But now that she’d touched herself, the yearning to do it again, the temptation to do more sucked at her willpower. She walked toward the shore and sat on a rock.
Clothes. She’d wash her clothes. Surely that would drive evil temptation from her mind.
It didn’t.
The mundane chore kept her hands busy but let her mind wander. Her traitorous mind galloped straight to sex. It won’t hurt. You won’t let us visit the felines. Masturbation will give us some relief.
“Us,” Jannike said in a low voice of loathing. Since when had her body become a committee, voting on a resolution. “I’m the boss, and I am in control.”
Not true, a little voice retorted at the back of her mind. The little voice had a face, and it looked a lot like her friend Kaya. The blue hair and pointy ears were a dead giveaway.
What would Kaya do?
Jannike snorted out a sound that was a close cousin to derision.
Kaya would seize the opportunity. The woman loved sex and embraced her sexuality. Or she did now. There was a time when Talor, Ry’s brother, had seduced her into trouble. She’d taken half a rotation to bounce back from that disaster.
A sizzle of enjoyment darted from her pussy to her breasts, rebounding to the far corners of her body in a happy leap. While her mind had drifted to the past, she’d dropped her bra into the water and reached between her legs.
Give up. Give up. Give up, Jannike.
Her personal conscience was persistent.
Gritting her teeth, Jannike picked up her bra and applied some of the plant sap. She scrubbed and rinsed before repeating the actions on her panties and her trews. Her tunic was back at their camp. She’d see if she could repair it later. With her laundry duties completed, she picked a shady spot, inspected it for danger then relaxed into comfort. She’d sleep. That was what she’d do.
But sleep refused to come, her mind focusing on the urgency thrumming through her body, her desperate need for release.
“I give up,” she said, her tone screechy yet resigned to the undisputed truth. No rest for the wicked, wicked woman who lusted after two mated felines. “I give up.”
Jannike parted her legs, the wash of air a gentle balm against her swollen tissues. Her hand slipped between her thighs, and she dragged her finger down her cleft. Wetness greeted her touch. From the sec her fingers came into contact with her flesh, the prickles beneath her skin settled into humming anticipation. Unable to resist, she grazed her clit with one careful finger. Her breath caught at the spurt of gratification. Harsh yet enjoyable, the pleasure threatened to overwhelm her senses. Still, she repeated the subtle move, a low moan escaping this time. Sex had never been like this before. Intense. Overpowering. Extreme.
See. That’s all you needed to do. Give in to the urge and the problem will back away. Conscience Kaya was a mite smug in Jannike’s opinion, yet it seemed this might be the answer to her problem.
With greater confidence and purpose, she stroked her clit. When Conscience Kaya pointed out the emptiness of her womb, she thrust two fingers inside her channel and stroked swollen internal tissues as well as her needy clit.
The climax inside her swelled and swelled then swelled some more until it reached mountainous proportions. Jannike hovered on a precipice, tiny moans squeezing past her tight lips as she stroked, stroked, stroked her flesh. She swallowed and groaned, her eyes squeezed shut while her heart hammered against her ribs loud enough for the felines across the other side of the pond to hear and remark upon.
Yet she didn’t stop, couldn’t stop.
Tremors racked her body, her skin sizzled as if it couldn’t hold her body any longer. And still the orgasm swelled within her body, straddling a barrier, leaping into pleasure, sometimes diving into pain. Both ways made her groan and twitch. She pressed her thumb harder on her clit, added another finger so three tunneled in and out of her vagina. She was sobbing now, reaching for pleasure, stretching with every particle of her being.
The pleasure whooshed—not quite there, but close. Yes, yes, yes!
One more stroke should do it. Just one more. She licked her lips, wondered if she’d survive the strain on her heart.
Her thumb stroked over her clit and the pleasure leaped upward into freefall.
Yes. Yes. No!
The waiting, hovering, impatient orgasm shimmered just out of touch, stood on tiptoes, indecisive and shy, then backed away and went poof like one of those magical genies she’d read about in an Earth storybook.
“No,” Jannike whispered, harsh disappointment a twisty knot in her throat, knock-knock-knocking for release.
Her breasts were painfully tight and so sensitive to the tiny puffs of air now drifting across the pond that she wanted to scream. She pulled her fingers from her pussy and pressed them to her nipples in an attempt to ease the discomfort. Nothing made any difference. Instead the scent of sex drifted from her fingers and an answering dart of demand skimmed through her pussy.
Jannike firmed her jaw and pushed to her feet. On trembling legs she walked into the pond and washed away the evidence of her aborted climax.
It seemed nothing in her world ever came easy.
Same old. Same old.
Shiloh cocked his head, pausing in his bathing routine. “Did you hear someone cry out?”
Beside him, Lynx stilled to listen, attracting Shiloh’s attention. Water gleamed on his chest, dripped from his long hair. A scruffy beard covered his jaw, giving him a rugged look his parents wouldn’t appreciate. Hellfire, why wrap it up? They’d order Lynx to his chambers and tell him to sort himself out. A wry grin curled across Shiloh’s lips. What he’d pay to witness that scene.
“I don’t hear anything,” Lynx said and turned to face him. “What’s so funny?”
“Private joke.”
Lynx snorted out a don’t-try-and-bullock-crap-me sound, one that shouted busted. One that said he didn’t do jokes. Private or otherwise. One that cried he’d tromped far over the employer-employee relationship, so go ahead and confess. Shiloh felt his grin etch deeper into his face.
His lover. Shiloh shook his head, a long lock of his hair flapping over his cheek with a damp slap. He brushed it away with an impatient hand. Lynx, his best friend and the prince he guarded, was his lover.
The idea should panic him, send him running in the opposite direction yet truth waved a placard in his mind. He wouldn’t change a damn thing, and in fact, once they found a sheltered, shady spot he intended to go all the way. Hard-out seduction mode. His stomach gave a little skip at the thought, and the damn smile that had no business colonizing his face, dug in its heels and settled in to stay.
“Are you finished with your wash?” Lynx sounded breathless. Shiloh had heard that tone before. It was a let’s-get-busy flag, and his friend was waving it in his face.
Shiloh’s gut jumped, and he fought the stubborn smile that wreaked havoc with his tough bodyguard status. “I’m done.”
“I want to kiss you.”
“No one is stopping you.”
“Thought I should ask permission.”
“You don’t ask permission for anything else,” Shiloh pointed out.
Lynx’s eyes glowed, the pupils narrowing into catlike slits, sharp enough to slice and dice through any bullock shit. “This is different. It’s important. Life-changing. I don’t want to phrull it up.”
Shiloh swallowed—his feelings—the fragile emotions in him expanding with a breath-stealing whoosh. “Do you think I don’t worry about the same thing? We’ve had this discussion. I don’t want to have it again. I want this. You. As far as I’m concerned you belong to me, and I sure as hellfire belong to you. Kiss me whenever you want, wherever you want. I’m not gonna offer a fight.”
“You couldn’t flatten me anyway,” Lynx scoffed, and he advanced, stopping Shiloh’s incredulous retort dead on his lips. Shiloh wrapped his arms around Lynx and sank into the beauty of the kiss. It was all lips and gentle passion with none of the urgency that thrummed in
side him. Instead of changing the nature of the kiss, he let Lynx lead and found new freedom in this departure from the norm.
Their cocks brushed below the water level, and Lynx pulled away to grin lazily at him.
“Any chance of some good hot sex?”
“Every chance.” Shiloh’s gut and mind did an uproarious dance and a mental hoorah in celebration. He couldn’t think of anything he’d enjoy more right in this moment. “The leaf that I gave you to wash with—well, the sap will make a good lube.”
“How do you know?”
“Kelvin told me.” Shiloh wanted to laugh when Lynx’s mouth popped open in an O of astonishment. “He suggested it would be best to consummate this thing between us because he thought it would make us stronger as a unit. He pointed out that at present we’re still itching our stomachs and backs. If that faded, we would have a better chance of staying alive.”
“Kelvin…when did…I see.” Lynx snapped his teeth together.
“Yep, the man doesn’t say much, but he sees all.” Shiloh lowered his voice. “He’s kept us alive. He said he can suck up this water and make it palatable. We’d better check to see if the others need us.”
“Stay,” Lynx said. “Jannike will let us know if there is a problem. That sand worm is still out there. We need a strategy to leave the haven. I say we relax while we can. Besides, if we’re gonna die tomorrow or get captured again, I want to have something good to think about.”
Shiloh felt a smile dig in its heels and gave his head a sharp shake. His brother Ellard would tsk-tsk under his breath if he saw him. His family’s lack of approval hurt, and he shouldn’t miss them but he did. Maybe once they got out of this mess they could visit home. “Works for me. I found a spot where we can have privacy.”
“Where Kelvin can’t see?”
“I know you get noisy.” Shiloh wanted to laugh at the indignation on his friend’s face. The truth was he was loud too, and he didn’t give a flying phrull if anyone heard him. The urgent need for Lynx overrode his inhibitions. He reached for Lynx’s hand, shivering at the solid weight, the inherent strength of it, his mind rushing ahead to those strong fingers roaming his body. “This way.”
He led Lynx to a grassy area behind a stack of rocks. The area was shady and private with the added advantage of having a view of the surrounding desert.
Lynx threw his body onto the grass and rolled to grin up at him. Shiloh’s heart skipped and gamboled like a playful kitten. They were going to do this. It would change everything, yet like Lynx, he didn’t feel a scrap of doubt.
“I love you.” The words startled him as much as they did Lynx. For a long moment they stared at each other.
Lynx’s expression softened. “I know.”
Shiloh’s next breath lagged in his lungs, the weight of disappointment holding it hostage. He swallowed to hurry it along, desperate to rid himself of the ball of anxiety.
“Come here.” Lynx held out his hand in invitation. “I know actions mean more than words to you. Let me show you how much I love you.”
Shiloh’s breath eased out in a sigh. He reached for Lynx’s hand and everything slotted into place, his world righting. Lynx’s green eyes twinkled at him, a smile—almost shy—curved his friend’s lips.
Lynx tugged, yanking him off balance. He landed against a wall of hard muscle, Lynx’s arms coming around his shoulders without hesitation. Their mouths met and this time passion exploded along with a wave of lust. Shiloh groaned against Lynx’s mouth, the blood draining down his torso to cram into his cock.
Lynx parted their mouths to drag in air. “How does this work?”
“You want me to show you?”
Their gazes met and held before Lynx nodded.
“It will be uncomfortable at first. I’ll do my best to make it good, but you’re not used to this.”
“Don’t care.” Lynx’s growl of certainty eased Shiloh’s last reservations. “If full penetration rids us of these cursed itches, I’m on board with this. I want this. You.”
Shiloh nodded and reached for the pile of leaves he’d collected before he’d joined Lynx in the pool. He squeezed the sap onto his fingers and noticed they trembled. The last thing he wanted was to phrull up this first time between them. Too important. No pressure. He’d start slow. Gave Lynx plenty of time to become used to his touch.
Shiloh closed his fingers around Lynx’s shaft and teased him with easy strokes. Lynx shuddered and arousal sank into his face, coloring his cheeks and drawing his feline to the surface. Lynx’s other self glittered in his eyes.
Satisfied Lynx was coasting on pleasure, he repositioned his body for better access and allowed the fingers of his other hand to wander. He pressed and stroked, the sap making things so much better. Easier. The stuff was way better than the lube Shiloh favored.
“How are you doing?” He nibbled Lynx’s inner thigh while he waited for a reply.
“Feels good.” Lynx’s voice was thick and full of satisfaction. “Real good.”
Shiloh reached for another leaf and squeezed out more sap. He drove his fingers deep past Lynx’s puckered entrance, his stroking more aggressive as he stretched and prepared his friend.
Lynx yelped, his eyes growing wide, and Shiloh slowed.
“Problem?”
“No, do that again. There’s a spot…”
Shiloh felt the grin riding his lips sink deep into his cheeks. He imagined his expression would hold wickedness. He pushed his fingers deeper, danced them over Lynx’s gland, giving him more of the same but not enough to come.
“Shiloh.”
Shiloh grinned at the inflection in his name. “I’m going to take you now.”
“Should I turn over?”
“No,” Shiloh whispered. “I want to watch your face, see your eyes when I come. I want to kiss you.”
Lynx’s eyebrows rose. “You don’t like messy emotion with your sex. You told me you always take your lovers from behind, that it’s your favorite position—”
“None of them were you.” The simple, unembellished truth.
Shiloh applied sap to his shaft and moved over Lynx. “Remember, it might hurt at first. I’ll take it slow.” He pushed more of the sap into Lynx and stroked deep before he fitted his cock to Lynx’s entrance. He glanced at his friend’s face, noticed the tiny pucker of worry between his brows. Shiloh’s heart flip-flopped and he leaned closer to steal a kiss. While their tongues mated, he pushed into Lynx’s heat.
Lynx sighed against his mouth, the lingering tension Shiloh had felt receding with the soft sound. The sap made all the difference and left a residual tingling along his shaft. If they survived this adventure alive, he decided he’d grow this plant. Of course, first he’d need to find a place to make a garden.
A home.
He pulled back a fraction and tunneled deeper with his next thrust. Lynx flexed around his cock, the snug, warm feeling making him catch his breath. He trembled and Lynx puffed out a breath. Shiloh glanced at his face, concerned, but Lynx’s smile, his relaxed expression belayed his anxiety.
“It’s never been like this before. You okay?”
“This mother bird side of you is cute.” Lynx didn’t open his eyes, so Shiloh’s glare was wasted. “The pain isn’t as bad as you indicated. Feels good. Don’t be an old lady feline.”
Shiloh withdrew and plunged deeper. A laugh escaped at the feline hiss from Lynx.
“More,” Lynx demanded, lifting into his next stroke. His canines protruded and the sexy sight had a growl vibrating in Shiloh’s chest before the thought occurred. Goddess, this man—his best friend. The idea of the time they’d wasted getting to this point…
No. He pulled back and plunged balls deep, desire and lust and love a tangled ball in his chest, his gut, his mind.
Shiloh sought Lynx’s mouth again, his hips rocking in a steady pace. The heat built in his balls, pushed up and outward until he existed in a world of bliss. Lynx nipped at his bottom lip, urging Shiloh to speed.
&nbs
p; Shiloh stroked into Lynx again, and Lynx groaned. He kissed Shiloh’s shoulder and reached down to stroke his own cock. Shiloh stopped holding back his pleasure and increased the pace of his thrusts. In. Out. His eyes squeezed tight while he savored the building pressure.
Beneath him, Lynx cried out and sank his teeth into Shiloh’s shoulder. The burst of pain released a lever in Shiloh, and his orgasm swelled within him, sweeping from his balls and bursting up his cock in a painful whoosh of pleasure. He felt the swirl of Lynx’s tongue over the pressure points of the bite and a second, less forceful jolt sizzled along his cock. Lynx’s channel flexed around his length and a third dragged a raspy growl from his throat. Without even thinking, he sought Lynx’s shoulder, not far from the base of his neck, and bit down. The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth and he swallowed before grooming the area he’d bitten.
Lynx grunted and clutched Shiloh tighter while he rode out the remnants of pleasure coursing through his body. Shiloh lifted his head to claim a lazy kiss. That…he had never…phrull! Sex with his past lovers—male and female—paled in comparison to loving Lynx.
They lay there, bodies plastered together, savoring the relaxing aftermath. Shiloh pulled out of Lynx and tugged his friend to his feet.
“Come to the pool. Bathing will ease any residual pain.”
“I bit you,” Lynx said. “I couldn’t stop myself. Wait, the wound is still bleeding a little.”
“Lick it clean for me.”
Lynx moved close. Shiloh’s arms went around him, and he held his lover while Lynx licked the wounds on his upper shoulder. The rasp of Lynx’s tongue darted pleasure all the way to Shiloh’s cock. He moaned loud enough for Lynx to lift his head.
“That hurt?”
“Feels good.” To show Lynx just how pleasurable the act felt, he dipped his head and slid his lips over the bite he’d left on Lynx. His friend quivered in his arms.
“Goddess,” Lynx whispered. “It’s like a live booster wire straight to my cock.”
“An understatement.” Shiloh felt as if he might explode and desire rose headily in him. “Pool. Cleanup first.”
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