by Ally Blue
Luke glanced at Austin. His brow puckered in a slight frown, but he said nothing, and Luke was grateful for that. “I’m fine, Dr. Allen, thank you for your concern.” Luke forced a smile. “I’m afraid I was just thinking and was not paying attention. It was rude of me. Again, I apologize.”
“No need to apologize, my boy.” Dr. Allen cast an apprehensive glance at Carson. “We all get lost in our thoughts sometimes.”
Carson’s eyes narrowed. For a moment, Luke thought his father was about to hit him right there at the table, something he rarely did, and never in front of a new employee. Then Carson’s face relaxed into a smile, and Luke breathed a silent sigh of relief. He’d still be beaten when he and Father were alone after dinner, but at least Austin wouldn’t see it. Something told him Austin’s tight control might shatter in the face of Carson’s overt violence.
“Well. Luke and I have much to discuss, and I’m sure the rest of you are anxious to begin your evening off.” Rising to his feet, Carson gave a slight bow in Austin’s direction. “Thank you for consenting to share our table this evening, Mr. Bell. It is a pleasure to have you aboard.”
“Thanks for having me, sir,” Austin answered, scrambling to his feet. “I’m very happy to be here. El Cazador is a fantastic ship.”
“She certainly is.” Carson laid a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “Come along, my son. We need to talk.”
Luke didn’t want to go. He longed to go with Austin to his cabin, to feel Austin’s gentle caresses instead of his father’s fists. Later, he promised himself. Austin and I will be together, tonight, even if I have to shift first to heal myself. We’ll be together.
The thought brought him a measure of comfort. Pushing his chair back, Luke stood and smiled at the others. “Goodnight doctors. Austin, it was nice to meet you. I hope we’ll be able to talk more soon.”
Austin’s eyes widened just a little. Luke couldn’t tell if it was because he’d understood Luke’s unspoken promise to see him later, or because he’d realized what Carson was about to do and was afraid for Luke’s safety. Luke’s father took his elbow in a firm grip and steered him out of the dining room, and Luke began the process of preparing himself mentally and physically for the pain to come.
* * * * *
Luke’s head hit the edge of his father’s desk with a resounding crack. He fell to the floor, agony flaring through his skull as his head bounced against the carpet. Blood splattered across the gray sisal. Luke stared at the bright red spots, wondering if he’d be punished for the stains.
“Stupid boy,” Carson growled, pacing back and forth about a foot from Luke’s nose. “You know Dr. Allen forgets himself at times. How dare you arouse his concern? In front of a new employee, no less. What if Dr. Allen had spoken of your ... affliction, and that boy had heard him? Everything I’ve worked for could have been destroyed. Do you understand that? Everything!”
That last was punctuated by a kick to Luke’s stomach. He curled into a ball, coughing more blood onto the carpet. His ears rang, his vision fading in and out. The bright, flaring pain in his head told him his skull was fractured.
His father’s Italian loafers stopped pacing and planted themselves in front of Luke’s face. “Go to the ocean. Shift and heal yourself, then go directly to your cabin. You will take your meals in your quarters from now on. During the day, you will busy yourself with your research into the idol. You will dive as an octopus at night, and you will find my treasure or die trying. Do you understand?”
Pushing himself onto hands and knees, Luke nodded. “Yes. Sir.”
“Good.” Carson yanked Luke to his feet, dragged him to the door and shoved him into the hallway. “Get out of my sight.”
Stepping back into his office, Carson slammed the door shut. Luke leaned against the wall, fighting to stay conscious. Keeping one hand on the wall, he took a tentative step in the direction of the ladder to the main deck. The floor tilted, the hallway swinging in front of his eyes, and he fell to his knees.
“Fuck,” he whispered, tears of frustration blurring his vision. Have to get up. Have to get to the deck. Need to shift. God, pleas ...
Footsteps sounded in the passageway, coming toward him. Panic surged through him. Unable to stand, he started crawling away, toward the nearest empty room.
A gasp and the sound of running feet told him he’d been caught. With no way to avoid whoever it was, he sat down, resting his back against the wall.
“Christ, kid! What happened?”
Smith. His father’s foreman. He knew exactly what had happened. Everyone on board knew. Carson hadn’t bothered to hide it for years.
Luke laughed, sending fresh waves of pain through his insides. “I fell.”
“Shouldn’t fall so much, kid. Gonna get killed one day.”
Surprised, Luke blinked up at Smith with the eye that wasn’t swollen shut. Smith’s stony face betrayed nothing, but Luke’s instincts told him to trust the man. After all, Smith was one of the few non-scientists on board who knew Luke was a shifter.
“Help me get to the deck,” Luke pleaded, his voice weak and breathy. “Please? Have to get into the water.”
Smith’s jaws clenched, but he nodded. “Sure. Here, hang on to me.”
With Smith’s muscular arm around his waist, Luke struggled to his feet. Vertigo whirled in his head. Swallowing against a violent wave of nausea, Luke clung to Smith and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.
It took them nearly ten minutes to make it the few yards to the nearest stair and down to the main deck. Outside, Luke curled his fingers around the metal rail and breathed deeply of the salty night air. The damp cold felt soothing against his battered skin.
“Thanks, Smith.” Luke managed a smile. “I’m okay now.”
Smith nodded, turned and left without another word. Luke watched him go. He was a good sort, when it came right down to it. Not much to say, of course, but that wasn’t always a bad thing.
Lowering himself carefully to the deck, Luke sat down and started pulling off his clothes. Normally he would’ve gone to the dive platform, but he didn’t think he could make it that far. He’d just have to take the chance that the rest of the crew would stay below.
Stashing his clothes under a nearby tarp, Luke slipped under the railing and plunged naked into the ocean below. As soon as the icy water closed over him, he shifted. Instantly, the pain faded from his head and belly as the damaged tissues knit together. He glided into the inky blackness, reveling in the strength and energy of his octopus form.
I could stay like this forever. He often fantasized about that while swooping with effortless grace through the water. He’d always gone back to his human form in the end, knowing he didn’t have the skills to survive as a full-time sea creature and unsure whether he’d be able to maintain that form indefinitely in any case. Now, he had a whole new reason to go back.
Austin.
The second he thought of Austin, the need to be with him tugged at Luke’s insides. He obeyed that silent call without question, jetting back to El Cazador with a few pumps of his mantle.
Hanging underneath the ladder to the dive platform, Luke scanned the visible deck as best he could from underwater. No one was in sight. He shifted and shimmied up the ladder. Grabbing a thick towel from the hamper, he dried off as quickly as he could. He tolerated the cold much better than most people, but the wind was still chilly on his bare skin and dripping hair.
Wrapping the towel around his waist, he ran silently along the deck. It remained empty. Luke was almost to the spot where he’d left his clothes, and was starting to think he might make it all the way back to his room without seeing anyone, when a dark shape detached itself from the shadows and stepped in front of him.
“Shit!” Luke skidded to a halt mere inches from the person. “Sorry, I’m sorry, I was just going for a swim, I…”
“Luke?”
The soft voice stopped Luke’s babbling cold. “Austin? What ... What are you doing out here? It
’s cold.”
Austin laughed. “The wet naked guy is telling me it’s cold.”
Luke couldn’t help smiling. “Yes, well. I have a high tolerance for the cold.”
They stared at each other. Luke watched the questions in Austin’s eyes melt into a white-hot lust, and was grateful. He wasn’t ready to tell Austin about his shifter abilities. Not yet. When Austin took that final step forward and folded Luke into his arms, Luke went gladly.
“Luke,” Austin breathed, his lips just brushing Luke’s cheek. “Christ, I need you so damn bad.”
Threading a hand through Austin’s hair, Luke kissed him hard, darting his tongue into Austin’s mouth. “Come to my cabin with me.”
Austin groaned, arching his neck so Luke could nibble it. “What if someone sees us going to your cabin? I don’t want you to get in trouble. He’ll hurt you.”
Austin’s protectiveness warmed Luke right to his toes. Smiling, he kissed Austin’s jaw. “Father doesn’t put a guard on my cabin when we’re on board the ship. His cabin’s on the upper deck, and we shouldn’t run into anyone on the way. Most of the crew are sleeping. Only the night bridge crew is on duty right now.”
Slipping his knee between Austin’s legs, Luke rubbed his bare thigh against Austin’s crotch. The sweet little whimper Austin let out made Luke want to throw him to the deck and have him right there. “Please, Austin. I need you.” Luke bit Austin’s neck, tongue flicking over the skin between his teeth. “Make love to me. Please. Please.”
In answer, Austin captured Luke’s mouth in a fierce kiss, one hand cupping the back of his head and the other firmly around his waist. “You don’t have to beg me. Let’s go.”
It took a huge effort for Luke to let go of Austin. He wanted to fuse his body with Austin’s and become one being. But they had to get inside, before anyone saw them. Taking Austin’s hand, Luke led him to the nearest hatch. A quick look revealed an empty passageway.
“Come on,” Luke said, tugging Austin inside. “My cabin’s not far. Just around the corner.”
Austin followed Luke in silence, their fingers laced tightly together. Luke’s heart raced and his skin tingled, every nerve on high alert. The fear of discovery honed Luke’s senses to razor sharpness. The scent of his excitement, and Austin’s, rode the air.
They made it to Luke’s cabin without incident. Flinging the door open, Luke dragged Austin inside and kicked the door shut. Austin was on him as soon as he turned around, kissing him like both their lives depended on it. Luke gladly gave himself up to it, opening wide to Austin’s probing tongue. His towel came loose and fell to the floor, and he took advantage of his sudden nakedness by rubbing his rigid cock shamelessly against Austin’s hip.
Austin shuddered and grabbed a handful of Luke’s ass. “What are you?” Austin murmured, brushing his lips against the pulse point in Luke’s throat.
Terror cut off Luke’s breath and held him paralyzed. Oh God, he knows. “What?”
“What are you?” Austin repeated, pulling back to meet Luke’s eyes. His smile faded when he saw Luke’s face. “I just wanted to know if you’re a top or a bottom. What’s wrong?”
Relief made Luke’s knees weak. He laughed, laying a hand on Austin’s cheek. “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.” Pulling back, he grabbed Austin’s wrist and started backing toward the bed. “I don’t know which I am, actually. I’ve never had sex before.”
Austin’s mouth fell open. “Really?”
“Yes.” Luke sat on the edge of the bed, gazing with mingled amusement and apprehension at Austin’s shocked expression. “Is that a problem?”
“No. No, of course not.” Lowering himself to the bed beside Luke, Austin traced the outline of Luke’s mouth with a fingertip. “It’s just hard to believe someone as beautiful as you has never had a lover.”
Warmth blossomed in Luke’s chest. No one had ever looked at him the way Austin did, with a mix of reverence and heat that made his stomach flutter. Sliding a hand behind Austin’s head, Luke leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Austin’s mouth.
“I’m glad you’re going to be my first,” he whispered. “I want you inside me. Is that all right?”
He felt Austin smile against his mouth. “More than all right.”
“Good.” Luke ran his tongue over Austin’s lower lip, then drew away and leaned back on his hands. “Undress.”
Austin’s gaze stayed locked with Luke’s as he stood and quickly shucked his clothes. Luke’s mouth went dry when Austin shoved his pants down, revealing a long, straight, thick cock, already leaking at the tip. Luke’s palm still burned with the sense memory of Austin’s shaft, the silky heat of it, the way it swelled and pulsed when Austin came. However, he hadn’t gotten a good look before, and seeing it in all its naked glory was an entirely different thing.
Obeying the sudden urge welling up inside him, Luke slid forward and licked the little pearl of pre-come from Austin’s slit. Austin groaned, hands sliding through Luke’s hair. “Oh. Luke.”
“Mmmm.” Luke slid his lips delicately over the head of Austin’s prick. He ran his tongue around the smooth glans and under the flared ridge, learning Austin’s unique taste as his fingers rolled Austin’s balls and stroked the soft skin on the insides of his thighs. Pure pleasure flowed over Luke in a wash of sensation ‑‑ the heat of Austin’s skin, the musky smell of his desire, the sharp-sweet taste of him bursting on Luke’s tongue. Austin’s low moans provided the perfect soundtrack for Luke’s explorations.
Austin let out a gasp when Luke dipped his head to suck gently on one of Austin’s balls. “Oh God. Luke. Damn.”
Pleased to have elicited such a reaction, Luke gave the same treatment to the other testicle. When he drew back and looked up, Austin’s eyes were glazed, his breath panting from between slack lips. Luke loved knowing he’d done that to Austin. That he could make Austin feel that good.
Scooting into the middle of the bed, Luke leaned back on his elbows and spread his legs wide. The fire in Austin’s eyes evaporated any self-consciousness Luke might’ve had. Under that hot gaze he felt beautiful and desirable, something only Austin had ever made him feel.
“There’s lube and condoms in the drawer there beside the bed,” Luke heard himself say, feeling vaguely surprised that he sounded so calm when his insides churned with nervousness and need. “Get them and come here.”
Austin lifted an eyebrow, but opened the drawer and dug out a condom and a packetof K-Y, both stolen from the infirmary earlier that day. “Were you planning this?”
Luke’s cheeks heated. “Not exactly. But I was hoping.”
Smiling, Austin knelt between Luke’s open legs, leaned down and kissed him. “Me too.”
They both laughed, the sound dissolving into moans and whimpers as their kisses became more urgent. Luke dug his fingers into Austin’s back, longing to feel the man’s weight crushing him. “Austin, fuck me. God, please.”
Rolling off of Luke, Austin ran his fingers up and down Luke’s thigh in a light, teasing touch. “Lie on your stomach.”
Luke obediently rolled over. Anticipation fluttered in his belly. He knew what Austin was about to do, and he wanted it more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life. His body ached with a desire stronger than he’d ever imagined existed, making ordinary things seem layered with meaning. The sound of the condom packet ripping open seemed unbearably sensual.
The mattress moved. Luke felt Austin’s hands on his thighs, gently urging them apart. His skin sizzled where Austin touched him. Austin moved behind him and he held his breath, expecting to feel Austin’s finger breaching him. Austin’s hands spread his buttocks, but what he felt teasing his hole was no finger. It was warm, slick and wet, and felt incredibly wicked and incredibly good.
“Oh, God!” Luke arched his ass into the air, searching for more of that wonderful sensation. “Oh. I, I didn’t ... didn’t know ... God, Austi ...
Austin hummed and pressed the tip of his tongue hard against Luke’s entrance. Waves
of heat spread through Luke’s body, centered on Austin’s tongue easing him open, sliding inside him and sending him flying. He’d never imagined anything like this, even in his most fevered fantasies.
When Austin’s tongue withdrew, Luke let out an inarticulate cry of protest. The cry faded into a harsh gasp when Austin’s lube-slick fingers penetrated him, sending electric jolts shooting over his skin. The mattress dipped as Austin leaned over Luke’s back to brush a soft kiss across his temple.
“Are you okay?” Austin whispered, pressing his cheek to Luke’s. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Luke wriggled, wanting Austin’s fingers deeper inside him. “Not hurting me. Feels good. God, so good.”
Austin’s fingers pulled out, then returned, adding another digit. A fleeting pain zinged through Luke’s stretched muscles, so brief he barely had time to register it before it was gone and the pleasure returned. He moaned and pushed back against Austin’s hand, forcing his fingers in further. One fingertip brushed something deep in Luke’s body, something that sent shockwaves through his blood. He bunched his fists in the sheets, shaking all over.
“Christ, Austin, fuck me, right now!” Luke’s voice sounded desperate in his own ears, but he didn’t care. He’d never needed anything as badly as he needed Austin inside him.
“Turn over again,” Austin said, pressing a kiss between Luke’s shoulder blades. “I want to see your face while I’m in you.”
Luke managed to flip onto his back without dislodging Austin’s fingers from his ass. He reached up and cupped Austin’s face in his hands. “Kiss me.”
Austin obliged, capturing Luke’s mouth in a hungry kiss. “God, you’re so fucking beautiful,” he murmured. Pulling his fingers out of Luke’s hole, he drew back enough to look into his eyes. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” Holding Austin’s gaze, Luke pulled his legs up to his chest. “Fuck me.”