by Jade Archer
Her quick fingers made light work of the fastening, then pulled the material wide and slipped it back over his shoulders. When she was done, she languidly trailed her fingers down over his chest, and every nerve ending came to life under her questing digits. Her heated gaze went straight to his cock as it thickened and responded to her heated stare and tender caresses.
“You’re so beautiful,” she breathed as she continued to touch and explore.
Devlynn leaned in. “So are you,” he whispered against the sweet spot just below her ear, and Arek saw her shiver in response as Devlynn left a small kiss behind.
Still kissing the long column of her neck, Devlynn manoeuvred in behind her and began to free the closures at the front of Rachel’s tunic until he could push the gaping material aside and down her arms—leaving her gloriously bare and exposed. Her nipples tightened in the cooler air, growing to stiff peaks. Then Devlynn cupped her breasts and brushed his thumb across the hard nubs and her head fell back against his shoulder with a sigh of bliss. She reached back, running her fingers through his hair tenderly, pushing into his hands.
Arek tore his gaze away from Rachel and focused on Devlynn for a moment. He looked delicious holding Rachel against him. Hair tousled. Cheeks flushed. Eyes bright and smouldering with passion.
Suddenly, Devlynn’s heated brown eyes looked directly at him and Arek felt his heart jolt at the lust and longing and desperate need in his gaze. Now was not the time for half measures of stifled desire. He wanted to see Devlynn naked and lost in passion every bit as much as he wanted to see Rachel that way. Denying them both would just be stupid. And Arek was through with being stupid.
“You too. Take off your shirt,” Arek growled, watching Devlynn’s reaction closely.
The rough command seemed to be just what Devlynn wanted to hear. Rachel appeared to like the idea too as she moved aside to watch. In seconds, his tunic was stripped over his head. His sleek, muscular chest made Arek ache to reach out and caress along the solid pectorals and brush his thumb over the tiny nubs at their centre.
Arek didn’t even try to hold back his moan.
Suddenly, Rachel was there, kissing gently at the lobe of his ear then whispering softly against it like a mischievous sprite from the Marshan sector. “Kiss him.”
Arek leant forward as if under a compulsion, but before he could make more than a few inches, Devlynn was already there. As if a pressure release valve had been opened, Devlynn was suddenly kissing him. Hard and aggressive. A fight for dominance that Arek met wholeheartedly until it was all thrusting tongues and nipping teeth and fierce moans.
Finally, Arek managed to take control, but it was a wild, tentative kind of control that threatened to break at any second. And he loved it. The challenge. The thrill of possession and the promise of being overcome at any second.
Arek locked Devlynn’s head firmly between his hands so he could plunder Devlynn’s mouth at will. Devlynn moaned and surrendered to the demanding kiss, but at the same time his own hands cruised up to Arek’s nipples and began teasing them mercilessly.
It was so good. So wonderful. Then he felt Rachel working on the fastenings of his trousers. The exquisite torture of her touch as she freed his cock, followed by the bliss of her stroking along his aching shaft almost had him exploding right then and there. Arek raised himself up on his knees, thrusting into her hand, and found himself bumping into Devlynn’s hard cock.
Rachel wrapped her hands around them both so their cocks were rubbing together—holding them and stroking them with just enough pressure. She swiped the sensitive heads of their cocks with her thumb and Arek thought he was going to shoot right then and there.
Fortunately for his ego, Devlynn broke the kiss first. “Oh, gods! I want…I need—”
“What?” Rachel asked in her seductive whisper. “What do you want, Dev?”
Devlynn was looking lost and bewildered and so damn needy it stole Arek’s breath completely.
“Rachel?” Devlynn begged.
Rachel’s eyes softened and she opened her arms. As Devlynn fell into them she kissed him, and Arek nearly shot again. Only by wrapping his fist around his cock and squeezing did he stop himself. Fuck, they were so magnificent together. Hard, sleek muscles. Soft, round curves. He had everything right in front of him, and he nearly missed it. Arek would have kicked his own ass, but he didn’t want to risk losing a second right now.
As the kiss came to an end, Rachel pulled away and smiled. “How about we finish getting out of these clothes, huh?”
It sounded like the best idea Arek had ever heard—his cock certainly thought so as it gave another throb of agreement and a clear trickle of pre-cum slipped down his shaft, still protruding from his open pants.
Within seconds they were all completely naked and staring at each other. But what started off as awe, soon settled into a moment of uncomfortable ‘now what?’ as they continued to look at each other.
That was until Rachel’s face transformed into a cheeky grin.
Still sporting an impish smile, she turned around and lay on her back with her head directly in front of Devlynn’s knees. She pulled and tugged at his hips until he got the idea and lowered himself so she could take his cock into her mouth and begin sucking. At the same time, Devlynn ended up facing her pussy.
It didn’t take him long to get the idea. Soon they were pleasuring each other—moaning and groaning as tongues and mouths got to work making Arek harder and harder as he stared down at the pair. His gaze was continually drawn to the tight curve of Devlynn’s ass and the wrinkled pucker of his hole now exposed between smooth cheeks as he straddled Rachel’s head.
Arek didn’t think for one second that Rachel’s manoeuvre had been anything but deliberate manipulation. But at the same time he wasn’t sure he cared.
With an unsteady hand, he reached out and ran his thumb over the tight entrance to Devlynn’s body, startled when his soon-to-be lover jerked violently in place.
Devlynn pulled away from licking Rachel with a gasp.
“Please, Arek. Please.”
Arek knew exactly what he was asking. And by all the gods he wanted to. Oh, gods, he so wanted to fuck Devlynn’s tight ass, but—
“Left. Drawer. Top. Please, Arek. Please. I—”
“Hush. It’s okay. I’ve got you,” Arek replied, quickly scrabbling in the top drawer of Devlynn’s bedside locker.
Within seconds he found lube…and several other interesting toys and gadgets that would require further investigation at a later date. But now was not the time for sightseeing.
Not wanting to torture, but still knowing that he needed to prepare his lover, Arek applied plenty of the special lube to the fingers of his right hand and dribbled a generous amount between Devlynn’s cheeks as well.
As soon as the gel touched his hole, Devlynn jumped. “Oh, gods! Oh, gods! Arek…so…so long…wanted you—”
“Shh. No more waiting, sweetheart. You’ve got me.”
Devlynn moaned and Arek took the moment to circle his tight entrance, before carefully pushing the tip of his finger in. When it moved in easily and Devlynn was pushing back against him, Arek grew bolder. Soon he had two fingers inside Devlynn, working him open.
Unfortunately, the mere action of getting Devlynn ready was pushing Arek right to his limits. He was so turned on, he didn’t think he was going to last long enough to get inside.
And all the time, Rachel sucked and moaned on Devlynn’s cock. Ramping up his libido still further.
Taking his gaze away from the glorious ass in front of him for a second, Arek peeked around Devlynn to see Rachel’s hips thrusting up to meet the tongue pleasuring her clit. Her fingernails left small crescent shaped marks where they dug into Dev’s flank—clinging to him and urging him on.
The sound of Rachel releasing Devlynn’s cock on a loud groan got Arek’s full attention.
Rachel’s hips continued to thrust as she panted for breath.
“Hurry, Arek. I can’t hold
on much longer. Want to come…all together.”
“Me too,” Devlynn added, before lowering his head back to pleasuring Rachel again.
Well, there was nothing like a challenge. And Arek knew he wasn’t going to last much longer either—it was somewhat of a relief to hear his lovers say they were so close.
Lining up his cock, Arek gently nudged at Devlynn’s hole. But Devlynn was having none of it. With a quick backwards thrust, Arek found his cock taken half way into Devlynn’s body in one swift move.
Arek couldn’t control it anymore. With his hands on either side of Devlynn’s hips, he pulled back slightly then thrust all the way home in one smooth heave of his hips. Devlynn went wild beneath him. Rachel’s muffled cries and moans joined in and soon all three of them were writhing and moving together—the only grace and coordination that of blind passion and desperate need.
Finally—mercifully—Arek came. His cock emptied deep inside Devlynn’s body as bright pinpoints of light exploded behind his closed eyelids. Wave after wave of orgasm swept over him like the pulsing surges of the solar storm—powerful, unrelenting and completely devastating. In the distance, he heard Devlynn cry out moments later and Rachel’s lusty moan several seconds after that. The entire bed platform shook with their orgasmic cascade.
When the tempest had passed and they’d run the course of their orgasms, Arek gently eased out of Devlynn’s body. As Devlynn moved to the right of Rachel, Arek moved to the left so they wouldn’t crush her but could still huddle together after the storm.
He helped Rachel turn around so they could all lay together and cool down in the moment of calm as everything settled again. There was plenty of time to face reality and all its nasty little surprises later. Right now he just wanted to let the sensation of what they had done and how amazing it had been filter into his soul.
He stroked his hand down Rachel’s flank, then reached over and did the same to Devlynn—letting his languid, slightly overcooked brain enjoy the peace and rest for a moment.
Rachel closed her eyes and let her mind drift with the amazing warm afterglow as she snuggled between Devlynn and Arek.
“Mmm…glad you’re not getting rid of us. I could get kind of used to this,” she mumbled sleepily into Arek’s chest several minutes later.
“Yeah, me too,” Devlynn murmured behind her, nuzzling into her neck and leaving a sweet, soft kiss at her nape. “Saves me having to kick his ass. Of course I might decide to do it anyway.”
Rachel chuckled, but feeling Arek’s chest moved under her cheek in a heavy sigh had her glancing up at him in concern.
“Hey, he wasn’t serious. Right, Devlynn?”
Arek shook his head. “It’s not that.”
All lassitude disappeared as she studied Arek’s troubled face.
“What?” Devlynn demanded, now sounding tense and alert as well.
“While I was thinking about what Rachel had said, I did some quick diagnostic runs. One of the main power cells fried in the storm. Turbine two is completely out of commission and our speed’s dropped by over twenty-five per cent. There’s no way we’re going to make Nareen in time. Which means—”
“Shit!” Devlynn’s whole body was stiff now. “No credits for food or fuel. We’re stuffed anyway!”
“There has to be something we can do?” Rachel’s mind shook off the last of the post-coital sluggishness reluctantly as she started to think through what she knew of The Wyvern’s engines and capabilities.
“You can’t sell The Wyvern, Arek,” Devlynn demanded, as he pulled away and sat up beside them. “We’ll end up being dead-end labourers on some backwater planet, ‘cause I’m not going back to privateering. Especially not under someone else’s command.”
“Can’t exactly get out and push,” Arek replied, sounding tired and worn out. It had been a long couple of days. “I’m all ears if you can think of another way out of this mess.”
Rachel struggled to sit up so she could start working through the problem logically.
“You don’t have a spare power cell on board?”
“We blew one about a month ago and couldn’t afford to replace it. It was spare power cell or fuel and ration packs,” Arek explained, sounding defensive.
Rachel refrained from rolling her eyes. Men and their egos. She came from farm stock. She understood bad seasons and being whittled down to the bare basics until things came good again. She also knew a thing or two about improvisation.
“Why don’t we disconnect the damaged power cell and reconfigure the solar radiation collectors to power turbine two. We’ll have to reduce lighting and other secondary power draws, but if we’re careful—”
Slowly, Rachel realised Arek and Devlynn were staring at her as if she’d grown a second head. She stopped speaking and stared back. Maybe there was something different about The Wyvern’s system that made her suggestion impossible. What might have worked on the farm turbines might not work here. She certainly didn’t know the ship well enough to be sure either way. But she refused to look away or be embarrassed. It was still a good suggestion. It wasn’t as if they were coming up with anything more constru—
“Rachel, that’s brilliant!” Arek finally blurted. “I mean it’s so simple, but…I can’t believe we never thought of it.”
Rachel felt her face heat up at the sudden praise. “I guess sometimes it just takes a fresh pair of eyes.”
“Beautiful eyes,” Devlynn replied with a broad grin.
A little knot of happiness warmed her belly even as her cheeks felt like they burst into flames.
“So what are we waiting for?” Devlynn asked with a wicked chuckle.
Rachel smiled until her face hurt as they struggled into their clothes and hurried to get to work in the engine room. A content, radiant satisfaction was swirling around inside her to think of working side-by-side with the men to get the ship up and running again. She liked the feeling. She wanted more of it. And then she wanted more of them.
Two hours, several minor setbacks and a strained wrist when she’d been over enthusiastic with a torc-wrench later, Rachel was nearly ready to see if her plan would work. She was anxious and excited all at the same time.
In theory, she knew it should work. She’d quickly studied the ship’s power delivery system and found it remarkably similar to the one back home. The one she’d tinkered with alongside her brothers for years. But theory and practical application in space were two very different things. She really didn’t want to disappoint Arek and Devlynn, especially when it could be the difference between seeing the stars together or ending up planet bound on Nareen. She wasn’t all that fond of Nareen cattle.
Taking a deep breath and tightening the last clamp into place, Rachel stood up and stretched her back. The muscles had bunched and seized up while she’d been concentrating on her work. In fact, she’d been focused so completely on her task she’d lost track of exactly what Arek and Devlynn were up to—something she’d thought impossible, since every fibre of her being seemed tuned into them ever since she’d met them.
Glancing around, she caught sight of them by the solar radiation unit. Devlynn was kneeling down in front of the main console with the panelling off so he could work on the power relays. He looked like he was just finishing up, ready to fix the cover back into place. Arek stepped up behind him and placed a hand on Devlynn’s shoulder, murmuring something Rachel couldn’t hear above the low hum of the turbines.
But it wasn’t really necessary to hear the words—the look of pleasure on Devlynn’s face as he turned his head to gaze up at Arek said it all. The two smiled at each other with so much pure, radiant happiness it was impossible to look away. How they could have denied their mutual love for so long was incomprehensible. It was so obvious. So beautiful.
As she watched, Arek hesitated for a moment—his head jerking as if second guessing himself. But in the next second, he bent down and kissed Devlynn full on the mouth.
Devlynn stretched up to meet him, arching his back an
d opening enthusiastically. The brief lip lock turned into a much longer, lustier affair than Arek probably originally intended, but it was glorious to behold and neither of them moved to bring it to an end.
Rachel couldn’t help but remember the two of them together in Devlynn’s quarters earlier. It had been the most amazing, powerful experience of her life. The two of them together were stunning. Right and magnificent—she felt truly blessed to have been welcomed into their first sharing of passion for each other.
At the thought, she felt a stab of apprehension. Watching them together now and remembering how they had looked locked together earlier, she wondered if she was really necessary. In the long term, was there really going to be room for her in their relationship? And even if there was, did they really need her? The men looked beautiful together. Did they really want her in the middle of it, or had she only been the necessary catalyst to bring them together? Would there come a time when they regretted allowing her to join them? To stay?
She knew her concerns might be completely unfounded, but she couldn’t help wondering. And she couldn’t simply dismiss them either. She wasn’t a bury-her-head-in-the-solgram kind of girl. It was hard to face the possibility, but between now and Nareen she’d have to try to figure it out one way or the other. She really wasn’t interested in getting her heart broken.
The trouble was, she was pretty sure there wasn’t much left of the silly organ that didn’t already belong to Arek and Devlynn anyway. She knew she’d only be fooling herself if she tried to pretend what she felt for the pair was purely lust and desire. She still craved adventure and freedom, but independence was looking pretty lonely and her heart ached something fierce thinking about having to walk away from them.
Chapter Seven
Devlynn stood in the doorway to the common room watching Arek. At the moment his lover was pouring over a series of data pads spread out across the low table in front of the couch. Expression serious, nimble fingers flying over one of the illuminated screen—damn, Arek was fine!