by Megan Derr
"What assignment?"
"That prisoner I'm in charge of escorting in a couple of months. They claimed the order to remove us from the team was sent by the king."
"But why do they want to beat you up?"
"Because I caught some of them availing themselves of the whores on Thicket Street and ratted them out to Allanci, who had all parties that could be proven guilty kicked out of the guard and gang-pressed. Their buddies left behind aren't best pleased with me."
Selsor checked his healed forehead, then knelt to attend his ribs and the gash on his thigh. It left him acutely aware that he was between Jenohn's legs, he was half-naked, and his cock was right there, just as stupidly big as the rest of him.
Forcing his thoughts back to work, he set to healing Jenohn's ribs first. "They must know they'll get worse than gang-pressed for beating you up."
"I don't think they really cared at the time. I ruined all their fun, and took their friends away." Jenohn shrugged, and Selsor hated, hated, seeing him so downcast. But even Jenohn must grow weary of the way he was treated, no matter how unflappable he always seemed.
Selsor worried his bottom lip, thoughts and ideas tumbling through his mind. "After this escort business, do we have anything important to do? Classes don't start for another month, so I have plenty of time to fill."
"I don't think I have much of anything, actually," Jenohn said. "Allanci is going on his summer retreat soon, and I'm not going with him this time. I was hoping you and I could spend more time together."
Rising, Selsor said, "How do you feel?"
"Huh? Oh, fine."
"Good." Selsor squished all his nerves like they were insects and sat in Jenohn's lap.
Jenohn froze, gawked briefly, then grinned in that adorably bratty way of his and held Selsor fast. "Does this mean I can have a kiss?"
"When have I ever told you not to kiss me, you oaf?"
Chuckling, Jenohn trailed his lips whisper soft across Selsor's cheek, then teased at his lips briefly before giving a proper kiss. Selsor didn't know who he had to thank for Jenohn's skills, but he was obscenely grateful. The man kissed like he'd put as much effort into mastering it as he'd put into his combat skills. His lips were soft, his mouth warm, tongue sweeping and commanding as he plundered Selsor's mouth at his leisure. He kissed like there was nothing else in the world he wanted to do.
Selsor wanted that to be true for a very long time.
Eventually drawing back, he stroked Jenohn's short hair with his fingers, cupping the back of his head and digging nails in just the way Jenohn liked, pressing his forehead to Jenohn's temple. "So what do you say to going away for a month? Somewhere quiet, where we can just be, without all this muss and fuss around us. You've waited a long time to find me; seems a shame you never get to see me, except when we're working."
Jenohn's face lit up like the sun coming from behind storm clouds. "I know just the place!"
"I'm going to guess it belongs to Allanci and he lets you and the others use it whenever you like," Selsor said with a smile.
Jenohn poked him in the ribs. "Brat. But yes. His hunting lodge. We use it more than he does, I swear. I'll go see him and make the arrangements. There will be a basic staff there, but otherwise it'll be just us."
"Sounds perfect," Selsor said, and reluctantly slid off his lap—but not complaining when Jenohn drew him into a breathless kiss. "I think I know just what we'll do when we get there."
That got him pushed into the wall and kissed ravenously. He pushed Jenohn away after several wonderful, agonizing minutes. "Go do your part, and I'll let the school know they get a month's reprieve."
Jenohn grinned, kissed his cheek, and raced off.
*~*~*
The hunting lodge was more like a hunting palace, but that didn't exactly shock Selsor. "Is this much house really essential to slaying animals?"
"A royal hunt is more like a two week binge of eating, drinking, sleeping, drinking, fucking, and drinking. There may be one or two token attempts at hunting, where mostly they ride horses at unwise speeds and let the huntsmen do all the real work. Allanci doesn't care for them, so he only does it when his father insists."
"Rich people are stupid."
Jenohn laughed as he dismounted, and then helped Selsor down, holding him close and giving him a long, thorough kiss. "You do realize we work for one of the richest?"
"Allanci somehow managed to escape the gross stupidity and buffoonery of his peers. I don't know how, but I actually like him."
"Hmm," Jenohn said. "Do I need to be jealous?"
Selsor laughed. "As though I could compete with his bodyguards. But no, I'm quite happy with my soldier, even if he is a know-it-all brat."
That got him another kiss, a delightful slow-burn, sweet and thorough and mind-melting. He didn't know how this man had gotten so deeply under his skin, but he wasn't sorry about it.
When they finally drew apart, he asked, "So are you going to show me to our bedroom, or did you just want to fuck in the hallway?"
"I don't think the servants should be forced to endure that," Jenohn replied with a grin. "They put up with enough during the royal hunts." He stepped back, took Selsor's hand, and practically dragged him into the house.
They were slowed down by an introduction to the half-dozen people who maintained the lodge while it was empty. Apparently it took nearly a hundred when the lodge was full. Selsor never wanted to be anywhere close to the place when it was full; royal hunts sounded terrifying.
Finally, finally they were able to escape, and Jenohn even had the sense to arrange for dinner to be brought to their room, and their luggage left in the hall for the moment.
"They're going to think you brought a strumpet along for a month of rich-people behavior," Selsor said.
Jenohn laughed as he dragged Selsor up a set of stairs and down the hall to a door all the way at the end. "Your jewels are the color of my eyes; I think they know you're a bit more than a strumpet."
"Only a bit more?"
That got him a grin that was almost entirely mischief, but held a surprising hint of shyness. "I admit I was hoping for mostly strumpet."
"You never hope for anything," Selsor replied as he shoved the door open and stepped into an absolutely beautiful room. "You just declare what will be and barrel on until you turn out to be right, one way or another."
He yelped in surprise as he was grabbed and swept up, cradled by Jenohn's arms supporting his ass as he was held aloft, looking down at Jenohn, who grinned up at him. "That's true."
"Put me down, unless your prediction for this weekend was that I'd fall and smash your face. You've already broken your nose twice this month, let's not make it thrice."
Instead of setting him down, Jenohn carried him over to the bed and toppled him down on it, then stepped back and simply stared—rather, stared, starting at the bottom and working his way up, eyes hot enough Selsor half-expected to catch on fire. "If you've been wanting to fuck me that bad, why haven't you done it so far?"
Jenohn shrugged one shoulder. "Barreling about getting my way can only go so far, and after hearing all the awful stories of people who tried to use you, with and without your permission, I didn't want to be one more bastard forcing himself upon you."
Selsor laughed, heart giving a happy lurch, spreading warmth through his chest. "Jenohn, you showed up out of nowhere, basically forced me to help you, activated my jewels illegally, declared I belonged to you because I accidentally almost killed you, and dragged me home. If I didn't purposely zap you for any of that, do you really think I'm going to get upset that you finally get around to showing me what you can do in bed? Stop behaving out of character and come here—naked."
He'd been stupid to think Jenohn's eyes had burned before, because now they were so hot he moaned, which just spurred Jenohn on. He discarded his clothes hastily, then climbed onto the bed and set to work on Selsor's, starting with a searing, claiming kiss that left his lips throbbing, then moving on to kiss and nip and s
uck every bit of skin laid bare.
By the time Selsor was finally naked, he was trembling, aching, whimpering at every touch and teasing caress. "Are you going to fuck me?" He reached out to fondle the cock that was in proportion with the rest of Jenohn's ridiculous, marvelous mass.
"I just want to hear you scream my name," Jenohn replied. "The rest is details. Though I suspect a good fucking is what you like best."
"There you go being right again," Selsor said. "Get to work."
Jenohn laughed, and moved away briefly to fetch something from one of the tables on either side of the bed. He returned with a porcelain jar, and the scent of jasmine filled the space around them as he opened it.
"So you just keep that in your bedroom here?" Selsor asked.
"No, I do not, so get mad at me," Jenohn said with a grin. "I had them add for me just for this trip. When I'm here working, I'm too busy to have any sort of fun, even if I'd wanted. When I'm here to have fun, it's not this kind of fun. I'm not much for sex with people I don't care about."
Selsor dragged him down and kissed him thoroughly. "Good answer."
"I always have good answers." Jenohn drew back and resumed his delightfully tormenting touches, this time adding in slick, warm fingers pushing and teasing at Selsor's hole.
"What I want to know is if you can deliver a good fuck," Selsor replied.
That earned him the cocky grin that got Jenohn in so much trouble. Selsor loved it more than he would ever admit. "Have I ever failed to give my mage everything he needs and wants?"
"Shut up," Selsor replied, flushing and looking away.
Jenohn just chuckled, and pushed a second finger in alongside the first, curving and crooking his finger with expert skill, leaving Selsor writhing and begging on the sheets.
"Now, damn you," Selsor gasped out, thrusting against his fingers, aching for more.
Jenohn gently withdrew his fingers, then spread Selsor's legs further apart and dragged him in close and lined up his cock.
He didn't just shove right in, thankfully. As delightful as that would be, it'd have to wait until Selsor was more used to him.
"Must you be so ridiculously large everywhere?" Selsor asked, then moaned as Jenohn pushed in a bit more.
Hot, smug chuckles washed over him, chased by warm lips grazing his throat. "You like my muscles, especially when I come in all sweaty and tanned from the sun."
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Selsor replied, even as he groaned at the image of a half-naked, sunbaked Jenohn coming in dirty and mussed from playing with what often seemed every child in the city.
Jenohn worked himself in deeper, grinning smugly throughout, hands hot and heavy where they gripped Selsor's thighs. "You know what my favorite sight of you is?"
"Do I care?"
"Yes," Jenohn replied, grin never faltering. "I like when I first wake up, and walk by your room, and you're still asleep. Your hair always comes loose of the braid you put it in, and you're always smiling softly, like you're having a good dream. I'm always torn between going in to kiss you awake, and leaving you to sleep."
Selsor didn't know what to say to that, so he settled on the usual. "Clearly you just settle on leaving me to sleep, like the dunce you are. Now less talking, more fucking me."
Jenohn kissed him, then pushed the rest of the way inside, leaving Selsor moaning and shuddering, stuffed full and aching pleasantly. Then he slowly, gently withdrew, until he was barely still inside, and pushed back in.
Selsor groaned, untangling his fingers from the bedding to grip those enormous shoulders. "More."
Obedient as ever when it came to Selsor, Jenohn set to fucking him in earnest, hips working, muscles bunching and rippling, eyes like blue flames as they watched Selsor. His face went hot, from the exertion and the intense staring, but then Jenohn hit that spot and Selsor howled, head thrown back, digging his nails into Jenohn's shoulders.
Over and over Jenohn drove into him, until his thighs burned and he threatened to overheat, sweat plastered to his skin, making the sheets stick to it, and stinging in his eyes. He didn't even need a hand on his cock, just came as Jenohn drove into him again.
When he could breathe and focus again, it was in time to moan through a last few, overstimulated thrusts before Jenohn buried his face in Selsor's throat and came with a body-racking moan.
After a few minutes, Selsor pushed at him. "Move before you suffocate me, you slab of beef."
"Never had beef," Jenohn said with a chuckle. "Not something we ate growing up, and I always prefer to eat goat or lamb in the palace."
"I prefer fowl, especially duck," Selsor replied, lips twitching at the absurd turn of conversation.
Jenohn rolled off his and sprawled on his stomach on the bed, large and beautiful and utterly perfect, no matter how often Selsor made fun of him or complained. "Was that satisfactory, my mage?"
A reflexive acerbic remark tried to rise up first, but Selsor tamped it down and instead replied, "You always are, my soldier."
Jenohn's smile was like the sun coming out.
Close of Day
THE JEWELS OF BANGKOK
Baxter carefully removed all his jewels for the day, setting them on a velvet salver for staff to take away and store properly. He and Lucid possessed so much stuff—inherited, gifted, bought—that it was all catalogued. He picked out their clothes at the beginning of each week, Lucid chose the jewels, and the servants took care of the rest.
One of the servants came up to help remove his jacket and shirt, both of which had such elaborate fastenings that doing them up himself was just this side of impossible. Across the room, Lucid and Elton were already dressed in lounge wear, though from the way Lucid was sitting, Elton wasn't going to stay in his clothes for long.
That suited Baxter fine.
He thanked the person who'd been helping him and finished undressing himself, then pulled on lounge clothes that were alike in style to Lucid's, but black instead of gray. When the servant had gone, after pouring Baxter a drink, he picked it up and made his way leisurely across the room to join his lovers.
Because contrary to what the rest of the stars thought, he saw Lucid as his lover more than his brother. They hadn't been raised as siblings, not really. Nothing about their life had ever been typical or average or, arguably, normal. They'd been their mother's ultimate experiment, her greatest success story, and their father's heirs. Though in the eyes of most they were siblings, the legal fact of the matter was that Lucid had been created first, and they'd cloned Baxter from him. Miniscule genetic changes had been made after that, while they sat in incubators growing at a controlled rate, subject to the every whim and desire of their mother—who had loved them, dearly and sincerely, but no one had ever forgotten they were also the pinnacle of a lifetime as one of the greatest geneticists in the IG.
So they'd been raised as companions, in life and in business, more than as brothers. And when the whole world looked at you and saw one where two stood… well, it was easy to turn to the only person in the stars who saw you and find love, solace, and acceptance that no one else could provide.
"You look pensive, pretty," Baxter said right before bending to kiss him breathless, enjoying the sweet taste of him, the honesty of his kisses. Right from the start, Elton's lack of artifice had been his greatest draw. Not once in his entire life, until that moment Elton entered it, had they met someone who didn't know who they were, or figure it out almost immediately.
Elton had only been confused, and then angry, and throughout it all he'd been smart, beautiful, and captivating. There were days Baxter still couldn't believe Elton wanted them, this life, which even with all its luxuries could be arduous, thankless, and above all dangerous.
Cheeks flushing as Baxter drew back, Elton licked his lips. "I was, uh, lost in a stupid thought."
"Oh?" Baxter sat next to Lucid on the small sofa right across from Elton's chair, draping an arm across the back of it and leaning in to kiss him. He knew Lucid's m
outh as well as his own, knew precisely how he'd slide his lips and move his tongue, how he'd taste at any given hour of the day, exactly how to bite and tease and torment, when to abandon all of that to simply be sweet and soft.
Eventually drawing back, exchanging a brief smile, he turned to an even more flushed Elton and said, "So what was your thought?"
Giving a faint laugh, Elton said, "I was actually wondering when you two, uh… kissed the first time."
Baxter didn't have to look to know the slow, evil grin overtaking Lucid's face. Practically purring, Lucid said, "You want to know when I first fucked my brother, pretty?"
Elton abruptly looked ashamed. "Sorry. You probably get that question all the time. It's none—"
"We don't mind it from you," Baxter said. "No one has ever seen us kiss, let alone fuck, except for you. They don't even know that we do it for sure, though I think it's the favorite fantasy on the 'scape."
Lucid snorted. "I know it is; we've sued several companies for defamation. Doesn't really stop them, but the money they have to pay in fines and court costs is more money to dump into charities and such."
Baxter twisted to give Lucid a look. "You never told me we sued people for making tacky porn about us."
"I just assumed you knew," Lucid said, drawing a thumb across Baxter's bottom lip, then pushing it into his mouth, making a soft, approving noise when Baxter obediently sucked it. "Everyone thinks you're the bossy one. I'm not sure why, given they can't even tell us apart."
Drawing away, snickering, Baxter replied, "Because you're loose—id, obviously."
That got a fist tangled in the front of his shirt, and then Baxter was dragged to the floor and put on his knees right between Lucid's thighs. "Put your loose lips to work, brat."
Baxter obeyed happily, pulling Lucid's pants down and off, then bracing his hands on those lovely, trim, muscled thighs and swallowing his cock deep. Fingers curled affectionately in his hair, stroking and petting, Lucid happy to enjoy his mouth at leisure while he talked to Elton.
"We were fifteen," Lucid said, breath hitching only the barest bit. "We weren't each other's firsts—mine was a person I met while away at school. Baxter's first fuck was a guest here, some visiting princess from the SE."