She ran the tip of her tongue along her lower lip, and Craig swore he could almost feel it along his hardening dick. He heard Adam’s swift intake of breath.
“Do you still require Asha’s help?” she asked.
“No, I think we’re good.” He glanced to Adam for confirmation, but his attention was firmly fixed on Leena. “Thanks, Asha.”
“You’re most welcome,” the man answered with a wide smile. “I’m certain we’ll meet again,” he added on his way out.
Silence filled the small room. Craig couldn’t formulate a coherent sentence. His thoughts were all mixed up between gratitude, unasked questions and a whole bunch of horny. Adam didn’t speak immediately, either, but he did take action. In three steps, he stood toe-to-toe with Leena. A faint blush rose on her cheeks. Adam wrapped his arms around her, lifted her and spun in a circle. She grabbed onto his shoulders with an expression of stunned surprise.
“Hello again, angel,” he said when he let her feet touch ground. “Thank you. Thank you for finding us and for being here now.” He kissed her on her forehead.
She smiled up at Adam then cast a quick look at him. Craig had no intention of remaining on the sideline. When he got close, Adam graciously released her and Craig took over the hugging. Her luscious tits pressed against his bare chest.
“My sentiments exactly, sweetness.”
Leena feared her heart might beat out of her chest. Having Craig’s strong arms around her, and Adam’s warm palms caressing her shoulders sent heat careening through her body.
Stay the course, no need to rush, use the brain the Gods gave you.
Leena found it near impossible to follow her own sage advice with her pussy damp and nipples hard as a rock, but she bolstered her resolve, extricated herself from their touch and took a seat in the chair by the wall.
“Your ship has been moved from the space port. It’s pretty much a total loss, but I assumed you would want to try and salvage what you can.” She was impressed at how relaxed she sounded.
“That sucks hard. Elsie’s treated us real well for a whole bunch of years.”
“Your ship is female?”
“Sleek, shapely, distinctive, temperamental at times, powerful always but understands who’s in charge, yep, no doubt about it.” Craig perched on the end of one of the beds. “Well, seems we’re going to be hangin’ around, at least short term.”
“And we’re sadly lacking in knowledge about Mesta or your culture,” Adam added, sitting casually next to Craig.
Leena hesitated, hoping they interpreted her brief silence as thinking time instead of ogling time. She did her best to be covert, not staring at one man, or any particular feature too long. Adam was broader shouldered, stockier, Craig was in inch or two taller. Craig’s hair was the color of the sand after it rains. Adam’s was ink black with strands of gray at his temples.
Slaterine men wore their hair long. Adam and Craig didn’t, and it turned her on.
The feature that had her practically salivating, however, was their lack of body art. Adam was bare from the waist up, and the thin, sleeveless vest Craig wore covered little. All indigenous males received their first tattoos when they reached puberty, and by the time they were adults, their upper body and arms were works of art. The majority of men who immigrated to Mesta eventually wore, at minimum, the inscription of the house they soul-bonded into. Adam and Craig’s bare skin drove her mad with desire.
“Just the basics are fine to begin with; getting food, finding a place to sleep, easy stuff,”
Adam prompted.
“Sure, of course, sorry.” Obviously she’d delayed a smidge too long. “If you’re starving, we can get food here, but trust me, there’s a lot better to be had elsewhere.”
“I think we’re okay to wait,” Adam said and Craig nodded his agreement.
“Guest accommodations are sparse,” she continued. “The late rotation harvest is wrapping up, and the offspring of many livestock breeds are weaned and ready for sale. Our district is crowded with merchants, traders and visitors. There aren’t any cottages vacant. The inn out by the mines has a room or two available, but that’s for a very good reason; they’re yucky.”
“Is Elsie too far gone for us to stay on her?” Craig asked.
“Absolutely, I’ve inspected it myself.”
Although the combination of impact, fire and foam damage was massive, it didn’t hide the fact that the ship had been customized with state of the art equipment, and that the men who owned it were extremely skilled technos, not simply pilots. She was anxious to discuss how they’d fabricated and run a bypass in the life support system during flight.
She was also deeply curious regarding the snippets of personal information she’d gleaned from her purely professional perusal. There was only one sleeping compartment, which had apparently been quite luxurious. Instead of bunks, there had been one large bed. Charred remains of thick blankets, numerous pillows and broken pieces of various decorative items were strewn around the space. The galley had a replicator, but there was also a small refrigeration unit and a devise, which she thought might have been used for preparation of fresh food.
Leena drew a steadying breath, praying she hadn’t made a galactic mistake in the actions she’d taken over the previous two days. “El…” She couldn’t call it by name. It was just too silly.
“Your ship is being stored on my property, which is out on the eastern edge of the district. I have plenty of room in my home. In my opinion, a rebuild would be a waste of time and credits, but I think you’ll find my facilities and equipment adequate if you decide on that course. I also compiled a log by destination sector of departing transports for the next weeks.” Bringing up the option of how they could potentially leave her was painful, but she knew it was the right thing to offer.
“Jesus, we’ve been complicating your life while being unconscious. Go us.” Craig was completely adorable in his awkwardness.
“Nothing was complicated, and it was what I chose to do.” Leena crossed her fingers and set her hands in her lap.
“And you’re offering to put us up in your house?”
“Is there a reason why that’s not a good idea?”
They both stared at her with undeniable lust. Leena clenched her thighs together. The action only increased the sweet agony of her throbbing clit.
“Depends on your perspective, angel.” Adam’s voice was a caress in and of itself.
A quiver raced up her spine at his implication. Her thoughts had been so focused on all things carnal over the last few days that she’d barely eaten or slept, preferring instead to indulge in marathon sessions of self-pleasure at every opportunity. Before returning to the infirmary this morning, she’d been so late in starting her early day tasks that one of her xanders was nibbling at the latch of his closed feedbox when she’d entered the barn.
“Seriously, though, we don’t want to cause any more upheaval than we already have,”
Adam said solemnly.
“I’ll do my best to point out any issues before they become problems,” she assured him.
“We’ll of course pay for our lodging.”
“Thank you, but no, you’d be guests of mine, not boarders.”
“We’re not going to be freeloaders, either, Leena. Craig and I earn our keep wherever we are. I’m sure once we get the lay of the land we can make ourselves useful in some way or another. We’ve got a lot of shit to figure out, decisions we probably shouldn’t rush into making.”
He scratched the back of his neck. “My grandmother had an antique plaque on her kitchen wall that said, ‘Fish and visitors smell in three days’.”
“Will it make you feel more comfortable if I assign you specific chores?” she teased.
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Craig agreed.
“Negotiations completed then.” Leena stood. “Han was called to an emergency and won’t be seeing you again. He’s cleared you to leave as long as you agree to take it easy and tell me if you experience any manner of health troubles.”
“Will do.”
Adam put on his boots and vest, and they exited the infirmary.
“Minimalistic attire is making real good sense,” Craig commented as they walked outside.
“This is actually our coolest time of year. There are many months where we stay indoors for the bulk of the day.”
Leena pointed ahead to her hover car. Adam got in the front seat and Craig hopped into the back. Normally, she drove with the clear dome cover open in order to enjoy the breeze, but both men had perspiration dotting their foreheads and upper lips. She kept the top closed and cranked up the climate control before lifting off. “Megan, the swaya of our leaders, says that the deserts of Earth are chilly in comparison to our high sun season.”
“Swaya?”
“Mate,” she clarified. “She knows you’re here, well, everyone knows.” Leena chuckled.
“But thankfully, Han communicated to the members of my house that you be given the opportunity to rest and acclimate in peace.”
“How many people live with you?” Adam asked, sounding disappointed.
She glanced to him, able to take her attention briefly from their flight path until they entered the more challenging part of the journey through the rock forest. “Zero, and I love every private, secluded moment of it. In our culture, the term house has another meaning along with referring to a dwelling. Our ancestors banded together in groups of related and unrelated members for the common good of the whole. My house, the house of H’oug, is the oldest and largest. Within the houses are family units which vary in size and configuration.”
“What do you mean by configuration?”
Why did I say that?
Leena definitely wasn’t ready to answer Craig’s question. She checked the nav display while formulating a subject change. What popped in her mind had her feeling ashamed she hadn’t thought of it far sooner. “Oh stars,” she exclaimed. “Your families and friends must be worried sick about you! We should have provided a communication console immediately. I’ll set you up with one as soon as we arrive home.”
“There’s no hurry, angel. It’s been me and Craig against the galaxy for quite a while.”
He lifted his hand over his shoulder and held it palm forward to Craig, who slapped it with vigor. Leena hadn’t seen the behavior before but deduced it was a form of positive validation.
“We go where the mood and the credits guide us.”
“I’m going to travel to exotic places,” she said wistfully. “Someday, I’m going to see the ice oceans on Toomsa and tour the sky cities of Roy. And Kendar, I’m definitely going there.
I’ve heard that the only rule during their harvest festival is that there are no rules.”
“Adventurous type, are ya?” Craig leaned forward.
“In theory, absolutely, though so far reality hasn’t caught up with my imaginary itinerary.”
Craig and Adam launched into fascinating stories of distant worlds and the exploits they’d shared together. They had her laughing so hard she had to ask them to stop after she barely avoided clipping a jagged outcropping of rock on the route she’d flown regularly for years. When they expounded on the challenges they’d faced on Royas, and the attack by the Camlutians, Leena once again thanked the Gods they’d survived.
Adam let out a low whistle when they exited the dense forest and entered her small clearing. “Wow, you weren’t exaggerating; you’re seriously sheltered out here.”
“This is gorgeous,” Craig said, scanning the outside of her home and the surrounding area.
Pride welled in her chest. “Thank you. Later, after you’ve eaten and rested, I’ll show you around.”
They walked inside and Adam groaned loudly. “What is that incredible smell?”
“Depending on your schedule, either a late lunch or an early dinner; kitchen’s this way.”
She motioned them to take a seat at the table. “These are some of my favorite foods, I hope you enjoy them.” Leena placed out the dishes of fruit and bread she’d assembled earlier. “These melons are sweet, and those berries are tart and delicious when dipped in this cream. That bread is dense with herbs and nuts, perfect for dunking in this stew.” She brought over a steaming pot and served them heaping bowls. Her portion, on the other hand, she kept to a minimum. Her tummy was all fluttery.
The men ate as if they hadn’t had a decent meal in eons, exuberantly complimenting her culinary skills throughout. When they finished, they looked thoroughly satisfied and also fatigued. Craig mumbled an apology after covering his lips and yawning.
“Let’s get you to your room.”
“After we help you clean up,” Adam said, standing.
“There will be other opportunities for you to do dishes,” Leena replied to his kind offer.
“If I allow you to overdo it, and your recovery suffers, well, I’ll never forgive myself. This way, please.”
She ushered them out of the kitchen and to the larger of her two spare bedrooms. “I changed the time display to Earth’s numeric system.” She pointed to the small screen on the wall. “A daily cycle here encompasses thirty hours. The facilities are through that door over there and function in the same manner as they did in the infirmary. Here are communicators.
Please wear them at all times,” Leena said, indicating the small, circular devices on the bedside chest. She gave a quick lesson on how they could speak privately to one another or conference.
“If you do this, it opens a channel to all members of the house of H’oug who are within range.”
“That’s a nice safety feature for a woman living alone,” Craig commented.
“All communicators have that function. We, males and females, use the devices to disseminate non-urgent information quickly and efficiently, as well as in the case of distress.
You’re correct, Mesta, like any other planet, is not without dangers, but emergencies don’t discriminate by gender.” The inference that she was less capable of taking care of herself than a male raised her hackles.
“Sorry, no insult intended.” He came close enough for her to discover the specks of green in his brown irises. “You’re a force to be reckoned with when you wanna be, aren’t ya, sweetness?”
“Count on it.”
“I am.” He maintained unblinking eye contact as he touched his lips to hers. The kiss was intensely erotic in its chasteness.