Two Men and a Lady

by Cricket Starr, Lynn LaFleur, Michele R. Bardsley

  “Wouldn’t that be awkward, being around me if I choose your friend?” She couldn’t help her question.

  Gehon nodded. “It would be difficult, at first. Seeing you and him together, knowing what I am missing. But perhaps I could be like an uncle to your children. A second father.”

  He ran a finger down her face. “I’d rather they were mine, though. I’d rather you want them to be mine.”

  What could she say to that? She couldn’t, wouldn’t have either of these men’s children. It was impossible…and she was beginning to wish that wasn’t the case. In spite of everything an image entered her mind…

  …of a young child…no, two children, boys, one with hair the flame of a sunset sky, the other hair like a summer sun. They both had violet eyes. They played together along the wooded bank of a stream, open water dancing and rippling under the light of two suns in the sky overhead.

  Her two sons…

  Along the pathway came a third child, a daughter, younger than the others, her dark hair short, with one braid reaching her shoulder. She laughed as the boys welcomed their little sister, and Lija could see that her eyes were brown…

  Lija startled. That had felt like a vision of the future…or at least one future. Her people weren’t prone to imaginings but sometimes at critical points in their lives others had reported having daydreams like this vision. Sometimes those dreams turned out to be a prediction of the future.

  Space knows this was a critical point in her life. But no, that’s not what this was. It was just her imagination working overtime after Gehon’s speech, conjuring up a family that could never be.

  He turned her in his arms to face him. “Are you all right?” Gehon said concern in his deep brown eyes. “You look like you saw something.”

  “I’m fine. It was nothing.” He didn’t seem convinced and Lija didn’t want to answer any more questions just then. Unlike his friend, Gehon was far too perceptive. She felt like he could see right through her with those knowing eyes of his. They narrowed at her even now, and she could see his mouth working on another question.

  Time for a distraction.

  Lija threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, long and hard. His surprise lasted only as long as it took for her to slip her tongue into his mouth and after that it would have been impossible to determine who’d started their kiss.

  He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms tight around her. Her breasts pressed tight against his chest and the hardness of his cock dug into her belly. Breaking off, Gehon groaned indistinct words that she could find no meaning in. Not that she was looking for much meaning at the moment. It was too wonderful to be held this way by him.

  Her desperate ruse had worked too well. She was as distracted as he was and once again all she wanted to do was bed a Zelion man.

  Gehon tasted the side of her neck, seemingly overcome by the flavor of her skin. He breathed deeply, sometimes through his nose as if trying to be certain of her scent. His strong hands slipped under her bottom, lifting her higher in his arms. Before she realized what he intended, she felt the hard tip of his cock at the entrance to her core.

  Startled, Lija tensed, waiting to feel that hard thickness drive into her. She wasn’t prepared, and after yesterday even a little tender. It would hurt. Not that she’d stop him. Part of her wanted him in her, deep and hard. She wanted his cock in her, pounded away, filling her.

  Instead Gehon froze in place, his breath coming hard against her shoulder. His whole body shook with the effort to maintain control. Finally he lifted her higher, resting her in his lap, his erection safely beneath her.

  He chuckled, but the sound was ragged without much amusement in it. “First time I ever did that. I’ve never had a problem with control before.” Leaning back he stared into her face. “I won’t take you like this, unprepared for me. Sometime else, maybe. When we’re comfortable with each other.”

  Now his arms softened, still holding her, but not as tightly. He nibbled on her lips for a moment.

  “I want our first time to be memorable, but not because it hurt, or you didn’t expect it. I want it to be…”

  His voice trailed off as if not sure how to say what he meant. Remembering what he’d said before in the galley, Lija filled it in for him. “You want it to be romantic when we make love for the first time.”

  Now his chuckle did have humor in it. “Yes, that was it. I’m glad you’re my true, Lija. I like a woman with brains in her head.”

  It was her turn to laugh. “I’m glad you like me for more than my body.”

  “Of course I do. You are my exact match, and that means more than just your body to me.” He laughed. “There is only so much time that can be spent in bed. Although,” he said meaningfully, rubbing his hard length against the cleft of her bottom, “spending a little time in bed sounds pretty good right now.”

  “So what do we do?”

  “First thing I think we should do is get out of this water. I have plans for you that don’t involve aquatic sports.”

  Gehon climbed out of the tub and made his way to the bench where their clothes were. Lija admired the strong lines of his back and his firm buttocks as he walked. While Jackon could claim a somewhat better torso, Gehon’s ass was far superior to his friend’s.

  She almost sighed when he grabbed one of the towels and proceeded to dry himself, covering his lower body before she could see his cock. So far she’d only gotten glimpses of it when it had been underwater. From what she’d felt, he was a big man, but she wanted to see for herself.

  He tied the fabric length in place and grabbed the second towel before returning to help her out of the water. “Take it easy, you don’t want to slip.”

  Gehon’s gaze as it skimmed down her nude body was hot enough that she was almost surprised the water covering her didn’t turn to steam. Still his hands were gentle as he carefully wiped the moisture away, leaving her skin warm and dry.

  Finished, he laid the towel on the floor, which was covered in some kind of absorbent material that was soft underfoot. Then he had her sit on the towel.

  “Lie on your stomach and I’ll continue your massage. I want you relaxed, Lija.”

  Relaxation wasn’t high on her list of interests, but she did as he asked. His talented fingers again started on her shoulders, working the last of the kinks out before moving to caress her lower back. By the time he was massaging her buttocks, she was openly moaning her appreciation.

  Keeping one hand on her bottom, Gehon slipped the other between her legs, giving the lightest strokes to the folds there. Eager for his touch, Lija spread her legs in open invitation to continue. The hand on her ass gripped the cheek harder while the other began a slow exploration of her sensitive folds. When she tried to move, he pressed down on her bottom, keeping her in place.

  “You like to be in control, don’t you?” she gasped out when it was clear his hold on her was deliberate.

  He answered without interrupting his sensuous assault. “When I can be. Right now I do. I want to control how you respond to me.”

  She turned her head to look back up at him. “Why is that?”

  He laughed wryly. “Because I very much doubt I’ll be able to do it very often in the future, Lija. You aren’t someone who likes to be controlled.” He slapped her bottom lightly. “Now lie back down and let me pleasure you.”

  She did and he did. His fingers delved deeply into the cleft between her legs, finding her clit where her crotch touched the floor. He twirled it between two fingers while his thumb found the entrance to her pussy. Since she’d stopped moving around he was able to use his free hand to stroke her back, then slip around to find her nipple.

  Lija stiffened, then groaned as he manipulated her most sensitive places.

  Has she thought she was too tired for more sex? Apparently not. Her body thrilled at his actions and screamed for his touch. Everything he did to her left her wanting more and more of the same.

  Or more and more different. It didn’t matt
er. So long as Gehon was touching her, Lija was happy.

  In fact the way he was caressing her was making her a lot more than happy. She moaned under his hands, letting his touch drive her to a place she hadn’t expected to see again quite so soon.

  Lija climaxed with a loud cry of fulfillment and joy.

  Chapter Five

  Gehon watched Lija’s face as she recovered, letting his fingers trail across her sweet ass. He’d told her before that he could only see her as beautiful because she was his true mate. That couldn’t be denied, but in addition he knew she was lovely for her own sake.

  He lay on the towel next to her, just allowing one arm to rest against her back. With his body aching to be inside her, too much contact wouldn’t be wise. It would only take a moment to roll her onto her back and plunge into her. Just the thought of doing so made his cock throb in happy anticipation.

  He wasn’t going to do that, though. He’d promised her romance, and riding her hard wasn’t terribly romantic. With her soft body beneath him and those long legs of hers wrapped around his waist, it was really appealing though.

  She turned her face and he could see her violet eyes, luminous with passion, her cheeks flushed from her orgasm. There was surprise in her face as well, as if she hadn’t expected to climax. She’d said she was hard to satisfy but he hadn’t found that to be so. If anything she was hypersensitive to his touch. Every stroke provoked a reaction.

  Just like a true should be in the arms of her match.

  And yet he could feel her resistance. She wanted to give in to him, but didn’t want to at the same time. Inside her was a battle as her body tried to tell her what her mind did not want to hear.

  “What shall we do now, Gehon?” Her soft voice had a suggestiveness to it that made his hardness harder, and certainly more difficult to ignore.

  “What do you want to do, Lija?” he answered. Now that he’d made her come, he wanted to give her control over their activities.

  Some of her hair had loosened and fallen across her face. He brushed it out of her eyes, tucking it under her long braid. A flicker of curiosity whipped through him. It was such an unusual hairstyle and he knew so little about her people. Did the braid have some significance? He opened his mouth to ask her.

  “I think you should make love to me, Gehon.”

  Question forgotten, he gaped at her. “What?”

  Lija rolled onto her back, her breasts high in the air. “I said I think it’s time. I want you to make love to me.”

  Hardly an invitation to not take seriously.

  Her hands skimmed his upper body until they landed on the towel he’d wrapped around his waist. Tugging on it, she made it clear she wanted it off. “I want to see what you look like.”

  How could he refuse? He sat up on his knees and slowly untied the cloth, pulling it open. Lija’s eyes widened as she took in the size of him particularly his width, which he knew was bigger than Jackon. His rival for their true might have a longer staff, but no one could deny his was larger around. Besides, size didn’t matter as much as knowing what to do with it.

  He knew what to do…and now he was going to prove it.

  Lija’s hand moved to touch him, her gentle fingers like fire against his skin. His cock throbbed as she wrapped her hand around him, as if measuring his size for certain. Her movements were tentative and it took all his control not to take matters into his own hand and direct her as she stroked him. She wanted to touch him and that was good enough.

  Then she sat up and took him into her mouth, and that was far more than good enough. In fact being in her mouth was pretty great. It was hot and wet, and he had to hold himself firm to keep from releasing right away. She pulled his cock out to smile at him, and he groaned at the loss.

  Her expression was pure tease. “So, now do you want to make love to me?”

  As if there’d been any doubt. Gehon pushed her onto her back and spread her knees wide, fitting himself to her. It felt so good, so right, like he was coming home. All his instincts and senses told him she was his perfect match—her smell, her touch, the feel of her skin, and the taste of her lips. He leaned forward to kiss her, reveling in how good just kissing her was, holding off entering her.

  Lija squirmed under him, and he knew he better not hold off any longer.

  Breaking off the kiss, he supported himself on his arms, staring down into her face. “This is for claiming, Lija. You are my true mate.” With the last words he thrust forward, embedding himself to the hilt.

  Stars below, she felt like heaven. It was like coming home, being inside her. Her body welcomed him, her pussy encasing his cock with tight heat. It was enough to make a man sob, knowing how good it was and how uncertain their future remained. She hadn’t committed to being his mate.

  Once claimed, he couldn’t revoke his relationship to her. Even if Lija moved on, he was forever bound to her and no woman would ever be able to replace her.

  He only wished that she understood that. Maybe it would make a difference.

  He stared down into her beautiful eyes, wide with combined passion and pleasure. His woman…Lija couldn’t look more like his mate than she did at this moment.

  Gehon closed his eyes. It didn’t matter about later, or tomorrow. It didn’t matter that she was temporarily sterile, and thus this mating would never produce children.

  It didn’t even matter that he very much doubted Lija was seriously considering either Jackon or himself as a husband.

  Nothing mattered but that now, at very long last, he’d found his true mate and she was under him and he was inside her. No matter what the future held, he held her.

  At least for the moment.

  Was it enough? No. Not really. But it was likely all he would ever get, and therefore would have to do. One time with the woman who could make him the happiest man in the universe, if only she’d agree to be his wife. Even if she didn’t agree, he had her now.

  It would have to do.

  He pulled back and surged forward again. Lija whimpered, the first sign she’d made that she wasn’t completely comfortable with his bulk in her tightness.

  So be it. It wasn’t like he could make himself smaller. He pulled back and surged forward again, this time harder.

  Lija moaned. Well, at the very least, she wouldn’t forget him, Gehon told himself. He repeated his action, again and again, setting up a rhythm. In and out, in and out. He’d done it before, many times before, but never had it felt like this. This was his mate, his true mate. No one would ever be like her. No one could.

  Lija’s hands fell on his back and then on his ass, her fingernails digging into his flesh. As if spurred, he picked up the pace, and she clung to him, legs wrapped tight around his waist, her hand clutching him as if for dear life. She gasped out odd words, sometimes barely more than syllables, passion-driven and meaningless, except for what they meant to him.

  They meant that whether or not she wanted it so, she reacted to him. He, Gehon, warrior of Zelion, was her match. He could give her physical pleasure when others had failed. Lija wanted him and she did it in spite of her reservations.

  They were having sex, pure and simple, but there was nothing simple about this coupling. He drove into her, giving her no mercy. It might be the only time he’d have her…but he didn’t care about that. Better to fuck her in a flame of glory than to be a small flicker of passion in the thread of her life.

  Inwardly he vowed that he, at least, would be remembered.

  He wanted her to know. It would be with her always what she’d given up when she refused him, tomorrow or the day after. She would always remember what it was like to lie with a man who was her match.

  Tension built in him, and in spite of how much he wanted to continue, his orgasm came closer. Gehon worked faster, feeling in Lija a corresponding move toward completion.

  Of course. They were matched, after all. Why wouldn’t they climax at the same time?

  In and out and driving onward. One more thrust.

>   A scream built up in the back of his throat and he lost track of how Lija was reacting to their coupling. Instead he felt his own climax flash through him until it couldn’t be denied any longer.

  Throwing back his head, he cried out, feeling the pulsing of his cock at the same time, sending his seed deep into her womb. Lija finished with him, shuddering under him.

  Gehon lowered himself on top of her, enjoying the softness of her breasts against his chest and the warmth of her arms holding him close. For the moment he felt cherished and loved. She’d accepted him…for now.

  Gehon nuzzled her neck, enjoying the texture of her skin beneath his lips. She was perfect for him. Probably perfect for Jackon, as well, although he hadn’t been able to ask his friend about it.

  Not that he really needed to ask. Jackon’s jealousy when he left this morning spoke volumes about how he felt about Lija. Never had his friend shown the slightest concern for keeping a woman once he’d had her. With Lija he had, and that said in no uncertain terms that she was his mate, just as she was Gehon’s.

  That should have been the problem—that they both wanted her—but Gehon knew it wasn’t. He knew there was more going on than two men wanting the same woman.

  Having sex with Jackon hadn’t convinced Lija to stay as his mate. If she’d been amenable to being a true mate, Gehon shouldn’t have had a chance once his friend had gone first.

  That hadn’t happened and it worried him more than he liked. Lija didn’t behave like a woman who needed convincing of her status as one of their true. Instead she acted like a woman who couldn’t—or wouldn’t—be convinced.

  There was something she wasn’t telling him or Jackon. Something she was hiding.

  “That was fantastic.”

  Even as she said the words, Gehon could feel her slipping away from him. Stars below, why couldn’t she see how good things were between them and how good they would be in the future? All she had to do was say yes to their marriage.