Two Men and a Lady

by Cricket Starr, Lynn LaFleur, Michele R. Bardsley

  The Zelion man on the other side of the table grinned at her. “Had enough to eat?”

  “Yes.” There wasn’t much else to say. She’d eaten her fill and couldn’t manage another bite. No point in putting things off further.

  He shoved his still half-full mug away. “Then maybe you’ll come to my room now?”

  “Maybe that wouldn’t such a good idea. I’m supposed to judge you both fairly. What about a neutral location?”

  Jackon frowned. “You mean like the cabin you’re in now?” He didn’t seem to like that suggestion much. “It isn’t very decorative. For my first time with my true, I was hoping for something a little more romantic.”

  Lija seized on that idea. “Maybe we could make it that way.”

  He nodded, his expression dubious. “I suppose.” He seemed to think for a moment and then grinned at her. “Sure. We’ve got a consignment of material in the hold that would do nicely. I can borrow some of it.”

  An hour later, Lija stared at her refurbished room. Who would have guessed that inside Jackon’s warrior exterior beat the heart of an interior decorator?

  A thick rug now cushioned the floor and he’d brought in lighting rods that simulated the soft glow of candlelight to fill each corner. In the new lighting, the formerly bare walls sported soft hangings of pastel colors fading to a deep mauve, the same color of the quilt that covered the bed. It turned out the bunk was a convertible that pulled out into a good three meters width.

  Big enough for three, a little voice in her head said. Lija ignored that, instead turning to the one man who would be sharing the bunk with her this day at least.

  Jackon grinned.

  “It hardly looks like the same room. How is it you had all this stuff?” Lija waved her hand around, indicating the new contents.

  Jackon shrugged. “We’re traders—that’s what we do, buy and sell goods, particularly luxury items. We picked up the fabric on Remas. Some of it is destined for a palace remodel on Brasia.”

  She gaped. “Remanian fabric needed for a palace remodel? This stuff is worth a fortune!”

  “The cost isn’t important if it makes you happy. You’re my true, Lija. Nothing is too good for you.”

  “What would Gehon say to that?”

  “The same thing. No Zelion man would say different.” He put his finger on her lips. “But we won’t talk of Gehon now. His time with you will come later. This is just for you and me, my lady.”

  He ran a practiced estimating gaze down her frame, evaluating her garment. “You could use some new clothes. I’ll see what I can find…later.”

  “Later?”

  His grin grew wider. “Now is not the time for finding new clothes. Now we take clothes off.”

  She was going to argue, but Jackon grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up and off over his head. One look at his broad shoulders, sculpted pecs and tight abs, and she lost track of any arguments she had. Jackon had the best body she’d ever seen, and she’d seen more than a few.

  Well, maybe not that many more, but still, wow!

  His grin turned into a chuckle and she realized she’d spoken that last aloud. “I’m glad you approve.” Stepping forward, he took hold of her shoulder, pulling her unresisting body into his arms. “Let’s see what else you like.”

  Again his lips captured hers and they merged together. Warm lips, his lips, the only lips in the world, demanding yet gentle. Then there was his tongue…even better…testing and tasting the inside of her mouth with practiced skill.

  Practiced…but something else. There was something in the way he groaned, the way he clutched at her. It was like he’d been looking for something for so long and had finally found it. Her taste. Her smell, and the feel of her skin as he stroked her cheek when he came up for air. That’s what he’d said Zelion men looked for and how they knew when they’d found their mates.

  Their senses told them when they found a woman who matched them and could bear their children. Jackon’s were telling him that she was the one. Her senses told her the same thing.

  Hers also told her that Jackon was going to be fabulous in bed.

  Jackon was shaking as he pulled back, a fine sheen of sweat dotting his brow. His gaze darted around her face as if he didn’t know where to look first. His breaths came in gasps, leaving gaps between his words.

  “I’d always heard…that it was like this…when I’d found her. I mean you. When I found YOU. Gehon told me it would be unlike anything I’d ever experienced. He was right.”

  She put one finger on his lips. “You said we weren’t to talk of him.”

  “You’re right, I did.” He crushed her into another kiss, a claiming kiss that left her as breathless as he was, and swept her off her feet. Lija’s world became nothing more than this man’s lips on hers, his hard body holding her close. She barely noticed the soft surface of the bed beneath her when he laid her down, kneeling beside her on the bed. Still kissing her, he slipped open the fastenings of her suit, pulling it off her. The cooler air in the room felt wonderful against her superheated skin as he slid his hands up to cup her breasts.

  His thumbs found her nipples and ran across them. One thing about it, Jackon was an experienced lover. Lija moaned as he trailed kisses down her neck, his hands doing a sensuous massage across her chest. When his mouth found her nipple, she whimpered. Then his hand moved further down her body and found the dampness between her thighs and she groaned.

  How long had it been since she’d been with a man? Too long, obviously, if she was reacting so fast to this one’s skilled hands. She never gotten this hot this fast.

  The little voice in her head woke up again. Maybe it wasn’t that he was so skilled, or that it had been so long since her last time in bed. Maybe there was something to this business of being with a true that made every kiss of the lips, every stroke of a hand, an erotic dream?

  No. She couldn’t think that. Neither of the Zelion warriors could become her permanent mate. This was just for fun, sex for its own sake, to relieve the tension she’d been under at home.

  Tension—tension that was rapidly melting away under Jackon’s skilled hands. It was amazing how good his long fingers felt. He slipped one of them into her folds, seeking her clitoris and finding the sensitive nubbin with uncanny speed. He stroked it once, twice… So good—so very, very good. Her legs tensed, along with her belly, and she raised her hips to meet his gentle strokes. Desire like quicksilver ran along her limbs, seeking her core.

  His voice caressed her ears. “Like that? Of course you do. Your body has been crying out for my touch. You were made for me to pleasure.” Leaning closer, he whispered, “Give me your passion, my true lady. Let yourself go.”

  She did. With a shattering cry, Lija threw her head back and let her climax rocket through her, claiming her and leaving her shaking. Jackon pulled her close and held her as she sobbed her release. He patted her back and smoothed her hair from her face, whispering endearments into her ears. When she regained control he smiled into her eyes, his pleasure in her climax obvious.

  “You’ve wanted that for some time. It was best to get some of your stored-up need out of the way, so that we can enjoy the rest more.”

  Still shaking, Lija stared into Jackon’s handsome face. All he’d had to do was touch her and she’d exploded. Never had an orgasm come that easily to her before. Or that fast. Or that hard.

  Axonian women were notorious for being difficult to satisfy. She’d been told this many times by previous lovers who’d had to work extra hard to bring her to completion. Obviously what Axonian women really needed was to find a few good Zelion men.

  Jackon’s expression was tender as he stroked the skin of her neck. With his crotch pressed tight against her thigh, she could feel his erection, hard and imperative, yet there was nothing demanding in how he touched her. He wanted her, that was obvious, but he waited for her to recover before proceeding.

  She let her gaze travel to the tightness of his black trousers and
wondered that the seam held under the strain. Lija put her hand on the thick bulge under the fabric and stroked him.

  He purred, then covered her hand with his, halting it in place. “Let me get out of these.”

  Lija sat up and watched as the tall blond tugged his pants down, freeing his cock from confinement. It sprang out, hard and ready, the tip weeping for joy. Her mouth watered at the sight.

  Jackon might very well have the prettiest cock she’d ever seen. Absolutely straight with just the slightest bow upwards, otherwise completely symmetrical. No blemishes along the shaft, the head like a purple plum, ripe for the picking. Simply beautiful, and all for her!

  Moving forward on her knees, Lija bent to kiss it, grasping the shaft with her hands. Jackon shuddered under her touch, but remained still as she gently explored his width and length. His chest heaved as he kept control, his fists clutching the bed covering beneath him.

  Lija fondled the heavy balls beneath his shaft. Again, sheer perfection. His smell filled her nostrils, heady and rich, exquisitely masculine. The sexual tension he’d worked so hard to dispel her of returned with a vengeance, maybe twice what she’d felt before. Her clit throbbed and she pressed her legs together, trying to give it some relief.

  Opening her mouth, Lija took in the head of his cock, stopping short of his shaft. Jackon groaned. She let her tongue slip into the narrow opening in the tip, tasting the flavor of him. Wonderful, just wonderful. She could eat him all day.

  Jackon grabbed her head and pushed himself further into her mouth. “Please, more,” he groaned. “Your mouth feels so good.”

  Lija went on a cock-eating spree, enthusiastically sucking the head in and out of her mouth, letting her teeth catch the edges of the glans on the upswing. Her hand worked along his shaft while it swelled to fill and overfill it, making her use both palms to cover his width.

  Jackon’s fingers anchored in her hair, directing but not forcing her actions. His words became halting then completely indistinct as passion drew him closer to completion. Abruptly he stiffened and his eyes flew open.

  “My lady, stop, please. I want my first seed to be spent in you.”

  Lija lifted her head but didn’t release his cock or stop stroking it. “Jackon, if we’re to be friends, I want you to use my name.”

  “But lady…”

  She pulled extra hard and he had to struggle to keep from coming. When he recovered control, there was a dangerous look in his eyes. “You did that on purpose,” he said accusingly.

  She grinned. “You planning on using my name?”

  He gave a short laugh. “I better. You’re a dangerous woman to disobey. I should have known that when I found those knives of yours.”

  “So you took them. I’ll want them back, later.”

  “Absolutely. Whatever the lady…I mean whatever you want, Lija. Can I have my cock back now? I really want to put it inside you.”

  Lija licked the end of it, tasting more of his essence, sensing how close he was to coming. The ache between her legs intensified. She wanted him inside her as well.

  Releasing him, she sat back as Jackon moved to his knees. He grabbed her and pulled her tight against his chest, his cock poking her in the stomach. He caught her lips in another spellbinding kiss, and this time when it broke she was flat on her back and he hovered over her, weight braced on his hands, his cock between her legs and poised to take possession.

  “My turn for control, Lija. This joining is a claiming. You are my true mate.”

  “Only if that’s my choice,” she countered.

  She had to ignore the quick pain in his eyes before he nodded. “Only if you choose. For me there is no other choice, only you.” He surged forward, embedding himself deep inside her. Lija gasped at the force of his entry, then the sweetness of how wonderful he felt. His cock filled and stretched her in ways she couldn’t remember being filled before. Was he really that much bigger, or was there something else at work here?

  Whatever it was, she couldn’t argue with how great it felt.

  She could see the struggle in his face, the need for completion. He needed to let go but wanted to make it last for her sake.

  The pressure between her legs told her he didn’t really need to wait. She was ready to climax again.

  “It’s okay,” she told him. “This is for the claiming. There will be another for fun.”

  She could hardly miss the gratitude in his face as he pulled back and surged forward again. That was the last thing she recognized as he took up a steady set of thrusts, each one more powerful than the last. Lija wrapped her legs around his waist and gave herself up to him, keeping pace as best she could. Inside her, the pressure grew and she clutched the hard muscles of his upper arms.

  It was like an explosion deep within when she climaxed. Lija cried out, barely noticing that Jackon came at the same time, his shaft pulsing in her pussy and sending its seed deep into her womb.

  There would be no child from this coupling. Her shots were up to date, protecting her from pregnancy. If the Zelion men were to be believed, she was their only hope for children, in spite of how much seed they spilt in other women. In the seconds after her climax, that realization hurt. Without her, this man would never have a child of his own.

  Lija imagined such a child, with her violet eyes and his blond hair. Or maybe her black hair and his eyes like a summer sky, it wouldn’t matter. Just so long as he or she had Jackon’s smile, the one he was favoring her with right now, the one full of joy and caring.

  Her maiden’s braid fell against her chest, and Jackon lifted it, putting it on the bed behind her. He didn’t comment on it. Probably didn’t know what it was.

  “That was fantastic, Lija, but all too brief. I promise to make up for it later.”

  She managed to smile at him. There was no point in telling him how useless all promises were because she’d already been promised to another. No reason to do more than enjoy their interlude. It would be all they had.

  This was the last time she’d be able to choose who her lover would be.

  She had to say something. “I’m not sure anything could be more satisfying than that was, Jackon.”

  His smile turned into a grin. “Be very careful of what you say. That sounds very much like a challenge. Sounds like I’ll have to work extra hard if I’m to impress you now.”

  No he didn’t, but she didn’t need to tell him that either. Lija let her fingers slip through his blond hair, enjoying its texture, enjoying the feel of this man, on her and around her. His cock still felt hard inside her. He nuzzled her neck, breathing deeply of her scent.

  The scent that told him she was special to him, his “true.” It was nice to be special to someone for a change.

  His eyes glazed over and inside her his cock twitched.

  “So, what shall we do now?”

  Jackon opened his eyes. “Now we do it again. This time for fun.”

  Pulling her up into his arms, he began to move and again Lija lost track of the world.

  * * * * *

  Jackon moaned deeply as he came for the third time in the past hour. Or was it the fourth? Hard to say, all he knew was that after the claiming they’d gone on to making love for fun. Fun, fun, and more fun.

  Oh, yes, it was fun, but it was also a lot more than that. Sex had always been enjoyable, but now…

  Stars below, this was a whole other universe of enjoyment. Sex with his true wasn’t just fun, it was…was…wonderful. Marvelous. He’d never believed before how different it could be.

  Right now he couldn’t imagine any other woman than Lija in his arms or his life. If only she’d belong to him permanently, he’d be in heaven right now. As it was he was closer to paradise than he’d ever been in his life.

  From the look on her face, she felt the same way.

  He stared down into her eyes, wide with passion, a hint of astonishment coloring their purple depths. “Isn’t this wonderful, Lija? Have you ever felt anything like it before? I feel lik
e I could make love to you for always and never get tired of it.”

  “Never?” She seemed to scoff at his words. “Men are always promising more than they can give.”

  “Not me. Not any Zelion man. When we find our true mate, she’s it, the last woman we’ll ever make love to. For me, that’s you. You’re my true, Lija, now and always.”

  “But suppose I don’t pick you to be my husband, Jackon. Suppose I choose Gehon instead?”

  Sudden jealousy raged through him at the idea of his friend winning Lija, but he managed to control it. The only outward sign he allowed was a tightening of his arms around her.

  He couldn’t be angry at Gehon, much as he wanted to be. After all, it wasn’t his best friend’s fault that she’d turned out to be the only one for both of them. He kept his voice steady. “Whichever of us you pick will be the best husband he can be for you. You won’t be sorry to have either of us.”

  Chapter Four

  Lija met Gehon in the galley the next morning, Jackon’s arm still protectively around her waist. Jackon stared at his friend then at Lija, longing in his eyes. He clearly wanted her to tell the other man that she’d made her choice, and that he’d be her husband.

  She couldn’t tell him that. After being so close to him she didn’t want to continue this farce, but what was she to do? Admit to them that she was only using them for sex, a last bit of freedom?

  There was a lie in that now, though. That hadn’t been just sex that she’d had with Jackon. It had been something much sweeter, much more precious. She’d made love with him, maybe the first time she’d made love with anyone.

  But she couldn’t be in love with him. She couldn’t love either of them and therefore she had to fulfill the bargain and give Gehon his time with her.

  The redheaded man didn’t look happy. He probably resented having to go second. For a moment Lija wondered if he would refuse to have anything to do with her now that she’d been with Jackon, but as soon as she was close enough, he breathed in deeply through his nose. His eyes glazed over and his breathing grew ragged, and when he looked at her again there was desire in his eyes.