Warriors of Phaeton: Paine and Rowe

by Leora Gonzales

“How does that feel?” Rowe asked, sealing the second bracelet on her wrist next to its twin. “Comfortable?”

  “I barely feel it. It’s so light. What else is in here?” she asked, poking around the bag on her lap. Deep blue and velvet, the bag reminded her of the sacks her brothers had used to store their marbles. The band she was now wearing had been the largest item inside the small sack, but there were a few other tidbits she was curious about.

  “A few stones, none of them holding value other than the memories I associate with them,” Rowe answered, pouring them out into her hand. “That one is from the sector where we trained when we were younger.”

  “I recognize that one from Calaxan. It’s where we ran our first mission as paired fighters,” Paine added, pointing out a long blue shiny piece that looked more like glass than rock.

  “Whoa,” she whispered, blown away by the enormity of it all. She was literally holding tiny pieces of planets in the palm of her hand. “That’s amazing.”

  “Thank you,” he said, holding out the bag for her to pour her handful back in. “Now it’s your turn.”

  “My turn?” she repeated, not quite following. “What do you mean, it’s my turn?”

  “We want to get to know you, Indigo.” Rowe leaned forward, reaching for her hand. “We want the chance to make you happy, and for that to happen, we need to know who you are. I was hoping you would show us a few of the things you brought with you from Earth.”

  Nodding to her lap, Rowe brought her attention back to the bag she’d forgotten was sitting there.

  “Oh,” Indigo said, unsure what she should show him from her small duffle. Despite her reaction to seeing it earlier, it didn’t hold any value other than simply being all she had left in the world. The bare bones overnight bag had been on her shoulder at the time of her abduction. She considered herself lucky that it had been tossed into her crate with her unconscious body. Quite a few of the other kidnapped women hadn’t had anything at all to start over with. “Well…I have a few books and some deodorant.” With one arm in the bag, she rummaged around until she felt the stick she’d mentioned.

  “What’s that?” Paine asked, peering into the bag.

  “It’s ummm…something you put on under your arms so you don’t stink,” she explained, pulling the cap off so he could see what she was talking about.

  “It smells nice,” Rowe said, taking his turn at sniffing it. “Is that what you smell like under there?”

  Indigo grimaced. “Considering the amount of sweat I was covered in when I woke up? I would say probably not.”

  “Let me check,” Paine teased with a dimpled grin, leaning forward as if to sniff her.

  “Don’t you dare,” she laughed, scooting back. The bag rolled off her lap onto the floor, and items spilled out in a tangle. “Oh shit. Sorry.”

  “No problem, love. I’ll get it for you.” Rowe dropped down beside the bed and began scooping items up. One large handful at a time, he shoved them back into her bag.

  Indigo heard the jingle of her overfilled keyring, none of which were at all useful anymore. The click of her makeup mirror, which happened to be cracked after she dropped it during one of her first days on Djaromir. And last but not least, the buzz of her pocket rocket—the one she’d used before bed to help her sleep, which she just so happened to have carelessly tossed into the bag last night without zipping it into the inside pocket.

  “What’s that?” Paine asked, peering over the edge of the bed.

  “Uhhhh…” Indigo swallowed hard at the sight of her small black vibe held delicately between Rowe’s strong fingers as he held it up for Paine to see.

  Hearing the buzz, not only had she wanted to die of embarrassment, her body—apparently conditioned to the sound of her little friend—had also responded. Her dumb, horny body had been trained to essentially sit up and beg at the heavy buzz emanated by the small but quite powerful black cylinder.

  Her thighs clenched, nipples hardened to stone, and a shiver of anticipation ran down her back.

  “It looks like a massager of some sort.” Rowe twirled it in his fingers, ramping the speed up and down with a twist as he studied it.

  “I’ll take that,” Indigo said, finally snapping out of it. Holding out her hand, she knew her face was fire-engine red.

  “But, what is it?” Paine asked with a curious expression as he poked the end with the textured nubs.

  “Stop!” Indigo practically shrieked. Her voice rose to a shrill pitch as he moved it close to his face for an inspection. “Just give it to me. Please.”

  “I have a feeling I know what this is,” Rowe teased. His smile widened watching her reaction. Twisting the cylinder, he turned it off before handing it over.

  Tucking it under her leg, Indigo looked at anything in the room but the men before her. Up and down. She even eyed the locked door and fantasized taking a run at it like the Kool-Aid man.

  Even if aimed low and at full speed, she’d probably bounce right off.

  “I’m lost,” Paine said, shaking his head. “What was that?”

  “It was nothing,” she said, quickly reaching to take the duffle from Rowe before she could be further embarrassed. “What else do I have in here? Let’s see…” Moving things around, she looked for something innocent yet intriguing enough to pull their attention away from her vibe. “Strawberry chapstick!”

  Pulling off the cap, she held it out for Paine to smell as she waved it in front of his face. “This keeps my lips moist.”

  “As did the other,” Rowe whispered.

  Her breadth caught and a wave of heat flashed over her body at the innuendo.

  “What does that…” Paine’s voice trailed off and his face lit up in understanding. “Ohhh.”

  “I’m gonna crawl under here and die,” Indigo muttered as she tried to tug the blanket up and over her head. She came up short as Rowe took a seat beside her, trapping the fabric beneath his muscled thighs.

  “Don’t be embarrassed,” Paine said with a shrug. “Masturbation is healthy. What do you think we’ve been doing up here in our bunks? We spent over a month waiting.”

  “This isn’t happening.” Indigo covered her face with her hands, feeling torn between embarrassment and needing to laugh as he poked through her bag.

  “What else do you have in here? How about this?”

  She looked up to see him holding her half-empty plastic birth control case.

  “Those are—were my birth control pills,” she said, taking it from him. “I wasn’t sure if it was okay to continue them after being in stasis for so long. So, I just stopped.”

  “We thought the brides were not permitted contraception,” Paine countered with a confused frown that in no way detracted from his good looks.

  “That’s true,” Indigo answered guiltily. “But remember, I never planned on staying. After my visit with the Intake Center’s doctor, I went to one of the low-cost clinics downtown and got a script for birth control. It was awful.”

  “Why was it awful?” Rowe questioned with a frown of his own.

  “I don’t like doctors. I know it sounds weird and all. I mean, they’re trained to help,” she answered, embarrassed at her phobia. Even as a child she’d reacted badly to having to go to the doctor. “I have a hard time seeing any doctor. It started when I was little. My mom could promise me the world and I still threw a fit every time. We’d even changed doctors a few times. I was a nightmare. She’d hoped it was something that I would outgrow. I never did. Now, it doesn’t even matter why I’m going. My blood pressure shoots up and I get the nervous sweats. Do you know how relieved I was when they started offering flu shots at the grocery store?” she asked. “Unless I’m deathly ill, and I mean deathly, I’m not going to the doctor. Like a last resort type of sitchy.”

  “I see,” he said, shooting a look to Rowe.

  The men seemed to have a form of silent communication in the glances they passed back and forth. Her younger brothers had done something similar when they w
ere little, trying to sneak things past her on the nights she’d had to babysit. They were as thick as thieves, until she’d managed to decode their little looks and gestures.

  “What?” she asked impatiently.

  “It seems like you put quite a bit of planning into not staying.”

  “It also sounds like it took a lot of effort and persistence for you to get this far.” Rowe shrugged, bringing her attention to his muscled shoulders. “Which shows me that we’re going to need to put in even more effort to make you want to stay.”

  “Which will be no hardship,” Paine added, his eyes drifting over to her breasts heaving against the tank top. “None whatsoever.”

  Indigo felt her nipples tighten at the attention, prompting her to cross her arms over the hard points. These two were more tempting than every single miner she’d met combined.

  And her body wouldn’t let her forget it.

  “I have an idea,” he said, giving her a half smile that flashed his delectable dimple.

  “What?” she asked, suspicious of the twinkle in his eyes. Looking over to Rowe, she was surprised to see him watching her with a similar smile on his face—only his was missing the dimple.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “I want you to kiss me,” Paine said, not taking his eyes off Indigo. “I want you to kiss me, and then I want you to kiss Rowe.”

  “Wh-what?” she sputtered, ending with a nervous laugh. “Why?”

  Paine took a moment to think of how to answer. Since she woke, he’d seen little glimpses of the woman Indigo was. Quick to smile, her eyes shone with intelligence and determination, and she had a body made for pleasure.

  She was also extremely tense. Her tension wound so tight he was afraid that she would crack in half. He saw the weight she carried on her shoulders and wanted to be the one to help ease some of that load. He wasn’t quite sure where her burdens came from but knew a sure way to provide. Seeing her reaction to the vibrating stick Rowe had found, Pain knew her body was primed and ready.

  “Because I think that you’ll enjoy it. We’ll enjoy it.”

  “I know I will,” Rowe interrupted. He shot Indigo a wink when they looked his way. “Watching the two of you will be nothing but a pleasure for me.”

  “Really?” Indigo’s breath quickened, shaking the tips of her breasts as she breathed heavily.

  “Absolutely.” Climbing off the bed, Rowe took a seat in the chair against the wall. “I plan on paying close attention to make sure I make you moan louder when it’s my turn.”

  She shivered, and her nipples poked obscenely against the front of her thin shirt.

  Paine’s mouth watered and he barely contained a groan. Her reaction was entrancing.

  “I don’t—” Indigo started only to stop when Paine laid a fingertip over her lips.

  “Don’t think. Just feel,” Paine whispered. Picking up her hand, he placed it palm down on his thigh. “Can you feel how tense my body is? It’s because I want you. I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw your photograph, and now that you’re here in front of me, I want you even more.”

  Holding his breath, he watched her carefully. With the slightest hesitation, he’d stop—they’d both stop.

  “We see the need in your body.” He gently tugged on the blanket covering her lap. She didn’t need the shield any longer. They’d take care of her. “Let us help you feel good.

  “Just a kiss?” she asked, letting the blanket go and scooting down to stretch out on the bed.

  Paine caught the look Rowe sent him. He didn’t have to see Rowe’s face to remember the need to tread carefully.

  “Just a kiss,” he promised, lying next to her on his back.

  “Wait.” Indigo rolled to her side and popped up on her elbow. “What are you doing?”

  Paine gave her an innocent smile as he held himself back from kissing the adorable frown she was wearing off her face. “I’m waiting for you to kiss me.”

  “Oh,” she said, biting her lip. Looking over his chest, she made eye contact with Rowe before looking back to him nervously. “O-okay.”

  “Here, sweetheart,” Paine husked out, gripping her hips and lifting her up and over his body to lie on the other side of him. The strength he’d had to exert in the effort was minimal at best, although her gasp of delight made him feel as if he were the strongest man in the universe.

  “Why’d you do that?” she asked, her eyes wide as she looked down at him.

  “If you’re on top of me, Rowe will be able to see you better.” Paine tilted his head on the pillow in the direction his partner sat. “We don’t want him to miss anything, do we?”

  When her eyes darkened at the mention of Rowe again, Paine knew he was smart in reminding her of his presence. Every time Rowe had talked or alluded to the fact that he was watching, Indigo visibly reacted. Whether it was her pulse quickening or her breath catching, she showed signs of increased arousal.

  And that was knowledge he would use to their advantage.

  “Don’t be shy,” Paine teased, looking up into eyes that swam with both arousal and indecision.

  “You asked for it,” she muttered before dropping her lips to his in an openmouthed kiss that would have knocked him on his ass had he been standing.

  Reaching up to tangle his fingers in her curls, Paine held her as close to him as possible as he took over the kiss. Chasing her retreating tongue with his own, he followed it back into her mouth to delve and explore. The feel and taste of her mouth was addictive, making him unable to pull away. Delicate fingers kneaded his back, somehow now underneath the leather tunic he’d had tucked into his pants just moments ago. The sensation of her hands on his skin made him realize that in the middle of the best kiss of his life, he’d reversed their position.

  Instead of Paine on his back with Indigo braced over him, she was now lying prone with him on top of her. With one leg between hers, he gripped her waist, keeping her snug against him and the pressure he provided to the apex of her thighs. Every so often she’d grind her hips into his leg, pressing hard against the cushioned pad of her pussy.

  Turning his head, Paine looked for his brother, hoping he’d be able to explain what had happened during that explosive kiss. His brain only had half a second to process the fact that he was staring at an empty chair when he felt Rowe’s hands gripping the back of his tunic.

  “My turn,” Rowe announced briskly, pulling Paine off a still squirming Indigo.

  Paine barely had a moment to get his feet underneath him before Rowe turned his attention back to the bed.

  “Holy—” she gasped, her eyes wide before Rowe climbed on top of her, taking Paine’s place.

  “Is this?” he asked, his fingers tracing her cheek shakily.

  “Yes,” she moaned, pulling him down to kiss her.

  Paine stood beside the bed, weaving in place and panting as he watched the couple below. What had started out as a request for kisses had quickly begun to burn hotter than he’d expected. Rubbing a hand over his face, Paine watched Rowe succumb to the pure temptation of their bride.

  He didn’t blame his brother one bit for the frantic groans and sloppy kisses he bestowed on Indigo. Paine had no room to cast judgment, considering his own hands still shook. Moving around the bed, he claimed the empty space to the left of the couple. He could have taken Rowe’s chair, but he needed to be closer.

  Indigo turned her head toward him as her mouth opened in a gasp as Rowe nibbled down the side of her neck.

  “You are so beautiful.” Paine dropped to his haunches to be eye to eye with her, unable to keep the words in his mouth.

  Indigo’s eyes fluttered open, hazy with lust, taking her a moment to focus on him.

  “Paine,” she gasped, gripping Rowe’s head as he sucked the tip of her breast through her top. “Fuuuck.”

  He didn’t hesitate. Leaning over her, Paine captured her mouth. Catching her moans and gasps with his lips, he lost himself while Rowe continued to feast upon her nipples where they pe
bbled for attention.

  Indigo pulled back with a gasp, rocking her head back and forth on the pillow.

  “I don’t—what’s—ohhhh that feels good.”

  Paine nibbled the side of her neck, giving her a moment to catch her breath. “Do you like what Rowe is doing to your nipples, sweetheart? Can you feel the bite of his teeth?”

  As if on cue, Indigo squealed with delight as Rowe nipped the bud he’d been teasing.

  “Was that a yes?” Paine whispered, ghosting his own incisors over the lobe of her ear. “Or a no?”

  “Y-y-yes.” Indigo licked her lips. “That was a yes.”

  “And did you like it?” he questioned, smiling as she writhed underneath Rowe.

  “Yeahhhh,” she groaned, gripping his hair to hold him against her chest.

  “One day,” Paine whispered against her ear, “Rowe will be busy eating that sweet, sweet pussy while I take my time kissing you. Then, we’ll switch, and I’ll take my turn tasting those pretty lips.”

  Her breath caught as she bucked under his brother. Where they laid, he was square between her legs, but since he’d moved down to tease her nipples, she was grinding against his rigid abdomen.

  “We know what you need, sweetheart.” Paine nodded to Rowe when he looked up. “Just let us give it to you.”

  Rowe leaned up enough to sneak a hand between him and Indigo. The muscles moved in his arm showing Paine the motion he’d begun with his fingers.

  “Oh gawwwd,” Indigo whined, arching backward.

  “What’s he doing, honey?” Paine asked huskily, although he already knew.

  “He’s touching me,” she panted. Her eyes were wild as they connected with his.

  “May I touch underneath?” Rowe asked, letting go of her nipple with a pop. “I can feel your heat though the fabric of your shorts and need to touch you.”

  “No—I mean yes.” Indigo let out a frustrated cry, shifting her hips restlessly. “I need more.”

  “Indigo,” Paine said firmly, needing her to focus on him enough to receive a clear answer. “Does he have your permission?”

  “Yes.” Nodding, she pushed down the waistband of her shorts frantically. “One of you—both of you—I don’t care who. Draw straws if you have to. Just get me off before I explode.”