by Chandra Ryan
“We could do boys in one room. Girls in the other,” Aimes suggested.
Both he and Adam peeked into the rooms. The beds were good sized but there was only one per room and he didn’t think they could hold three large men. “Who’s going to be sleeping on the floor?”
Aimes smiled. “You’re not a dandy. I’m sure the floor would be plenty comfortable enough for you.” Michael had to admit that Aimes imitated his earlier speech pretty well.
“Michael and the captain will share a room with me. Aimes, you get the other room.” They all looked at Adam in surprise. “What? It’s what we all really want.”
It was what Michael wanted. And Adam wouldn’t have suggested it if he was opposed to the arrangement. That left the decision up to Renee. She’d been shying away from a ménage for as long as they’d been together. And he knew why. But things seemed to be different now. Since she’d found out she’d died, things had changed. Hell, she’d even said she needed him. The old Renee never needed anyone. A ménage was a big step though. Would dying be enough?
She took a deep breath and he saw the panic and fear start to cloud her eyes. She was going to say no. It was the look she always got when she turned him down. Only she pursed her lips and nodded decisively at the last moment. “Sure. I think everybody agrees that Aimes needs the most beauty sleep anyway.” She winked at Aimes and then sauntered into one of the rooms.
It took Michael a moment to realize what just happened. Adam had gotten her to agree. She’d said yes.
“Boys, are you going to join me or do I need to issue an order?”
She was a brazen little thing. He’d give her that. “Oh no. We’re coming.” As he and Adam walked into the room he almost felt bad leaving Aimes in the hall by himself. Almost but not quite.
As soon as Adam shut the door, Renee started to undress.
Unfortunately Adam chose that moment to open his mouth. “Um… Not to kill the mood or anything, but I thought you didn’t sleep with crewmembers.”
Michael could’ve strangled the guy. First rule of being a man was you never questioned a lady when she was undressing. You accepted it for what it was. A damn miracle. And you prayed nothing changed her mind.
But he relaxed when Renee just smiled and threw her shirt to the floor. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a rancher.” She unbuttoned her pants and started to shimmy out of them ever so slowly. “I don’t have a crew. I have cattle.”
Adam stared at her for a second longer and Michael had a moment of fear that the idiot was going to press the issue. But when Adam started undressing as well, he knew everything was going to be okay. “I always did want to have my way with a cowgirl.”
Michael quickly shed his clothing. He knew when it was time to join a party. “Funny. You and I appear to have at least one fantasy in common.”
Adam quirked an eyebrow at the statement. “The night’s early. I’m sure we can come up with a couple more.”
“Two ambitious and imaginative lovers. I like that.” Renee smiled coyly as she took off the last of her clothing and crawled onto the bed.
“Like?” They joined her on the bed as soon as they finished removing their clothes. “I think we can do better than that.”
“You want better, you’ll have to earn it.”
Michael stretched out in front of her while Adam spooned her from behind. In this position she was the focus of their attention. But as he brushed his hand up her thigh he ran his fingertips over Adam’s skin as well. The contrast of her silky body next to Adam’s much coarser one was a decadence that went straight to his head. It’d been much too long since he’d indulged in the pleasure of having two lovers at the same time. Once they made it through this current crisis, he and Renee were going to have to have a long discussion about where they were going. But that was a trouble for tomorrow. Today he was determined to just enjoy the pleasures laid out in front of him.
He nuzzled her neck as his hand slid farther up her rib cage. She smelled of mint with just a hint of musk to it. Damn, that smell turned him on. It’d gotten to the point that he couldn’t drink mint tea anymore without getting an erection. But this wasn’t tea. This was her. And having her in his arms was much more potent.
Work-roughened fingers grazed across his thigh before cupping his ass cheek. He froze. He’d assumed that Adam wouldn’t mind some incidental touching. Adam was a smart man and it only made sense that there would be some brushing going on. But he’d just raised the stakes to a whole new level.
Michael rolled Renee over so she was lying on her back in between them and kissed her deeply. Then as he cupped her breast he broke the kiss and leaned forward so he could kiss Adam. Adam tensed slightly at the contact but then relaxed into the sensation. Just when he got a response from Adam, he moved his attention back to Renee. He dipped his head and took her nipple into his mouth. She moaned softly and wiggled her hips in invitation. But it was an invitation that would have to wait as Adam was now licking and sucking on her other breast.
Together the men made their way down her body. They brushed kisses along her ribs and nibbled at her hips. But between each caress, they shared a kiss or a caress of their own until they’d reached her pussy.
When they finally arrived at their goal, Adam gently pulled her lips apart and held them so Michael could run his tongue from her opening to her hard and swollen clit. He loved the way her warm essence clung to his tongue and filled his mouth. And the way she moaned and bucked her hips at the touch as she buried her fingers into his hair. “You guys don’t play fair,” she whimpered.
He caressed her with his tongue and then sat back so Adam could get a taste of her. “Oh, I think this is very fair.”
She whimpered again and ran her nails down Michael’s arm. “Please.”
Michael slid a finger into her core as Adam continued licking her.
“More.” She was panting with need as she said the word. Seeing her so lost to the passion of the moment filled him with a deep sense of awe. This is how it was supposed to be.
He added another finger to the first inside her and pumped rhythmically in her until he felt her muscles tighten around him. “She’s close.”
Adam sucked on her clit one last time before backing away.
“No. Please.”
“Don’t worry. We aren’t stopping.” He looked over at Adam. “Remember when you fucked me in front of Adam?”
“It was a day ago. I’m frustrated and horny, not suffering from dementia.”
Had it really only been a day? So much had happened. “Okay then. If you get on your hands and knees, we’ll see if I can make that particular fantasy a reality.”
He tore open a condom package and slid it over his hard cock as the other two people got into position. Then, grabbing her hips, he slid into her core as she took Adam’s cock into her mouth.
Michael watched as Adam ran his fingers through her hair and guided her movements. Their obvious desire built his own as he thrust into her until passion and heat filled him. She was so tight and wet. Every one of her muscles was tense and she shook with her need to release. He was close to the edge too. But it turned out that Adam was the first one to climax. Adam tried to move her off him just before but she fought to keep her position. And as he called out and his body began shaking, he seemed to surrender to the pleasure of having her mouth wrapped around him.
Seeing the uninhibited expression of desire pushed Michael dangerously closer to the edge. He didn’t want to finish before she did, though, so he moved one of his hands to strum her clit. It only took a few strokes before she was shaking and moaning beneath him. She was a beautiful woman but when she was in the throes of a climax, she was breathtaking. He caressed her clit a few more times just to make sure she enjoyed herself to the fullest before he thrust into her deeply and allowed his body the release he so desperately needed.
A flash of white light filled his mind as his muscles trembled and his heart raced. This intense moment of pleasure was only eclipsed
by the calm sense of tranquility that filled him after it was over. It was that sense of harmony that he craved and that ruled him. He only got it when he was with Renee. She gave him the greatest moments of strength just before she walked out the door.
Chapter Seven
Adam fell into a deep sleep after the amazing experience. He’d been with her before. And it’d been fantastic. But not even that could compare to sharing her with another. Her passion seemed to be amplified when she’d been with more than one lover. And it’d turned him on as well. More than he thought it would. Feeling Michael’s strong body next to his while watching Renee react to their attention had been a heady experience. One he’d never forget.
When he was awoken by a gentle nudge he hoped it was an experience he’d be repeating. But it wasn’t meant to be.
“Shhh. Don’t wake Renee up.”
“Why?” His groggy mind didn’t want to think about anything other than sex right now.
“Representative Lee is here. We need to meet with him.”
Without Renee. Not that he was ready for her to hear what he had to say anyway. He would tell her, eventually. Just not tonight. “Okay. I’m getting up.”
He rolled out of bed and got dressed as quickly as possible before following Michael down to the kitchen. The room smelled of cinnamon rolls and coffee. It was a combination that made him weak in the knees.
“Help yourself,” Kat said as she gestured to the table. She stared at his scar for just a moment too long and then seemed to catch herself and offered him a sympathetic smile. He hated the way people always noticed his scar first. But her reaction was one of the better ones he’d come across. “I’ll have another batch made up for the ranch hands.”
The rolls smelled heavenly but as she moved out of the way his attention focused on the three men standing on the other side of the table. He couldn’t exactly ignore her though. “Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate the offer.”
He waited for her to leave the room before holding his hand out to the man standing in the middle. He was wearing a suit where the other two were wearing military fatigues. Adam was betting that he was the representative they’d been waiting for. “I’m Adam, sir.”
“Please, call me Jasper. And this is Gates,” he motioned to the man on his right. “And Julian.” Who was on his left. “They’re my military attachés.”
He shook both of their hands but felt uncomfortable being in the room with the men. Jasper could give them any official title but Adam could tell by their body language that they were Jasper’s bodyguards first and foremost. And as bodyguards, they were intimidating. Both men had obviously been genetically engineered soldiers at one point in time.
“I was told that Captain Holt was here as well,” Jasper said as he took his seat.
“She is. She’s sleeping right now and after the day she’s had, we thought it best if she got a good night’s sleep.”
Jasper raised a brow in question. “She has had a rough day. It was considerate for you to allow her to sleep. And here I thought it was because Adam Pallara, or Adam Sans as he’s more commonly known, is a Coalition member charged with kidnapping her to influence a vote. I’m glad to see I’m wrong and that you two are just being thoughtful.”
“Adam Pallara?” Michael stared at him as if he’d grown two heads. “You’re Adam Pallara?”
Adam’s breath whooshed out of him in a moment of surprise. “Was. I was him a long time ago,” he said without taking his attention off Jasper. “How could you—”
“Do you honestly think politicians never talk with Coalition members? We’ve been trying to broker a peace accord for the past year. A peace your little stunt has all but destroyed.” He glared at Adam and Adam realized the bodyguards weren’t his biggest threat.
“This wasn’t me, sir. I was protecting her.”
“No. What you did is singlehandedly escalate the conflict.” Jasper put his arms on the table and leaned forward. “Tell me one reason why I shouldn’t hand you over to the authorities as an enemy combatant.”
“I was supposed to kidnap her. That’s true. But I changed my mind. I wasn’t going to go through with it. Then we were attacked when the Coalition did try to take her.” The words spilled out quickly. “But I stayed behind and helped her escape. By the time we were safe, she’d already been declared dead and the news was saying the Coalition was to blame.”
Jasper looked at him skeptically. “Any other day, I wouldn’t believe a single word that you just said.” He sighed heavily and rubbed his temple. “But today seems to be your lucky day. Your people are singing the same song. Well, except for the end part. They think you’re all dead.”
Adam took a deep breath. “Thank you, sir.”
“Don’t thank me. Being held as a traitor would be a vacation compared to what Captain Holt is going to do when this all unravels.” Jasper picked up a roll and took a big bite. “But that’s between you and her. What I want to know is whose bright idea kidnapping her was and who attacked her.”
“It was a desperate move and it didn’t have much of a chance of success, I know, but the Coalition was running out of time. The council votes on the Loyalty Directive in a couple of days and we need them to vote no. Our usual lobbyists weren’t able to sway enough of the vote. Even you’re planning on voting yes. So we decided to take matters into our own hands.”
“It was part of a deal. I’d vote yes on the Loyalty Directive if they’d get rid of the part of the bill that gave the military authority over the Subservients.”
“Which is probably why they put that in there,” Michael said.
Jasper glanced over at Michael before returning his attention to Adam. “Regardless, it was a stupid move. Kidnappings never sway votes. At least, not in favor of the kidnappers.”
“It was stupid, but Renee wouldn’t be alive if he hadn’t been on that vessel,” Michael countered. “Then where would we be? She’s alive and can tell her side of the story because Adam was there.”
Jasper nodded. “So the Coalition didn’t mean her any harm?”
“None. If we hurt her, it’d be the death knell for our movement.”
“Then who did? And why?”
“I can’t prove who is responsible, but I think I can prove why they did it.” Adam looked at the men. Would they believe him? Did he believe himself? It seemed too crazy to be true. But ever since Renee had mentioned her scouting missions and the planets that’d disappeared, he knew they were connected. “Whoever is responsible wanted to rally the people against the Coalition. They wanted, needed the people to get behind this directive to get it passed.”
“But why? What makes this piece of legislation important enough to kill to get it passed?”
“They want it passed for the same reason the Coalition wants it killed. Because it gives the military the authority to burn off planets without going through a judge.”
“But it would still have to pass a committee vote.”
“A committee appointed by the military council. That doesn’t provide the citizens much protection.”
“Are you implying the military would issue a burn off of a citizen-occupied planet?” Jasper’s voice was icy but his guards looked at each other uncomfortably.
“I am, because I’ve seen it happen. You know who I am. You can see my scars. You must know what I lived through.” His voice cracked with emotion and the pain of talking about that day.
“Your family was found guilty of treason. A judge signed off on that order.”
“We weren’t selling to the Coalition.” After years of silence, it felt good to defend his family’s name. “Any evidence the government had was contrived.”
“Can you prove that?”
“I don’t have to. Your own men have already done that for me.” He pulled out his reader and opened it to the official report. “The Coalition insisted on setting up a base on any settlement they did business with to protect the population against government retaliation. But they never found any evid
ence of a base on Luca’s third moon. They couldn’t because one was never there. It’s all here in the official report.”
Michael took the reader from him. “Why didn’t you tell someone about this years ago?”
“Because it’s circumstantial evidence at best. I’m the only one left alive to testify on my family’s behalf and my word isn’t admissible in court. Traitors don’t have that right.” He smiled ruefully. “But the word of a traitor isn’t the only evidence I have now. Check into Thumell and Dystanatious. Renee swears they were clear. She was on the scouting missions. But they’re gone. Along with at least three others.”
Jasper’s expression softened. “It still doesn’t add up. Your story destroys the Coalition’s claims. If the government can get judges to order the burns without proper evidence, they wouldn’t need the declaration. They most certainly wouldn’t need it badly enough to kill a high-ranking military official to get it.”
Michael looked up from the reader. “Unless they no longer have their judge. Who authorized the burns for Thumell and Dystanatious?”
Jasper pulled his reader out and brought up the reports. “Both were authorized by Judge Doshell.”
Michael looked up at the announcement. “That’s the same judge who authorized Luca’s third moon.”
“And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he passed away three months ago,” Jasper added.
“Do you believe me now?” Adam asked.
Jasper nodded. “Yes. But that still doesn’t answer why they’re doing burn offs.”
“They’re all mining planets. Just like Luca’s third moon.”
Michael looked at him. “The military is using the ore for their jump drives?”
“And since the government doesn’t have to buy it from a private source, they’re saving a fortune,” Jasper said quietly. “Which is why this bill has so much support.”
“Holy shit.” Michael cradled his head in his hands. “All those people. And five mining planets under military control. It’s no wonder the prices of fuel have gotten so high. They practically have a monopoly. And the only one who’s really committed a crime is Doshell. Everybody else made sure their boxes were all checked.”