Stowaway

by Becky Black

  “Look, Kit. This was”— Incredible? Bone-melting? Mind-bending?—“great. But you know it can’t go on.”

  He expected an argument, but Kit just looked back at him for a moment and took a sip of soda. “Okay.”

  “It’s wrong. You must be able to see the logic. Maybe after the voyage is over, once things are sorted out for you…”

  “Fine. Absolutely.”

  The airy unconcern in his voice started to bother Raine. He’d expected an argument. Why was Kit so happy not to get to sleep with Raine anymore? Raine wasn’t happy about it.

  Kit finished his soda and climbed off the bed. The fresh scent of soap on his skin as he passed made Raine’s cock stir slightly. Kit started to gather up his clothes and put them on.

  “Whatever you want, Raine. We’ll totally stop having sex.” He pulled up his baggy pants and tied the draw cord. “I won’t offer to suck your cock again.” He fiddled with the shirt, turning it the right way out. “You don’t have to fuck me.” He pulled the shirt on over his head and freed his hair from the neck. “I won’t fuck you, and you won’t suck me.” He found his shoes and slipped them onto bare feet. “There’ll be absolutely no kissing, handjobs, frottage, or any other form of sexual activity between us.”

  Raine shifted uncomfortably because of the effect of the images evoked by Kit’s words, but Kit took no apparent notice. He tied the belt of his apron around his hips, giving himself back the slender but angular and masculine shape the baggy clothes disguised.

  “In short, you’ll never again see me naked. You must be terribly relieved. So if you’ll excuse me, I have to go work the lunch shift. I believe we’re serving unicorn steaks with a side of ambrosia.”

  The door slid closed behind him, leaving Raine staring. So… Kit might not be entirely convinced Raine meant what he said.

  * * *

  Kit called Raine’s bluff. He knew Raine still wanted him, but if he kept making the first move, Raine would keep on saying that they shouldn’t do it again after this time, and Kit would once again be painted as the one who’d tempted him. So he took Raine’s insistence they couldn’t do it again at face value and let him stew. Let him get to the point where Kit would come into Raine’s office and find him lying naked on the desk with a bow tied around his cock.

  For two days, Raine did the check-in meetings, and Kit was such a good boy during them. He stood at something resembling attention, pretending he didn’t notice Raine was flushed, shifting in his chair, and hoarse. Pretending he didn’t notice Raine’s eyes were not only undressing him, they were ripping his clothes off and screwing him silly on the floor of the office.

  Or sometimes they were pleading with Kit to screw Raine silly. Interesting that. A big guy, in authority, but that day in his cabin, he’d let Kit take the lead. And most guys like him didn’t bottom, in Kit’s experience. They thought it made them less macho or something. Dicks. So…interesting.

  But he still wouldn’t make the first move.

  On the third day after they’d had sex in Raine’s cabin, Raine finished the check-in and dismissed him. Kit turned to march out as smartly as any soldier when he heard the whisper.

  “Kit.”

  Raine had started calling him “Miller” again in the office, so the name caught Kit’s attention.

  “Don’t turn around.”

  Kit didn’t. He stood by the open door. Outside, the security team went about their business. None of them could hear Raine.

  “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

  Neither could Kit, but he wouldn’t admit it.

  “Will you come to my cabin tonight? After you finish dinner cleanup? I’ll be off duty by then.”

  “Twenty-two thirty,” Kit said, not looking back at him so Raine couldn’t see his huge grin. “And turn the heat down.”

  Chapter Nine

  It had become a routine in the ten days since, Kit coming to Raine’s cabin straight after dinner cleanup finished. Raine insisted Kit went back to the bunk room afterward, though, as if he thought they could keep it secret. Kit could have told him that wasn’t happening.

  “Won’t be seeing the chief tonight, then?” Gracie said as she and Kit manhandled a supplies cart into the stores container.

  “He said he’ll be back too late,” Kit said with a grimace. Raine was going with the captain and other senior officers for a dinner aboard the escort’s flagship. The Dawn had arrived at the rendezvous to join up with the convoy, and officers from the escort ships had already arrived aboard for an inspection visit. “Anyway, he’s got his panties in a wad about being ready for them. I think I’d rather stay away from him today. He’d be kind of tiring.”

  “Going by how worn-out you look these days, I’d say he’s always rather tiring.” She grinned, consulted the list, and led him along an aisle. “Come on, let’s grab the crappy rubbish we’ll be eating tonight while your boyfriend and his la-di-da officer friends are getting the silver-service treatment.”

  “Boyfriend?” Kit laughed. “We’re not exactly about to get engaged, you know. He hasn’t even told me his first name.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. He got this thing about telling me back before we were doing it, and I sort of laid out a challenge, and he still hasn’t told me.”

  “He probably forgot he hasn’t,” she said, running a scanner over some boxes before loading them onto the cart.

  “Forgot? No way. Raine thinks about me all day and every day, obsessing over the minutiae of our relationship.”

  She giggled at his mock-aggrieved tone. “I know his first name. It’s—”

  “Don’t tell me. I know I could find it out in a second in the ship’s computer or by asking someone, but I want him to tell me. And no, I don’t believe he thinks about it all day long, but he’s aware he hasn’t told me yet; I’m sure of it. So he’s either testing me, or he’s got some kind of mental block about it.”

  “That would be messed up either way.”

  “Undoubtedly. I just haven’t decided what kind of messed up he is yet.”

  “You could pop over and ask him.” She nodded back the way they’d come. “There he is.”

  Kit looked around at the sound of voices, and saw a party of people heading down the same aisle as them.

  “Uh oh, look busy,” Gracie said, bending over her list.

  The party consisted of Captain Dryden, Raine, Warner, the first mate, and a man Kit didn’t know, wearing Earth military uniform with a lot of silver braid on it.

  “Commodore Wright,” Gracie whispered. “He commands the escort.”

  As the group approached, Kit heard the first mate explaining some stuff about cargos to Wright. Dryden walked on the man’s other side, her tense expression a contrast to her usual mildly amused one. Raine walked beside her. He caught Kit’s eye as they approached but quickly looked away again. This may not be the time for a touch of visual seduction, Kit thought. It would be cruel to flash Raine a look guaranteed to give him an erection while in such august company. Tempting, though…

  “Good morning.”

  The deep voice startled Kit away from looking at Raine to look instead at Wright, a dark-skinned man in his late forties. He had some iron gray in his hair, but his face retained the good looks of his youth. He projected an air of authority, which radiated through even this huge space. The kind of presence Kit associated with chief executives and chairmen of the board.

  Gracie gave a scared squeak in response, and Kit managed to stammer out, “Good morning, sir,” before the party moved on. Warner brought up the rear, and though she’d softened toward Kit again over the last few days and was usually friendly enough to Gracie, she didn’t even acknowledge them, her gaze fixed on Wright’s back. She must be on bodyguard duty. Kit admired her focus.

  When the escort party disappeared around a corner, their voices fading away, Gracie leaned back on a crate and fanned herself with the stores list.

  “Hell’s bells.”


  “I know what you mean,” Kit said. “I’d do him.”

  “Kit!” Gracie protested. “That’s not what I meant. What about the chief?”

  “I’m already doing him. What more do you want?”

  She whacked him with a box of freeze-dried noodles, then dumped it on the cart.

  “I’m not the only one who’d do him,” Kit said, loading more boxes of noodles. “Katie couldn’t take her eyes off his ass.”

  “She’s on security detail.”

  “Then he has the safest ass on the ship.”

  “Not safe from you.”

  “I wouldn’t dare come between Katie and any ass she wanted. The captain didn’t seem so keen, though. Feel the tension from her?”

  “She doesn’t like Earth military. She fought in the Chindra independence war. Come on, there’s plenty more to collect.”

  Kit pushed the cart while she led the way. Much as he wouldn’t kick Commodore Wright out of bed, he felt like he had as much of a grudge against him as the captain did. He was keeping Kit’s man from him tonight.

  * * *

  Raine had been careful not to let his gaze linger too long on Kit when they passed him and Gracie collecting stores—he couldn’t risk the distraction. So he’d been startled when Wright greeted them. He should have expected it, though. A good commander noticed and acknowledged even the lowliest of ship’s hands.

  He worried afterward about allowing the commodore and a stowaway to get so close to each other. Would the captain reprimand him later? Probably not, he thought, glancing at Dryden across the meeting-room table. She glowered at Wright over the rim of her coffee cup. Raine suspected she wouldn’t have cared if Kit had turned around and battered Wright to death with a can of vegetables.

  Warner would have stopped it, though. Still on security detail, she stood by the wall near Wright, sidearm on her hip, her gaze on the door, the only point of entry. He’d have to commend her later on her excellent work today. She had a focus he feared he lacked.

  Even before they’d chanced upon him and Gracie, Kit had been on Raine’s mind. Raine wouldn’t see him later because of the dinner the Dawn’s officers had to fly over to the escort’s flagship to attend. He used to look forward to those. The captain may not like the military, but Raine always felt comfortable in the company of men like himself, men born to a uniform. Today, though, he resented the time it would take—time away from Kit. Pretty pathetic in the end, knowing he would probably sulk his way through the dinner because he’d rather be in his cabin having sex. Or, wait… Wouldn’t most of the people attending prefer to be doing that?

  What the hell was wrong with him? Where was his mind? He was supposed to be working. He suppressed a sigh and tried to turn his attention back to the meeting when Wright asked him for some further details about the ship’s defense arrangements in the event they were boarded.

  * * *

  Lying on his bunk, Kit watched the glowing clock set in the wall, saw the time change to midnight and move on to what he was learning to call “double oh thirty.” He checked his Link again and saw the notification. The captain’s yacht—a small shuttlecraft—had docked a few minutes ago. The officers had returned. Raine was back aboard.

  He’d head straight to his cabin. Would want to get right to sleep to be ready for duty in the morning. Kit should be sleeping too; he had duty even earlier than Raine—at 0600. Perhaps he would rest now he knew Raine was safely back aboard. Not that he’d been worried about him or, say, jealous about him hanging out with a lot of young military officers, all gorgeous in their uniforms.

  The thought drove Kit up and out of his bunk. Moving quietly so as not to wake any of the other men asleep in the dim room, he grabbed a pair of his kitchen-whites trousers and a random T-shirt and dressed hastily. He forgot about shoes and padded his way out of the bunk room, sliding the door closed quietly behind him.

  The watch stander in the security office would know from his tracker he was on the move, but he didn’t care what they thought about his destination. Raine had started taking all the check-in sessions lately, clearly not wanting Kit to explain to anyone else why he went to officer country every night.

  He hurried through the corridors, the deck cold under his bare feet. The lights were dim, and he met nobody on the way, though he passed rooms where he heard voices a couple of times. Only the night watch would be around. Everyone else would be in bed or heading there.

  A glance down the corridor of the officer’s cabins showed him it was deserted. Good. Though Raine’s preference for not advertising their relationship amused him, Kit didn’t want to force him to flaunt it if it bothered him so much. He didn’t think it was only because Raine thought it so inappropriate. In fact, he seemed to be getting over that idea. But he was a naturally discreet and private man. Kit could respect that.

  He walked quietly to Raine’s door and buzzed. A moment later, Raine opened it and stared at him. Kit felt slightly foolish suddenly, like a lovesick idiot. So he pasted on the best cocky grin he could manage and struck a casual pose.

  “You smuggle me out any canapés in your pocket, then?”

  Raine smiled and shook his head, then stood aside to let Kit in. He quickly closed the door behind him, with a glance out into the corridor.

  “Man!” Kit stood with hands on hips, drinking in the sight of Raine in his dress uniform. “You look totally gorgeous in that thing.”

  Raine flushed and grinned. “Flatterer.”

  “It’s true. I mean you always look hot in your ordinary uniform, but this is taking it to the next level. Give us a twirl.”

  “For goodness’ sake.”

  “Come on, turn around.” He grinned. “Show me the ass! Shake the moneymaker, baby.”

  Raine gave a long-suffering sigh and turned around so Kit could check out his fine ass looking even more fine than usual.

  “I think you should petition the captain to make this the uniform you guys wear all the time.”

  “No way. The collar is too tight. I was about to get out of it when you arrived.” He gave a smile Kit could only call sly. “Would you like to help me?”

  “What am I, your valet?” But he came into Raine’s arms and pushed the jacket off. Raine caught it as it fell and dropped it over the back of a chair.

  “Kiss me, soldier,” Kit said, his voice soft, rather husky, losing the teasing and bantering tone.

  Raine dipped his head at the order, and their lips met. Mouths opened after a second, the kiss deepening, intensifying from gentle and careful to demanding, passionate. When Kit pulled away, he was breathing hard.

  “It’s very late,” Raine said. “Maybe we should take a rain check until tomorrow. You have duty in a few hours.”

  “I know. But I missed you. I couldn’t do anything but think about you. I couldn’t sleep. Too jealous imagining you getting off with some hot junior officer.”

  Raine laughed. “Unlikely. Earth military doesn’t like gays in the service.”

  “Yeah? Dicks. I’m starting to see why the captain doesn’t like them.” He began to unbutton Raine’s shirt, searching for the firm skin he’d been dreaming of for hours. No rain check.

  “I think she has other issues with them. They destroyed her home planet’s capital city, for one thing. Put your arms up, will you?” The last part he said impatiently, waiting to pull Kit’s shirt off over his head. Kit obliged, relieved to be rid of it. Even with the heat turned down to accommodate him, it was still too warm in here. His pants fell off when Raine pushed them down to cup Kit’s ass in his palms.

  “But weren’t you in the military?” Kit asked.

  “Yes, but in my local colonial forces. They weren’t dicks.”

  “Good to hear.”

  “In fact I think there were more of us than you’d find in the general population. I guess something about the life appealed.” He shrugged.

  “What? Living in a barracks room with a bunch of fit guys in uniform?” Sounded like Kit’s current life.
“No, can’t imagine the appeal there.”

  Raine laughed and kissed him again. “It’s good to see you, Kit. Even if I’ve been mad at you all day.”

  “Mad? Why? What did I do?”

  “You kept invading my mind. In the middle of a meeting with Commodore Wright and the captain, all I could think about was how I’d like to take you right there on the table.” He grinned sheepishly.

  “Sounds like it would be the most interesting meeting any of them had attended. I’ve been thinking about you too. Wanting you. Want you now.” He pushed against Raine to make him sit on the bed and straddled him. “Want you inside me.”

  Raine flushed, breathing harder already. He moved to take off his unbuttoned shirt, but Kit stopped him by laying a hand over his. “Leave it. And the pants. Unzip them.” Raine muttered something about messing his uniform up but didn’t object further. He unzipped, while Kit grabbed the lube and condoms from their usual drawer. He could find it even in the dark.

  He passed them to Raine and said, “Okay, live the fantasy, soldier boy.”

  It was as much Kit’s fantasy too. In a moment, they were prepared, and he slid down to impale himself on Raine’s cock. Kit’s cock rubbed against Raine’s belly, and the stimulation of the strong, wiry hair was most delightful.

  “Oh God, Kit.”

  “Shh. Do it.” He wrapped his arms around Raine’s neck, catching him on the ear with the damn tracker, but Raine didn’t seem to notice. His eyes glazed with pleasure as Kit started to move, riding him, building the rhythm steadily. Being on his feet all day in the galley seemed to have done some interesting things to his thigh muscles. He didn’t tire as quickly as he would have before. Judging by Raine’s reaction, the frantic desire in his eyes, it might have strengthened other muscles too.

  He saw the time on the clock as he went faster and faster. Just hitting 0115. He’d be a wreck in the morning, and he didn’t care. He’d sacrifice any night’s sleep for this. Raine started to make the sounds Kit knew meant his orgasm was close, so Kit leaned down, wanting to be kissing him as he came. Seal it with a kiss. As their lips met, his orgasm whited out his mind, and he was no more than light and energy and pleasure.