“Have you made a choice, Lady Lija? Are you Jackon’s now?” he asked, obviously willing her to say no.
Lija shook her head. “I promised I’d give you both a chance. It’s your turn today.”
Jackon stiffened and released her, the action showing his reluctance. Anger was in his posture, but he didn’t say anything, just turned and headed for the bridge. Lija watched him leave, regretting everything. They’d been so close…how could she have hurt him so badly?
“He’ll be fine. Neither of us likes having to share you.” Gehon had come up behind her and when she turned she found herself staring up into his face. Handsome, like Jackon, but different as well.
Jackon’s face showed his love of fun and laughter. They’d played all day yesterday, sex games as well as other more mundane pastimes. Lija couldn’t remember another time she’d laughed so hard or for so long.
There was no laughter in Gehon’s eyes, but a wary watchfulness and sternness in his expression. Lija felt like he could see into her soul, and know the game she was playing. He’d accuse her now of not taking them seriously and lock her into her room for the rest of the trip. Her mad adventure would be over, both men would hate her, and she’d go to her upcoming wedding with only bitter memories…
Abruptly Gehon smiled and it softened his features. “You needn’t fear me, Lady Lija. I understand how difficult this must be for you, as well as us.”
“It is…difficult. I don’t know how I could choose between you.”
He chuckled. “Since you were in Jackon’s arms all day yesterday, I’m surprised, but pleased to hear it anyway.” He glanced around at the ship’s walls. “This place isn’t soundproof, you know.”
Heat flushed through her cheeks. “You could hear us…”
“I heard nothing I haven’t heard before. I’ve been working with Jackon a long time,” he said dryly. Gehon waved at the food prep machines. “Why don’t you get something to eat?”
He sat opposite her with a cup of Earth coffee, apparently his favorite wake-up drink, while she helped herself to a plateful of what seemed to be freshly sliced fruit and sweetened rolls. His attitude was so similar to the way Jackon had watched her the day before that she almost forgot he wasn’t the same man. Only the reminder of his red hair kept her from mistaking the men for each other.
When she’d emptied her plate, Lija lingered over her tea, reluctant to admit to being finished. She stole a glance at Gehon, who seemed content to sip his drink.
Finally she noticed his lips twitching. “This is awkward, isn’t it?” he told her.
“Yes.” She hesitated. “I’m not sure why. I didn’t know either of you that well yesterday.”
Leaning back he pushed his mug away. “Yesterday was easier because you really needed one of us to make love to you. Today you don’t.”
Again she felt heat in her face. “I wasn’t…”
Gehon gave a short bark of a laugh. “My lady, you broadcasted sexual need like a beacon. You might as well have been wearing a light-sign saying ‘take me now’. If it is one thing a Zelion man knows how to read, it is his woman when she’s in heat.”
Furious, Lija jumped to her feet. “I was not in heat. It had just been a long time between lovers.”
“Between proficient lovers, you mean. More than that, you’ve never had anyone like Jackon before. No one has ever made you scream like that,” he said wryly.
Lija eyes widened. “You can tell that, too?”
Gehon held up his hands as if trying to calm her down. “I meant no disrespect, my lady. You’re my true mate and there are many things I can tell from the way you smell and the look in your eyes. I know that yesterday was the best sexual experience you ever had.” He sighed. “Jackon is very likely the best man when it comes to sexual athletics.”
Returning to her seat, she couldn’t help the bite in her tone when she spoke next. “In that case, how do you expect to compete with him?”
“I don’t, exactly. Yesterday I had time to think about what the best approach would be. I’m going to give you something that Jackon didn’t yesterday.”
“What is that?”
Gehon smiled, a warm funny smile that lit up his face. “Jackon gave you sex. Great sex, I’m sure, so I’ve got to go beyond what he did.” He took a deep breath. “I’m going to offer you more than sex. I’m going to offer you romance.”
In spite of herself she laughed. “Romance? Like hearts and flowers?” She glanced around the comfortable but spare surroundings of The Traveler‘s galley. “This isn’t the most romantic environment to work in.”
Gehon leaned forward and reached out to touch her face. Lija startled at the gentleness in his fingers and the trail of sparks they left as they caressed her.
“Any place can be romantic when you’re in love, my lady.”
She pulled away. “You aren’t in love with me.”
Again he had a smile she couldn’t read. “I might be. I know I could be, given any time at all. But you’re right—this is not the place to discuss romance. I have someplace else in mind.”
In spite of herself she was curious. “What are you going to do?”
“It is what we’re going to do.” Gehon took her hand and held it to his lips, breathing the scent of it deep into his nostrils. He chuckled. “First thing we need to do is wash my partner off you.”
Lija snatched her hand back. “I did clean up.” She sniffed her hand. “I don’t smell anything.”
Gehon shook his head. “Zelions have strong senses of smell, particularly where their mates are concerned. Anyway, I think you’ll enjoy what I have in mind.”
He rose to his feet and held out his hand. “Come, Lady Lija. Our romance awaits.”
She stopped him. “Only if you call me Lija. You don’t want me to do to you what I did to your partner to make him use my name.”
Gehon broke out into a grin. “I can just imagine. Jackon can be stubborn when it comes to protocol. Very well, as you wish. Will you come with me, Lija?”
She put her hand in his and let him lead her to another part of the ship. He opened the door, and they stepped into warmth and moisture and the heavy smell of growing things. The harsh lighting from the ceiling panels was dimmed and gentled by tall wide-leafed plants that surrounded them as soon as they stepped inside.
Lija breathed appreciatively of the fresher air. “You have a ship’s garden? I thought that was something more on larger ships.”
“It’s just a small one and serves many purposes. We’re in space for long periods sometimes and this place helps with the air and water purification, and we can grow some food like the fresh fruit you had this morning.”
He pulled her over to a corner, nearly hidden by the towering plants, some of which she now saw bore fruit in various states of ripeness. “It is also a good excuse for this.”
Lija halted and stared in astonishment. In the corner was a sonic shower, similar to the one in the private sanitary she had off her cabin. The waterless cleaning stall wasn’t that strange a sight, except for its location. What was unusual was the large wooden tub that stood next to it, big enough to fit two people. The waterproof lid that was used to keep the contents in place during low gravity times had been removed, and she could see steam rising from the surface.
She turned to the tall redheaded man beside her. “You have a hot tub?”
Gehon shrugged. “As I mentioned before, Zelions have very good senses of smell and we need more than sonic showers to feel clean. A good soak is just the thing.” He nodded at the surrounding plants. “Besides, it holds the water needed to keep the plants healthy.” He sighed. “Sometimes at the end of a long journey, we can’t use it because too much water has been used. Fortunately that’s not the case today.”
Excitement filled her. While she’d heard about the supposed benefits of soaking in hot water, she’d never experienced it before. This was a new adventure. “What do we do to use it?”
“First you clean up in the sh
ower. We don’t want contaminants in the tub. Then you just climb in and soak. It’ll relax you and…” he hesitated. “It will ease any soreness you have.”
Lija tried not to blush again at Gehon’s indirect reminder of Jackon and her activities the day before. Now that he mentioned it, she was a little tender in places that hadn’t gotten that much of a workout in the past, and there was a nagging ache in the small of her back.
Going to bed with a sexual athlete put a strain on muscles, as well as wear and tear on delicate tissues.
She went to unfasten the top of the simple gown that Jackon had found for her, some sort of Zelion woman’s dress with long sleeves and a skirt that fell to mid-calf. Abruptly she realized that Gehon was watching her, and turned from him, embarrassed. She didn’t have anything on underneath.
Again she heard his chuckle. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him. “Lija, I plan on being lovers with you within the next few hours, but if it makes you feel better, I’ll turn my back while you get undressed.”
Now she felt silly. Of course he’d be seeing her naked soon. She might as well get it over with. Her hands flew to the fastenings, but he stopped them, holding them with his.
“I would rather you be comfortable with me, Lija.” He raised her hands to his lips, kissing the backs of them. As light as his touch was, it still sent thrills through her body. She lifted her face to his.
Gehon hesitated, but only for a moment. Then he swooped down to claim her lips in a burning kiss. It was like being kissed by Jackon, but different. Lija felt the same swoon as his mouth moved over hers, his tongue sweeping inside to taste her.
His body where it touched hers was hard, and as he pressed closer, became harder still. Lija thrilled at his hardness. Obviously Gehon was just as well endowed as Jackon and she looked forward to becoming acquainted with his equipment.
She wondered at that. How could she be intimate with two men in so short a timespan? Still, somehow there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with kissing Gehon. His touch, his kiss, the faint scent of him as he held her to him…it was all just as arousing as it had been with Jackon.
Had she become some sort of glutton for sex, now that she was with these two? In the past she’d fantasized about being with other men, but the reality was that it had been rare for her to feel this good with even one. Gehon had said it right, that never before had she had sex like she’d had with Jackon. After him all other men would seem wanting.
Except maybe for this one. Without thinking about it, Lija let Gehon hold her as close as he wanted, even when his hands wandered to her ass to lift it and press her closer to his massive erection.
Was his cock as pretty as Jackon’s had been? Hard to believe but she was certain to find out pretty soon.
He pulled away. “Let me undress you, Lija, then you can get into the shower.” His hands undid the simple fastenings that held her garment up at the shoulders, with practiced fingers that told her he’d undone this kind of dress countless times before.
A flicker of jealousy slid through her at that thought. Jackon, too, had had experience, and not just with the clips on a dress. How many women had been with these men before? They might not like sharing, but then again neither did she.
Jackon let the gown fall to the floor and gazed with rapt admiration. “Lija, you’re so beautiful.” His breath seemed to catch in his throat.
She tried to twist from his hold. “I’m sure you’ve seen many women more beautiful than I.”
A firm hand caught her chin, turning her face to his. In his eyes she read his sincerity. “No woman could possibly be as beautiful to me. You are my mate, Lija, the woman with whom I could have a family. Tell me you believe that, please.”
She couldn’t help but believe him, not with the way he was looking at her. Tamping down her insecurity, Lija nodded her answer. Gehon rewarded her with one of his rare smiles. “Good then.” He pushed her toward the shower. “I’ve already been in there. Clean up and I’ll see you in the tub.”
The sonic “spray” prickled along her skin, leaving it tingling for some time after she turned it off. The dry cleaning removed impurities from her skin using highly focused sound waves. It was efficient as a cleansing device, but left something to be desired when it came to relaxation.
She stepped out of the stall to see her dress and Gehon’s pants and shirt folded neatly on a nearby bench, along with what looked to be a pair of heavy towels.
He was already in the large tub, only his head bobbing above the surface of the water, his features partially obscured by the rising mist. As she stepped closer, Gehon’s eyes riveted onto her, watching her cross the short distance with anticipation in his face.
Lija was happy to notice that while he glanced at her breasts and the triangle of hair that covered her woman’s mound, it was her face he looked at the longest. He smiled as she reached the short step she needed to climb to get into the tub.
“You might want to put your hair up before you get in, to keep it dry.”
Lija noticed he’d made a queue from his shoulder-length hair and pinned it up. She did the same, wrapping her maiden’s braid into a circlet on her head, the way she’d done the few times she’d been in water before. Hers was a dry planet and open pools of water simply didn’t exist, so bathing or swimming didn’t happen that often.
Eager for this new experience, she dipped one foot, then the other into the water. It was a perfect temperature, just a little on the hot side, and she slipped the rest of the way in with an appreciative groan, only at the last moment realizing that she couldn’t feel the bottom. The tub must continue well below the floor of the room to be so deep. Clutching the side, she managed to keep from going underwater completely, only getting a little of her hair wet in the process.
She found a seat on a narrow shelf jutting out from the inside of the tub, just opposite Gehon, whose face still bore a slight smile. Big as the tub was, he could touch her if he reached out with those long arms of his, but for the moment he seemed content to watch her.
His watching was almost as arousing as his touch had been. Lija sighed. Both these men were far more expert in lovemaking than she was, and it showed. She shouldn’t be getting excited just because a man was looking at her.
She felt completely out of her depth here, and not just because the tub was taller than she was.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Gehon’s voice had a soft purr to it that drove her libido even crazier. As relaxing as the water was, it wasn’t just its warmth that was making her hot.
Trying to keep her voice level, she answered him. “It feels really nice.”
He moved slowly along the edge of tub until he was just inches from her. The ledge was at a height that the top of his broad shoulders could be seen above the water. Their width made her curious about the rest of him. She knew Gehon was shorter than Jackon, but from here he seemed more muscular.
She looked down and realized that like her he was completely naked in the tub. She could see reddish brown hair covering his broad chest and trailing down his flat stomach all the way to…oh, yes, the hair down there was red, too. She could see his penis, the pale organ waving stiffly at her from its surrounding reddish cluster of curls. The image reminded her of a holovid she’d seen once about Earth’s oceans. His cock could have been an undersea creature resting on its bed of seaweed.
A really large undersea creature.
One hand came out of the water to rest on her shoulder, drawing her attention away from his waving cock. “Would you like me to rub your back?”
It sounded harmless enough, although she doubted anything this man did would be completely harmless. He’d promised her romance, and she had to admit, this was romantic, with the warm water and ship’s lighting muted by the surrounding plants. From the corner of her eye she saw a flicker of fire and realized he’d lit a candle on a shelf next to the tub, some sort of incense fragrance that was the source of the rich spicy smell surrounding them.
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She nodded, and allowed him to turn her away from him. His large hands worked her shoulders, wringing one moan after the other from her. Continuing down her back, Gehon found every tight muscle she had, every knot along her spine, and with gentle force, relaxed them.
By the time he was done, her mind and body was so tranquil she could have floated away.
“Gehon, that feels so good,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.
He moved closer, cradling her back into his front. In the small of her back she felt the length of his erection as his arms surrounded her. He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, his breath warm against her cheek. “I’m glad, Lija. I only want you to feel good with me.”
“Because I’m your true, your hope for children?”
“That’s part of it. Zelion warriors are trained in two things—fighting, and the need to reproduce. The first is far easier than the second. To reproduce we must find that one woman who complements us. For me, that’s you, so of course I want you to want to be with me.”
He stopped to kiss her neck, the sensation of his lips against her skin a delight. She almost missed the rest of his speech.
“The rest is that I really like you…and I suspect I’m more than a little in love with you. I know that’s hard to believe with as little time as we’ve spent together, but that’s the way it is when we meet the right woman. Our true mate. You’re my match for more than how our bodies fit together. It’s because our minds fit together as well, our hearts and our souls.”
He turned her face and she saw the sincerity in his eyes. “When I mate with you for the first time, Lija, I will use the claiming words. That isn’t binding on you, but it is for me. I do it, not to sway your decision, but because I must. I know already how it will be between us. It will be wonderful, unique.” A shadow crossed his face. “I suspect you already know that, since you’ve been with Jackon already. You’re his true as well, so making love with him would be the same. You could pick either one of us and be assured a good life with a husband who will always love you.
“I can hope you pick me…” his voice trailed off and he looked away from her. “Whomever you pick, we will always be friends, Lija. Jackon and I have been together too long to stop that.”
Two Men and a Lady Page 4
