Enslaved by a Rebel [Sold! 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (6 page)

“Are you cold?”

“No. Just thinking of what we did.”

“So are you still glad you bought me?”

“I am. But I’m sad, too.”

“Why?”

“Because eventually I’ll have to let you go, and I don’t think I want to.”

Jarrett didn’t say anything for a long time, and Ranic thought he might have made him worry that he wouldn’t hold true to his word and let him go when their time was up. Before he could explain, Jarrett turned to him, pressed him close, and whispered, “I don’t think I want you to, either.”

Stunned, and so desperately hopeful, Ranic pressed as close to him as he could get. Just like before, the contact sent his senses spinning. At the height of the arousing press of flesh, Ranic retreated just a bit. What if Jarrett were only saying and doing all the right things to gain his freedom? Ranic clung to his shoulders, loving the power of his alien form, but he cautioned himself again that this was a time for fantasy fulfillment. Lovers said things and did things in the heat of the moment that were meaningless after the pleasure was spent. Ranic had to find a way to remind himself that this was not real. Jarrett would never be his for longer than this far too brief interlude.

“Sit down with me.” Jarrett used his powerful hands to guide Ranic down into the surf. It was almost the same temperature as his body, which meant it must be a little on the cold side for Jarrett, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“Are you cold?” Ranic didn’t want to think of him suffering even a little.

“A bit.” Jarrett pulled Ranic into his lap. “You can warm me up.”

“But I am colder than you.”

Jarrett chuckled and then placed his hands against Ranic’s buttocks, drawing him near. “There are many ways to make heat.”

Since Jarrett was sitting cross-legged in the surf, Ranic had his legs spread around him, so when he pulled him even closer, Ranic’s cock pressed into Jarrett’s belly as Jarrett angled his cock down so that he rubbed up between Ranic’s buttocks.

Now that the moment for penetration had come, Ranic wasn’t so sure any more that he wanted to go through with things, especially after feeling how thick Jarrett’s prick was. He’d thought this was what he wanted, but what they had done with their mouths was so incredibly fulfilling that maybe he didn’t have to go any further than that.

“Okay, calm down.” Jarrett lifted his hands from Ranic’s buttocks and slid them up and down Ranic’s back in soothing motions. “I felt you tense up when you felt my cock pressed up against you.”

In the dark, Ranic watched as Jarrett moved him back so that they were looking at one another. It was curious because he knew Jarrett couldn’t see him, but he considered him as if he could. Perhaps he could see him in another way. Not with his eyes, but maybe with the feel of his body.

“I wanted to sit in the surf and let our bodies grow accustomed to the feel of the other. No more than that.” With startling accuracy, Jarrett lifted his hand and cupped Ranic’s face. He didn’t fumble at all. Even without being able to see, Jarrett knew exactly where Ranic was in the dark. “I’m in no hurry. Ever. You’ll find that’s one of the most annoying things about me.”

“How is you not being in a hurry annoying?”

“It can be to someone who’s always in a rush. Are you in a rush?”

“No.” Ranic let out a sigh that was loud enough to overshadow the surf. “I was scared.”

“I could tell.”

“How?”

“I can’t see you, but I can feel you.” Jarrett leaned forward, and his lips landed against Ranic’s perfectly. The kiss ranged from sweet to savage, making Ranic forget all his trepidation. “Besides, remember that I am your humble servant.”

Ranic frowned because he didn’t like the idea of bossing Jarrett around. “Please don’t remind me.”

“Why?” Jarrett’s stroking hands now made a wider path from the nape of Ranic’s neck to where his buttocks split apart. Each time he moved down, he dipped lower between them until he was teasing the pads of his fingers against Ranic’s puckered flesh.

“Because I don’t—I won’t—I wish I hadn’t done this!” Ranic extricated himself from Jarrett’s grip and moved away from him.

“Please don’t leave me here. I can’t see, remember?”

Ranic wanted to run and hide and have time to reassess himself, but leaving Jarrett out here was cruel. Recognizing that he owed him passage back to their shared cabin, Ranic stepped out and took Jarrett’s hand. “I’ll lead you back.”

“Just take me to where we dropped our stuff.”

Ranic did, and he watched with curious detachment as Jarrett spread the blanket out and then sat down upon it. He pulled items out of the basket and, using only his nose and his hands, tried to identify them.

“I’m leaving.”

“Okay.”

Ranic stood there, nonplussed. “You won’t be able to see your way back.”

“You said the moon would rise, so eventually I’ll be able to.” Jarrett seemed completely unperturbed. In fact, he popped open the bottle of glimmer wine and drank directly from the bottle.

“I need to think.” Ranic wanted to be alone almost as much as he didn’t want to leave Jarrett. Torn, he stood there waiting for Jarrett to make his mind up for him.

“Okay.” Jarrett waved in the general direction Ranic was standing and then proceeded to drink half the bottle of wine.

Frustrated, Ranic turned on his heel and left Jarrett there on the beach. He walked swiftly back to the cabin and then stood on the veranda. Instead of thinking about what he wanted to do, he found himself thinking about Jarrett. Why wasn’t he angry? Didn’t he care that Ranic might be debating whether or not to follow through with their deal?

“I’ll tell him that I have changed my mind, and if he doesn’t do what I bought him for, I won’t let him go.” Ranic thought that sounded totally unfair. “It doesn’t matter. I own him. If I choose not to let him finish, then I can say that he can’t go.”

At that, Ranic realized he was already looking for excuses not to give Jarrett his freedom. It wasn’t fair, and he knew that, but he didn’t care. He wanted to keep him. If they never finished, if Jarrett didn’t penetrate him, then their deal could not be completed, and Jarrett couldn’t ever leave him. However, that scenario left Ranic with the perplexing problem of how would he keep him? Most slave owners had lots of money and property so that they could use their slaves in more than one way. There were those with a vast array of sexual slaves, but again, they were wealthy enough to have a place for them to live. They provided their thralls with everything, like that Krase warrior with the scary tattoo on his face. No doubt he had an entire planet to keep his coveted slave on. Ranic had nothing but a tiny cell in the asteroid-stripping ship. And even that wasn’t his since he only rented it. He owned his trooper suit and that was all.

What if he sold it?

He considered the heap of gleaming silver in the corner of the room. The very idea made his entire body tremble. If he sold his suit, he would have nothing to hide in. He would have to show his face to the world. Or would he? What if he simply found another way to hide? Jarrett’s idea of hiding in plain sight came back to him. Perhaps he could go to Earth. He had no idea what his suit was worth, but there were collectors who paid a tremendous amount of money for the strangest things. Surely, there was someone out there who would pay a fortune to have an actual Finoc trooper suit. With the money he made from that, he could have clothing fashioned that would cover him from head to toe, and then he and Jarrett could go anywhere.

“Provided he actually wants to stay with me.” Ranic found it unlikely a man like Jarrett would want to be with him if he reneged on their deal. He was not well suited in temperament to being a slave. Jarrett was more suited to being in charge rather than being a follower. Besides, after his rude behavior, Ranic doubted Jarrett would even still be on the beach.

Heart pounding, Ranic returned to their spot only to discover Jarrett was right where he’d left him. As if he sensed he was there, Jarrett lifted the bottle of glimmer wine and offered it out. “Want some?”

“I want you.”

Jarrett looked right at him and smiled. “Good. It’s mutual.”

“No. Well, yes, in that way, too. But I meant that I wish to be with you in a different way. Not just for now.” Ranic settled down in the sand right in front of Jarrett. “I want you to stay with me.”

“Like I said, it’s mutual.” Jarrett knew he should stop and think about what he was saying, but he had to trust his instincts. When Ranic had gotten all terrified and run off, he’d known exactly what was going on in his head. He knew because he was older and had so much more experience. Jarrett also knew when his heart was already lost. How funny that he’d never fallen completely in love on his own planet with his own kind. He had to come out into the wild, crazy galaxy and fall for a glittering, golden alien with a shyness factor of about twenty million. Still, he knew none of that was what drew him to Ranic. It was Ranic himself.

“Are you sure?”

“I am.” Jarrett took another sip of the wine then handed the bottle to Ranic. “About eight years ago I got this crazy impulse to learn how to scuba dive. It went against everything I thought I knew about myself. I hated enclosed spaces. Claustrophobia—that’s what my world calls it. Having that curious affliction is what made me pass out on your ship. Anyway, despite that, I trusted my gut and took my first lesson. It was in a pool and totally safe. I figured I’d freak out and be ripping the heavy equipment off my back after two seconds in the water. But I didn’t. I loved it. And I’ve taken two trips every year since the day I was certified.”

“It’s what you were doing when you were taken to be a slave?” Ranic took a pull from the bottle and then handed it back.

“Yeah. It was a beautiful spot…” Jarrett trailed off, and Ranic let him. “My point is that I did something that at the time seemed completely illogical because something inside me was telling me to go for it.” Jarrett leaned close to Ranic, sensing where he was rather than seeing him in the darkness. “I’m feeling that same type of impulse toward you.”

Ranic was silent, and Jarrett wondered if perhaps he’d said too much, but then Ranic’s arms were around him, knocking him back onto the blanket. Once they got their limbs untangled, they pressed their lips pressed together and their tongues dueled as they stretched out, grinding their bodies hard against one another.

Whatever trepidation Ranic felt was gone now. Maybe he realized that Jarrett wasn’t about to rush him into finishing what they’d started because there really wasn’t any end to it. Not if they did it right. Still, Jarrett tried to slow things down just a bit because he still wanted to make everything perfect for Ranic.

“I had this idea of how we can stay together.” Ranic spoke between kisses as his hands continued to explore Jarrett’s body with utter fascination.

“Yeah? Are you going to sell me?” Jarrett was kidding, but Ranic withdrew rather sharply. He didn’t have to see him to know that he’d inadvertently hurt him. “I’m sorry, that was a stupid thing to say. I was trying to be funny.” Gripping his head, pulling him close, Jarrett swore he would think more before speaking. “I know you would never do that.”

“I wouldn’t. I was going to sell my trooper suit.”

“But then how will you stay covered from the sun? Sorry, starlight.” He had to remember that out here in the big old universe there were lots of stars, so saying the sun was meaningless.

“I have seen travelers from other planets who wear clothing that covers them completely. I think it might work for me.”

“Like a vampire.” Jarrett chuckled and then explained what that was.

“They drink blood?”

“They aren’t real.”

“They are.” Ranic rolled Jarrett onto his back then straddled his hips. “On Xearzans, there are humanoid creatures who live on the blood of the living. They are very tall and thin.”

“White?”

“More gray.”

“Maybe they’ve visited Earth and that’s how so many cultures have come to write about something like them.” Jarrett was beginning to wonder if all those hokey stories he’d heard about alien abductions might be true. Well, not all of them, but some of them might be. It certainly turned out aliens had a fetish for butt probes.

“If we were to go to Earth, could you find us lodgings and food?”

“I could. I would.” Jarrett tried to imagine how that would work. “Do we eat the same things?”

“I am well suited to eat almost any protein. What might be at issue is the plants. Some plants are toxic to me, as I imagine some of the plants I eat would be toxic to you. But we could learn.”

“What if something happened to you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like if you were injured. I couldn’t take you to a regular doctor.” Just imagining Ranic being hurt and Jarrett unable to render aid made him feel a surge of panic.

“How likely am I to be injured?” Ranic sat up, his tight buttocks pressing firmly against Jarrett’s prick. “Is your world fraught with dangers?”

“No. Not really. It’s just that shit happens.” Jarrett thought over all the scrapes, bumps, and bruises he’d had over a lifetime. He’d never gone to the doctor beyond an occasional checkup, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t have need of one in the future. Just what would he say when the doctor noticed Ranic’s golden paint didn’t come off? “We don’t know if the bacteria might get into your wound and just ravage you.”