by Dani Worth
I washed my black vest and pants and hung them up to dry on a tree branch, then caved to the lure of the water. Stripping, I stepped into one of the deeper pools. Leaving the rest of the dirty clothes on the side of the pool, I closed my eyes in pleasure and lifted my legs to float on my back. I loved the gentle lapping of water against my skin, the breeze over the exposed top of my body. Trees grew as tall here as they did on Kithra, but here around the pools, some twisted and leaned, creating pockets of shade. Branches bent toward the water, long, feathery green leaves submerged—as if the trees had decided to dip in their toes. I ran my hands over the leaves, finding them soft. A faint, minty smell was released, and I thought about the beauty to be found on my home planet—beauty outside the domes and tube systems. Beauty we often didn’t get to touch.
This place, this ancient planet, had a lush, visceral feel to it. It made me want to strip and wallow in the water, to eat fruit off the trees and lie on the cushiony grass.
I lifted one arm and looked at the electric green tattoo of a vordun flower. They grew high on the trunks of vordun trees on Kithra, bright and sharp against the blue backdrop of the leaves. When they first opened, the shiny black centers captured the eye.
Cahn had painted a kind of tribal design in black around two vordun flowers on my left arm, linking them. He’d repeated the black design in several places on both arms. Thinking about my tattoos made me wonder how he and his wife were doing, if they’d ever found the daughter who’d been kidnapped off Kithra.
“I can’t stop looking at your tattooes.”
Lost in my own world, I hadn’t heard Jacks approach. He squatted next to the pool, a dark figure in his black pants, shirt and boots. The color only made his light blue eyes stand out all the sharper. Those eyes were locked to my arms.
“What do the black designs mean?”
“Nothing. They’re only decoration. The tattoo artist had them in most of his designs, even had them painted on the walls of his home.” I lifted my right arm, turned it so he could see the back. “He did this tattoo of a leeto first. I loved it so much, I gave him carte blanche with both arms.”
“I like the tawnlet flowers. I always thought they were pretty. Like Gwinarian hair.” He dipped his fingers in the water. “Bastian sent me out to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine. Just needed a little fresh air and exercise. I don’t know how you can stand sitting so much. My jobs keep me on the move.”
His gaze slid to my breasts before it came back to meet mine. “You grew up to be very beautiful, Vala.”
I didn’t respond, merely watched him watch me. He ran that gaze over every part of me, a slow, methodical sweep—as if he was memorizing the map of my body for later. My limbs grew heavy despite the buoyancy of the water as desire hummed through my system.
“Come here,” he said, voice low.
I slowly lowered my legs and swam to the edge of the pool, but I didn’t get out. Clasping my fingers around the unforgiving stone edge, I stared up into a blue that rivaled the sky.
“You’re beautiful with your hair down and even more so with it slicked back like this. Such delicate features and a delicate neck.” He slid one hand around my throat, lifted my chin. “I always loved this little dip in your top lip.”
“It’s off-center. Makes my mouth look crooked.”
“It’s as sexy as everything else about you. I never liked ink on the body before, yet on you, it fits. Colorful and so alive. You used to drive me crazy when you were a teenager.”
“I made you angry.”
The corner of his mouth twisted. “Yeah, you did that. A lot. But so much of that anger stemmed from the fact that I wanted you so much, I felt like the biggest pervert on planet.”
I frowned. “Jacks, you know Gwinarians mature early.”
He cupped my cheek, ran his thumb along my bottom lip. “But on my planet you would have still been considered a child. Even now, the twelve years between us still makes me feel a little strange.”
Knots filled my belly. “So,” I breathed. “You still want me.”
“I never stopped.” He leaned close. “Just like before. You—anywhere in my vicinity—and my heart is pounding, I’m sweating and my dick is uncomfortably hard. Crichton used to benefit a lot from my run-ins with you.”
“Lucky man.” I wished my feet touched the bottom so I could push up the small distance needed to reach his mouth. Water dripped from my hair, down my temple to my mouth and I sucked at the droplet.
He groaned. “I need to know what it’s like, what we’d feel like together. But Bastian—”
“Knows how I feel,” I broke in. I reached up and fisted one hand in his shirt, pulling him toward me. “If you don’t kiss me, I will pull you into this pool.”
Chuckling, he slanted his lips over mine, his tongue sliding over the seam of my lips in a hot, wet glide that made me open my mouth on a gasp. He deepened the kiss, his hand moving to the back of my head to hold me to him. He tasted of the red fruit, sweet and faintly spicy, and behind that flavor was just Jacks. Once before I’d tasted him—it was like he’d imprinted on my mouth and joy flooded my body. Joy, followed by a scalding heat that had me grasping at him with both hands as our tongues slid and twined and explored.
He pulled back, eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring. “Bastian knows how you feel. How do you feel, Vala? Tell me.”
“I still…want you.”
“This thing between you two, it’s new, right?”
“First time was on your brother’s ship.”
He grinned. “There isn’t a lot to do while locked up in a cabin, is there?”
I bit my lip. “I care for him, Jacks.”
“It would be hard not to. He’s sexy and too damned sweet.” His voice, low and husky, made me shiver.
He waited until my hands were once again braced on the side of the pool. Without looking away and balanced on one hand, he lowered the other, traced my collarbone and then slipped his hand down to cup my right breast. He closed his eyes on a groan. “Your skin is like satin.” He ran his palm over my breast, under it. Touched my nipple.
“Suns, Jacks.” I was going to drown. Either in the pool or the intensity of his stare.
“Swim to the shallow end, Vala.”
He apparently gave orders when he was turned on. And I, someone who never took orders well, just seemed to move along with what he wanted. But then, I wanted it too. My legs felt a little loose, but I reluctantly moved away from him.
He stood and strode around the pool and I blinked as he kept walking down the shallow stairs, clothes, boots and all. He met me when I could stand, sliding his hands around my back and pulling me tight to his clothed body. It felt decadent, being naked against him like this. I gasped as he kneaded the cheeks of my ass, grinding himself into me before moving back enough to slide one hand around. He cupped my waist, bringing his hands around to trace over my hips before his right hand slid between my legs.
I sucked in air, closed my eyes.
“No, look at me as I touch you.”
My eyes came half open, my head falling back as he explored the folds of my sex, sliding one finger between the lips, stroking the pad of that finger over my clit. My breath picked up, my nipples beaded against the wet fabric of his shirt.
“I watched you take Bastian in your mouth. Never seen anything so erotic in my life, the two of you in that shower. His body is so long, his ass perfect. Your colorful arms came around him, your hand slipping between his legs to explore…” He kissed me, licked my lips. “That stunning, thick hair of his was plastered to his back and the shower. It was this explosion of sensual color. I’ve jerked off every fucking night since with that image tattooed on my mind.”
“He looks at you, too.” It was all I could get out as he slid his fingers inside me. I expected it to be rough since the water washed away all my natural lubrication, but I guess I was so wet, the water couldn’t keep up.
“Damn, my brother knew what he was d
oing after all.” He slid his lips over my jaw, down my neck. “I’ve thought about you all these years, Vala. Looked for you. Found you a few times.” He pulled back. “I once followed you down the street in Sector Two. Couldn’t believe it was you, at first. Couldn’t believe I saw you there, of all places.”
I gasped, spread my legs more, wondered if he expected me to respond to his conversation. When he lifted me from the water, turned and carried me to the stairs, I clung and tried to remember his words.
Jacks gently laid me on the grass, spread my legs and knelt between them. He ran his hands up the insides of my thighs, along my hips to my breasts. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“You told me you didn’t make love to women.” Ah, found my words.
He smiled. “You were also sixteen and I’d just found you sneaking out of the communal showers behind me.”
“So you do like women too? Gwinarians are raised to love. Period. But I know that on Earth, there are still places that—” I broke off and gasped when he licked his fingers and slid them back inside me.
“Just like your people, I believe we’re all born with the potential to love anyone, regardless of their sex—that it’s only society that tries to mold us. It’s why I loved Kithra so much. We were free to love in public and nobody thought badly of it. Crichton—” Shadows darkened his expression and I’d had enough of talking. I didn’t want painful memories to intrude on this at all, so I spread my legs, grabbing his attention instantly.
He leaned down, kissed the inside of my thigh. “No more talking.”
There he went with the orders again. I thought about saying it had been my idea first, but I forgot to be annoyed when he put his mouth on me. I was cold from the breeze blowing over my wet skin, so his mouth was hot. Curling my toes in the soft grass, I spread my legs, buried my fingers in his short hair and held on as he showed me what he could do with his tongue. He licked and stroked and speared his tongue inside me. He closed his lips over my clit.
I sucked in a deep breath, bowed my back and looked up at the feathery trees above us. A surreal sort of excitement jetted through my system, turning every nerve ending into fire, and in my next breath, my orgasm washed over me like a tidal wave. I cried out. Loudly.
One second later, Jacks was cursing and tugging at his wet pants. He got them open and was obviously too impatient to get them all the way down because in the next moment he was on me and sliding deep with the pants still bunched around his legs.
“Fuck,” he breathed against my neck.
I gasped at the thick, hot glide of him deep inside me, wrapped my legs around his waist and cried out again as another orgasm ripped through me, shock sending my eyes open wide.
Jacks clutched my hips with hard fingers and pulled out only to push back in again. He groaned against my neck, opening his mouth to suck on my still-wet skin. At this point, neither of us was capable of words and the sounds of sex joined the buzzing of insects in the trees. Skin slapping, harsh moans, gasps of air and whimpers from me as he picked up the pace. He filled me, his skin hot against me there as the breeze cooled the places he didn’t touch. The contrast of hot and cold excited me even more, but the knowledge that it was Jacks filling me kept coherent thought from forming. All I could hear inside my head was his breathing and my heart pounding.
He lifted up to meet my mouth with his, sliding his tongue inside to mimic the movements of his lower body. His pace picked up and I felt invaded, devoured and wanted beyond reason. When a third orgasm struck me, it was so strong I thought I might pass out. The pleasure so intense, so fiery. I stroked the wet shirt on his back, then clutched his head to me and tightened my legs around him. I had to literally choke back the words of love that sprang to my throat when he pushed up enough to stare down at me with glittering blue eyes.
Those eyes glazed over as he let out a hoarse cry and came.
We lay there breathing hard, and he laughed. I loved the way that constant disgruntled expression he carried loosened up with his amusement. “What?”
“I waited so many years to do that and here I am with my pants tangled around my legs, my shirt still on like some impatient, randy teenager.”
“A girl should be flattered…being wanted that much.”
“Then feel flattered, because I’m sure I’ll want to do that again.” He pulled me over him, kissed me. “Soon.”
Chapter Eight
I walked back into the bedroom, thinking how weird it was that I called a big stone room a bedroom, but it was the place with the bed. Bastian, on his stomach, legs splayed, had his face in a vidscreen, but he peered up at me and grinned.
“You saw?”
“Some of it.”
Studying his expression, I looked for jealousy, sadness.
“Hey,” he said, rolling gracefully onto his back and sitting up. “It’s okay. In fact, it’s very okay. I didn’t expect to feel good about it, but surprisingly…I like him.”
“Like him, like him?” I twisted my lips, knowing my amusement shone plainly upon my face.
He ducked his head. “Yes. Like that.” He fiddled with the vidscreen in his lap. “I liked watching you two.”
“You did, huh?” I sauntered toward the bed. Well, I planned to saunter. My too-big pants slid down and I tripped on them, turning the whole movement into something far less graceful than the sexy walk I’d planned. I did manage not to hit the floor. Chuckling, I bunched up the pants and flopped onto the bed. “I really should have washed all the clothes I took outside.”
“What, instead of fucking that gorgeous man’s brains out?”
“It was more like the opposite. He turned all that focus on me and I became putty.”
“I think I’d like that.”
I rolled onto my stomach and propped my chin on my hand. “Bastian, are you saying this because you feel you have to?”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
I dropped my hand, traced an imaginary pattern on the white sheet. “Are you afraid that I’ll choose him over you?” I dug my fingers into the soft material. “I know you didn’t grow up around Gwinarians, didn’t experience our way of life. I know that a lot of places have monogamous lifestyles—”
“Vala,” he broke in with a laugh. “I grew up on Sector Two, then on an entertainment ship. What’s monogamy again?”
Grinning, I moved his vidscreen and army-crawled up the bed until I could flip over and rest my head in his lap. “Okay, okay, I was being stupid. So, you want Jacks too?”
“Have you noticed he brings me things?”
“It’s sweet.”
“The way he looks at me isn’t sweet,” he pointed out.
“I have to agree there. Suns, Bastian, what if he turned all that focus on to the both of us?”
Bastian gave a mock shudder. “I think it’s about to get interesting around here.” He slid his hands under my arms and lifted me from his lap. “I’m going to go grab that belt we left outside the first day. Why don’t you go ahead and wash the clothes.”
Muttering under my breath, I stood and stretched. “Wonder if we could get Captain Asshole to deliver a clothing mod. Who washes their clothes the old-fashioned way?”
“Captain Asshole, that’s funny.” Bastian’s laughter trailed off as he moved out of the room.
“We’re about to get one of those rains, so it would be better if we string the clothes up inside.” Jacks wrapped his arms around me as I hung the newly washed blue T-shirt from a tree branch. I’d put on my own clothes—the black vest and pants. Jacks kissed the bare skin of my shoulder. “Feel the increase in humidity? It’s the first sign.”
Sighing, I tugged the shirt back down, then reached for the pants dangling next to it. Didn’t move farther than that because that would mean Jacks would have to let go. I closed my eyes and snuggled back into the hug. My emotions were still in a huge tangle, but a part of me just wanted to revel in these men, enjoy it while it lasted.
“Where’s B
astian?” Jacks kissed my neck.
I tilted my head to give him better access. “He went to get the belt we left outside.”
Jacks went deathly still, then turned me around, holding my arms. “He went out front?”
Frowning, I nodded.
“Shit!” He turned and ran.
I dropped the clothes and rushed after him. He tore through the hallways, knocking over and shattering a bowl of replicant crystals as he veered into the computer room. He opened one of the doors in a standing cabinet in the corner, grabbed two laser guns and handed them to me before grabbing two more. He spun toward the door, checking the charge levels as he ran.
“What’s going on?” I gripped the guns hard, looked down to see that both guns were fully charged. These were old-fashioned submachine-type lasers that carried one hundred blasts. He’d handed me two of them.
Jacks merely ran out of the room.
“Jacks!” I followed, glad I’d worn my boots when I had to skirt the sharp pieces of the broken bowl. “At least tell me something. You’re scaring me!”
“The typhons usually avoid the water, especially before a rain storm, but there’s one time of year they’re right by it. This time!” He sped up as we neared the cavernous room behind the waterfall that held the wall notches and ledges—the one I’d figured out was built as a lookout room. Jacks didn’t hesitate. He jumped tree limbs and raced out, squeezing behind the entrance to the waterfall. He slowed when he got to the shadowy part in the back and stopped to wait for me to catch up. We moved slower in the pitch-black and I kept my shoulder to the wall because it would be so easy to get turned around and end up where we started. We got to the next shadowy part and all I could think about was Bastian and those lizard things. I thought about not seeing that sweet smile or watching the way he threw his entire being into a simple touch.
