“It’s really good. It’s tart, and kind of chocolaty.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Ranic took another sip of his wine and then set it aside. He needed a little loosening up to talk about what he wanted, but not too much. “My world, Finoc, is very restrictive.”
“You don’t have wine there?”
“No, I mean, yes. We have wine. I’m talking about the rules regarding relations.” Ranic felt a curious embarrassment having to explain about the limiting nature of his people. “My kind is extremely xenophobic.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“On the surface of our world, we do not allow outsiders. When we are forced to travel to other worlds, we wear the suit that you saw me in yesterday.” Ranic pointed over his shoulder to the corner where he’d left his suit in a heap. “We tell people this is for reasons of gravity differences, but in reality it is because we do not care to be looked at by aliens.”
Jarrett looked up and his expressive eyes widened. “No one knows what your kind looks like?”
“They do not.”
“But you’ve decided to show me.”
“I have.” Ranic grabbed his wineglass and consumed the rest in one gulp. “I could be put to death for what I’ve already done. But it’s only the beginning of the wrongs I wish to commit.” He realized how dreadful that sounded. “Wrongs in the eyes of my people. However, to the bulk of the universe, what I’m hoping to do is rather common.”
Leaning back in his chair, his features somewhat guarded, Jarrett seemed dubious about what Ranic’s ultimate goal might be. Still, his face was open, and his features expressed curiosity. That was good. If he could intrigue him, Ranic might be able to get him to do as he wished without using force of any kind. That was a relief to Ranic. He didn’t think he could put the collar back on this interesting man and punish him with electrical shocks when he didn’t behave.
“There is only the one way on Finoc. Our rulers believe that there is always one best way to do something, and once that way is found, they are extremely resistant to anything different. Because of this, we have lagged behind the galaxy in terms of technological advancement and—” Ranic cut himself off. “None of that matters now. We do trade, but again, there are incredible restrictions.”
“Is that what you do for your people? You trade goods?”
“No. I am an asteroid miner. A blaster, to be specific.” Ranic explained about the huge scoops on the machines that he and his fellow workers fed asteroids into. “Sometimes they are too big, and we blast them apart so that they can be mined for minerals more efficiently. But my point is that my people are harsh to those who don’t follow the one true way.”
“Okay, so, what kind of law breaking do you want to do here?” Jarrett smiled, flashing his very white teeth. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely and had no fear of committing a grave sin. From what little Ranic had been able to learn about Earth, it wasn’t much wonder. Jarrett’s world was complex, varied, and unlike Finoc, it held more than one race. All who lived there were human, but they could be different in terms of skin color, eye color, height, and especially cultures.
“I wish to break sexual laws.”
“Right. You want me to fuck you.” Jarrett rose to fetch the bottle of wine. When he returned to the table, he filled both their glasses before he sat down. “I’m guessing that two men together is a big no-no on your world?”
“It is punishable by death.”
“Ouch.”
“It is not humorous.”
“No. Sorry. Really, it’s just—your people sound like some of the people on my world.”
“Oh?”
Jarrett sipped some wine and then nodded. “They think all gay people should be destroyed.”
“Why?” Ranic knew his people held their belief for millions of years because of ingrained dogma, but he was curious about Jarrett’s people’s reasoning.
“Eh.” He shrugged. “Some say it’s because they believe the word of God forbids it, but others say it goes against nature. I personally think they are simply afraid of what they don’t understand.”
“Yes.” Ranic leaned across the table. “That is my thought, too.”
Their gazes met and held.
“Why didn’t you try to find a man like you? I mean, on your world, there must be other men who feel like you do. If there were enough of you, together you could change things.”
Ranic nodded at how easy Jarrett made it sound when it was anything but. “I’m sure there are more Finoc men like me, but to even ask is to commit a crime. There is no subtle way of knowing, or signaling. I once thought—” Ranic cut himself off because he didn’t want to even speak the man’s name. To even say someone was of that way could damage them irreparably. “I was so desperate to know if what I felt was true. I saved everything I could to buy time here, to buy you, to rent the ship—all of it just for a brief encounter.”
“Now it’s my turn to be flattered.” Jarrett laughed. “Or maybe not. Considering the ship was on the cheap side, I imagine I was, too.”
“No one wanted you after that business with the probe.” Ranic realized after he spoke that what he’d said might hurt Jarrett’s feelings. “But I wanted you as soon as I saw you.”
“Yeah?” A slow smile spread across his face. “Why? I saw those other guys. All young, hot, and that first one clearly loved having a probe up his ass.”
“There was fierce bidding for him.” Ranic recalled that first man very clearly. He had been young with blond hair and blue eyes, but there was something very arrogant about him that had put Ranic off right away.
“Who won him?”
“An enormous Krase warrior.” Ranic shivered. “I wondered how the two would fit together, but then the other Krase warrior fought to buy an even smaller slave. I do not know why.”
“How did you know I liked men?”
“I did not know.” Ranic sighed. “I actually thought you didn’t because of the probe. However, I thought since I wasn’t too different looking from your species that if I offered out your freedom, I might be able to make a trade.”
“So you bought me without knowing if I would say yes. Then you spent your last dime to bring me to this very expensive world in a rust bucket of a ship all so I could fuck you a couple of times?”
“I swear, I will give you your freedom if—”
Jarrett lifted his hand, cutting Ranic off. “I’m not saying no. I’m just stunned that you had to go to that length to get what you wanted.”
“What I think I want.”
“Wait, what?” Jarrett peered intently at him over the rim of his wineglass. “You mean you don’t even know if you’ll like sex with a man?”
“How can I know when I’ve never touched another man until you?”
“Good point.” Jarrett considered his wine but didn’t drink. “Did you touch me while I was knocked out on that lounge over there?”
Ranic followed his head nod and looked at the reclining chair. “I touched only to put you on the recliner.”
Lifting his gaze, Jarrett peered across the table at Ranic.
Ranic felt oddly uncomfortable, as if Jarrett were probing him for the very deepest beliefs in his heart. For all he knew, he could be capable of such a curious feat. Humans were new to the greater galaxy. Rumors were already flying about what they could and couldn’t do. It would be a long time before all the facts were separated from the fiction. Until that time, Ranic decided he had to be careful and keep his wits about him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Ranic had to ask because he’d never had anyone look at him in such a way and certainly no creature had ever given his suit such a curious stare.
“Because you are incredibly beautiful.”
“I am?” Ranic was considered average on his world.
“You are. Part of it is the sheer sparkle of your skin.”
“Humans do not come in gold?”
“No.” Jarrett laughed lightly
. “Some are kind of golden brown, but you are actually metallic.”
“It’s why I can’t go out in the sun without covering myself.”
“Why?”
“It conducts heat very easily, especially radiant heat from a star. When I saw you on the auction block, I was fascinated with your skin. It’s been darkened by a star, yes?”
“Yeah.” Jarrett extended his arm and looked down. “I was in the Caribbean—a place kind of like this—on Earth. I was scuba diving.”
As he explained, Ranic leaned closer. His world had nothing similar, except sometimes when he was in his trooper suit and in the depth of space he had strange imaginings that it was all underwater.
“This is done for fun?”
“Yeah. I did it to challenge myself, actually.”
“I, too, enjoy a challenge.”
Their gazes met and held, but this time there was more heat. Was it the wine? Or was there more to the attraction they obviously felt toward one another?
“I would kiss you, if I may.”
Jarrett laughed. “You may.”
“Why do you laugh at me?”
“Not at you.” Jarrett set his wine aside and rose. “I am just tickled by all of this. I think there’s a part of me that figures I’m going to wake up alone on the beach at the resort with a huge erection and dozens of chuckling tourists standing near.”
“Ah. So this is like a dream to you?” When Jarrett offered out his hand, Ranic slipped his hand within his grip. His touch was warm, slightly moist, and firm without being grasping.
“So far it’s been one of the best dreams I’ve ever had. What man wouldn’t enjoy being the object of a beautiful alien’s affections?”
A timeless moment spun out. As Ranic stood, Jarrett moved close, holding his hand as he maneuvered their two bodies together. Contact stunned him with shivers of heat shooting over his skin and branding the feel of this most curious creature into his mind. When he’d first arrived, Ranic feared that all his money had been wasted, and he would end up having to return home broke and broken, but now he knew that for a very limited time, he would have exactly what he’d always wanted.
Each movement he made closer to Jarrett pressed more intensity into his body. There had been social interactions with his own kind—females, of course—but he’d had no reaction to them at all. None noticed due to the heavy, protective clothing they wore, but Ranic knew. Other males talked about their hardening bodies and their eagerness to mate, but Ranic had only had such a reaction once, and that was when he’d looked at one of his male coworkers.
After a long shift, they had stripped out of their trooper suits and immediately bathed to wash away any dust that may have strayed from their suits to their bodies. He had never noticed the other males until he’d seen one that caught his gaze and held it fast. Even now, Ranic refused to name him. To name him was to give credence to that terrible temptation. By indulging everything in this short time with Jarrett, who was so welcoming and relaxed, he would have the memories needed to see him through the rest of his life. By thinking of this Earthling, Ranic would be able to mate, have children, and put on a front of normality that would keep him safe.
“You’ve never kissed anyone? Or have you kissed a female?” Jarrett cupped Ranic’s chin and traced his lower lip with his thumb. Each swipe across his flesh sparked sensations much lower. Ranic knew without looking that his cock was hard enough to rise and lift up the fabric of his loin cloth.
“I’ve kissed your neck.”
“Oh.” Jarrett closed his eyes, and a big smile transformed his features. “A virgin.”
“Does that matter?”
“No, it’s just sweet.” His eyes opened, and the fire that had been there was hotter now. Ranic swore he felt heat wash over him. “And very, very sexy.”
Ranic didn’t bother to ask the same question of Jarrett. He knew he had kissed because he didn’t rush to lock his lips to Ranic’s. Only a man who had done an act before could be so relaxed to do so again. Ranic wanted to lean into him, to hurry him up, but he also wanted to enjoy the anticipation of the moment. Too soon their time would come to an end. As sad as that would make him, Ranic didn’t want to rush anything.
Slowly, tenderly, Jarrett lifted Ranic’s chin as he brought their mouths closer. Glimmer wine made their breaths similar, but right before contact came, Ranic breathed through his nose so as not to blow into Jarrett’s mouth. He drew in a breath of his scent. It was foreign and excitingly different. Ranic hoped he smelled as good to Jarrett, and then all thoughts fled from his mind because Jarrett’s lips were against his.
Indescribable.
No words would ever be able to frame that moment so that Ranic could share what happened to him with someone else. Jarrett was at once kind yet commanding. He eased his way even closer so that their bodies touched everywhere they possibly could, and then Jarrett parted his lips. Another wash of tastes and sensations made Ranic reach for a hold only to find his hands clinging to Jarrett’s suntanned shoulders. Warm and strong, Jarrett represented safety and knowledge that he would quite willingly share with Ranic.
Their tongues touched, and Ranic’s hips flicked involuntarily, swiping his cock against Jarrett’s. They simultaneously moaned, and then Jarrett’s hand left his face to slide down his body to cup his hips. Reaching around, Jarrett palmed both of Ranic’s buttocks and pressed him tight while rocking his hips.
Unable to take the pressure, Ranic tore his mouth away and uttered a cry of surrender. Jarrett gripped him tighter. His strong hands found the tie that held up Ranic’s loincloth and pulled it apart. Ranic felt Jarrett fumble at his own covering. Quickly, he’d rid them both of the fabric, removing the last scrap that separated them. Again, he found the contact indescribable.
Another eager whimper escaped Ranic’s mouth as Jarrett rubbed their bare cocks together. The friction generated heat, and the urge to climax beat at the primitive part of Ranic’s brain. Just when he didn’t think he could take anymore stimulation, Jarrett forced his hand between their bodies, wrapped his fist around Ranic’s cock, and stroked up and down while sliding his tongue along Ranic’s in the same lusty rhythm.
All thoughts left his mind, and Ranic became nothing but pure sensation. Jarrett continued to tease him until there was no turning back. Ranic had always known that he was right in his assessment of himself, but having that belief verified offered him a profound sense of relief. He craved the touch of another built like himself. As he felt his pleasure crest and the most shocking sensation of actual climax raced from his balls to spurt out the tip of his prick, he realized the terrible mistake he’d made.
Now that he’d tasted the forbidden pleasures of love in another man’s arms, he would never be able to resolve himself to living a lie.
Chapter 5
Jarrett had never met another man who was so hungry for release. He didn’t know for certain, but he suspected that Ranic had never even handled himself, let alone allowed anyone else to touch him. In all respects he was a virgin. No kisses, no caresses, not even a self-induced orgasm session. Jarrett’s head was spinning. He’d done all kinds of things, in a bunch of different places, with plenty of sexy guys, but all of them paled next to this. There was something special about Ranic, and it had nothing to do with his untouched state. Or maybe it did. But mostly, Jarrett thought it had to do with the amazing hunger that simmered below the surface of Ranic’s golden flesh.
Ranic’s climax was so hard his knees must have gone weak because he sagged against Jarrett. Letting go of his cock, Jarrett wrapped his arm tightly around Ranic’s waist and walked him over to the bed. There, he helped him down onto the mattress then joined him. Jarrett was still hard, but he could wait. Right now he wanted to make things as perfect as he could for Ranic.
Gently, Jarrett kissed Ranic’s face and neck as he recovered from his release, the product of which was remarkably like the glimmer wine they had been drinking. Tiny golden sparkles were suspended in a clear, visco
us fluid, making Jarrett feel as if he’d just jacked off a magical elf or something. His feelings of injustice at being spared death so he could become a slave were gone now. He understood why Ranic had done what he had. If Jarrett could make him happy for the time they had together then gain his freedom, he didn’t see the harm. The only concern he had was how to keep himself emotionally distant. Not that Jarrett wanted to be cold or indifferent, because he wasn’t, but he needed to keep his perspective. When their time together was over, they would go their separate ways because there was no way they could stay together, not with all the obstacles in their path.
Slowly, Ranic recovered, and his eyes fluttered open. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Jarrett kissed his lips and then relaxed onto his side, watching the emotions that moved across Ranic’s features. There was a stunned kind of wonder that told Jarrett that Ranic had thoroughly enjoyed what they’d done, but there was a strange sadness, too. “Why are you sad?”
Ranic startled and looked over at Jarrett. “I feel strangely vindicated that I was right about myself but disappointed, too, because that means I have a choice of living a lie or living outside my world.”
Despite his efforts to keep his emotions at bay, Jarrett found himself feeling deeply for his golden alien. “I wish I could take you to my world.” Unable to endure looking into Ranic’s hopeless eyes, Jarrett rolled to his back, but reached out to hold Ranic’s hand.
“Would we be welcomed there?”
“By some. But I would have a devil of a time explaining why you were gold all the time.” Jarrett considered. “I guess I could tell everyone you’re a street performer.”
“What’s that?” Ranic slipped his fingers in and out of Jarrett’s, weaving them together then working them apart in a rhythmic way that was remarkably soothing.
Enslaved by a Rebel [Sold! 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) Page 3
