“I should hope not. But it’s quite the commitment.”
Julian placed his hands on Ellis’s hips. “Does the rest of our lives seem like enough time?”
Ellis did not respond. Instead, he leaned his body against Julian and allowed himself to be quietly drawn back to their bed.
About the Author
Christine Price lives with her husband, two psychotic cats and a nursery waiting to be filled in Edmonton, AB. Her fascination with the written word began at a young age with a one-page story entitled “My Mother is a Werewolf” and took off from there. In her spare time, she enjoys reading good books, drinking good wine and fine-tuning her mental filters. Soul Bond is her first published work.
You can follow Christine through her website www.christinepricewrites.com or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CPriceIsWrite.
Two men. One passion. No choice.
Beyond Meridian
© 2010 C.C. Bridges
A Men in Space Story
Captain Rick Raine got more than he bargained for when he agreed to take on a brash young man as a crewmember along with contraband cargo. Karl’s spirit intrigues him, but he didn’t sign up for battling privateers, the United Planetary Alliance—or his traitorous body’s response. Especially to a naïve kid who cheats at holo poker and knows a whole lot more than he should.
Deep in the heart of enemy space, Karl’s goal, to rescue the woman who saved him from a life of sexual servitude, is finally close enough to touch. Unfortunately, so is Captain Raine, who becomes erotic poetry in motion when he pilots the ship. Raine’s an honest thief, but Karl can’t trust him with UPA secrets that could get them both killed.
But when Karl signed on for this mission, no one told him to hang on to his heart…
Warning: hot man-on-man sex, talking spaceships, eight-legged robots, space pirates, a potty-mouthed space cowboy, a beautiful woman in distress and a sad lack of laser sword battles.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Beyond Meridian:
Naturally the kid showed up at the crack of the dawn with his damn cargo. Okay, maybe it wasn’t dawn exactly, but still, it was way too early for Raine, who hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. The lights of the space dock had his eyes watering. Raine blinked at the kid—what was his name again? Kyle? Kasper? Karl? Karl! Karl looked way too smug, standing on the catwalk while Raine leaned against the hull of his ship. He’d opened the hatch when he got the alert that someone had entered his port.
“You serious? You found something that fast?” Raine shook his head.
Karl smiled, and damn, Raine had been right in his assessment the night before. The smile lit up his whole face, made those eyes sparkle. He didn’t look like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders anymore. It suited him, turned him from a pretty boy into something special. Raine couldn’t help but smile back.
“I’m just that good,” the kid said with a wink, and now there was a surprise.
“You picked up that sense of humor I was talking about too.”
Before Karl could reply, his mouth snapped shut and the smile drained from his face. At first Raine didn’t know why, but then he turned and saw Leah coming out of the ship. She was adjusting the tie on her top, knotting it at the back of her neck. It was designed to show off the blue and lavender tattoo on her lower back, leaving much of the skin bare.
“Mmm, good morning,” she said as she stretched. “Thanks, Captain. I’ll have Madam update your tab.”
If looks could kill, Raine knew he’d be dead ten times over right now. He’d rather have the kid smiling than staring daggers. Course, the kid hadn’t seen anything yet.
As if right on cue, Michael emerged from the ship, his golden hair sticking up in all directions. He gave Raine a sleepy smile. “Thanks, Captain.”
“Stars,” Karl muttered, crossing his arms and looking away as Raine saw the two workers off, a kiss for Leah and a nice ass squeeze for Michael.
Raine ignored the death glare for the moment. “Where’s this cargo of yours, kid?”
“Getting inspected. It’ll need your authorization before it can be sent to your dock.”
“I hope you negotiated a damn good price.” Raine walked along the gangplank toward the wall of the spaceport, where he could access his account and authorize the shipment. “Where are we taking it anyway?”
“Neo Delhi.”
Raine rolled his eyes. It wouldn’t be anything fun, then. Neo Delhi was ridiculously picky about what was and was not let onto the planet.
He punched in his code and skimmed the authorization request. “And how much are we getting paid?”
“It’s twelve grand for the shipment. You can keep the profit. Like I said, I just need transport to Mendhem.”
“And transport back. I didn’t miss that part. Wasn’t that drunk last night.” Twelve grand was more than fair.
“No, you were too busy doing other things last night.”
Raine punched in his approval for the cargo before whirling around. “What’s wrong, kid, you have a problem with sex?”
He was gratified to see a pink blush rise on the kid’s cheeks, pleased at embarrassing him. Karl would really need to relax if he planned on traveling with Raine.
“I have a problem with people paying for it,” Karl said through gritted teeth.
“You are really on the wrong planet, then.” Raine closed out his transaction with the terminal. The cargo would be delivered as soon as it cleared inspection. “I’m a businessman. I don’t have a problem with making a business transaction. It’s not like I didn’t deliver on my part of the bargain. I get what I paid for and they get a little more toward clearing out their contracts.”
Karl snorted. “Right. What doesn’t go to the Madam or Sir for room and board and whatever other fees they can think of. You’re living in a dreamland if you think it’s a fair transaction.”
“Look, kid, I don’t give a shit about saving the solar system and all that. The arrangement is what it is.”
“Right.” But those eyes stayed hard, like two shards of cold blue glass.
It sounded like a damn good time to change the subject. Raine moved back toward his ship. “What the hell is the cargo, anyway?”
“The official version?”
He turned and raised an eyebrow at the kid who hadn’t moved. “What’s the contraband?” Because honestly, you didn’t pay twelve grand to take just anything to Neo Delhi.
Karl smirked again, though this smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Lingerie.”
Raine barked out a laugh. Must be some kinky shit, because they didn’t let that kind of stuff in past customs on Neo Delhi. “Hidden in what?”
“Crates of clothing for sale. There are false bottoms.”
Trust the kid to find some shady deals his first time out. Raine shook his head. “Well, come on. I think it’s about time I show you around my ship.”
It was worth it just to see the kid smile again.
Just when Karl thought he had Rick Raine figured out, the man went and did something else that surprised him. He’d seen the arrogant trader in the bar, the oversexed rogue on the gangplank, and now, as Raine showed off his ship, Karl saw something else, something he couldn’t quite identify. There was affection in his voice, and if Raine had been talking about a person, Karl would have said it was love. He even caressed the hull, showing off strong, well-formed fingers that made Karl wonder what else those hands were good at doing.
He shook himself out of those thoughts, forcing himself to pay attention.
“She’s a modified F2400 series out of Heijing. I had all her engines refitted two years ago, so she’s almost brand new.” Raine spoke as they entered the ship. “Standard crew for a ship of this kind is six. There are two sets of personal quarters—one for the captain and one for the first mate. Berths in the hull for the remaining crew.”
“Yet you run her by yourself?” Karl followed on Raine’s heels, trying to take in all the details, memorizing the way through t
he cargo hold and past the personal quarters, up toward the bridge.
“I have two maintenance bots,” Raine explained. “They keep the engines going. Fine repairs I do myself. And as for piloting her, well, Dina all but pilots herself.”
Karl opened his mouth to ask about that, but they’d stepped on the bridge at that point and the front wall sparked into life. A woman appeared on the screen, with long chestnut hair and blue eyes. She paid more than a passing resemblance to the ship’s captain and Karl wondered if that wasn’t intentional.
“Good morning, Captain. Unknown individual on the bridge.”
“You have an AI,” Karl breathed. He’d only heard about technology like this. They certainly didn’t have anything like it in the UPA.
“Dina, this is Karl. He will act as first mate on our next cargo run. Karl, this is Dina.”
“Um, nice to meet you.” Karl waved to the image on the screen, unsure how to act toward the ship’s personality.
“A pleasure to meet you as well, First Mate Karl.”
He cringed. “Just Karl is fine. Thanks.”
When he turned back to Raine, the man was giving him an odd look, eyebrows scrunched together as if deep in thought. Karl didn’t quite know what to make of that. He looked around the rest of the bridge, noting the lack of what seemed to him to be standard bridge equipment. There was no navigator’s helm, no other screens except for the large front wall. A few panels took up the places between the two seats welded into the floor, but Karl didn’t see the standard controls for actually piloting. Did Dina really do all the flying herself?
“Captain, you have fifteen messages from the space port taxation authority. You owe twenty-one hundred on the dry dock.”
“Fuck,” Raine muttered. “Your supplier didn’t happen to advance you any of that cash, did they?”
Still a bit caught up in his thoughts, Karl shook his head. “What? Uh. No. Payment upon receipt.”
“Course. How much you got liquid, kid? I need to pay off the port authority and resupply before we head out.”
Karl had managed to get an account for his use on this mission. It wasn’t unlimited however, and he knew he needed to reserve much of it for the rest of his journey, for getting Sam out even if he had to buy her himself. He did plan on paying Raine for the transport, just not right now. He wasn’t that naïve; he knew Raine could take the money and run. “I can front you a grand,” he said carefully, hoping that sounded reasonable.
Raine frowned. “Damn it. Well, kid, looks like we need to raise some capital before we can get the hell out of here. Luckily, the casinos are open.”
Karl blinked at him. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Gambling to earn money?” It sounded like a terrible idea to him.
“It’s the only way, kid. Unless you can magic up the twenty-one hundred in back taxes, the ship ain’t leaving dry dock. And that means you and me both are stuck here. No cargo gets delivered. No trip to Mendhem.”
“I could just find another ship,” Karl said, marveling at the cheek of this guy.
“Cargo is already on its way to my hold, kid. No spacer is gonna want to step on my toes. C’mon.”
Karl wondered when exactly he’d lost control of the situation. Ever since arriving on Meridian it seemed his steps had carried him along, caught up in what he’d set in motion, unable to stop. He couldn’t go back even if he wanted to. Squaring his shoulders, he bit out, “Fine.”
Raine gave him a lazy smile with heavy-lidded eyes. “You’ll see, kid, it’ll be all right.”
Karl wished he could believe him.
Submission isn’t an option—it’s a full-time job.
Crimson
© 2010 Ethan X. Thomas
A Men in Space Story
Humiliated by the betrayal of his former Master, Lieutenant Benjamin Kraft will do anything to bring the drug czar Tazu to justice—anything but kneel again. Forget passion too. He’d rather risk daily grow-op raids. Then, just when Tazu is finally within reach, an ambush wipes out Ben’s entire squad and threatens the life of his partner—a partner he never realized he cared about, much less loved.
As a member of a former slave race known as starlings, Adam’s speed and strength make him a valuable asset to the police force even as his blue skin inspires prejudice and derision from the other officers. Ben’s always been able to look past that, so what’s changed? Suddenly his partner is rude at every turn. Ben may try to get rid of him, but too bad; Adam won’t be scared off. He has his own reasons for wanting to bring Tazu in, and he’ll do it even if it means putting Ben in his place.
Even if it means acting as Ben’s Master on their next mission: an investigation on a planet where sex is everywhere, and where whips and chains are the norm…
Warning: This title may prove addictive. It contains explicit m/m sex, leather chaps, latex shorts, and slippery goodness.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Crimson:
The heat birthed a storm. Beyond the balcony doors, the sky darkened moment by moment, rain-heavy clouds rushing in from the west. Adam shivered as he watched. Two bands of leather hung from his shoulders, just wide enough to cover his pectorals. The Granati might call it a vest, but he called it decoration, and barely that. Worse yet, neither of his wrists bore gauntlets. Even with latex shorts on, he’d rarely felt so naked.
“I’d give anything for a weapon,” he said, just loud enough to be heard.
Ben looked over from the birdcage. Tight silk riding pants clung to his legs like a second skin, a perfect match for the riding crop hung from his low-slung, studded belt. Besides boots and a pair of biceps-high, black leather gloves, he wore nothing else. “We can’t give our identities away.”
Adam met his gaze but didn’t reply.
“I said I was sorry,” Ben apologized. His eyes lingered on Adam’s outfit, on his spiked plumage. Color rose slowly in his face.
“Do you like me this way?” Adam asked. Suddenly being naked didn’t seem so vulnerable after all. He leaned back against the balcony door, one hip cocked, and tensed all the muscles in his legs. They rippled all the way down to his combat boots.
Ben’s eyebrow quirked in mock annoyance. “Are you strutting?”
“Not yet. Are you staring?”
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to answer a question with another question?”
Adam laughed. “Should I get you the leash?”
Ben opened his mouth for a quick retort, but nothing came. An instant later he laughed too, shaking his head. “Only if I’m the one on it.”
Neither of them had a snappy comeback for that.
As awkward as strangers, they made their way to the shuttle waiting on the roof. By the time they touched down at the club, rain spattered against the skiff’s viewscreen. Ben left its shelter first, guiding Adam through the bluster with an arm wrapped around his waist. Fingers brushed Adam’s ribs, and the cold of the storm passed. Heat unfurling in his belly, he could barely stop himself from pushing Ben back against the wall. Ben would answer him whether he liked it or not, and soon.
Candelabras stood throughout the main room. Their flames guttered, casting the same shadow over and over again on the red walls. The benches, the stocks—all of them had been cleared away. A single metal cross dominated the floor, its iron arms forming a massive X. Wrist and ankle straps lay slack against its limbs.
Tau emerged from the darkness, Lexa at his side. Others sat in the shadows. Adam could hear them, a subtle shift of weight on leather couches. An eye glinted here and there, fixed on the scene about to begin.
Ben nodded in greeting. “A pleasure, Tau, as always. Is there some special occasion?”
“Only your pleasure,” Tau intoned. “You cannot imagine how I have enjoyed watching you grow.”
Lexa stepped forward and reached for Ben’s belt buckle with ringed fingers.
Adam seized her wrist. He released it an instant later, faking shame, eyes downcast. “Please, Master. Let me prove that I am the o
ne who should be on the cross, not you.”
Ben glanced at Tau, seeking permission, and at once a different sort of fire burned in Adam’s gut. The thought that Ben would let himself be ordered around by that son of a bitch! Adam choked back his anger. The mission, he reminded himself. Until Ben tells me otherwise, I have to believe it’s all for the mission.
Tau’s smile grew frosty. He beckoned, and a servant appeared, handing Tau the crystal decanter. The scarlet within shone like fresh blood in the candlelight.
Tau turned back to Adam, holding the bottle aloft. “Undress.”
“Adam,” Ben began warily, “you don’t have to do this—”
Adam slammed his shields shut before he could hear a word more. He slipped free of his clothing and handed the pieces to Ben. Then, naked, he walked to the cross and turned his back on the crowd. Even its cool surface couldn’t snuff the furious blaze beneath his skin. Lexa’s soft hands trailed down his spine. She pushed his legs farther apart, a finger ghosting between his ass cheeks, and knelt to bind his ankles. His wrists followed, the leather straps cinched tight.
“May I start in with my crop?” Ben asked.
Tau tut-tutted. “So impatient. We must whet his appetite.”
Another set of hands, coarser and wider, smeared wetness from the nape of Adam’s neck to his heels. Within a heartbeat, the heat of his anger seemed glacial. True fire raged along the length of his body, first across his flesh and then beneath it. His bones became live coals.
Tau’s voice grated in his ear. “How does it feel?”
Adam cried out mutely, jerking against his restraints. How much had Tau used? Two, three times what he had used on Ben?
Tau seized his plumage. “Is that how you answer your betters?”
“It feels good.”
Tau spanked him once, hard, and Adam’s hips knocked against the cross. Despite the flare of pain, he longed to rock them. “Say it properly,” Tau snarled.
The room spun. The cross undulated beneath Adam as a lover would.
Tau’s fists slammed into his shoulder blades. As if from a distance, Adam heard himself scream, the sound familiar somehow.
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