Love at First Bight

Chapter Twelve

With the confidence that Aaron not only loved her, but wasn’t going to refuse her assignment at the end of training, Emi threw herself into her work. Aaron personally went with her to the hand-to-hand combat classes, not holding back as her sparring partner. The twins were good for practice, but both she and Aaron noticed they were too careful, afraid of hurting her. She understood Aaron’s need for her to be effective in this way, and he always felt bad about the bruises she incurred. But after several weeks she was giving back as good as she took.

Most of the retrofits were complete. They’d started major testing of the ship’s systems, including the power generators and life support.

While she wouldn’t say she was confident with her ability to perform her non-medical duties, she was more comfortable with them than she had been at the start.

The men were right that some things became second nature. As her tension eased, she felt her libido rise. There were a few nights the men were worn out from their duties and had fun taking care of her, never failing to leave her satisfied.

A tentative departure date was set, giving them six weeks to finalize preparations. It wouldn’t be confirmed until several days before they left. They would spend two weeks at the orbital docking complex, allowing for last-minute load checks on the systems, real-life simulations with life support and defenses, then an escorted six-week shakedown cruise to the Mars station to ensure there weren’t any problems. There they would pick up their final supplies and equipment before heading out of the solar system to their first destination.

The crew shifted into a nightly watch pattern. In space they would still emulate the twenty-four hour daily cycle, so at night they alternated shifts. The men took turns on watch with Emi, wanting her completely comfortable with the systems before turning her loose on her own. The computer simulated various conditions, benign and dangerous, to give her experience with what to look for and how to respond.

She enjoyed this alone time with each man. While she knew she could easily spend time with any them if she asked, it was a guilt-free excuse to have their undivided attention without worrying if someone’s feelings were hurt. She admittedly enjoyed her watches with Ford the best, his body slim enough they could sit side-by-side, tucked snugly into the command seat, cuddled together and talking.

Staying awake with Ford was never an issue. Between their talks and his frequent, playful groping, nights with him flew by. Aaron was always casual with her but took time to go over the different systems, answering any questions she had, making sure she understood the settings. Caph was too willing to let her drift to sleep and do her job for her. She frequently had to remind him to keep her awake, not protect her from what they were doing.

With four weeks left, Dr. Graymard called her into his office one morning. “So how are you getting along, Emi?” Her confidence wasn’t faked anymore. “I’m nervous, obviously, but the guys have been great. I know if I have any questions they’ll help me.”

“No second thoughts about backing out?”

“Not on your life.”

She sensed there was something else he wanted to discuss. “Are you aware of the term bonded crew?”

She stiffened. She didn’t want to hear the story from him, not really. She wanted her boys to tell her, even though she was desperate to know. “I ran across it.”

He nodded, eyeing her. “The men of the Tamora Bight are bonded crew. It’s a very specific designation, meaning they cannot be separated unless they desire it. Since they are bonded crew, they can add to their number if they wish. Now, I have not spoken to Aaron about this yet, because he is the one who has to make the request, speaking for his men. Should he make the request, however, I would prefer to know your answer in advance, if at all possible. I won’t tell him your answer because that’s between you and the men. But there are paperwork issues to take care of, and the more advanced knowledge I have, the easier it makes my job.” She nodded. “I’d like that.”

“It doesn’t make you married to them or anything. It means you cannot arbitrarily be transferred out of his command by outside officers unless you request a transfer.” He made a notation in his computer. “That’s all, Emi. I just needed to talk to you about that.” A few hours later, Graymard paged the ship and requested Aaron come to his office, alone. He didn’t seem nervous, but she was.

Would they be talking about her?

It was her night to cook. She was preparing dinner when the boys walked into the galley, smiling.

That had to be a good sign, right?

Aaron took her hands in his. “Em, we wanted to talk to you about something.”

She nodded, hopeful, expectant.

Aaron glanced at the twins, who were remarkably silent. They nodded their encouragement.

“We’ll be shipping out soon, and we’re going to have one last crew day together in the city, followed by dinner. Someplace nice where they don’t ask if you want fries with that. It’s our tradition. But we’d like to know if you’d start a new tradition with us.”

“What?”

“We’d each like a day and night away from the ship with you, alone. We’ll be together for a long time, and we agree it’d be nice to get a chance to have you to ourselves.” Not exactly what she’d expected, but nearly as good. “I’d love that.”

They set the dates, and each man made his plans. Aaron decided Ford could have the first night, Caph the second, and he’d take the night before their crew day together.

“Where are we going?” she asked Ford the night before her day with him began.

He grinned. “Secret. Not telling. I’ve already packed for you. We all have.”

She eyed their nearly identical smiles. “Okay. I’ll let you have your fun.”

The next morning, Ford requisitioned a car. The men would trade off each day, and he loaded two bags into it. They had packed for her, not wanting her to have any clues as to their plans. She stood in the galley and hugged Caph, kissing him good-bye.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, feeling a little sad but knowing this was a good thing.

“You’d better believe it.” The playful gleam in his eye indicated he’d planned something fun.

Then Aaron. He hugged her tightly. “Keep them out of trouble, Em,” he whispered. “I’ll miss you.”

She felt his wistful pang and knew it would be even worse for him than it was for her. He would have to go two days before seeing her, and she’d at least have the other guys distracting her and keeping her busy. “I’ll miss you, too.” She hesitated. “I love you.” He smiled and met her eyes, nodded, then touched his forehead to hers for a moment. “Me too.”

The wave of emotion she felt from him screamed his love. Ford was right—she didn’t need to hear him say it.

She hugged him tightly. Ford returned. “All set. Ready?” She nodded.

“Have fun,” Aaron and Caph parroted. Aaron groaned while the others laughed.

“Great,” he playfully groused. “Now I’m doing it.”

None of the men revealed their plans to her. Ford had laid out a casual outfit for her to wear that morning, a blouse and linen slacks, comfortable sandals to go with them. He looked sharp in khaki slacks and a freshly pressed button-up chambray shirt.

He held the car door open for her. Then, once he was inside behind the wheel, he grabbed her hand and kissed it. “I’ve got you all to myself for a whole day and night.” He grinned. “I can’t believe it.” He was so playful, his sweet personality infectious. “I can’t believe you guys aren’t jealous of each other.” He snorted. “Why? I mean, if you suddenly picked one of us over the others for good, maybe. But we love each other, we know you love us, and we love you. We’ve been together too many fucking years to be like that.”

She watched the scenery as he drove them to town. Then a horrible thought struck her. “You wouldn’t add any other crew, would you?” She knew it was selfish, but she didn’t want to share her boys with any other women. And frankly, she didn’t want any other men in the mix, either.

Ford looked at her, then realized what she meant and laughed.

“No, sweetheart, you’re our limit, trust me. I mean, never like that.

We might have to add crew in terms of working on the ship, but never like that. While we don’t mind sharing you between us, we’re not about to share you with anyone else. I know that’s a weird double-standard, but there you have it.”

At a traffic signal he stopped and looked at her. “You’re all ours, babe. As long as you’ll put up with us.” They checked into the hotel first, an expensive hillside retreat with a stunning panoramic view of the valley below.

And a very large bed.

“What’s next?”

He glanced at his watch. “Our first stop on today’s adventure is one I’ve been wanting to make for a long time, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I think I will.”

It was a short drive to the New Phoenix Museum of Art and Science, a large, sprawling facility associated with one of the local universities. They had a wide variety of exhibits from fine arts to historic relics from the twentieth century and earlier.

She loved it.

She walked hand-in-hand with Ford, losing herself in his enthusiasm, enjoying this uninterrupted time with him. He was still the same man, but this side of his personality could fully emerge. She loved it. After a long lunch, their next stop was the nearby Botanical Gardens.

“I thought you’d appreciate the irony,” he said as he bought their tickets.

She grinned. “The plant killer taking me to see plants?” His blue eyes twinkled. “Exactly.”

The sun was dropping behind the western mountains when they finished. She rested her head against his shoulder, his arm around her waist as they returned to the car. “This day is going too fast,” she said.

He kissed the top of her head. “Tell me about it. You feel like dinner?”

“Yeah.”

When they returned to the room later, he stopped her at the door.

“What?” she asked.

He scooped her into his arms and carried her inside. “Not the same thing, I know. But my first night all alone with you.” She wrapped her arms around him, kissing him. “You don’t have to rush.”

“I don’t have to share.” His smile belied his words. “I know you like watching, but every once in a while it’s fun to be a little selfish.” He gently laid her on the bed, stretching out beside her. “I mean, once we’re in space, every so often the three of us will put our heads together, if you don’t mind, and we’ll do like a double night watch or something so we can take turns alone with you. If you want that.”

“That would be okay every once in a while. I don’t want to do that every night. I’m selfish. I like having my boys with me in bed.” He laughed, kissing her. “You just like it because you know you’ve got us wrapped around your fingers. You’ve got a male harem at your disposal.” He held her hand, kissing her fingers. “Are you really happy with us?”

Emi nodded. “I can’t wait to make it official.”

“There is no chance of Aaron refusing your assignment, you know.”

“I know. I just want it in writing.” He took his time unbuttoning her blouse. “We’ll tattoo it on our backs, how’s that?”

She ran her fingers through his hair. “That’s a little excessive, but appreciated.”

Ford was her slow, sensual lover. With an entire night in front of them, he took his time, gently coaxing two orgasms out of her before rolling her over onto her knees and carefully entering her from behind, his arms wrapped around her waist.

She loved the way his body perfectly molded to hers. All three men were fantastic lovers. But in this way it was as if he was completely attuned to every nuance of her body. She noticed this when he made love to the other men as well.

He laid his cheek against her shoulder. “Can I get one more from you, baby?” he whispered.

“I can’t promise it.”

“Good enough for me.” He stilled his strokes, his cock buried deep inside her. Keeping his weight off her, he reached around her waist and his skillful fingers gently stroked her clit. She gasped.

“Damn, I love the way you squeeze my cock like that. I take it that’s a strong maybe,” he joked.

“You keep that up, it is.”

His lips traced the contour of her spine as he slowly teased her toward another orgasm. She loved the feel of having one of them inside her when she came. When her release started, he gently encouraged her, murmuring to her.

“That’s it, sweetie, give it to me. Let me have it.” Emi ground her hips against him. He took that as his cue to resume his thrusts, taking his time, drawing sensual moans from her as he let his climax gradually build. Then he exploded, gasping her name as he held still inside her, taking a long, deep breath before wrapping his arms around her and rolling to his side, taking her with him.

“Good?” she asked with a teasing smile.

He laughed. “You have no idea, baby. So good.” He turned her to face him, kissing her. “So good,” he mumbled, brushing his lips along the base of her throat, tracing her jaw. “Perfect.” The men had never once asked her to do the one sexual activity she was increasingly curious about. Or asked her to do anything, actually. They were always careful to let her set the pace of their lovemaking sessions. With her trust securely placed in them, she asked Ford.

“Tell me how it feels…back there.”

His lips froze in place, and then he laughed. “You want to broaden your horizons a little, honey?”

She tipped her head so she could see his eyes. “I think so, yes.” He blinked. “You’re serious? Really?’

“Yeah.”

A slow, surprised smile crept across his face. “That would be fun, getting to do that with you.”

“I’ve never done it before.”

His eyes widened. “Oh, wait…wow.” He laughed. “We get to pop your cherry!”

“I suppose. You didn’t answer my question.”

“I mean, it’s fun.”

“Aaron doesn’t think so, apparently.” Ford froze, tension filling him. She wished she hadn’t mentioned it. After a long, hesitant pause, he said, “It’s not that. Again, it’s not my story to tell, sweetie.”

“When do I get the crew story?”

His smile returned, but it was sad. “After the crew dinner we’ll all come back here for one last night away from the ship, and we’ll let Aaron decide how he wants to tell it.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

“We will tell you, though. There’s parts of it that are his alone to tell…or not.”

“But it’s tied in, isn’t it? That whole thing?” His sad eyes glistened. “Yeah,” he whispered. “It’s all tied in.” She wished she could take the words back as soon as she said them. “It has to do with Kelsey, right?” They’d told her plenty of stories about their exploits, but she’d never heard her name mentioned before, or anything about their time on the Wayfarer Margo.

When Emi spoke her name, Ford’s body tightened. “How did you know about her?”

His reaction told her all she needed. “All I know is she died. I looked up the crew records. I don’t know anything beyond that. The records were sealed.”

Ford’s eyes looked past her, nearly twenty years distant. “Yeah.

She died.” He rolled over on his back and stared at the ceiling.

She wanted to pull him from his pain, wishing she’d never said anything. “Tell me how you three guys met, at least.” She rested her palm over his heart, trying to will him to calm down. “That’s not classified, is it?” she snarked.

It worked. He rested his hand over hers and smiled. “No, smarty.

That’s not. We were in training and just sort of…fell in with each other. We worked well together, and we requested assignment to the same vessel after we were certified. Me and Caph, we were fine following Aaron around. He didn’t have aspirations to make admiral or anything, he just had a good head on his shoulders and we wanted to follow him.” Ford laughed. “He saved our asses so many times. I’m surprised he didn’t get sick of us. We knew he’d keep us alive, and he knew we’d back him up. It just sort of worked out for the three of us.” She rolled over on top of him, enjoying the feel of his hands sliding down her back and resting on her ass. “Back to what we were talking about.” She wiggled her hips against him. “Taking care of broadening my horizons.”

He immediately pulled out of his funk. “There’s part of me that wants to tell you to bend over right now. However…” He kissed her.

“Something that special, as much as the selfish part of me wants to have you all to myself, I’d like that to be a group event, if you don’t mind.”

He was so sweet. “I don’t mind.” She kissed him. “Do you think it would bother the others if I asked you to be the first?” Emi would kill for the broad, happy smile he bestowed on her. “I doubt it would, but can I ask how I managed to be the lucky one?” She’d watched the men together many nights, how gentle Ford always was. Not that the others weren’t, but so many times she noticed Ford put everyone else before himself. This was something she wanted him to have first, something special between them that he could always remember. “Because I do. Maybe that’s something else we can do after our crew dinner.”

Her hips were in just the right position to feel him rubbing between her legs, against her slick cleft. He grew stiff again. “Wow.

A cherry for dessert. What a sweet treat.”

She raised herself up just enough to slide him inside her. He rolled her onto her back. “You want one more, sweetheart?” Emi wrapped her arms around him. “I think you’ve worn me out.

Why don’t you come for me, baby.”

He dropped his head to her shoulder, taking his time, varying his strokes. “I promise you’ll love it,” he whispered against her neck.

“We’ll make you come so hard you’ll think your head’s going to explode.”

“Someone’s head’ll explode, at least.” He chuckled. “Your first time. Damn, that’s a sexy thought. I can’t wait to do that for you.” His breath came in shorter gasps. She knew he was close.

“Maybe…” She felt safe voicing this fantasy with him. “Maybe two of you can have me at the same time¯”

“Fuck!” He came, hard, crying out, his eyes squeezed shut. She held him as he collapsed on her, wrapping her legs around his so he couldn’t get away.

After he caught his breath he laughed and lifted his head to look into her eyes. “You mean it?”

“No promises. We’ll see how it goes.” He shook his head, smiling in wonder. “You’re amazing. It’s no surprise why we love you so much.”

Emi awoke with dawn peeking through the window, one of the few things she missed about life outside the ship. The window sims they’d installed did an okay job, but just weren’t the same, didn’t give the same brilliance, cast warm light on the floor or catch dust motes dancing in sunbeams the way sunlight did.

Ford’s mouth was latched onto one of her breasts, gently teasing her awake. “There you are,” he murmured. “I thought you were going to sleep all morning.”

“When will Caph be here?”

“Three hours.” He kissed her. “Just enough time for us to take a long bubble bath and have breakfast.” The deep tub was perfect for romance. It was another of the things she would miss while living on the ship. With water a precious resource, water showers were a luxury they would rarely partake in, and they had no bathtub.

Ford made slow, sweet love to her again, leaving her breathless.

After she made him come, they cuddled in the warm water for several long minutes.

He sighed. “Ah, my dream is about to end.”

“Not exactly. Remember what you get to look forward to.”

“Oh!” He grinned. “Damn, you’re right! Can’t get here soon enough.” He nuzzled her neck. “Do me a favor, please, babe,” he said, his voice soft and serious. “Don’t mention anything to Caph or Aaron about Kels, okay?” He hesitated, and she sensed he was trying to find the words. “We all loved her, and it tore us all up to lose her. But you know how different people handle that differently. You’ll hear the story soon enough, okay?”

“I understand. I won’t.”

He kissed her. “Thanks. You’re the best.” He drained the water from the tub. “Well, let’s go eat.”

“Any hints what Caph has in store?”

“I’m sworn to secrecy.”

Ford laid her out an outfit¯jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers. She felt underdressed next to Ford in the hotel restaurant, but he assured her it was fine. “Nope, this is what you wear today.” Caph arrived soon after they finished eating. He kissed her, then Ford. “You didn’t wear her out, did you?” he teased. He was also dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and sneakers. Whatever they were doing, they matched.

She gently nudged him in the ribs. “No, smartass.”

“I’m leaving her with you in perfect condition. See she stays that way.”

Caph rolled his eyes and winked at her. He was playful in a different way than Ford. Caph tossed a set of keys to Ford. “It’s parked next to the other car. Pick-up.” Ford handed him the car keys. “Let me go get my bag from the room.”

They waited for Ford in the lobby. Caph hugged her.

“All mine,” he playfully growled, goosing her ass.

“For a day. When do I get to hear the plans?”

“When we get there.”

Ford returned with his bag, handed the room key to Caph, and they walked to the parking lot together. Caph retrieved his bag from the truck and gave Ford another hug and kiss. Then Ford took one last private moment with Emi, whispering in her ear, “I can’t wait to do that, sweetie. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Me too.”

He stepped back. “Have fun. Love you.” He looked at Caph.

“Love you, too.”

“I love you, too,” Caph and Emi parroted, then laughed.

Ford grinned. “It’s contagious!” They watched him drive away.

Caph dropped his bag in the trunk.

“You don’t want to take that to the room?” she asked.

“Nope, I want to get on with our fun.”

He wouldn’t even give her a hint about his plans. They drove nearly a half-hour north into the mountains. She had an idea what was up when he pulled into a stable.

“Let me guess,” she said.

“Ever ride before?”

“Yeah. When I was a kid. I don’t think Aaron will like it if I’m too sore to do anything tomorrow, though.”

“Hey, I’ll kiss your saddle sores for you, how’s that?”

“Like I could really keep your head out from between my legs even if I wanted to.”

He grinned, kissing her. “Ooh, hadn’t even thought of it like that.” They followed their guide on a horseback ride along a beautiful trail through the mountains. After two hours they arrived at a private clearing where a picnic tent and folding table had been set up.

“Early lunch?” Emi asked.

Caph shook his head, smiling. “Not yet.” He grabbed a backpack from the small folding table under the tent and took her hand, leading her alone down a trail. After twenty minutes of walking, they arrived at a tree-shaded area along the bank of a small stream.

“Wow! I didn’t know there were places like this. I thought it was all dry and arid around here.”

“There’s little oases here and there, if you know where to look.” He took a blanket out of the pack and spread it out in the shade. He sat and patted the ground in front of him. “Come here.” She sat in front of him and he rubbed her shoulders. “How’s that?”

Emi groaned. He had magic fingers, always able to soothe her.

“Wonderful.” She was surprised she wasn’t the least bit sore from their ride and hoped she wouldn’t be sore tomorrow, either.

He had her lay down and massaged her back, then slipped his hands under her shirt. “We’re all alone, sweetie. I promise.” He pulled her shirt off. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his hands on her. “I’ve been coming to this place for years, since I was a kid. I grew up about ten miles north of here.” Caph was always a bit of a surprise for her. She knew one thing for certain about him, and that was that he could catch her off-guard.

She would have expected a movie, or a sporting event, or maybe an amusement park. Not a private ride to a personal haven.

After a half-hour of heavenly sensations, he stretched out next to her.

“This is nice, Caph, really. Very relaxing.” He brushed the hair from her eyes. She made no move to don her shirt, knowing if she needed it he’d have it on her in a heartbeat.

“We’ll be on a ship for a few years. We’ll get shore leave here and there, but it’ll be a while before we get back here.” Emi held his hand and kissed it, pressing his large palm against her cheek. “Promise to bring me here again when we get back?” He smiled. “It’s a date.” His green eyes traveled her face, as if taking in every detail. “I love you so much, Emi. The other guys do too. Life’s a lot better with you around, and I don’t mean just sex. I’m talking everything.”

“Sex, too, though.”

He grinned. “Well, yeah, okay, that’s good too. But you know what I mean.”

She did. His earnest intent was as clearly there as the smile on his face.

A brief blip of sadness from him again. “You’re good for Aaron, too. Man, me and Ford, we were so worried about him…” He looked down, picked at his fingernails. “I shouldn’t talk about that now. I don’t want to ruin the mood.” He met her gaze and winked. “Ever made love in the great outdoors?”

He rolled on top of her, kissing her.

She laughed. “No. But are we really alone enough to do that?”

“Oh yeah. The guide is ours for the day, and he’ll stay back there with the horses until we’re ready for lunch.” He nuzzled the side of her neck. As the warm breeze caressed them, she ran her hands up under his shirt, lifting it over his head. The feel of his smooth, firm flesh beneath her hands ignited a fire deep in her belly that she knew from experience only his touch could put out.

“Then why don’t we have a little fun?” she asked.

He worked his way down her body, his deceptively large hands intimately aware of how to stroke and caress and tease her flesh.

Every brush of his thumbs against her nipples left her gasping for more. By the time he reached the waistband of her jeans, she was more than ready to finish getting naked.

He helped her off with her shoes and socks, then ran his tongue down the inside of her leg as he removed her jeans and underwear.

When she was naked before him, he stood and kicked off his shoes and dropped his pants.

This view of him always took her breath away. As large as his body was, knowing how gentle and loving and all hers he was made her lower belly quiver with anticipation.

After gently nudging her legs apart, he knelt between them, then pulled her into a sitting position and lifted her into his lap. He was hard, and she was ready. With a happy sigh she lowered her body onto him, enjoying the feel of his thick cock gliding inside her, parting her lips and sliding home as if he was perfectly formed to her body’s shape. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him, her hands tangling in his hair as his hands skimmed down her back to her hips.

They fit so well together like this. So far no luck in the unassisted orgasm for her, but not for lack of trying on his part.

And Caph was always willing to try.

It was a lot of damn fun trying, too.

Almost as if he read her mind, he whispered, “I’d like to give you that.” He nipped her ear, knowing that sent shivers down her spine despite the warm, mesquite-tinged air.

Rocking his hips, he slowly fucked her, gently adjusting positions and taking his time as she clung to his body and enjoyed the sensations. At one point he shifted just right, and she felt his body brush against her clit.

She gasped, spreading her thighs a little wider, trying to duplicate the sensation.

“Like that, baby?” he asked.

“Mmm hmm.” He had to be going crazy—they’d been at it for a while with her writhing, impaled on his sweet muscle.

He found a rhythm that worked for her. While it wasn’t perfect, and not nearly as intense as when one of them used their mouth or hands on her, she found herself climbing toward release.

He held her against him, working his hips in sharp thrusts that sent pleasant jolts through her core every time his pubic bone hit her just right. Caph let her set the pace. Before long she was thrusting, her eyes closed, desperate to make it over this time, wanting it not just for her, but for him, too.

“Come for me, Emi,” he whispered, trying not to break her rhythm. “I want to feel it, baby.”

Their skin slick with sweat, he held her, letting her use his body as she needed. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, still rocking, moving, grinding.

When the fireworks went off behind her eyes it shocked her, startling her. He groaned with her.

“That’s it, baby. Come on, give it to me.” She cried out, sobbing as her orgasm hit, going limp against him as he lowered her to the blanket without breaking his hold on her. In three quick thrusts he came, moaning her name.

Emi clung to him, crying, gasping for air.

Never before. Ever. Not like that.

“You okay, honey?” he asked, almost worried.

She laughed despite her tears. “Happy tears, honest, Caph.”

“Oh, okay,” he said, relieved.

When she let him go he pushed up and looked at her. “You were worrying me there for a minute.”

“I just…it’s just…I never¯” He kissed her, silencing her.

“I know,” he whispered, nuzzling her nose with his. “I thought maybe out here in the great outdoors, all alone, no one to bother us, maybe it would relax you.”

“Wow.”

He grinned. “You liked that?”

She nodded, eager. “Maybe we can set up the sim room for that.”

“Sex in the desert, huh?”

They cleaned up in the stream, laying on the blanket until they were dry, Emi cuddled against him. She closed her eyes and sighed.

“That was so good, Caph.”

He laid his palm on her belly. “You’re not getting off that easy…no pun intended.”

Spying his playful grin, she laughed. “I didn’t break anything, did I?”

He reached down and shook his limp cock. “Nope. I think he just needs a rest. He’ll be ready to play by the time we get back.” Caph was her goofball. That was a good way to describe him.

When he didn’t have to be serious or working, he was her big, sweet goofball, always trying to make everyone smile, his sense of humor never harsh or hurtful.

Laying her palm against his cheek, she kissed him, long and sweet. “Thank you,” she said.

“Well, I figure Aaron got to have you first, Ford’ll probably get something else first, so I got to do that for you. It all works out.” Her mouth gaped in shock.

“What?” he asked.

“Did you guys, like, compare notes or something?” He laughed and rolled to his side. “Well, I know Ford. We’ve been together a lot of years. I’m also guessing he didn’t do that with you last night, because knowing him, he would have said he wanted to wait until it’s the four of us together.” Still speechless, she stared at him.

“Oh, come on, Emi. It’s not spooky. Am I right?” She nodded. “It is spooky. I thought I was the ship empath.” When his gaze left hers for a moment, she suspected his mind’s eye was briefly focused on a piercingly sad point in the men’s collective past. “It’s only right.” He looked down. “History repeating itself in a way. Only with a happy ever after ending for us this time.” He closed his eyes and rolled onto his back. “It should be Ford who gets to have you first. He’s got a special touch. He won’t hurt you.”

“You and Aaron wouldn’t hurt me!”

“I don’t mean like that.” Caph searched for the words. “Not hurt.

But that first time…it should be perfect. Like I said, he’s got a special touch. It’s better he’s first, because I know you’ll enjoy it.” He finally looked at her again and winked. “I know I did.” The twins both enjoyed the top and bottom roles and never had trouble changing it up. He looked at his watch. “Let’s get dressed and head back. Lunch is waiting.”

They shook out their clothes and shoes to check for any bugs before dressing. She helped him shake out and fold the blanket. Then, before they started their return hike, he hugged and kissed her again.

“Really, tell me the truth. Was that good?”

“It was great, Caph. Seriously.”

He looked proud of himself. “We’ll have to see if we can do that again.”

They hiked back and ate, then followed the guide to the stables.

They held hands on the return drive to the hotel and took a long, sultry shower to rinse off the sweat and horse smell. He tossed her a bathing suit. “Part two. Let’s stay close to home.” It was the middle of the week, so the hotel wasn’t full. With the exception of two people sunning on the pool deck, they had it to themselves. Emi dove into the deep end. When she came up for air Caph grabbed her, kissing her.

“Looks like I caught me a mermaid,” he teased. She let her leg brush against the front of his swim trunks, making him harden immediately. “A mermaid who doesn’t fight fair.” He laughed, easily tossing her into the air. She landed with a splash a few feet away.

He was strong, diving under and cutting through the water with swift, hard strokes, surfacing behind her. Before she could turn, he reached out and goosed her ass, then quickly dove out of reach.

They horsed around in the pool for an hour before climbing out, laughing and out of breath. They took two lounges at the far end of the deck in the sun. They lay there, eyes closed, holding hands and quietly talking.

“Admit it, you probably thought I’d take you someplace else,” he said.

“Yeah, I’ll admit it. You surprised me.” She looked at him. “In a good way. This has been a great day, Caph.” The sun hung low in the sky, but they still had a few hours before dark. “For me too, Emi.” He squeezed her hand and took a deep breath. “Promise you won’t leave us. Please.”

“I’ll never leave you guys. I promise.” He looked at her, then nodded, satisfied. “Good. I can’t stand to lose twice in one life, babe. I might as well cut out my heart.”

Emi didn’t ask for clarification on his comment. They changed clothes, ate dinner in the hotel restaurant, then returned to their room.

At the door he stopped her and grinned.

“Let me guess,” she said. “You want to carry me in.” He shrugged. “You don’t mind, do you?” She threw her arms around his neck. “Of course not.” He carried her to the bed and that was the extent of the similarity to her night with Ford. Well, that, and the fantastic lovemaking.

All alone and without any distractions, Caph wanted to experiment with positions and strokes and techniques. After an hour he discovered a slow, grinding slide that perfectly stroked her clit on each downward thrust.

Once she moaned he wouldn’t stop, taking his time, watching her face, softly encouraging her. It took her a while, but when she came he waited long enough he knew he wouldn’t be cutting her release short to slam home, his own orgasm right behind hers.

Feeling like an idiot, she burst into tears again. His gentle laugh reassured her and he kissed her.

“Happy tears again?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize!” He held her, cuddling with her, lying next to her with her head tucked into his arm and their fingers laced together.

“I just feel good I can do that for you. Something special for us.”

“Would you feel bad if one of the other guys figured out how to do it too?”

He laughed. “Fuck, no. Sweetie, being able to make you feel good, it’s what we live for.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed each finger. “You know, if we stick to our plan to switch to moon runs or short hops after this, we can be home here on Earth most of the time. You can go with us, obviously, but we’d live here.

Or maybe, with all of our money pooled together, we’ll just retire and spend every day fucking your brains out. Build a house with a pool and a huge tall fence, and we can spend all day playing mermaid.” She giggled. “Be a kept woman, huh?”

“It’d be your money too, kiddo. And we could switch it off. You know, we’ll play kept men for a week, you play kept woman for a week, back and forth. Equality and all that.” He sucked her fingers, one at a time, into his mouth.

“You could spend all day naked, couldn’t you?” she asked.

“Is that a problem?”

“No, not for me it’s not. I like looking at you guys running around naked.”

“Maybe we should have a clothing optional rule on board.” His teasing smile made her laugh.

“Nightly strip poker.”

They made love again, and this time he knelt between her legs and slowly traced the contour of her sex with his tongue. He took his time and wrapped his arms around her thighs, driving his tongue deep into her wet entrance, keeping her spread wide open.

He wouldn’t let her come at first, spending nearly an hour bringing her close to the edge repeatedly before backing off, blowing on her mound, chuckling as she writhed against him.

“You’re all mine, babe,” he whispered as he let her cool off yet again. “I live to hear you come.”

Emi reached down and found his hands, their fingers twining.

“How long you gonna torture me, baby?” she gasped.

He swirled his tongue around her throbbing nub. “As long as I can, honey.”

Caph’s hands kept hers trapped and she let herself go, relinquishing control of her body to him. When he finally let her come, she turned her face into the pillow to muffle her scream. That was a good thing about the ship, not having to worry if anyone heard them or not. They could make wild and passionate monkey sex sounds as loudly as they so desired.

Caph sat up, still holding her hands, and raised her arms above her head. He lowered his body over hers, kissing her. Nudging her legs wider apart, he rubbed his stiff shaft along her wet cleft. “Ready for me, baby?”

She nodded, still recovering from her last mind-blowing orgasm.

Letting go of her hands, he sat up and grabbed her thighs, pulling her hips to him. “Gonna fuck you real good, sweetie,” he whispered, his eyes locked on hers.

His strength, his unbridled power always melted her. When he thrust home they both moaned. He paused for a moment, enjoying the feel of her body sheathing him.

Knowing she had reached the limit of her endurance, he played with her, leaned forward to kiss her as he stroked, his tongue’s movements matching his hips.

Their skin damp, slipping against each other, he whispered, “Are you ready?”

Emi nodded. Caph let go, his release taking him.

She pulled him down to her, and they fell asleep cuddled together.

Caph ordered room service the next morning, and they ate, naked, in bed.

“We ought to do this at the ship,” Emi joked.

“Hmm. I’d make you breakfast in bed every morning if you’ll look just like this.” He leaned over and kissed her tummy.

They made love again, gentle and slow. Emi was surprised she wasn’t the slightest bit sore after their ride or…Caph’s riding her. She must be in better shape than she thought.

When they finished their shower, Caph laid out another outfit for her, a blouse, linen slacks, and sandals.

“No hint?” she asked, batting her eyes at him.

He snickered, playfully swatting her ass. “Like that really worked before. No way in hell would I tell you Aar’s plans. Don’t want him going all captain on my ass again, babe.” She was dressed when Aaron knocked on the door and Caph let him in. Aaron gave him a hug and kiss and looked at her.

“You didn’t wear her out, right?”

“She’s not even saddle sore.”

Aaron grinned. “Good.”

She went to him and hugged him, kissing him. “Missed you.” His eyes crinkled. “Missed you too, Em.” He swapped keys with Caph, who pulled her to him for one final hug and kiss.

“We’ll see you tomorrow, babe. Have fun. Love you.” She’d miss him, her buddy, her big goofball. “Love you too.” When they were alone, Aaron wrapped his arms around her, staring into her eyes. “I love Ford, but I forgot what a day alone with him is like.”

“Did he talk your ear off?”

“Yeah, poor guy. I don’t know which one of us was more miserable. So are you having fun?”

“A lot of fun. What do you have in store for me today?”

“A couple of things.” He set his bag in the closet, then turned.

“First, we go shopping.”

They drove to a gigantic indoor shopping complex and walked inside, hand in hand. He stopped at one of the guide maps, found what he was looking for, and continued on their journey. A few minutes later, they stood in front of a jewelry store.

“Aaron¯”

“Shh.” He held both her hands. “It’s okay. The guys loved it when I told them.” He took her inside. An hour later, he’d nudged her toward a diamond and sapphire ring. Aaron paid for it, and then the sales clerk took it in back to size it. While they were alone Aaron turned to Emi.

“I know you know a little of the basics, Em,” he said, his voice low. “There’s a trigger every time our personnel files are accessed. It lets me know, regardless of who does it.” She reddened, ashamed. “I’m sorry, Aaron. I¯”

“Shh. It’s okay.” She forced her eyes back to his face and found him smiling. It really was okay, he wasn’t upset. “It makes it a little easier. You know what bonded crew is, right?” She nodded.

“We want you to join us, Em. If you want to. I don’t just mean join our crew. I mean become bonded crew with us.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Do you honestly think we’re letting you out of our sight now that we all love you?”

She froze. He hadn’t said it exactly, but more than close enough for her. She burst into tears and threw her arms around his neck.

“Yes!” she gasped, trying not to look like an idiot.

His soft chuckle reassured her. He held her, gently rubbing her back. He kept his voice low, murmuring in her ear. “It also means we won’t share you, sweetie. Even if we ever have to have a larger crew, because of our status, we get to set our own rules like that. DSMC

honors bonded status rules. You don’t have to share us, and we don’t have to share you with anyone else.”

“I don’t want to share you, and I don’t want anyone else but you guys.”

He hugged her tighter, kissing her neck. “I was hoping you’d say that. I’ll tell Graymard.” He kissed her, touching his forehead to hers.

“There’s a lot of the story I still can’t talk about yet. Not all at once. I told you I think that if anyone can help me, it’s you. We’ll tell you the story tomorrow, but I’m going to have Ford tell as much of it as he can. He was the strong one for a while there. I think that helped him process it differently than we did. Maybe Caph and I will let you guys go out for a while or something. Is that okay?”

“Yes.” She felt his keening pain returning and didn’t want his day with her ruined.

He nodded. “Thank you, babe.” The clerk returned, smiling, with the sized ring. Aaron took it and slipped it on Emi’s left hand.

Automatically making the wrong assumption, the clerk said,

“Congratulations! I hope you’ll be very happy.” Emi met Aaron’s deep brown eyes and nodded. “I know we will.”

They had an early lunch, and then he surprised her by taking her to a performance of the ancient play, Macbeth. It surprised her, something she’d never thought he would be interested in.

“I love old classics,” he explained.

“So what’s in store later?”

“Secret, sweetie. Let me have my fun.” She stared at the ring all day. It was beautiful, and she wondered if this was what newly-engaged brides felt like. That’s basically what it was—she was, for all intents and purposes, marrying these men, just not in name or legal designation.

When they returned to the hotel from the play, he went to the closet and pulled out a garment bag. Apparently one of the men had snuck it in when she wasn’t looking. He handed it to her.

“For the next part, please? Go take it into the bathroom and get ready. I’ll get dressed out here.”

Inside, she found a long, formal black evening dress, shoes, make-up¯everything she’d need to dress to the nines. When she emerged nearly a half-hour later, she gasped.

Aaron was dressed in a tux and looked devastatingly handsome.

“You like?” he asked.

She nodded, stunned. He was always a good-looking man, but now…with the total incongruity from his normal manner of dress, it was amazing.

He took her hand and nodded approvingly. “You are gorgeous, sweetie.”

“I’m guessing we’re not going hiking, horseback riding, or to the botanical gardens or museum?”

“Not quite.”

Their destination was the opera house, where they watched a performance of an Italian opera whose translated title meant, “Heart of Gold.” Fortunately, they had subtitles on a screen over the stage so she didn’t get totally lost.

Emi tried to subtly study Aaron’s face during the show. They held hands the whole time, his thumb gently stroking her knuckles.

When it was over, she stopped him outside. “You’re a mystery man.”

His amused smile twisted her heart around his. They might think she could lead them around, but the truth was they had the same effect on her.

“Did you have fun?” he asked.

“A lot of fun. I’ve never been to anything like this before.”

“Then let’s go get dinner.” Dinner was at an upscale Japanese steakhouse. They had a grill and cook to themselves, and she wondered if Aaron had arranged that in advance. When they returned, she wondered if he’d carry her over the threshold too. He did, but he surprised her, throwing her over his shoulder, laughing, playfully dumping her on the bed.

He landed next to her with a bounce. “So what now?” Emi laughed and rolled over on top of him. “Do you really need to ask?” She kissed him and felt him stiffen beneath her. “That was really sweet of you to let the twins go first.” He shrugged. “They’ve kept me alive all these years. It’s the least I can do.”

“They say the same thing about you.”

“I think it’s more I’ve kept them out of the brig and from facing a court martial.”

“They’re devoted to you.”

“I’m devoted to them.” His sadness broke through again. “They saved my life. They refused to give up on me and let me die. If it wasn’t for them…” He didn’t finish.

“Truck in the cafeteria, huh?”

Aaron laughed. “You’re distracting me.”

“It’s a fair question.”

He stood up and undressed, told her the story of how the twins were pissed at another crew for being jerks, so they stole the pick-up the other crew had requisitioned for a week and put it in the cafeteria of the Merchant Marine building when they were in dry dock a few years prior.

“How’d they get it in there?”

He hung up his jacket. “Beats the hell out of me. They never did say, and for some reason, the security cameras malfunctioned that night.”

She shimmied out of her clothes, and he hung her dress for her.

“Maybe I can get it out of them.”

“You have ways of making them talk?” His playful smirk warmed her.

“I’m sure I do.”

Their talk, however, ended as he made love to her for several hours before they fell into an exhausted sleep. The next morning, she studied him while he slept, his face and soul completely relaxed, perhaps more than she’d ever seen him.

No, not relaxed.

Content.

He felt different today than he had even yesterday. Maybe he was finally starting to heal?

She hoped so. She wanted to be the one to bring him peace.

“So tell me about your parents,” he said, startling her.

“I didn’t know you were awake.”

He opened his eyes and smiled. “You didn’t ask.” He watched her face. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” She cuddled in his arms, and, feeling secure, she told him.

“They loved what they did. They were good at it. I missed having a house with a huge yard and garden, but they promised in another two years, when their contract was up, they’d move back Earth-side and buy us another one.” Emi closed her eyes, conjuring their faces.

“They came back once a month to visit. I never went up there. I was afraid to.”

“And now you’re getting on a spaceship for five years?”

“Yeah. Tell me about it. The official story, as far as I could learn from the government report, is that they were outside the main compound, in a research pod. Do you know anything about how they have it set up there?”

“I’m only familiar with the commercial and residential settlements.”

“The research compounds have defense fields and sensor systems.

Fail-safes, you know? Even if something gets past the sensor, the defense field takes care of it, repels it.” She tried not to think of the pictures she’d foolishly demanded, filing Freedom of Information Act lawsuits to get all the answers.

“They’d taken the sensors off-line for maintenance. Not a big deal, right? Because of the defense field. But the problem was, no one bothered to tell the research pod that the sensors were off-line.” Her voice softened. “The engineer at the research pod needed to replace a power generator and had to take the defense field off-line to divert the energy to life support. Normally not a problem, but they had no warning.”

Emi fought the tears. “A small meteorite slammed into the research pod. Normally not a huge problem, because the skins they use on the pod buildings are double-hulled, another safety feature.

Well, this one hit right at one of the hatches, and the inner airlock door was open because someone was getting ready to come out.

“It was one of those freak accidents on top of a freak accident.

Any part of the equation, if it was different, they would have been okay. If they’d been at the far side of the pod, behind one of the back-up air-tight bulkhead doors, they would have been okay. Or if the sensors or defense fields had been on.” He let her lay there silently for several long minutes. “Twenty-two people died, including my parents. They offered all the families cash settlements, as well as fully paid tuition to any university for minors and dependents. They issued me emancipated minor status, because I had no family. I was in boarding school, so I stayed there. I could have stayed in college for the rest of my life, and they would have paid for it.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.” He pulled her tighter against him.

“Me too.” She sighed. “Or I can always go back one day for another degree.”

He nuzzled her ear. “Maybe after we get back from this mission.” Her heart chilled until he clarified. “If you didn’t want to go with us every day, we could do moon runs, be home here every night. It would give you something to do during the day while we were gone.

Or you can go with us.”

“You mean it, right?”

“Of course we mean it. We aren’t letting you go. Get that through your thick head. In fact, if you were to cancel on us at the last minute, we’d probably resign and stalk you wherever you go and beg you to stay with us.”

“No need to do that. You’re stuck with me.”

“Good.”

They also took a long, romantic bath. “Do you mind if the twins join us for breakfast?” he asked.

“You don’t want me alone for a little longer?”

“That didn’t answer my question.”

Emi tipped her head back to look at him. “I don’t mind if you don’t.” Truth be told, not having all three men with her for more than a few hours at a time was downright weird, even though she had enjoyed the alone time with each of them.

The twins arrived an hour later. It felt good to have her men together again. The twins hugged and kissed her.

“Good morning,” they parroted. Emi laughed.

Aaron rolled his eyes. “Twenty years. I’m telling you, Em, you’ll stop thinking it’s cute at some point.”

“It’s freaky, but it’s still cute.”

“Why don’t you go get us a table downstairs? We’ll be right down,” Aaron said.

She met his eyes and knew he wanted to talk to the twins alone.

“Okay.” She kissed all of them and staked out a quiet corner booth away from other patrons.

The men followed a few minutes later. They all looked happy, but a slight haze of melancholy hovered over them, especially Ford. She already knew he’d agreed to Aaron’s request and wondered when they’d have their talk.

“Ooh!” Caph said, grabbing her hand. “Let me see!” He studied the ring, then leaned over and kissed Aaron. “You did good, Cap.” Aaron blushed, the only time she could ever remember seeing him do that. Ford looked at the ring next, and smiled.

“It’s perfect.” He also gave Aaron a kiss. “This makes it official.

Well, not that we needed a ring, but we wanted you to have something from us.”

They ate breakfast. When they finished, Aaron glanced at the other men then turned to Emi. “Why don’t you and Ford take another run over to the Botanical Gardens, see if there’s anything else over there you might want for the hydro lab? I need to talk to Graymard for a little bit. We’ll all catch up here for lunch.” They weren’t fooling her, but if that’s how they wanted to do it, she’d play along. “Okay, that sounds fine.” Ford grinned. “A little more alone time.” Ford and Emi took the car, while Aaron and Caph took the truck.

Once they were alone she leveled her gaze at him. “You guys didn’t have to go through this much trouble, sweetie.” His blue eyes clouded, sadness threatening. “It’ll make it easier on me.”

She hadn’t thought about it like that. “Okay.” They found a shaded bench deep in the Botanical Gardens, secluded, quiet. They could almost be in the middle of a forest.

He held her hand in both of his and stared out into the distance.

Not in space, but in time. Someone passing by might have thought he was looking at the huge eucalyptus tree in front of them. Emi knew he was looking back at their voyage on the Wayfarer Margo so many years ago.