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- 11/29/2015
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Crave - 13. Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Jenson woke to the feeling of warmth surrounding him, and a delicious scent that made his mouth water. As he became more conscious of his surroundings, he realized a warm body was molded to his back and strong arms held him. Merrick.
His conversation with Merrick had been difficult. He’d never talked to anyone but his family about his life with Kel, and since his disastrous attempt to turn his lover, he didn’t like to speak of the past at all. The reminders of the man he had ruined were too painful. If he was honest with himself, though, he had to admit that telling Merrick felt… not good… but it did feel right. While it still hurt, it was nice to remember how happy Kel had been, and how happy they were together.
Lying in the bunk, Jenson tried to think of a way to get up without waking Merrick. He wasn’t sure if his friend wanted him to talk more, but he’d had enough reminiscing for one day. He was grateful Merrick had allowed him to speak without interruption because it was hard enough to get through the story without a lot of stop and starts.
“You think too much.” Jenson felt Merrick’s breath whisper across his neck.
“You’re awake…?” He asked, closing his eyes and waiting for the questions.
“I never went to sleep,” Merrick’s voice was soft in the dim room.
“How long have I been asleep?” Jenson turned in Merrick’s arms to face him.
“About an hour,” Merrick reached up and smoothed away a lock of hair that had fallen in front of the vampire’s eyes. “I think you needed it.”
“You must be hungry?” Jenson winced at his clumsy attempt to change the subject, and was relieved when he saw amusement in Merrick’s eyes.
“Ok,” he chuckled, lightly slapping the older man’s hip. “Let’s go eat.”
Knowing the ship as well as he did, Jenson led the way to the galley. After a quick meal, both men went to the bridge to check in with Audra. When she saw them walk into the room, a bright smile lit up her face.
“You’re looking a little better,” she whispered, leaning in close to Jenson.
“I feel a little better,” the vampire said, turning and looking for Merrick, who had wandered over to a free monitor. When he looked back, his sister was studying him. “What?”
“Did you tell him?” She asked quietly. Jenson cleared his throat and nodded. Her smile widened, and she gave him a hug. “Good. It’s about time he knew.” She led him over to a monitor in a quieter corner of the bridge. “How did he take it?” she continued to question, leaning against the station.
“He just let me talk,” Jenson’s gaze wandered back to the younger man who was now chatting with Audra’s science officer. “He hasn’t actually asked any questions yet.”
“Smart man,” Jenson could hear the respect in Audra’s voice, and turned back to her smiling face. “He obviously knows you very well after all these years,” she chuckled. Her smiled changed to a scowl as she glared at something over Jenson’s shoulder. He turned his head and saw Dr. Forbes walking onto the bridge.
“What’s going on with you and Dr. Forbes?” Jenson had never seen his sister give this much energy, whether good or bad, to any man.
Audra sighed. “He’s an ass. He’s never given me the respect I deserve as a captain.”
“Oh?” Jenson raised an eyebrow and looked over at the doctor again, who was now standing with Merrick’s small group. “I didn’t realize you two knew each other.” Jenson had met the young doctor when he was on Earth, and found him to be a pleasant and intelligent man who was dedicated to his work.
“It was a few years ago. I think you were on Heltar at the time. The Earth Alliance Council heard I was doing a supply run to the Docental system, and put in a request to our Council for a few of their scientists to tag along. They wanted some samples from the small moon. I was to drop them off, and swing back to pick them up on my way home.”
“The small moon?” Jenson furrowed his brow. “I hope they were sent with adequate protection?” The moon was inhabited by very little, but there were dangerous snake-like creatures that travelled just below the sandy surface. This protected them from the extreme heat of the system’s two suns, but made them nearly impossible to see if they weren’t moving. Their venom was highly toxic, and visitors were warned to wear foot and calf protection to prevent bites.
“That was the problem,” Audra rolled her eyes. “Whoever was in charge of their mission prep did a crap job. They were sent with plenty of sun protection, but nothing to protect against viper bites. I tried to explain this to their mission lead, but she insisted everything was fine. She said their base was in a rocky area, and not near the dunes, so the vipers wouldn’t pose a problem. I was worried something would go wrong, so I delayed the supply run for a few days. It was a good thing I did. We got a distress call the next day that someone had been bitten and was in severe distress. I went down to the planet with the shuttle to evac the team. I couldn’t land safely near their location, so I had to walk almost a kilometer with the hover board and med pack. Alex was furious that I came down to the planet myself. He said I could have gotten myself killed and that I should have sent Haran instead. Chauvinistic bastard,” she snarled.
“Wait,” Jenson held up a hand to stop his sister’s rant. He didn’t miss her use of the doctor’s first name. “Alex... Dr Forbes said he was worried about you being bitten?”
“Yes,” she huffed, sending a glare at the tall redhead.
“Audra…?” Jenson felt a smile twitching the corner of his mouth. “Did you sleep with him?”
“What the hell difference does that make?” she whispered angrily. “I was doing my job. I would never send a crew member into a potentially dangerous situation if I wasn’t willing to go myself.”
“It sounds like he was genuinely worried about you,” Jenson looked over at the scientist.
“He told me a captain shouldn’t leave their ship… that it was my duty to stay out of harm’s way. I told him they were idiots for going on a mission without proper equipment. I wasn’t the one who had to walk back to the shuttle without adequate protection.” Jenson could tell his sister was getting worked up again.
“Why did you go down yourself?” he asked. “Did you have any idea who was injured?”
“No,” she said, looking down at her feet. “Their communication was distorted because of the solar flares. We were only able to determine that someone was hurt. We knew their location from the mission logs.”
Jenson watched as his sister fidgeted nervously, biting her lip. Suddenly the picture was becoming clearer. “Audra,” he said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder and leaning down so he could look her in the eye. “Did you go yourself because you thought Alex was hurt?”
He saw Audra jolt, as if she had been shocked. “No,” she protested. “I… I don’t know… maybe?” she swallowed visibly.
“So, you were both worried and decided the best way to deal with that worry was to scold each other?” Jenson chuckled. “Interesting.”
Audra snorted. “He doesn’t respect me, Jenson. Look at how he reacted to me going on this mission.”
“Did you ever think he didn’t want you to have to deal with the Alectarans? It’s pretty common knowledge how they treat females.”
“I can handle myself.”
“Of that, I have no doubt, Audra, but it doesn’t mean I’m not worried about what could happen if one of those males decides to escalate beyond verbal disrespect with you.” Before Audra could protest again, Jenson put a finger to the stubborn woman’s lips. “Just think about it, ok?”
“Fine, but I think you’re wrong,” she grumbled before excusing herself. Jenson watched as the doctor’s eyes followed her from across the room. The vampire smirked and shook his head. He gave those two no more than twenty-four hours before something on that planet exploded.
It took a week to get to Alect-3. Jenson and Merrick spent a lot of time together during those days. They trained, worked, and shared meals with each other. Jenson found himself talking more about the good times he shared with Kel. Merrick was a patient listener and even asked a few questions… What was Kel’s favourite meal? What activities did they enjoy doing together? Did they get the chance to travel together? Jenson found that talking about Kel got easier with each story. A few times Audra would join in the conversation and talk about her memories of the man. There were twinges of sadness, but there was also a lot of laughter.
On the day before their anticipated landing, they were in the training room, sparring. Jenson was impressed with Merrick’s skill. He obviously kept up with his academy training. They’d been at it for well over an hour and both were hot and tired. Jenson made a move to take Merrick down when he suddenly found himself on the floor, with Merrick hovering over him. He used his strength to lift and twist the younger man, putting him on his stomach. The vampire’s body was draped over his back, with his forearm across the man’s throat. Jenson wrapped his feet around Merrick’s ankles to prevent him from gaining leverage to lift himself off of the floor. The move caused Jenson’s cock to be placed firmly against the younger man’s ass. Merrick was panting for breath underneath him. The younger man was squirming and trying gain leverage, so Jenson used his feet to force Merrick’s legs apart. Merrick tried to lift himself again, inadvertently pressing his ass harder against Jenson’s cock. The friction, and the realization of how little fabric stood between them, made the vampire’s cock harden. Jenson froze. When did his fangs descend? He closed his eyes and willed his body to calm itself.
“Jenson,” Merrick’s voice was rough with need. He pushed up more firmly, increasing the delicious friction. The scent of the man’s blood intensified, making the vampire groan and rock into the hard body below him a few times before realizing what he was doing.
Jenson pulled back like he was burned, and rolled over onto the floor. “Shit,” he panted, running a hand through his sweaty hair. He felt a hand on his face, and opened his eyes to Merrick’s hazel ones. They were darkened with lust. “I’m sorry, Merrick… I just… I can’t….”
“Hey,” Merrick whispered. “It’s ok. I get it. I think we’ve done for the day, anyways. Let’s get cleaned up. It’s getting late.”
Jenson nodded, and accepted Merrick’s hand as he stood. They walked to the showers in silence, each man lost in their own thoughts. The vampire was torn. It would be so much simpler if the love he had for Merrick had never developed past brotherly affection. Somewhere over the years Merrick had grown up on him, and the platonic love he felt for the man had changed. It was a slow process… so slow that Jenson didn’t realize what had happened until it was too late.
They opened their lockers and got out of their workout clothes. It was difficult for the vampire keep his eyes off of Merrick as he stripped down beside him. The flashes of skin from the younger man’s unintentional strip tease were tantalizing. Jenson’s arousal, which hadn’t fully subsided, threatened to make itself known again in a very obvious way. The vampire tamped down his rising lust and made a conscious effort to calm himself.
If seeing Merrick’s naked body wasn’t difficult enough, the scent of the younger man in the steamy shower room was an exquisite form of torture. The heat from the water intensified the already potent aroma of Merrick’s blood, and the younger man’s obvious physical arousal was impossible to miss. Each stroke of Merrick’s soap slick hands across his wet skin made the thought of throwing the man down and fucking him on the shower floor more of a viable option. Soap would make a fine lubricant… Jenson shook his head and tore his eyes away. He needed to get out of this room before he did something he wasn’t sure he was ready for.
By the time Jenson had showered, changed and made it out to the hall, his body was vibrating with need, lust, and frustration. It had been a long time since he lost himself in another man’s body. A long time since anything but his own hand brought him pleasure. He knew Merrick wanted him, but the guilt he felt about betraying Kel still held him at bay. It wasn’t the idea of sex with Merrick making him feel that way… it was the love he had for him that felt like a betrayal. Jenson knew if anything happened between them it would be much more than satisfying a physical need.
A hand on his shoulder startled him out of his thoughts. “Are you ok, J?” Merrick’s voice was quiet in the busy corridor.
“Just thinking too much,” Jenson smiled at the younger man.
Merrick laughed, and hugged the vampire around the shoulders, gently getting him moving. “You’ve always thought too much.” When Merrick stopped in front of the door to his quarters, he turned to the vampire. “Jenson, I know you’re feeling guilty about wanting me… about wanting us… and I get that. It’s too soon. I won’t pressure you, but in all of that overthinking you’re doing, don’t dismiss what’s going on between us,” he said quietly before walking into his room. The door silently slid shut behind him.
Jenson stared at the closed door. He wasn’t sure how to deal with the tangled feelings of love and lust he felt for Merrick, and the love and guilt he felt when he thought of Kel. He stood there for a few minutes before shaking himself out of his melancholy mood. Feeling sorry for himself wasn’t going to solve anything. With the grief of Kel’s death still so fresh, he knew he wouldn’t be able to think rationally about his feelings for Merrick right now, so he decided to shelve the internal debate until another time. He turned his mind to the landing in the morning. They’d prepared for as many contingencies as they could think of, but he hoped their welcoming committee didn’t plan to stay long. His last thought before falling asleep was to wonder if Audra would be able keep her temper in check long enough for the Alectarans to leave the planet in one piece.
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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