Wednesday Briefs: Denied Chapter 24

“I knew I was asking too much of you. If you’re scared, Kohen, you don’t have to help us. I know asking you to spend time with the other people we rescued and more of the crew was asking a lot. You’ve been in isolation for years. I am so sorry.”

“What?” I lifted my face from the perfect spot against his neck, shaking my head. “I don’t want to spend time with them, but I’m not scared. Not of that.”

“Then what’s wrong?” Captain’s hands stilled, but he kept them on my back. “You’re shaking.”

Heat flushed my face. Was I doing it wrong? “I need you,” I said. It was like my whole body had been coated in ice, and I hadn’t even realized it until the warmth of him touched my skin. Worse than hunger, or thirst, or any need for comfort I’d had before. I swallowed down my embarrassment and fear. “I need you to touch me.”

His eyes widened comically, and Captain’s body went stiff again. “Touch you?” he repeated carefully.

“Like you did before.” When Captain had held me close. It had hurt, but it’d been worth it. I’d had dreams about how it would feel now that I didn’t wear the suit. At first, I’d tried to resist the dreams, not think about them. I still worried a little that my need was part of the way the aliens would test me, by making me feel and act a certain way, even if I didn’t really want to.

But I did want to touch him. And, more than anything, I wanted him to touch me. “Move your hands up and down, please.”

Captain made a strangled noise. “Kohen….”

I could see the spot on his neck, where the blood was closest, jumping frantically. An impulse hit me, and I didn’t even think before I followed through. I leaned down and put my lips against it, to feel the way his heart was beating, to find out if it was as fast as mine.

It was.

Visions flashed through my mind of what I’d done before, how I’d mouth that spot, licking it and then sucking up a hard mark… I didn’t dare do more than briefly touch my lips to that soft, sensitive skin. I wrapped my arms around his neck and sighed.

One of Captain’s hands went slowly up my back, hesitating once or twice. He began to make slow circles between my shoulder blades. It felt more than amazing; it was perfect. I closed my eyes and soaked it all in.

I must have dozed off because when I opened my eyes I wasn’t in Captain’s lap anymore. His scent still surrounded me, but I was on the couch on my side, one of the pillows from his bed under my head and a blanket tucked around my shoulders. His scent cocooned me, and I would’ve closed my eyes and gone back to sleep, but I could hear him talking, even if I couldn’t see him.

He must have been in his room, but the door wasn’t shut.

“What am I supposed to do, Deke?” Captain said. “I feel bad enough. I wanted to kick my own ass.”

“He’s eighteen.”

“Barely, and that doesn’t make him an adult, it just makes me not criminally culpable in the eyes of the galactic.” Captain’s voice was a sharp hiss. “But it would be morally wrong. He’s been a captive, a victim, for years. He’s reaching out to me because I was the one who saved him, not because he’s truly attracted to me. I don’t want that. He doesn’t know what he really wants because he’s never had the chance to find out. He’s too young; he’s practically a child. Not to mention, as a rescued survivor on my ship, I have a duty to protect him.”

“Do you really think that living in that cell means he’s less mature? He was isolated, not sheltered. And from what the files said, it’s not like he’s some untouched virgin. Don’t—”

I couldn’t listen beyond that. Captain didn’t want me. I’d made him feel bad. My heart broke inside my chest, but I couldn’t stay in there and know that the way I needed him was so wrong in his eyes. Touching me made him feel bad.

My stomach churned, and I sat up on the couch, my shoulders hunched. I clutched the blanket close, then stood, creeping to the door. I had to get out of there.

The door whooshed open when I approached, and I scurried down the hall to my room. The door seemed to take forever to open as I waited for the scanner to accept my print. I glanced over my shoulder twice to make sure he didn’t follow me, if he even heard me leave. His voice had gotten louder as he talked to Deke and grew more agitated.

I set the privacy mode on my door to not alert me if someone tried to request entry, and then I hurried to my bed. Over the last few weeks, it had become a place of solace. Soft mattress, warm blankets, and no worries that anyone was going to come take it away from me if I began to enjoy it.

Still wrapped in Captain’s blanket, I slid under my heavy blanket of covers. I wiped the tears away from my cheeks with one silky corner, my breath coming out in a silent shudder.

When would I learn that I wasn’t like other people?

I didn’t deserve comfort. Not after all I’d become, all I’d done, for them. I was probably just as bad as they were.

Crying wouldn’t ease this pain, just like it had never helped me before. But I couldn’t stop the slow seeping of tears down my cheeks. I tucked my face into the blanket and let go, wishing everything would just stop. 

TBC

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Wednesday Briefs: Denied Chapter Twenty-three

This week's story update has been inspired by the prompt: Believe it or not... Enjoy!!

Captain’s words echoed in my head the entire way back to the ship. How could he feel that way about me? How could he know that I wasn’t going to turn on the crew and betray them when I didn’t know it myself? I didn’t think there was someone out there controlling me through whatever they did in my head, but would I know it?

At least he planned to have Lakshou with me. Surely Lakshou would feel it if something inside me switched off and I began to follow someone’s orders. Because that is the only way I’d hurt the people who’d helped rescue me from my cell and the many years of isolation and torture.

“Are you okay?” Lakshou asked quietly.

I shook my head. “I don’t think there’s any way to be okay with what happened today.” The shuttle docked on the ship. A two-toned buzz let us know we could remove our restraints once the rest of the shuttles docked and the airlocks were closed. I was cold, shivering in my slightly damp clothes. They had mostly dried in the time it took the shuttles to restock for the ship’s supplies, but they were chafing me in uncomfortable places. I said goodbye to Lakshou and hurried to my quarters.

Locked in the silence and privacy of my quarters, I cleaned up and changed. My insides were buzzing, and eating didn’t calm me down. I couldn’t bear the idea of laying down, and the vid couldn’t hold my attention. I decided to see if Luca was working and if he needed any help.

When my door shut behind me, I hesitated, looking down the corridor. I could go ask Luca if he needed anything… or I could do what I really wanted to do.

Taking a deep breath, and gathering my courage, I turned left instead of right and headed toward the door down the corridor from mine.

“Hello, Kohne.” Captain seemed surprised to see me at his door, even if his quarters were right next to mine. We didn’t run into each other that often, and he didn’t stop to talk to me randomly. And I’d never gone to him before. “Do you need something?”

“Captain. I… I don’t know why I’m here.” Now that I was there, at his door, I couldn’t put into words the feelings inside me. Feelings that had surged forward when he came to rescue us on the planet, when he stood so close to me, looking into my eyes, and saying those things.

Like I was good. Like I was worth more than a person to use and throw away.

“Do you need something?” he asked again. “Come in, talk to me.” He led the way to the seating area, sitting on the edge of the couch and leaving the rest for me. I sat down, not on the far end but not touching him either.

His quarters smelled like him, but faint. I wanted to lean closer, smell him better. I closed my eyes. That was probably totally gross. Wrong. “I-I shouldn’t be here. I’m sorry, Captain.” I tried to jump up, but he reached over and put a hand on my leg.

“Believe it or not, I have a name, you know. You always call me captain, but you’re not one of my crew. You can use my name.”

The warmth of his palm branded me where he’d touched my leg. It was even better than before, when I’d had that damn suit on. “But that is who you are. You’re the captain.” He was the one in charge, the one who saved me. It seemed wrong to use anything less for him. There was some sort of disconnect in my mind, and even though I’d heard him addressed by his name several times, I didn’t even dare think of him that way.

“Call me Querry. Or Everett.”

“But….” I couldn’t think of another reason not to do what he said. It felt intimate, close. Which is exactly what I wanted. I was practically vibrating with a nameless need, and I’d felt almost pulled to his door. Something inside me needed to be close to him. I closed my eyes and made an inarticulate sound of utter frustration.

“Kohen? What’s wrong?” Captain scooted closer and grabbed both of shoulders, turning me toward him. “Did you get hurt on the planet? Did you get stung or something?” He ran a hand up my neck, and then both of them down my arms.

“No,” I said in a strangled breath. He was touching me. “I’m not hurt.” One part of me was hurting. I was swamped by desire for Captain, and I had no idea what to do about it. The memories I had, the ones that I thought were just tests, sickened me, but… maybe….

I took a chance, because I had to be close to him. I needed his arms around me again, this time where I could feel it, and him, without the pain. I needed his scent on my skin, and mine on his. I turned and swung one leg over his lap, kneeling over him on the couch, and then I wrapped my arms around him, one arm under his shoulders and the other over, linking my hands together. Overwhelmed, uncertain, I buried my face against his neck. “Please.”

The small touches from Lakshou and Aparoe, the casual brushing against the crew as they walked through the corridor, the claps on my shoulder and pats on my arm from Luca and Priella had gotten me accustomed enough to casual contact that I didn’t shy away in fear of pain anymore, but nothing prepared me for this.

His skin was warm and soft and scented with that spice that made my head spin. For a long, torturous moment, Captain’s body was rigid against mine and then he softened. His arms came up around my back and he began to rub them up and down my spine.

TBC

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Wednesday Briefs: Denied Chapter 22

“Someone attracted the flame wasps to the crew with pheromones? How did someone get a queen’s scent?”

Aparoe shook their head, studying the screen in their hand. “This isn’t an attractant. The scent isn’t even flame wasp pheromones; they’re twisps.”

“What are twisps?”

“Stick-like figures that migrate in swarms. They consume organic material then move on, leaving behind barren paths behind them. Nothing can stand against them because they don’t seem to have any higher functions. They just… consume. They don’t even leave waste behind; anything they consume is emitted through vents on their backs. That is carried on the wind, warning animals in their path to flee. But the wasps live in trees they’ve tunneled out. Instead of leaving, they attack the twisp swarm.

“Flame wasps are predatory. They kill much larger creatures and harvest the meat, taking it back to the colonies. If they can kill enough of the swarm in one area facing their colonies, the twisp swarm will turn, following the pheromones of the creatures who are still living.”

Aparoe stood, holding out the scanner toward them. “Stand still. Let me scan you.” I froze and waited for her to finish. She moved from me to Lakshou. Captain was staring at me.

I looked down. My clothes were clinging to my body and had barely started to dry in the warm air. “What?” I asked.

“What made you go into the water?”

“Most things that fly don’t swim. And Lakshou said they didn’t like water.”

Aparoe looked up from the numbers scrolling across her screen. “That’s what saved you. Holldu’s pheromones are strong enough to blanket the entire hold. I’m guessing he was injected on the ship because the scans my medics are doing show traces of the threat pheromone on everyone, but it’s weak enough that it wouldn’t call down swarms of fire wasps even without the smoke deterrent.”

“You’re saying someone did this on purpose?” Lakshou asked.

“I am.” Captain scanned the treeline behind us. “Kohen overheard a conversation where it seemed like two crew members were planning to do something. I think this was it. All the rescued victims from the last space station were here. This could’ve killed everyone here.”

“Couldn’t it just have been a plot to kill Holldu?”

“Maybe. But there’s more going on here than I think we know. This isn’t like other times we’ve raided Brox locations and rescued people.”

Deke glanced over his shoulder. “This rescue order came from higher up. They made us take this ship and the larger crew. I don’t trust all of these people. Never have.”

Lakshou stepped forward. “I have to agree. There has been a low level of hostility from some crew members. I know I’ve worried about my sense of hostility coming from Kemit and some others, but I thought it was about the way I commune with my clients.”

“So…” Captain tapped his hand against his thigh. “We know someone is conspiring against us. Kemit—you recognized his voice, right, Kohen?”

I nodded. “But not who he was with.”

“Still, it gives us an angle to investigate. Lack of communication with the shuttles would explain the rescue, so no one knows that we know about their plan for the pheromones. We keep this close to our chest—original crew only. We’re going to figure out whose working against us and why.”

Deke grinned darkly. “Count me in.”

“My official reports will reflect the flame wasp venom was the cause of death. I’ve removed the pheromone results.” Aparoe began tapping at their tablet. “There, an encrypted file with the original results has been sent to your personal account, Captain.”

“Good.” He stared at me, then glanced at Lakshou. “We’re going to have to get someone closer to the other survivors.”

I didn’t have a good feeling about the way he was looking at me. He didn’t look happy, and I didn’t know why, but I knew I wasn’t going to like it.

“Kohen, you’ve kept your distance, especially since I segregated you on the crew deck and not with the others—”

“Because I’m dangerous,” I pointed out.

“Dangerous to those who want to hurt others. That is not why we put you on the crew deck. Look at what you’ve done so far. You’ve saved people, not hurt them. You’re a protector.” He pierced me with a look in his eyes that I couldn’t get away from, and I couldn’t argue with him either, no matter how much I wanted to.

“And we’re going to need your help again. I know you’re not comfortable with a lot of people, but we need you to start spending time with the others we rescued. It’s known that Lakshou is counseling you, so he can go with you. That will allow him to help assess the others without them being aware of it.”

I folded my arms, gripping my biceps. “But what about working with Luca?”

“You can still do that. We need your help, Kohen. I refuse to let someone sabotage my mission. If someone on this ship is working with the Brox Consortium, or worse, is working for someone in the government working with those sadistic power-hungry monsters, then I’m going to stop them. What they do is horrific. No one should have to suffer the things you and the others have, and I will do whatever it takes to stop them.”

I looked at him, Deke, Aparoe, and Lakshou. They were his crew. “Why? Why do you trust me? I could be part of the people working against you.”

Captain stepped up, invading my personal space, the spicy scent of his skin I’d smelled so few times before, swamped me. I sway, only just keeping myself from reaching out to him, to touch and feel him touch me. “Because I have seen the strength inside you, Kohen. No matter what was done to you, you are a good person.” He tapped his chest. “I can feel it in here.”

TBC

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Wednesday Briefs: Denied Chapter 21

“How are we going to get out of here?” I asked. The wasps were still close by, cycling through their mesmerizing patterns as the swarm rose and fell. Several people had to be snapped out of it when they started watching again.

“The ship keeps in touch with crew periodically when we’re on planet. When they don’t get a response, they’ll send another shuttle.”

“Which will be just as vulnerable.”

Lakshou shook his head. “They’ll send the captain’s personal shuttle. It’s equipped with weapons and advanced scanning. They’ll figure it out.”

“So we wait.” I should be good at that, but I wasn’t. I looked at the crowd of people in the water. The humans would be fine, but… “What about the aliens here? Is the water going to harm them?”

He hesitated. “I don’t think so. The planet has a lot of moisture, so I can’t imagine any of the species who don’t handle it well would be assigned to a ground mission.”

“Good.”

I closed my eyes. The water was moving, all the bodies pushing it around. I’d missed water. Using the cleaner on the ship was easy, but it was unsatisfying. I focused on the water and on staying away in the crowd of people. I was on the edge. I paddled with my feet and swirled my arms. I glanced at the swarm from the corner of my eyes when I wanted to check on them… and we waited.

Being in the water was strangely like meditating with Lakshou. My breathing slowed, and I was able to block out the panic and questions everyone was shouting at each other.

The swoosh overhead of a shuttle passing far above us proved Lakshou right. This one was huge, and I’d never seen it before. Maybe there was another hold on the ship? I glanced at Lakshou.

He looked calm, so it had to be from our ship. The conversation I’d overheard, the death from an attack that had never happened before with animals behaving in an unusual pattern… even in the warm water, a chill ran up my spine.

The shuttle hovered in the middle of the swarms.  It rotated slowly, smoke venting out of several tubes that extruded from small holes all along the sides. The swarm scattered. Waves of the creatures enveloped in the smoke fell to the ground.

Once the sky was clear, the shuttle turned and slowly sank down behind the trees. The water splashed against the shore as people started moving toward the shallower water. “Stay in the water!” someone shouted. “We don’t know if it’s safe.”

I hadn’t moved. Those creatures had killed someone; I wasn’t going to be their next victim. Lakshou and I waited.

The movement of the trees as the first indication that there was something coming toward us. A line of crew in suits that covered every inch of their bodies marched out of the brush and down the rocky beach. One tapped a button on his shoulder, and the helmet over his head retracted. “You can come out of the water now. The swarm has been neutralized.”

My swimming skills weren’t strong enough for the mass of people moving around, and I was swamped, going under again. Lakshou pulled me up. I coughed and wiped my face, annoyed that I’d gotten another mouthful of the water. We might restock the ship’s supplies from the planet’s resources, but they had to purify the water. It had a metallic tang that curled my tongue.

“All right?”

I nodded, still sputtering. We were the last two out of the water. The crew in suits were checking everyone who came out of the water, separating them into groups.

Lakshou and I were stopped before we reached the other groups. “Were either of you stung?”

“No,” Lakshou said as I shook my head.

“Good. We need you to come with us.” The crew member did an about face and marched back toward the trees. The rest of the group who’d originally come down to the planet were left on the beach. My clothes clung to my skin, warm and wet and heavy. Walking was a chore, but the soldiers ahead of us powered through the brush and didn’t even look back to make sure we were following them.

“Why did they separate us?” I asked Lakshou under my breath.

“I don’t know.”

A tree limb smacked me right before we entered the meadow. I rubbed my arm, wincing at the pink stripe. I’d gotten used to not being in pain, and it felt worse than I remembered the pain from the suit feeling.

How quickly I’d forgotten what years of my life had been like. The thought struck me and then was swept away almost immediately.

“Captain?” Captain was standing over the body on the ground, Aparoe beside him. Deke, the soldier who’d found me in my cell, stood at his back facing away from him. He was holding a weapon, scanning the surroundings.

What was going on? This couldn’t be about the bugs.

“Kohen, Lakshou.” Captain stared at me. “You’re okay?”

“Yes.”

His shoulders dropped, and he nodded sharply, once. “Good, good.” He took a deep breath and drew himself up. “Kohen, I got the vid message you left in the system, but not until after you left. We need to remember to get someone to teach you how to send them to a crew member. After the communication failed here, we came right away.”

Aparoe grimaced.

“Are you okay, Doc?” Lakshou asked.

“You know I hate that.” They glared at Lakshou. “And, no, I’m not okay. Someone died here today, and it wasn’t an accident.”

“What do you mean by that?” Captain turned, giving them his full attention.

“Someone injected a manufactured pheromone just under the skin here and here.” They indicated spots on either side of the being’s legs. “Since Holldu’s glands emit strong pheromones, it would have been like a giant beacon for the flame wasps.”

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Check out Lander by J. Scott Coatsworth!

How awesome is this cover?! Today I'm thrilled to showcase J. Scott Coatsworth's newest release, Lander! 

J. Scott Coatsworth has a new MM Sci Fi book out:

Sometimes the world needs saving twice.

In the sequel to the Rainbow-Award-winning Skythane, Xander and Jameson thought they’d fulfilled their destiny when they brought the worlds of Oberon and Titania back together, but their short-lived moment of triumph is over.

Reunification has thrown the world into chaos. A great storm ravaged Xander's kingdom of Gaelan, leaving the winged skythane people struggling to survive. Their old enemy, Obercorp, is biding its time, waiting to strike. And to the north, a dangerous new adversary gathers strength, while an unexpected ally awaits them.

In the midst of it all, Xander’s ex Alix returns, and Xander and Jameson discover that their love for each other may have been drug-induced.

Are they truly destined for each other, or is what they feel concocted? And can they face an even greater challenge when their world needs them most?

The Oberon Cycle: Book Two

About the Oberon Cycle:

Xander is a skythane man whose wings have always been a liability on the lander-dominated half world of Oberon.

Jameson is a lander who has been sent to Oberon to find out why the supply of the psycho-amoratic drug pith has dropped off.

What neither knows is that they have a shared destiny that will change the two of them - and all of Oberon - forever.


Dreamspinner - eBook | Dreamspinner - Paperback

---

Giveaway

Scott is giving away a $25 Amazon gift certificate and three copies of his queer sci fi eBook "The Stark Divide."

a Rafflecopter giveaway

---

Excerpt



Xander stared at the torrent of water pouring over the cavern entrance. Somewhere out there, Quince and the others were lost in the storm.

“What happened to everyone else?” Jameson shouted, putting his hand on Xander’s shoulder.

“I don’t know. Last I saw them was before the lightning strike.” How had things changed so quickly?

Jameson started toward the exit. “We have to look for them!”

Xander pulled him back.

Jameson’s eyes were wild.

He squeezed Jameson’s hands, trying to reassure him. “Hey, calm down. There’s nothing we can do right now.”

“We already lost Morgan.” Jameson’s eyes pleaded with him. “I can’t lose the rest of them.”

Xander shook his head. “It’s no use. We’ll never find them in this tempest. They’re seasoned veterans. They can take care of themselves. We’ll go looking after the storm passes.” The loss of Morgan weighed on him too, though he was less and less certain that Morgan had been a human boy at all.

Jameson looked doubtful.

Xander felt it too, but there really was nothing they could do. “Hey, it’s gonna be all right.” He pulled Jameson to him, enfolding the two of them with his wings. Jameson was soaked, but Xander didn’t care.

Jameson nodded against his chest. “You’re right. Gods, I know you’re right. I’m sorry. I thought we were done with all this.”

Xander held him out at arm’s length. “Gods, huh? We’re doing the plural thing now?”

Jameson gave him a half smile. “Trying it out? When in Rome….”

“How’s your hearing?”

Jameson cocked his head. “It’s better. But everything sounds muffled.”

Xander nodded. “I can tell.”

Jameson blushed. “Am I talking too loud?”

“Just a little.”

Jameson smiled sheepishly. “It’s weird. It feels like my ears are full of water.”

Xander kissed him gently. “It’ll pass.” He looked around the cavern at last, his eyes gradually adjusting to the dim blue light.

The place was a faeryland, filled with rows of golden stalactites and stalagmites, like the bulwarks of an eldritch castle. Each one was a miracle of minute detail, like candle wax dripped from above. The whole cavern was lit by a turquoise-blue glow.

Xander looked around for the source. It came from pools of water on either side of the cavern. The scintillating light shimmered along the walls, creating complex, ever-changing patterns.

“Look, Jameson… it’s beautiful.” They were both a muddy mess. “We’re stuck here until the storm blows itself out. Why don’t we get cleaned up and try to rest? Then we can figure out what to do next. We have a long flight to Gaelan.” He was still shivering from the rain.

“A bath sounds like heaven.” Jameson let Xander lead him to one of the glowing ponds.

“Do you think it’s safe to go in?” Xander asked, pulling off his boots and testing the water with his toes. It was warm.

Jameson looked queasy, but then he smiled. “They called them faery ponds. There’s a microscopic organism that makes the light. It’s harmless, but beautiful.” He grinned. “Romantic, even.”

Ah, that’s how you knew this place. “You’ve been here before, haven’t you?” he said, slowly and clearly, gesturing to indicate Jameson and the cavern. His own generational memories were still fleeting, occasional things.

Jameson’s smile fled. He shrugged. “Not me personally….”

“Shhh. I know.” If he closed his eyes and focused, he could see this place too, but he seemed to be able to block them out when they were inconvenient. “Too many memories.” Xander pointed at his head.

Jameson nodded. He looked relieved. He reached out and pulled Xander close, his hands warm on Xander’s waist.

Xander slipped his arms around Jameson and kissed him once, twice. He wrinkled his nose. “You’re filthy and you stink! So do I.” He held up his shirt as proof. It was covered in mud stains.

Jameson laughed. “We can fix that.”

He helped Jameson unlace the sides of his shirt, pulling it off to reveal the naked skin underneath. Jameson returned the favor, his hands lingering for a moment before withdrawing to pull down his own pants.

They shucked their wet and dirty clothes and descended into the water. It was surprisingly warm, silky and smooth around Xander’s waist.

The pool was about three meters across and sloped down to about a meter deep at the far end. There was a warm, gentle current drifting past Xander’s legs, and the stone beneath his feet had been worn smooth by water and time.

Xander washed the grime off his skin, and it drifted off into the water around him.

Jameson pulled him in deeper and gestured for him to lower his head.

Xander lay in Jameson’s arms, and warm water washed over him, carrying the mud and dirt out of his hair. Jameson massaged his scalp, pulling away the twigs and bits of gunk he’d accumulated on the mad run through the forest in the storm.

Xander’s desire threatened to overwhelm him at Jameson’s gentle touch. He dipped his face into the water and rinsed off. It was so fucking good to get clean.

He shook his head, splashing Jameson, who shot him an aggrieved look.

The look turned into a wicked grin, and Jameson splashed him back. Then they were going after each other and laughing, a fine mist of water flying through the air.

Damn, it’s good to hear you laugh again. Xander grabbed Jameson and kissed him, harder this time, and Jameson’s body responded. They fell back into the water, and Jameson was hard against him, his own need naked before Xander’s desire.

After all that had happened, Xander needed to feel human and alive again. He tugged Jameson back to the shallow part of the pool and pulled his skythane down on top of him, Jameson’s skin warm against his own.

He kissed Jameson’s neck and nibbled on his ear, eliciting a low moan.

Jameson wanted this as much as he did. He could tell.

For a long, slow, ecstatic hour, Xander forgot all about the storm.

---

Author Bio

Scott lives between the here and now and the what could be. Indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine, he devoured her library. But as he grew up, he wondered where the people like him were.

He decided it was time to create the kinds of stories he couldn’t find at Waldenbooks. If there weren’t gay characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends.

His friends say Scott’s brain works a little differently – he sees relationships between things that others miss, and gets more done in a day than most folks manage in a week. He seeks to transform traditional sci fi, fantasy, and contemporary worlds into something unexpected.

He runs Queer Sci Fi and QueeRomance Ink with his husband Mark, sites that bring queer people together to promote and celebrate fiction that reflects their own reality.

Author Website: https://www.jscottcoatsworth.com

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Author Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/J.-Scott-Coatsworth/e/B011AFO4OQ