by Rachel Clark
“Breathe out, Avery-girl,” he said as he slicked up his cock and then pressed it against her tight ring of muscle. She did as he instructed, her body relaxing enough to let him slide in smoothly. He worked his way in carefully, watching her closely for signs of distress or fear or pain. He saw none, heard only pleasure from both of his partners, Del’s deep groans and Avery’s soft whimpers of need spurring him on to even greater need of his own.
He slid out of her ass, almost to the tip of his cock, and then slid back in, the entry even more arousing, more incredible the second time around. He did it again, sighing in disbelief as the feeling got more intense, more amazing, more compelling, more urgent.
“Cooper,” Del said, his tone a desperate plea.
“Come with me, babe,” he said, thrusting harder into Avery’s ass. “Let’s take our girl with us.”
Del nodded frantically, his movements more jittery as he lifted up into Avery’s pussy over and over. Cooper matched his rhythm, trying to make sure Avery was always filled with cock, never empty, always connected to both of them. She gasped, her orgasm drawing a scream from her lips.
“That’s it, Avery-girl. Let us know what you’re feeling. Share it with us.”
She nodded frantically, the only noise to escape her lips a keening cry of ecstasy. Del panted, thrusting harder, his cock rubbing against Cooper as they moved inside Avery’s quivering flesh.
And then, his own need gripped him, the arousal suddenly unbearable, the desire to stamp this woman as theirs unmistakable. Cooper strained to control himself, desperate to take care of both of his lovers before letting go. He ground his teeth, almost groaning with relief as Del moaned and shook with orgasm.
Pounding into Avery now, Cooper could no longer control anything. He thrust harder and harder, growling his own climax as cum burst from him, painting the inside of Avery’s body with the symbol of his possession.
He held his weight off them, scared of crushing Avery between him and Del, but she wrapped an arm behind her, pulling him closer, sighing when he let part of his weight press them together.
And then, as his body jolted with the final drops of his orgasm, Cooper realized he felt more complete, and more content, and more “at home” than he’d felt in a very long time, perhaps ever. He caressed them with his lips, kissing and nuzzling both of his lovers as they panted for breath. Eventually, he rolled to the side, taking Avery with him, dragging at Del’s arm to get him to roll into their combined embrace. They’d clean up in a moment. For now he just wanted the pleasure of pretending that they weren’t running from the fleet of a homicidal slave trader and that everything was absolutely right in their world.
Chapter Six
“Cooper,” Devlin said with a tilt of his head toward the area he laughingly called his office, “got a minute?” It was more like a corner behind a bulkhead than an actual office, but it did give a modicum of privacy.
Cooper nodded and stepped toward his boss. Nobody on the crew really “had a minute,” so if Devlin wanted to speak to him, Cooper would bet his ass it was for a damn good reason.
“The captain has agreed to land the ship for repairs.” It was unusual for Devlin to refer to his longtime friend, Jordan, as “the captain,” so Cooper was fairly certain they’d argued back and forth over the decision that had been made. Landing the ship was probably the easiest way to effect repairs, but it also left them vulnerable. If even only one of Keytark’s ships found them on the ground, they were as good as dead. “We’re hoping that we’ll be able to identify the traitor when we make the announcement. Chances are whoever is feeding information to Keytark will want to be off the ship before we land.” Cooper nodded. It was a damn risky decision, but until they could pin down how Keytark kept learning of their whereabouts and defensive capabilities they didn’t have much choice. “It’s also been decided that once we’ve neutralized the traitor, nonessential personal will be transferred onto a different planet. We need to prep the vessels we have in the cargo hold—including that hunk of junk that Bae and our family limped home in a while back—for a landing on a planet’s surface. We’re planning to find an atmosphere suitable for breathing, but we need to be ready if we can’t.”
“Understood,” Cooper said, his mind already filtering through the repairs they would need to make. The “hunk of junk,” as Devlin called it, was actually in fairly good condition now. It had been one of those projects they’d tinkered with when everything else had seemed calm and quiet. Cooper could barely remember what calm and quiet felt like, but he was damn glad they’d done much of the work already.
“They’re going to need a good engineer to stay on the planet with them and do running repairs if necessary.” Cooper could see where this conversation was going and started shaking his head before Devlin even got the words out. “You’re the best engineer I have. If I can’t be there myself I trust you to look after my family for me.”
“No way in hell,” Cooper ground out. “Jesus, Dev, ‘nonessential’ probably covers just about everyone you love. Bae and your daughter, Bae’s sisters and her mother. Where will Kam be? Is he staying on the ship?”
“Not if I can help it,” Devlin said with such determination that Cooper knew it didn’t matter how much Kam argued he wasn’t going to win that fight.
“You go with them,” Cooper said quietly. “You go protect your family. I kept this ship together while you were away. I can do it again.”
“But we weren’t under constant attack then,” Devlin said tiredly. It was obvious that he was torn between his duty to protect the ship and the need to protect those he loved.
“Dev,” Cooper said, trying to find the right words to convince Devlin that his place was with his family, “I can do this. I know this ship almost as well as you do.”
“I know you do,” Devlin said, “but what about Avery and Del?” Cooper raised an eyebrow waiting for his boss to explain. “Tee-ani, Ben, and Trey are staying on the ship, so Del will be needed on the planet. With a skeleton crew we won’t need anyone cooking meals for us, so Avery won’t be needed on the ship, either.” Cooper shuddered at the memory of the freeze-dried meals they’d eaten before the rescued slaves had come aboard, but he could see Devlin’s point. He could also see what the man was doing—protecting everyone around him like he always did, this time including Cooper.
“Okay, first point—I’m assuming Sarah will stay on the planet with her son, and I suspect Judge and G’ntriel have already convinced Jordan to stand down as captain.” Devlin gave him a brief smile that suggested that was exactly what had happened. “Sarah’s medical skills are more than adequate to handle the needs of the crew who stay on the planet.” Devlin nodded in agreement. Sarah was almost as skilled as Tee-ani when it came to most medical concerns. “And second point—can you imagine either Del or Avery walking away from this mission just because someone told them to? Del has more reason than any of us to want Keytark stopped. He grew up a slave. This mission is very personal for him. He’s also a damn good engineer—you of all people should know that. He can back up engineering if Tee-ani doesn’t need him in medical.”
Devlin nodded. “What about Avery?”
“She’ll never leave Del.”
“Not even to go with you?” Devlin asked.
“Not even then,” Cooper said. It wasn’t that she felt any less for him than for Del, but she and Del shared a bond that went deeper than even they realized. Avery might love them both, but if she had to choose, she would stay by Del’s side simply because the Pendarian needed her. Far from being upset, Cooper was actually pleased that things had worked out that way. It meant that even if life pulled the three of them apart, Del and Avery would still have each other. “But don’t underestimate Avery’s skills, either. She’s organized, efficient, and fills in wherever she sees a need. She’s got a good brain in her head and learns very quickly. She’ll be an asset when the situation is constantly changing.”
Devlin stared at him for what felt like a ful
l minute before a smile broke over his face. But just as Cooper thought he was going to agree with his assessment, Devlin’s smile faltered.
“What about you, Coop? Wouldn’t it be easier to do your job knowing that your family is safe?”
In some ways, it would have been easier to bundle both the people he loved into a transport ship and hide them away until this mission was completed, but it would be denying the very things that made Del and Avery the people they were.
“I fully intend to keep them safe,” he said, smiling confidently, trying to ignore the small voice that suggested he might fail. “Dev, stay with your family on the planet. Go watch your little girl grow up. Who knows, we might even make it back in time for her first birthday.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Devlin said as he stuck his hand out in a typically human gesture.
Cooper gripped his hand, shaking on their agreement, before stepping back and giving his boss a mischievous grin. “It might even give me a chance to iron out the bugs in your half-assed guidance system.”
Devlin laughed, throwing a mock punch at Cooper as he left the area. They both knew the guidance system was perfect. Devlin had designed it himself, building it from scratch when the ship’s original systems had failed. Over the years Cooper had helped maintain it, and to this day had never come across a system more accurate or user friendly. Devlin truly was an amazing engineer. Considering that most of the people who would leave the ship were innocent victims of Keytark’s slave trade, it seemed fitting that they would have the best engineer in the universe looking out for them.
Cooper spared a moment to watch Devlin as the man headed back to the bridge and then turned to the repairs he’d been doing earlier. He’d keep the ship running, he’d protect his family, and one day he had every intention of following in his boss’s footsteps.
But first, he had a slave trader to wipe from existence.
Chapter Seven
Devlin gave Cooper a questioning look as he came into the engineering bay. Cooper nodded casually. It hadn’t taken longer than a few hours to devise a plan and put it into motion. Everything was in place to trap a traitor. At least they hoped so. They were fairly certain that whoever was betraying them had access to the ship’s technical specifications and probably owned more than a little experience in engineering. With a ship full of talented people with dark pasts it could literally be just about any of them, but in the end it was the placement of the invaders’ ship when they’d managed to board them that gave them the biggest clue.
The invaders had cut through the hull directly over the hallway where most of the engineering staff were quartered. Everyone from that living area had been scheduled on duty, except one. And he’d conveniently been somewhere else. It wasn’t exactly a solid lead, but hopefully the trap they’d set would confirm their theory.
Cooper carefully avoided looking at their target. What he wanted to do was grab the guy and shake him until he confessed to betraying them and putting all of their lives in danger. If Calvin hadn’t returned to his quarters to grab his “lucky” spanner, they wouldn’t even have been aware of the threat until it was too late.
As it was, the intruders had known how to bypass the myriad of security measures even after the ship had gone into lockdown. It was how they’d made it all the way to the kitchen to hurt Ruth and threaten Avery, and how they’d gotten close enough to kill Peni.
The traitor had very literally given the enemy enough information to kill everyone onboard and take over the ship.
“This is the captain,” Jordan’s loud voice echoed through the ship on the emergency frequency. “Prepare for battle. We’ve been attacked by Keytark for the last time. We’re taking the fight to him.”
“We’re what?” Helborn asked Devlin, looking a little pale. For a guy who grinned through the last attack, it wasn’t the reaction they’d been expecting. The guy lived for the fight. It was why he was a pirate. He was one of the original crew members and had been onboard for years before Sarah, Tee-ani, and the other rescued slaves had joined the ship. It wasn’t the reaction one would expect from a seasoned pirate. It was, however, what they expected from the traitor.
“You’ve got your orders,” Devlin said coldly. “Prepare for battle.”
“But flying into Keytark’s controlled space is suicide.”
“I know,” Devlin said, playing the part of an underling annoyed at his captain’s decision quite well. “But it’s what the captain has ordered.”
“So we what? Rescued the slaves so that we could just get them killed. Dev, this is crazy. The captain is obviously not thinking clearly.”
“We follow the captain’s orders,” Devlin said, looking like a man angry enough to put his fist through the bulkhead.
“At least get your family off the ship, Dev.”
Cooper was wondering if this was Helborn’s attempt to leave the ship before they supposedly flew into enemy space when the signal jammer in his pocket shook. One small vibration and their most likely suspect was off the hook.
Shit! Someone was trying to send a signal to warn Keytark and it wasn’t the someone they’d thought it would be. He glanced around the area. Only one man was missing and it was the one they hadn’t even suspected.
“Dev,” Cooper shouted urgently as he held up the device.
Devlin immediately dropped the act and swept the area with his gaze. “Damn it!”
“Find him,” Devlin said as he headed in one direction and Cooper went the other.
* * * *
Three hours of interrogation later they were no closer to understanding why Yavef had betrayed them. Even G’ntriel hadn’t been able to sense the man’s intentions and she was the strongest empath Cooper had ever known.
The worst part was that Yavef seemed to be as surprised as they were.
“Go home, Coop,” Devlin said as he also turned to leave the room. “Sarah and G’ntriel will call us if they learn anything new.”
Cooper nodded. Catching the traitor hadn’t given them any answers, just more damn questions, and they weren’t any closer to getting the ship on the ground for repairs or being able to get nonessential crew and passengers to safety.
He was very pleased to find Avery in his quarters, asleep in the bed they shared whenever they could. None of them had discussed anything officially, but all three of them had begun referring to his quarters as home. Avery and Del had gradually moved their stuff into his cabin and they’d somehow managed to end up living together. On that subject at least, Cooper couldn’t be happier.
He’d be far less worried, though, if they could shut down the slave traders and ensure the safety of his lovers and the rest of the people on the ship. He wasn’t silly enough to think that stopping Keytark would solve all their problems. There was still the ship’s original mission—help those who weren’t able to help themselves—but severely interrupting the slave trade would make this entire galaxy safer for everyone.
Cooper stripped off his clothes, had a quick shower, and then slid into bed next to Avery. She partially woke, gave him a sleepy smile, and then snuggled into his embrace. Her sweet warmth settled something inside him and he closed his eyes, determined to at least get some sleep.
* * * *
Avery woke slowly, her foggy brain quickly identifying the man wrapped around her. She had a vague memory of Cooper climbing into bed with her several hours ago.
“Good morning, Avery-girl,” he said as his arm tightened around her waist slightly.
“Morning, Coop,” she said, suddenly feeling very shy. Considering some of the kinky stuff they’d gotten up to lately, it seemed a ridiculous reaction toward a man she loved.
“I’m going to make love to you,” Cooper said in that deep voice that already had her pussy clenching with need. “Is that okay with you, Avery-girl?”
“Yes,” she said as she tried to roll over.
“No,” Cooper said. “Stay like this.”
She could feel his hard cock pressed again
st her bottom, the gentle touch triggering a fluttering sensation in her stomach. He held her close, almost sleepily, as he rubbed his cock between the flesh of her ass cheeks. She could feel her pussy growing wetter with every soft, sliding touch. Cooper adjusted slightly, his cock moving lower to rub over her pussy, his full length caressing her swollen, slippery lips.
He moaned quietly, his movements faltering for a moment as he pressed the head of his cock against her entrance and pushed in slightly. He resumed his gentle rubbing, this time sliding shallowly into her pussy, the slow, loving, tender movement far more arousing than Avery would ever have suspected.
She pushed back slightly, greedy to take more of him into her body, but he simply held her tighter and continued his shallow thrusting.
“Relax, Avery-girl,” he whispered into her ear as the hand on her stomach slid lower to graze over her clit. But just like the thrusting, his touch was soft, gentle, loving. God, she’d never felt so happy and so frustrated in her entire life. She loved this never-before-seen side of him, this need to hold her close and love her gently, but hell, she needed to come. Her body was growing taut, her pussy aching for relief, every nerve ending screaming for completion.
She whimpered her arousal, almost embarrassed by the needy sound.
“It’s okay, Avery-girl,” Cooper said as he slid just a little deeper. “Come for me.”
What the hell? With so little stimulation she couldn’t even imagine climaxing, but then something strange happened. Instead of the screaming, shaking, earth-shattering climaxes Cooper and Del had given her before, this time something different happened.
She moaned as liquid fire swelled through her, the sensation overwhelming. Without moving, without shaking, without any of the other things she’d come to associate with orgasm, Avery found a new way to completion. Cooper continued to stroke in and out of her pussy, his movements still gentle, his penetration still shallow, the touch on her clit still barely there, but her body went into meltdown.