we can talk to the captain together,” Casey said. “I’m sure we can convince him to change his mind.”
He frowned. “You don’t get it, Casey. I asked for the transfer.”
The color drained from Casey’s face. “You can’t mean it. You’ll really leave us?”
“What did you think would happen, Casey?”
“I don’t know… I hoped that with time….” She trailed off, looking a little lost.
“That what? You could keep seducing me into bed with the two of you until you finally wear me down? That won’t happen because you and Jenna are tanash’aei and I won’t come between the two of you.”
“But we’d both love you between us.” Casey’s lips turned up in a hopeful grin as she said the teasing words.
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I’ll be leaving with the Yansome in two days.”
“Darrick.” For the first time, Jenna spoke.
He glanced toward her.
“Let’s talk frankly,” Jenna said. “You say that Casey and I are tannish-aei.”
Darrick noticed she said the word with almost no trace of an accent now.
“But you also know,” Jenna continued, “that you and I are tannish-aei, too.”
He clenched his jaw, biting back the automatic denial. They were all past believing that now.
“The real problem, from what Casey told me, is that you don’t want to be in a relationship with three of us. If you can at least admit that, we can try and move forward.”
Darrick’s chest constricted and he shot to his feet and started to pace.
“Fine. I admit it. Being in this type of relationship is taboo and will cause all three of us heartache and pain. It will also be extremely difficult for our children.”
He felt a hand on his arm and he stopped, his gaze jerking to Jenna who now stood beside him.
“Darrick, I won’t pretend to know what you went through as a child. I know my brother was harassed because he was gay and it was painful. I hated seeing him go through that. But where I live we’ve come a long way and romantic relationships that were once considered taboo are more accepted. Casey tells me that the same is true on your planet for this type of relationship.”
“There’s still a stigma.”
Her hand glided up his arm, then brushed lightly along his cheek and she gazed at him, her wide blue eyes glowing with love. The feel of her soft fingers resting on his cheek had a calming affect, despite the heat that it triggered within him.
“That was true for my brother, too, but he’s happily married now. If he had denied who he is, he would never have found that happiness
“Darrick, I know what it’s like to be afraid of a new situation. I’ve been pulled from my world and flung into a new environment, paired with someone who isn’t even the gender I expected, and I’ll be on a new planet soon, where I have no idea how I’ll fit in. I’m unnerved by the whole situation, but once I let go of my preconceived notions of what love means for me… once I accepted that Casey truly is my tannish-ae…”
The conviction in Jenna’s sapphire eyes affected Darrick profoundly.
Then Jenna gazed at Casey with a look of love that took his breath away.
“Once I realized that, I knew that the most important
thing in the world was to be with Casey. Nothing else mattered.”
She turned her gaze back to Darrick and took his hand. His heart pounded when he saw the love blazing in her eyes just as brightly as she stared at him.
“I feel the same for you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.” She squeezed his fingers. “If you leave, the pain will be unbearable.”
“Jenna, I—”
“This situation is already so difficult for me. Please say you’ll be there to help me through it.”
His chest clenched so tightly he could barely breathe. He was frozen. Everything in him insisted he had to walk away from this relationship. Everything except his heart. It pounded in his chest like a barrel drum, every beat insisting he pull this woman into his arms and promise he would never leave her.
“Darrick,” Casey said, now standing beside Jenna, “whatever society throws at us, we’ll handle.”
He sucked in a deep breath.
“But what if people call you indecent names? Or try to beat you up? That happened to my mother once. She was in the hospital for a week.”
He’d only been eight years old and seeing her in that hospital bed, all bruised and with her arm in a cast had left him shaken to his very core.
“I couldn’t bear it if that happened to either of you.”
Casey tipped up her chin, her ponytail bouncing. “I’d like to see them try.”
Jenna squared her shoulders and locked gazes with Darrick. “I won’t run away from this because of what might happen.”
“If you’re doing this to protect us,” Casey said, “don’t worry about that. What other people think or say doesn’t bother me.”
Gattra, he just wanted to give in. To let himself feel the joy of loving these two women. To spend his life with them.
Jenna stroked his cheek and this time she tipped up her chin, her eyes glowing with love as she stared into his.
“What will be far more painful than what anyone else does,” Jenna said, “is if you walk away.”
Her words were like a kick in the gut.
The restraints he had so tightly bound around his emotions snapped and the deep love and need he felt for Jenna and Casey surged through him, pushing away all reason.
