No Way Back (7 page)

Right now all he knew was he didn’t want to stop the slow slide and twists of Drum’s fist over his cock. He dropped his head back to the ground and groaned with appreciation.

“I want you to be a part of me, Jake. Trust me to take you there.” A finger slipped low and brushed over his anus.

His head whipped up again and he stared at Drum. His breath hitched in his chest. Heat flushed through his body. “Not… ready for that.” He pulled Drum’s face back toward his crotch. “Please.” He missed the wet warmth of Drum’s mouth, and the nuances that let Jake see how much Drum cared about him. It showed in the way he tilted his head against Jake’s thigh, the slow caresses over Jake’s limbs, the soft moans as he took Jake deep into his throat. Sex with Drum wasn’t simply sex. It was more. Damn, that was scary. And inspiring.

He wanted everything Drum had to offer. He wanted him like he’d never wanted another lover in his life. He needed the contact, the assurance that Drum would take care of him, as he’d promised, not just sexually, but emotionally as well --because he liked the guy, more than he should. He was plunging into an uncharted black hole.

The acknowledgment of his affection for Drum shook him up. The Alishon wanted to mate with him, thrust his cock up Jake’s ass! The idea was disturbing, and yet he trusted Drum to treat him right. Drum raised his gaze. Looking into those insightful brown eyes, Jake’s heartbeat tripped. Something inside his chest shifted and settled, and he suddenly knew his life would never be the same. He didn’t voice his acceptance, but it hung between them. There was no way back now. His yearning must’ve shown on his face because Drum rubbed his cheek against the solid length of his cock. “I want to swallow your seed. If I do, it will mean we are on the path toward a serious bond. Are you ready for that?”

Jake swallowed hard. His answer, yes or no, would change everything.

Drum held his breath, waiting for Jake to take the next step --or cut him out of his life. He knew he’d pushed Jake hard, forcing him to face an attraction he’d never dealt with before, the lure of another male. But he was running out of time. The Wallabusks had migrated away from them, and the scavengers slowly followed. He had another day, two at the most, to convince Jake to mate with him before the threat of an animal attack no longer bound them together.

He also had to explain how Jake’s body would change once they shared their seed. In his mind, he could see Jake verbally blasting him about messing with nature and then stalking away. He couldn’t let that happen. Jake was
the one.
Suva had visions of the three of them together. At least, he thought it was Jake in her dreams. He hoped so, because he’d become very attached to the Earthling. Sharing Suva with a male other than Jake made his gut ache.

“Yes.”

Drum blinked at Jake, sprawled on his back beneath him. For a second, he almost asked him what he was talking about. Then he remembered the big question: to bond or not to bond.

A big grin lit Jake’s face. “This is fuckin’ crazy.”

The back of Jake’s hand caressed his face, which hovered close to his human lover’s groin. Jake’s scent filled his nostrils, distracting him. The close proximity of Jake’s meaty cock diverted his attention, too. In fact, his thumb and forefinger still tightly circled the base. But he forced his mind to more important matters: Jake’s decision.

“I barely know you,” Jake was saying. “I’ve never been attracted to a male before. I never even considered the possibility. Yet… Blazing stars, I’ve never been so hard in my life, and your lips are almost touching my cock head. How am I supposed to think?”

Neither moved. Drum resisted the urge to flick out his tongue and tease Jake. This conversation was serious stuff. “You want to come in my mouth, Jake?”

“I just want to come! Mouth, hand, shot in the air… makes no difference to me.”

Drum shook his head. “I told you it will. In our world, sharing our life’s essence is a sign of commitment. You are giving a part of yourself to me. It is the first stage of a bonding process.”

Jake narrowed his eyes. “What kind of bonding process?”

With a deep breath, Drum tried to explain The Transformation without scaring him off. “Earthlings and Alishons share common DNA links. Whenever we contribute our DNA to each other, it attaches to our current DNA strings.”

Jake coughed. “Are you saying you’ll become more human after I --”

“Sort of. Because of all the wars and diseases on your planet, you have a stronger immune system than Alishons. You’ll give some of that to me.”

Jake’s brows furrowed. He scooted back. Drum kept hold of his cock, limiting his movement. “Is that why you want to suck my cock? For my immune system?”

“No!” He ran his free hand over his face. “Yes. I can’t lie to you. Your humanity is part of the attraction.” When Jake opened his mouth to speak, Drum cut him off. “But there’s so much more I find appealing about you!

Your courage when faced with a Tygess, the joy you find in your work, how you shared the workload without a second thought, your willingness to give up the fur for me, the way you taste and smell…” He gave Jake an impish grin and gave in to his earlier urge. His tongue snaked up Jake’s long shaft. “Your thick cock.”

“Hey!”

“Is a little DNA sharing so horrible, Jake?” He gave the tip of Jake’s cock a few licks and then slurped the head into his mouth. Jake hissed between his teeth. “You don’t play fair.” He didn’t stop Drum from sliding his lips down the whole shaft though.

Drum watched Jake ogle him as he made love to him with his mouth. His new lover was so easily enthralled. He didn’t know whether to feel flattered or not. While Jake lay in contentment, Drum splayed his fingers into his dark bushy pubic hair. Drum had no body hair except on his head, so these coarse curls fascinated him. The hair on Jake’s chest, arms, and legs was softer, finer. The contrast intrigued him. He wondered if he’d grow hair around his shaft after they mated. Jake’s breathing quickened with each slow slide of Drum’s lips down toward the base. His hips began a slight rocking motion. Taking a chance, Drum dipped his pinky below Jake’s balls and gently circled his hole. The contraction of buttock muscles around his finger made Drum’s erection grow. “I won’t do anything until you’re ready, Jake,” he assured him. The puckered hole relaxed. Drum teased him some more, but didn’t try to penetrate.

A long silence filled the small shelter, broken only by Jake’s ragged breath. Drum smiled to himself. Finally, he was getting somewhere. He tapped the tight hole.

Every muscle in Jake’s body tightened. His cock twitched hard. “If we fuck,” he asked on an indrawn breath, “I won’t be getting any incurable disease from you, will I?”

“No.” With a smile in his heart, he looked up at Jake while he licked the vein leading to the slit at the top. “You might become a little more sensitive in certain areas.” He waggled his brows.

Jake’s chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “If I get any more sensitive, I’ll be leaving my seed all over your planet.”

Drum smiled. The tips of his ears tingled with excitement. “Bond with me, Jake.”

“Tell me now of any… oh God, that feels good… adverse effects.”

“Your ears…” The rest was muffled as he threw himself into pleasing Jake. He loosened his hold around the cock, just enough to let some blood flow again, and make him quiver. Then he plunged his mouth down over the shaft.

“Okay, okay!” His hips jerked upward.

Drum released his thumb and forefinger from the base of Jake’s cock and tapped the bottom of Jake’s ball sac.

Jake’s bellow shook the dirt from the concrete walls. He came in warm gushes that filled Drum’s mouth. Drum sucked him dry while Jake shuddered beneath him. Slowly, Jake’s hips relaxed back to the ground and he lay splayed in a limp mass with an arm thrown over his eyes. Nothing appealed to him more than to throw Jake’s legs over his shoulders and pound into his ass. Instead, Drum grabbed his own cock and stroked his stiff arousal. In a matter of moments, he spewed his seed onto the ground between Jake’s legs.

* * *

Four days of wrestling, kissing, caressing, sucking, and
no fucking
was driving Drum insane. He had to seal the final bond before they left the pit. That’s not to say he wasn’t enjoying Jake’s company. He was. Jake learned quickly how to please him with his mouth, although typically he performed in the dark when he wouldn’t be forced to see what he was doing, which was too bad because Drum would like to watch Jake go down on him. Jake never finished him off either. Still, they shared their release in equal measure.

In between the sex, they played a game with rocks in the dirt that Jake called Mancala. It was simple and it passed the time. He hunted small game for meals, evading any nearby predators. They spent a lot of time talking about sports on their planets, and how similar they were and how they differed, which led to mini-demonstrations that ultimately led to more cock sucking. It wasn’t a bad life, he thought with a grin. They shared the fur at night and woke in each other’s arms. There was no longer any doubt in Drum’s mind that Jake had shaken his misgivings. His new lover often initiated their passionate play. But every time he thought Jake was ready for more intimacy, guilt stopped him from moving forward. He worried about the ramifications if Jake wasn’t the figure in Suva’s vision. Would she reject Drum and Jake to find her true mate? The thought of her leaving him tightened his chest. And he hadn’t yet told Jake about Suva. Would Jake end their affair if he knew Drum was already mated to a female?

He needed them both in his life. He loved them both. The noise from the beasts above had dissipated over time. The chance to leave had come hours ago. Probably longer. Once they’d been eager to go; now they made up excuses to stay.

But they couldn’t stay forever. The air filtration system still spewed cold air, and the excretion pit in the hole outside their shelter door stank. The two of them were overly ripe, too. It was time to seek out fresh air and a pool of water.

They’d clean up and he’d take Jake to meet Suva. He’d obtain verification that Jake was the right mate for them before he finalized the mating ritual.

“It’s been quiet for a long time,” Jake said, unfurling his long legs. “I’m going topside.” He gathered up his science pack and the laser pistol, slung it over his shoulder, and crawled toward the hatch. Drum couldn’t move. This was it. The end of the fantasy. How would Jake react when he saw the modern city of Orion?

Looking back over his shoulder, Jake raised his brows at him. “Are you coming?”

“Yes.” Drum grabbed the green fur and followed him out. “I know a place where we can clean up, if you’re interested.”

Once they’d left the shelter, he shimmied past Jake and led the way up the pit, climbing cautiously until he could see over the top. “All clear,” he said, bounding out and landing on his feet in the tall grass. He reached down and gave Jake a helping hand. Jake didn’t really need his assistance. He lunged upward and crashed full-length into Drum. They froze, clasping onto each other, looking into each other’s eyes. The sadness Drum saw in Jake’s eyes worried him.

In a flash of movement, Jake crushed his mouth over Drum’s lips. The kiss tasted like goodbye. His chest tightened.
No, no, no!
He dug his fists into Jake’s back and kissed him with all the passion in his soul. Whatever Jake had on his mind, Drum vowed he wouldn’t lose him.

Jake broke contact first and simply stared at Drum. After a long pause, he let out a sigh. “I can’t seem to get enough of you. Not just the sex, but being with you. The idea of leaving here without you, it’s just… odd.”

“Leaving?” It felt like a cold hard stone lodged in his throat.

“I’ll be calling my ship and --”

“Come home with me.”

Jake’s brows shot up. “What?”

Drum cupped Jake’s jaw and rubbed his thumb over the soft dark bristles. After a week of not shaving, Jake looked rugged and more handsome than ever. “I want to introduce you to my… family.”

“The cruiser isn’t going to orbit forever. They probably think I’m dead by now.” He searched through his sack. “Let me find out where they are, and then we’ll see if I have time to visit longer.”

Drum gripped his wrist, halting his foraging. “Come with me first. Then call.”

“I’ve got to check in, Drum.” He pulled out his communicator. Drum looked up at the turquoise sky. Dark clouds rolled thick on the horizon, heading their way. The wind had picked up, tossing his hair into his eyes. There were no satellites around his planet to boost the signal, so unless the communicator had a direct angle on the cruiser, Jake was out of luck.

He nearly jumped for joy when the device indicated
No Connection
. Without comment, Jake clipped the communicator onto a loop on his flight suit. He looked expectantly at Drum. “Which way is home?”

“That way.” He pointed toward the oncoming storm. “There’s a cave with fresh water over there.” He turned and pointed ninety degrees north. In the distance, the ground rose sharply into cliffs created by a shift in the planet’s crust a thousand years ago. Caves carved from wind and rain dotted the cliff sides. The lower ones contained fresh water pools deep enough for swimming.

As long as the Wallabusks stayed on their southerly course, they’d be safe there.

“I’d rather rinse the sweat off me than have rain pelt it off me,” Jake said.

“Let’s go.”

Drum loped past him, leading the way, then slowed when he remembered Jake’s injured ankle. Jake caught up and kept an even pace without complaint. The cliffs were farther than they appeared, but they made good time getting there.

“Let me make sure it’s clear,” he said, holding Jake back from a cave entrance.

Jake held out his laser pistol, but Drum shook his head. His knife was good enough.

A quick turn through the low space indicated the cave hadn’t been visited for a week or more. “Come in!” he shouted. He tossed off his loincloth, walked straight into the cool water until it covered his hips, and then dipped beneath the surface. After a few laps underwater, he came up shaking his long hair, just in time to see Jake, naked, step to the edge of the pool.