Havoc (12 page)

He pictured them like this—Kels's lanky body stretched out on the bed, Sayal's midnight hair framing her face as she devoured his cock. Elion pushed his fingers through her hair as her head bobbed up and down. She slowed and sucked him hard from far down the shaft to the very tip, delicious torture, her lips tightening around the head, her tongue flicking the slit. His hips lifted off the bench, and he hissed through his teeth but said nothing, not wanting to break this spell they were under.

He looked down at her, beautiful girl, loving his cock. Was there anything better? Yes—he wished Kels were here, watching or kissing him while she sucked him, or better yet, taking her from behind. His hands would encompass her tiny waist; his cock would stretch her, fill her, make her moan. Would he fuck her ass or her pussy? Her hot cunt, yes, and then Elion could suck her flow off Kels's dick... He rolled his eyes shut and let his head sag back as wild desire possessed him. Seeing that fucking triad today had really put ideas in his mind.

Fuck Kels for dragging him in there, for that had to have been what he'd intended. Had he and Sayal planned this seduction to coerce him into the Dome? She probed with her fingers beneath his erection to stroke his balls, pushing his pants down farther, and any burgeoning resentment flittered away. Who cared about her motive? It just felt so good, so fucking beautiful, her tongue, her teeth, her small fingers cupping and squeezing.

She increased her tempo, and Elion moved his hips to meet her. Gripping her head, he guided her; gritting his teeth, he felt his cum building, swelling. “I can...pull out...” he growled.

She shook her head, red, juicy lips clamped around his cock, and gazed at him with those huge, gorgeous golden eyes, her breasts jiggling in time with her vigorous plunging, and Elion's orgasm thundered through him from the base of his spine to the top of his head, and he jerked into her mouth, filling her throat with hot seed. She lapped it up, her hands massaging his cock while the spasms passed, until he was wrung dry, panting and spent, cradling her face tenderly between his palms.

Rising to sit beside him again, she covered his face with sweet kisses, his cheeks, his eyelids. Their tongues played, and he tasted his essence as he'd tasted that of other men. He sucked on her lips, and drifted his hands to her breasts.

She caught his wrists. “No, Elion.” He drew back to look at her. “That was my gift to you. For your kindness, for your goodness."

"Have I been kind or good to you?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “I seem to remember snarling and snapping at you actually."

She kissed his fingers. “I know it's only because you care about Kels, and you're worried I'll hurt him somehow. I won't. I want only for us to work together and mutually benefit."

"Ah.” His body pleasantly flushed with the warmth of his orgasm, he wished he could do something for her and said so.

"Just give me a chance,” she said, shifting to sit beside him again.

He put his arm around her shoulders and his nose into her hair, inhaling deeply of her sweet, exotic scent. “Just tell me this wasn't intended to lure me into a triad with you and Kels in the Dome. Promise."

"It wasn't.” She touched his cheek. “I won't say it didn't occur to me, but I would never ask it of you."

"Good, because it'll never happen."

"I understand.” She tucked his flagging cock back into his pants and refastened them carefully. Her tenderness touched him. “I'm frightened about going into the arena, Elion."

Her voice was small. He kissed her temple. “It'll be all right. Kels cares about you. He won't ask you to do anything you're not comfortable with."

"And you? Will you be there too?"

His heart stuttered. He couldn't imagine watching Kels and Sayal, or Kels and any woman...but especially Sayal, not after this. “No, not in the Dome itself. I'm sorry."

She sighed but dropped her gaze. Her hand stroked his thigh absently. “Then be my friend. That's all I ask."

"Done.” He tipped up her chin with his finger and kissed her pillowy lips again. Hells, for a woman like this, he might switch off men, at least for a while. Then he thought about Kels, and his gut clenched.

What would he think of this little tryst? Of Elion's stealing away his gamespartner for a quiet rendezvous while he slept off a fog? What about his loyalty? Kels depended on him to keep her safe—was this keeping her safe, letting her suck him off in some remote corner of the space station? Guilt burned away the last remnants of pleasure from his system, replacing it with a cold, inescapable worry.

"Sayal, I think I'd better get you home."

Elion had called Kels around half past seven-hour and asked to meet at the diner a bit early, just the two of them. After prying out a reassurance that nothing was wrong with Sayal and nothing was seriously amiss with Elion, Kels decided to get there even earlier to wait for his mate. Despite his reassurances, Elion wouldn't have called if something wasn't up. He knew worries were crowding his first mate's mind from the first moment he'd agreed to Sayal's plan. Now his suspicions were confirmed as he watched his friend approaching, dragging on a cig as he strode toward the diner's entrance, his eyes down, his forehead creased in concentration. El had never been much of a smoker, even though, of course, cigs were harmless, laced with only the mildest of chemical stims. It was just one more indication he didn't like the direction things were heading.

"Hey, handsome,” Kels called when Elion walked right past him for the door. Kels was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and his foot propped against the diner's side, and Elion's head came up in a hurry, surprise widening his eyes.

"There you are."

"Where else would I be?” Kels patted the side of Elion's face. “What's wrong? You look like you've seen a stray spirit. Sayal's all right, isn't she?"

"Yeah, yeah, far as I know. I dropped her off like I told you, hours ago. Didn't you get hold of her?"

"Didn't bother. She knows to meet us here at eight-hour. No use crowding the girl."

"Yeah.” He drew on his cig, burning the ashes right down to his knuckles.

Not a good sign. Kels rubbed his chin with his thumb. “Let's get a seat. I'm sure she'll find us all right."

They went through the high doorway, into the steel-walled, always-busy diner. Aleut Station was old and sprawling, and though no one stayed there longer than necessary, it saw plenty of traffic from all sorts of species. It always struck him that, despite there being no segregation, the nonhumans and humans drew an invisible line down the center of the room. On the one side sat Earther pilots, passengers, and various other unsavory ilk, ragged and sallow for the most part from months traveling deep space, muttering over their hool and eggs, and on the other side, burbling, whortling, whistling offworlders slurping and munching whatever it was they consumed.

A waitron approached them. Kels asked for a table way in the back, where they'd have some privacy, and he and Elion followed her to it. They ordered drinks before they even sat. Kels needed a hit of something strong to brace him for the jarouk game.

Elion tossed his cig in a bin. “How are you feeling? Not so fogged?"

Kels smiled tightly as he sat facing the room, his back to the wall. “Yeah, about that... Sorry to put you through it. Honestly I didn't know the thing was functional."

"I find that difficult to believe."

"I promise you.” He held up a hand. “Second time today I creamed my pants. Now is that the sort of thing a guy like me would normally admit to?"

"Second? Then you and Sayal didn't...?” One eyebrow rose.

"Well, we didn't fuck, no."

"She didn't...?” He trailed off again.

"Say it, El. Didn't what? Suck me off? Nah. Never even got as far as taking out my cock. We groped and kissed, you know. I got her off with my fingers. Thought I'd break her in slow and easy."

"When you've got a competition tomorrow? Shouldn't you be...?"

"I'm not going to answer until you start completing your fucking sentences.” Now he lit a cig and watched his mate sweat. Kels could outwait anyone, and he knew Elion's breaking point.

After an uncomfortable silence in which Elion patted his pockets for cigs, looked at Kels, who gave him his and started another for himself, Kels decided he needed a nudge. He said, “Listen, mate. You asked to meet early. I can see something's on your mind. You can tell me. It's about Sayal, isn't it?"

Elion folded his hands in front of him, the smoldering cig between his knuckles, and crack if his hands weren't shaking. “Yeah. Yeah, it is."

Kels propped his elbow on the table and rested his cheek in his palm, ever patient. El stared into space. Finally, Kels said, “What, did you fuck her?"

"No.” He looked appalled at the very idea, but then he turned away again. “No. But...she did... We did..."

"Oh, for fuck's sake, out with it."

"She sucked me off,” he said in a tense sotto voce, leaning toward him over the table. “All right? I took her to the back of the station because I thought she might enjoy seeing the view out the aft observatories, and we were sitting and talking, and all of a sudden we were kissing and then...” He flipped his hand. “There it was."

"What, your prick? With her mouth around it, just like that?” Kels schooled his features rigidly, though he truly wanted to burst out laughing. Poor Elion, wound in a knot over such a minor thing. “Well,” he said seriously, tapping his ash into a hole in the table, “I hope you didn't enjoy it. Because if you did, that would just be the end of everything."

"I did,” he gritted out, his body vibrating, making Kels guess he was bouncing his feet under the table, rife with nerves.

"Dear, oh, dear. Did you, uh, reciprocate in any way?"

"She wouldn't let me. She said it was payment for my kindness or some such nonsense."

"Hm.” He squinted through the smoke. “Well, I hardly know what to say. This is most unexpected."

Elion, the very picture of misery, shook his head. “I'm sorry, Captain. I never got involved with any of your birds, never wanted to, and I know how much is riding on this one. I had no right. Believe me when I say it was neither planned nor intended."

If he was calling him captain, he must truly be contrite. “And it won't happen again?"

"Of course not."

"Because you didn't say that, you know. That it wouldn't happen again."

"I forgot."

"Ah.” Saints below, no wonder Elion avoided relationships. He hadn't the emotional fortitude. Kels clapped his hand on the back of his friend's neck and gave him a little shake. “Elion. Elion, my dear, my love, it's all right. I don't care if you fucked her five ways till doomsday."

"What? Truth?"

"Of course. I told her the same thing. She does fancy you—Well, obviously you know that now."

"She told you she fancied me?"

"Mm, yeah.” He blew out a cloud of blue smoke through pursed lips. “Not in so many words, but it was clear to me. I can read her like a digipad."

"Really."

He almost laughed at the wonderment in his mate's voice. “Elion Andervaars, is it possible you're developing a small crush on our passenger?"

Elion's fair cheeks colored, and he leaned back in his chair. “Oh well... She's hardly my type."

"You mean she doesn't have a dick?"

Elion shrugged.

"You've had birds before. Can't make up your mind, can you?"

"It's not as if you haven't had men."

"True enough, though only for gaming. Usually."

"You really don't mind, then?” The waitron had returned, and Elion took their drinks from the tray, hool for both of them.

Kels waited until the waitron had wandered off, then said, “Frankly I'm glad to see you putting your dick to some use. When's the last time you got laid? Kachemak Station?"

"Before that.” Elion sniffed, lifting his drink to his lips.

Kels caught himself before he asked why, because he had a sinking feeling he knew the reason. Physical need alone drove Elion to seek relief now and then, but what he really wanted, desired...was Kels. Crack and ruin. Then it was a good thing he was getting off with Sayal—a very good thing. It might open some doors for Elion, make him entertain other possibilities.

He swallowed down half the shot of biting, bitter hool, enjoying the burn in his stomach. “You should fuck her, El. I think she'd like that. In fact, I know she would."

"I don't want to get that involved,” he said. “The blowjob was spontaneous, like I said."

"Yeah? Was she any good?"

"Mm.” His eyes grew big as his lips tightened around his cig again, and he nodded. “One of the best I've ever had."

"Brilliant."

Elion glanced at him. “I don't understand. I mean, I must have seriously misread you. It seemed like you and her were getting close fast, like you cared for her."

"I do; I do care for her. Don't get me wrong. She's a lovely chicky, everything a man might desire. Smart, beautiful, brave. But also remember, my entire motivation in this game, beyond getting the
Nova
back, is rescuing my Keeva."

"Ha.” Elion set down his glass. “From what, Kels? Fame and fortune? Keev's a scrag survivor. She'll do what she needs and get what she wants. Can't you see she was using you to win that agent? And once she got him, bang, out the door with you."

"Yeah, well, there was more between us than sex.” Kels puffed on his cig, frowning. There had been, right? He realized he hadn't spared a passing thought for Keeva all day. His mind had been filled with Sayal. Now his mind churned with images of Sayal giving Elion a blowjob. Where'd he say it'd happened? In the back of the station where those windows looked out at the planets? Very romantic. He was a smooth one, his mate. But he did believe Elion hadn't planned it.

"Listen,” Elion said, bringing his attention back. “There's something else. Sayal's very nervous about tomorrow. She told me so, a couple of times. It could turn out an embarrassment if she bolts or freezes."

"She won't. She's a hot one, even if she doesn't know it yet. I'll get her cranking."

Elion shook his head. “I know you can, but should you? There's something fragile about her."