by Marla Monroe
Her hands reached down to try and cover her pussy. “No! I need at least a good night’s sleep to go through that again. Sheesh. You guys nearly broke me.”
Rusty deadpanned, “She’s going to need lots of practice if we’re going to take her together one day. She’d never survive it.”
Jared rolled over to sit on the edge of the bed. “I would agree with you. We’ll start off with an orgasm every night then work our way up to two.”
“Come on, guys. We need to get some sleep. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a long day tomorrow.” Jane started to tug her gown back down into place, but Rusty stopped her.
“No need for that when we’re in bed, baby girl. We like you naked between us.” Rusty helped tug it over her head.
He stood and laid it over a chair then hopped back in bed, minus his bottoms. She noticed that Jared didn’t remove his but didn’t say anything. She knew that he was trying but wasn’t exactly pleased to be with her yet. In the heat of the moment, he’d relaxed, but now that it was over with, he’d returned to his normal withdrawn state, and she’d have to accept it.
For now.
As the men got comfortable, Jane thought over how they’d made her come without doing much at all. In fact, all it had really taken was their mouths on her breasts, and a flick over her clit would have done her in just as easily as the teasing Jared had done before he’d flicked his tongue over the little bud. Was she that easy, or was it that they knew their way around a woman’s body?
The more she thought about it, the more she thought that Jared had probably left someone important behind on Earth and resented being paired with her. The only possible explanation was that his girlfriend was sterile, and since they hadn’t been married, they’d forced him into the program. She hadn’t been all that excited herself about leaving Earth behind. She’d had friends there. No, maybe not any family but good friends that she had no idea if they were still alive on another planet or if they’d’ perished back on Earth.
Jane couldn’t seem to settle despite the mind-numbing orgasm she’d had but soon heard the men’s soft snores. While Rusty had turned toward her and had one leg over one of hers and a hand across her belly, Jared had turned his back to her. It was yet another kernel of doubt that he was happy to have her in his life.
Sex was an equalizer for men. They could engage in it without really feeling anything, but for most women, it was intimate and meant something deep inside. She knew she shouldn’t feel so attached to them this soon, but there was no stopping the feelings from growing when they’d touched her as they had. When they finally made love, or fucked as Jared had put it, Jane was certain that she’d be completely hooked on the two men. She already cared about them just by the way they’d treated her. Love? That would certainly come much faster for her than with them.
If Jared can ever fall in love with me at all. I may have to accept that Rusty is the only one who might grow to love me.
That bothered her. A lot.
Still, they had an entire lifetime ahead of them. Miracles happened. It had been a miracle that they’d managed to locate the planets that would sustain life much less send people to them. It was a miracle they were able to build a life on a strange and alien world. No, she would hold out for her own special miracle that Jared would one day grow to love her.
* * * *
The next few weeks flew by as Jane and the guys settled into their jobs and each other. True to their word, the guys gave her orgasms most every night. She’d touched and played with them, but so far, they’d held off letting her make them come. It puzzled her, but she didn’t let it worry her too much. She knew Rusty was growing closer to her, even though Jared still held back. She wanted more than anything to see both men throw back their heads as they came in her hands or on her breasts.
“Hey, Jane. How’s everything going?” Felicity asked.
Jane looked up to find the other woman standing in the doorway. She seemed to be doing well in their new home. Though she hadn’t seen Randi since they’d arrived, she’d talked with the other woman on the radios they all had.
“Going good. I’ve got everything caught up and was just thinking about heading home to start supper for the guys. What about you?” Jane asked.
“Good. Nothing much to do in the store before they start harvesting and need supplies from the outposts. Got time to talk for a little while?”
“Sure. Grab a chair. Is there something wrong?” Jane could tell the other woman had something on her mind.
“I don’t know. I guess I’m a little worried. Shouldn’t I feel something for Aaron and Marcus by now? I mean, I like them and all, but I’m still not all that comfortable around them. It worries me.” Felicity sighed and slumped in the chair.
“I think it takes time, Felicity. We’ve only been out here for about six weeks. Don’t try so hard, and it will come.”
“How do you feel about Jared and Rusty?”
“I like them fine. I genuinely care about Rusty, but he’s real demonstrative. Jared, not so much. I like him and all, but I think I’m holding back because he is,” she admitted.
Felicity narrowed her eyes. “Why is he holding back? Has he said anything?”
“I don’t know. I’m beginning to think that there might have been someone back on Earth that he’d been close to and hadn’t wanted to leave behind.”
“He could have said no,” Felicity said.
“I’m not so sure. I tried to say no. I hadn’t wanted to come. Everyone I knew was back at home, and that meant a lot to me. I was raised in foster homes and had no real friends until college and when I started working. They pretty much didn’t give me a choice.”
“Wow. I guess I didn’t realize that. When they said I’d made it on the list, I was excited. I wanted to come.” Felicity was silent for a few seconds. “I hope Jared comes around soon. I know that must be hard on you. I guess I need to think about Aaron and Marcus and how my feelings affect them. I hadn’t thought about it all that much.”
“I’m sure they’re fine. Men don’t need the intimacy as much as women do at first. Like I said, don’t try so hard and just let it happen. They treat you okay, right? They aren’t mean or demanding, are they?” Jane watched the other woman’s face to be sure she wasn’t covering up something.
“No. They’re super nice and treat me great. I seem to be the one not treating them fairly,” Felicity said.
“How intimate are you guys right now?” Felicity tried to ask nonchalantly but knew it came across as prying.
Felicity’s face reddened, but she smiled. “We’ve just started having sex. I have to tell you, it’s amazing. What about you?”
“We’re taking it slow and messing around some first. You know, oral sex and heavy petting.”
“Just wait until you go for the full thing. There’s nothing like having two men inside you at the same time. I thought I was going to die when I came. It was unbelievable,” Felicity told her.
“So, it doesn’t hurt?”
“Well, they really prepared me, but it did pinch and burn at first. Then it was pure pleasure. Once you get past that first little bit, it’s amazing. You’ll see.”
“I guess I better close down and get over to the house to cook. We really should spend more time together since we’re in the same building. I hate that Randi isn’t over here with us. I feel like she’s isolated over there,” Jane said.
Randi was about five or six hundred yards from Jane, and Felicity was on the other side of the space station. Randi was so busy with the garden that she couldn’t come to visit.
“I try and call her on the radio as often as I can,” Felicity said.
“Yeah, me, too, but it isn’t the same as seeing each other in person.”
Jane finished shutting down the computer then swung through the warehouse to let them know she was heading home.
“Why don’t you wait on us? It will only be another hour,” Rusty said.
“I’ll be fine. I want t
o get started on the meal. It’s just a few hundred yards. I’ll be careful.”
“I don’t like you walking back by yourself, Jane. What if something got through the fence?” Rusty asked.
“Look. I can’t wait on you guys all the time. I’ll be fine. Now get back to work so that you don’t have to work late. I’ll have dinner ready in about an hour.” Jane reached up and kissed him before walking out of the building and toward their home.
The hot sun bore down on her as she made her way across the thick blue grass that still seemed so alien to her. It felt like shag carpet and thrived in the harsh conditions of the longer-than-normal daylight hours. On Alpha, there were twenty-six hours in the day. She didn’t see a single creature either inside or outside the fence line and sighed in relief when she finally walked through the kitchen door of the house. She hadn’t been the least bit worried until Rusty had brought it up.
Jane busied herself with cooking the roast along with the potatoes and carrots from their cellar. Though she’d told them it would be ready in an hour, it would take a little longer than that. She didn’t worry though. The men were always a little later than they planned. She had no doubt they just didn’t notice the time.
I wonder if part of the problem with Jared is that we haven’t had full-out sex yet. Maybe I should insist.
Jane tossed that thought around in her mind the rest of the time while she waited on the guys to walk through the back door. Maybe it was time she took some control in the bedroom. Okay, some control, and only once in order to get things rolling in the right direction. They needed something more, and the only thing she could think of that was missing was that they hadn’t had intercourse. She hadn’t even made the men climax yet. There was no excuse for being so greedy. Not even their decision to hold back. That crap would top tonight.
Jane was so engrossed in her thoughts as she stirred the peas that she let out a little scream when the kitchen door opened admitting the guys.
Rusty chuckled. “What’s got you all riled up?”
“Nothing. I was thinking hard about what to expect when it’s harvest time. According to Randi, they’re already getting a few things in. She said that more than likely the guys will send over some for Felicity and me to have some fresh veggies with our meals.”
“Fresh would be nice.” Jared walked over to the stove. “Something sure smells good.”
“Roast with potatoes and carrots and peas. Hope you like it.”
“Smells too good not to like it. You always manage to make something that tastes wonderful, hon.” Jared dropped a kiss on top of her head.
“You both look hot and sweaty today. What were you doing to get like that?” she asked.
“Moving some building supplies from the top level of the warehouse to the bottom level. The builders will be by tomorrow to pick it up. They’re going to start a new house just inside the fence line so that there’ll be more help with the gardens soon,” Rusty told her.
“I’m glad. I don’t see how Randi will be able to keep up all by herself even with my help. It’s a lot to put on one person. And what happens when we get pregnant? You know that’s going to happen one day soon,” she pointed out.
“Hopefully later,” Jared said before walking out of the room, mumbling something about a hot shower.
“What did I say?” Jane frowned. “He looked like he was going to yell at me.”
“Ignore it, baby girl. He’s just tired. We both are.” Rusty kissed her on the lips then gently bumped his forehead to hers. “Don’t fret about Jared’s moods. He’s trying, Jane. Just let it be.”
“I can’t help but be worried. If he’s not happy now, how will it be in a year or ten years? I don’t like that he doesn’t want to be with me. I know that’s why we haven’t really consummated our relationship.”
Rusty closed his eyes then looked up at the ceiling. “Jane, he really didn’t want to come to Alpha in the first place, so this is all hard on him.”
“I figured that much out on my own. He left someone behind that he cared about, didn’t he? That’s why he doesn’t want to get close to me. He misses her.”
“Something like that. I swear he’s trying, Jane. Please don’t push it. Let him get there on his own,” Rusty pleaded.
“What about me? How do you think it makes me feel to know he’s forcing feelings he doesn’t really want? Just because I’m getting to come doesn’t make it all okay with me. I’d rather not when it isn’t real.” Jane swallowed hard against the tears that burned at the back of her eyes.
She turned away from Rusty and opened the oven to check the roast. She refused to let Rusty see her cry. She wasn’t a whiney crybaby. But this hurt. It hurt a lot.
“Jane.”
“Go shower, Rusty. Dinner will be on the table soon.”
She heard Rusty curse then walk out of the kitchen. She hated that she’d put all of that on his shoulders, but it couldn’t be helped. Jane was tired of the worry, tired of the tiptoeing around, and tired of feeling sorry that she wasn’t what Jared seemed to want.
Chapter Five
Jared sighed. He was bone tired after unloading the fifth hover truck of root vegetables. The damn things were heavy, and they all had to go in the cooler below-ground stores. The worst part of it all was that, in another week, they’d be loading them back up to send to Space Station One.
“I can hear you grumbling all the way over here. What’s with you today?” Rusty asked.
“Nothing. Just frustrated.”
“That’s not my fault. That’s yours. You’re the one holding back. I’m sick of jacking off in the shower, but Jane isn’t giving in on the subject.”
“The fuck. You think I don’t know that?”
Jared knew very well that Jane was holding back because he was. He’d liked making her come. It had softened something inside of him, but he hadn’t wanted to go any further. That made it too intimate for him. At least at first. Now he didn’t know. Maybe he was ready to take that next step, then again, maybe he wasn’t and would only make matters worse if he couldn’t go all the way with her.
“All I’m saying is that something’s got to give and soon. The longer you let this eat her up inside, the harder it will be to get her to open up to us again. She thinks you don’t like her, much less care about her. That’s just wrong, man. Grow some fucking balls and fix this.” Rusty threw a box of screws at him. He barely caught them before they nailed him in the stomach.
“Fine. I’ll figure something out. Don’t know what, but I’ll talk to her and let her know I’m fine with her,” he said.
“That’s not enough, Jared. She’s past that. You’ve got to initiate full-on sex with her, or she’s not going to buy it. The time for talking is long gone.” Rusty tossed another box of screws toward him, and this one he caught easily enough before stacking it on the shelving next to him.
“I didn’t want to come here, Rusty. I want this to work, but I can’t force feelings that just don’t exist. I’m sorry. Really, really sorry, but I’ll try. That’s the best I can do.” Jared wanted to hit something, but unfortunately, as he’d found out last week, everything around him was harder than his fist. He had the scabbed-over knuckles to prove it.
Then again, he knew that violence wasn’t the answer he needed to begin with. In the past though, he’d gone to the gym to work off some of the anger or frustration he’d experienced with his job. He’d continued his education to be something more than a lineman, but in order to get a job more along what he wanted to do, he’d have had to move, and Sandy hadn’t wanted to leave her ailing parents at the time.
Jared hadn’t resented Sandy one bit but didn’t want to bring home his frustrations concerning his job, so he’d worked them out at the gym before going home some nights. It had worked well for him. It was just too bad there wasn’t one on Space Station Two yet. He could really use one. Instead, he tended to snap at Jane when she tried to get close to him.
He was such an ass.
�
��What has that scowl on your face now?” Rusty demanded, sticking his hands on his hips as he took a breather.
“Just thinking about what an asshole I am. I know that my attitude hurts Jane, but I don’t know what to do about it. The more I try to pretend, the angrier with me she gets. All I know to do is come clean with her and see what happens then.”
“That’s a start. If she knows about your wife and all, she will at least know that it’s not just her. She’ll understand that you have a past that you have to get through before you can give her what she needs. She needs all of you, Jared. That doesn’t mean forgetting about the past. It just means moving on with the future.”
“I can’t forget her, Rusty.”
“That’s not what I’m saying, and it isn’t what Jane would expect. It means accepting that she was who she was to you when she was alive, but that now you have a different future ahead of you. You can still think about her, hell, even miss her, but she wouldn’t want you dwelling on her in misery the rest of your life. And from what they’re figuring out about Alpha, that might be a hell of a lot longer than another sixty or seventy years. That’s a long-ass time to be so hung up on someone that you can’t see the amazing person right in front of you.”
Jared drew in a deep breath and let it out in a long slow hiss. Rusty was right. He just had to figure out how to take that first step.
“How do you really feel about Jane?” Rusty asked.
“I like her. She’s sweet and nice when she’s not pissed at me.”
“Do you care about her? About how she’s feeling?”
“Well, yeah. That’s part of why I’m so frustrated,” Jared said.
“So, you care about her. Do you worry that something might happen to her?”
“Happen to her? What do you mean?” He narrowed his eyes. “What could happen to her?”
“Fuck, Jared. Just because there’s a fence around the property doesn’t mean something can’t get inside. The sonar on the fence posts will pretty much keep out the mantis, but there’s other things that can burrow under the fences.”
