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BOOK: No Way Back
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Drum didn’t reply. He wanted to ease Jake’s mind, but in truth, he hoped the animals lingered a little longer.

Jake gave his handiwork a firm tug, nodding when it didn’t budge. He slapped his hands free of dirt. “That should deter an attack.” With downcast eyes, he crawled over to his pack. “Maybe I can get some work done now.” For the next several hours he sorted his bug samples and keyed notes into his handheld notebook. Drum had nothing left to do but watch him.

“Anything special you might know about my specimens would be appreciated,” Jake finally said, without looking up. Drum sidled nearer. What was there to know? The ones with wings flew. Some had stingers, which an entomologist could plainly see. He looked closer and pointed to a large eight-legged hopper. “This one hatches in small rain puddles. Before it leaves, it drinks enough water to last its lifetime.”

“How long is that?”

“I don’t know. Two moon cycles?” He scooted closer, settling shoulder against shoulder with his knee against Jake’s thigh. “That one eats its weaker siblings at birth. Survival of the fittest.”

Jake typed away. “How many are born at once?”

“Hundreds. They swarm at each other, biting anything that gets in their way. I’ve had a few nasty rashes from them.”

“Fascinating.”

Yes, as a matter of fact, it was. Time slipped past quickly as they discussed, of all things, bugs. Drum loved the way Jake’s eyes lit up at every new tidbit of information. They laughed over strange insect mating rituals and stared in wonder at the changing colors of a
gypipie
. Caught up in his enthusiasm, Jake grabbed Drum’s leg, and when he realized what he’d done, he didn’t recoil in embarrassment. Instead, he rubbed his palm over the area he’d gripped and smiled before he moved on to the next specimen. Excitement sizzled through Drum. Tonight. He’d make his move tonight.

“How is your ankle, Jake?”

“Healing.”

“It will be stiff for a few days.”

Jake nodded and unfolded his legs. “I feel like I’ve been sitting in this elongated box forever. I’m going into the pit and stretch before it gets dark.” He jerked aside his handmade web of sticks and belly crawled through the entrance.

Drum admired Jake’s butt. He would love to pull off Jake’s underwear, grab hold of that meaty ass, and lick him until he begged for mercy. Halfway out of the shelter, Jake stopped and called over his shoulder.

“Stop looking at my ass, Drum.”

“How did you know?” he asked with a smile, tired of guarding every word he uttered.

Jake clambered the rest of the way out the door and bolted to his feet. Drum poked his head out and grinned up at him. “I can’t help myself. I am attracted to you.”

Without a sound, Jake backed against the pit wall, his expression resigned. “I know,” he said softly.

Drum stared pointedly at the shifting bulge in Jake’s underwear which told him that Jake wasn’t as immune to him as he pretended. “Are all humans so restrained in their desires?”

“Some are more…
accepting
of their natural responses than others.”

“There is something about me that disturbs you --besides my gender?”

Heat suffused Jake’s neck. “It’s not you. It’s me.” Jake shook his head as if that was a stupid thing to say. “Will you get out of that hole? I feel like I’m talking to a hermit about my personal life.”

Jake gripped Drum’s arms, pulled him through the hatch opening, and helped him stand up in the cone-shaped hole. And then, there they were, practically standing on each other’s feet, thigh to thigh, staring into one another’s eyes.

Holy stars
. Wariness swirled in the deep brown depths of Jake’s eyes, but curiosity, perhaps acceptance, and yearning burned strong.

“Jake.” Slowly, Drum raised both hands and set them on top of Jake’s shoulders. He counted to five in his head, giving Jake time to pull away, but his future lover remained calm, motionless, waiting for Drum to make a move.

Alishons showed affection by caressing one’s ears, and Drum longed to lick and nibble and swirl his tongue over Jake’s ear, but Earthlings touched their mouths for the same purpose. So to please Jake, he leaned toward his lips, a millimeter at a time, hoping he’d read him right. His heartbeat thundered in his chest. Jake wasn’t helping at all. He stood stock still, watching Drum move closer, uncertainty flaring in his eyes. The nearer Drum pressed, the faster panic edged into Jake’s expression. Afraid Jake would balk at the last second, Drum gripped his shoulders tighter and swooped down on his mouth. He had no experience
kissing
but the firm sweeps across Jake’s lips must’ve felt all right to him because he didn’t jerk away. Even so, it felt awkward, and he had no idea how to make it better. He softened the contact, and when he still got no reaction from Jake, he pecked at his lips.

Jake grabbed his hipbones. At first, the pressure under his fingertips pushed Drum back a little, breaking the kiss, but then his grip relaxed.

“Show me,” Drum demanded.

An unintelligible mumble passed through Jake’s lips. With a hard look into Drum’s eyes, Jake tilted his head and pressed his tongue between Drum’s parted lips. Their lips crushed together, Jake’s warm wet tongue slid over Drum’s in a hesitant dance.

The sensual contact pooled molten lava in his belly. Under the affectionate onslaught of Jake’s mouth, Drum finally understood the attraction of melding lips. This
kissing
made his cock happy!

A fast learner, Drum flicked his tongue back at Jake’s. Lust rushed through his veins. Oh, yes, this fired his blood. He pressed his body flush to Jake’s, pushing him against the pit wall, and plundered his mouth. He tasted so good.

It seemed like it had taken forever to reach this point. Drum’s patience collapsed. With a quick upward flip of his loincloth, he ground his hips over Jake’s in a circular motion, loving how his cock bumped and rolled over Jake’s stiffening shaft shrouded by his tight underwear. Drum might have growled with pleasure, but he wasn’t sure. Caught up in the moment, he focused on the firm yet soft feel of Jake’s lips, the ribbed texture of Jake’s athletic shirt rubbing over his chest, the hair on Jake’s thighs tickling his legs. Gods, he wanted to crawl inside the man. With a quick turn of his head, Jake broke the kiss. He grasped Drum’s arms and shoved him backward. Only a spare amount of space separated them. “Slow down,” he said, panting for breath. “I… I’ve never done this before.” He dropped his hands and his gaze. “I don’t know if I really want to.”

Drum slid the heel of his hand up Jake’s erection. “You want to.”

Jake slapped his hand away. “My body wants to. My brain isn’t too sure.”

Cursing beneath his breath, Drum fisted his hands and blew out a breath of frustration. His human mate was so cautious! “You’re a scientist, Jake. Experiment.”

“I can’t. Not now.” He looked up at the dirt-laden flight suit blocking the fading daylight. “Not here.”

Drum hoped
here
meant out in the open pit rather than the safety of the shelter. “I will have you,” he said in a low voice, gripping Jake’s chin. The tightening of Jake’s jaw and narrowing of his eyes warned him he’d better not push too hard, and yet a spark of excitement in the depths of his eyes gave Drum the impression that was exactly what Jake wanted him to do --push him over the edge.

Twisting the smirk from his lips, Drum lifted his hands over his head, stood on his tiptoes, and arched his back in a brisk stretch. The sooner they got back inside, the sooner he could explore Jake’s desires without fear of unwelcome guests.

“Give me a hand dumping the debris from my flight suit,” Jake said, looking skyward. “I’m tired of you looking at my dick all the time.”

Drum almost laughed. What Jake meant was he couldn’t hide the twitch in his cock every time Drum looked at him. He’d broken through the barrier Jake had erected between them and Jake couldn’t rebuild it fast enough to stop the flood of passion pouring through the breach. But must he help Jake dress again? Even though bloodstains and dust coated Jake’s sleeveless shirt and underwear, the way the material hugged the hard curves of Jake’s chest, showed off his pebbled nipples, his flat stomach, the bulge at his crotch, and the firm fullness of his ass made Drum’s mouth water. He’d hate to see Jake cover up again, but he didn’t want his stubborn Earthling to get ill from the cold air inside the shelter either.

Together, they untied the arms and legs of the flight suit and dragged the heavy burden to the top of the pit, one unsteady foothold at a time, where they rolled the dirt and debris into the grass. That done, Jake shook out the dark blue uniform and tied it around his waist --just in the nick of time. A Wallabusk roared nearby.

“Get inside!” Drum grabbed Jake’s hips and shoved him down toward the hatch. Jake lunged through the opening, stirring up a cloud of dust, and Drum charged in right on his heels.

The ground above shook as Drum slammed the hatch closed. The lock clicked into place. He sat with his back to the metal door, tipped his head back, and silently thanked the wild creatures for forcing Jake to spend another night with him.

Several hard blinks to adjust to the sudden darkness didn’t help. It remained pitch black inside the shelter. He could hear Jake’s fast breathing directly in front of him, an arm’s length away. Drum dug his hand into the box next to him, grabbed a light stick, and hesitated. Would Jake be more willing to submit while protected by darkness? He reached out, blindly searching for Jake’s hand. When he found it, he scooted closer to Jake in the middle of their shelter, slapped the stick against Jake’s palm and closed his fist around it. “You decide if you want light or not.” He slid his hand up Jake’s arm to the ball of his shoulder, hoping he understood.

“I’m not ready to decide,” Jake said softly.

“I noticed.”

“I like to think things through.” He sounded angry, and a little hurt.

“If you want me to make the decision for you, I will,” Drum said, his heartbeat racing a little faster. “But ultimately, you must agree.”

Silence stretched between them.

Drum shoved his free hand beneath his loincloth and rubbed his aching cock, imagining Jake lifting his knees, exposing his hole, allowing Drum to glide into his tight ass. Over and over, he saw Jake submitting to him with passion-filled eyes. In the shelter, on the plain, on a secluded riverbank in the city, on his bed in his tiny living quarters, and finally, in the presence of Suva.

All it took for his fantasy to become reality was Jake’s acceptance of the transformation.

He inhaled deeply, halting the steady strokes of his fist. Before he claimed Jake body and soul, Jake had to understand what Drum wanted from him, how he expected Jake to behave as a lover, and what Suva needed from him. At this point, an explanation of the transformation process and its healing properties might prove counterproductive. No sense in alarming Jake with talk of the physical changes that would occur after they mated. Even if Suva’s visions accurately foretold the future, Jake wasn’t ready to accept his fate.

First Jake must admit to
himself
how much he wanted Drum, which, he thought with an inner smile, might happen soon if he interpreted the long, quiet, dark silence correctly.

Drum whispered into the darkness, “Come here, Jake.” He slipped the hand resting on Jake’s shoulder behind Jake’s neck and drew him in for a kiss.

Hesitant at first, elation swept over him when Jake leaned into him willingly. The firm pressure of Jake’s lips on his made his pulse throb throughout his body. With quick fingers, he untied the arms of the flight suit from around Jake’s waist.

“Drum, what --”

“Do not ask stupid questions, Jake. Follow your instincts.” Drum slipped his hands beneath Jake’s shirt, marveling at the thin line of hair that bisected his torso.

Finally…
finally
, Jake would be his.

Jake’s breath hitched when Drum ground his hands over his chest and kneaded the muscles. The pleasure of his touch burned down to his groin. His cock quivered and stretched.

The quick, intense reaction of his body stunned him. A male’s rough caress shouldn’t churn his blood into a boiling river of lust, but it did. He liked how Drum’s fingers dug into his skin with a trace of desperation. No female had ever made Jake feel so desired. The feeling was strange, disconcerting, and hot as hell.

When Drum crawled over his legs and nudged him backward, Jake resisted, not sure how far Drum intended to take his passion. Not sure how far
he
wanted it to go.

As a scientist, he did painstaking research. In personal relationships, he tackled one small step at a time. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Drum came across like a whirlwind, multitasking every element in his daily life, driven to an end result as soon as possible.

“Try me out, Jake.” Drum tackled him down to the hard-packed ground. Jake struggled despite the erotic jolt he got from the weight of Drum’s body stretched out over his prone length. Hands locked over arm muscles in a fight for dominance, legs tangled, pelvises ground over each other. Jake flipped Drum onto his back.

“Make me,” Jake said through gritted teeth.

Drum snarled at him. The feral sound shot straight to his burgeoning cock. Jake had an inch or two and a good ten pounds on Drum, but Drum was pure muscle. He rocked up and down and finally bucked Jake off him. Jake’s shoulder slammed into the wall. Drum grabbed his calves and turned him lengthwise on the floor. He jumped on top of him, forcing a loud
oof
from Jake’s lungs.

The next thing he knew, Drum had pinned Jake’s wrists beside his head and stabbed his tongue between Jake’s lips. He gave Jake no quarter as he plundered his mouth, stroking his tongue, skimming over his teeth, stealing his breath. One of Drum’s hands let go of Jake’s wrist and shoved beneath his waistband, capturing Jake’s stiff shaft in his fist. Jake jerked with shock and froze. Embarrassment warred with excitement. His skin burned. He couldn’t move as Drum kissed him and caressed him.

Drum released Jake’s other wrist, shoved Jake’s ribbed shirt up to his armpits, and plucked at the hard nub of his nipple. Another bolt of lust hit him low in the groin. His balls ached for Drum’s touch. Suddenly, he locked his arms around Drum’s back and he kissed him back, seeking out his hot wet tongue in a playful duel. His hips bucked upward, grinding into Drum’s hard belly.

BOOK: No Way Back
9.02Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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