Nothing on Earth (3 page)

“I love you, baby,” John said very quietly against Alec’s ear. Alec lifted his face and pressed his lips against John’s warm mouth, showing him without words just how much he loved his man. They kissed each other until the passion became too intense for where they were. John pulled away, panting hard as he whispered in Alec’s ear, “I need you.”

Alec nodded, wanting desperately to please his love. They’d been a couple for years, and it had been Alec’s own fault that they’d grown apart. Here was his chance to close that distance and begin to heal their fractured relationship.

John led him into the main room, pulled the metal door closed, and then engaged the lock so that
Tara
was safe. He lifted Alec off his feet as he kissed him harder, more deeply, more urgently. John’s hands shook as he worked at the buttons of Alec’s shirt, and Alec helped by ripping it over his head impatiently. He also quickly undid his pants, dropping them to the floor so that his engorged cock sprang free. Almost immediately, John’s warm hand wrapped around Alec’s swollen shaft and began tugging on him.

John’s grip was hard, almost painful, but Alec welcomed the sensation, welcomed the chance for his lover to take him the way he used to. Alec didn’t even know there was a table behind him until John lifted him onto it and tilted him backward. The thick, blunt finger was almost a shock as it penetrated him without lubrication.

“Baby, I need to be inside you, but I can’t remember where I put the lube.”

“It’s okay,” Alec whispered, knowing this was going to hurt. But John did what he always did, protected Alec from any and all pain, and instead wrapped his hand around both of their cocks, rubbing them together as he pumped quickly. The intense, rapid sensation had Alec’s balls pulling tight, his breathing erratic as his lover rushed him to an intense climax. Hot cum hit his naked chest as John kissed him wildly. The kiss went on and on until Alec thought he might faint from lack of oxygen.

Finally, John lifted his head and whispered, “I love you.”

Alec fell back onto the table, unable to hold himself upright, but grunted as he bumped his head against something hard.

“Perfect.” John laughed quietly as he grabbed the bottle of olive oil from behind Alec’s head. As he’d always done, John took care to prepare him properly. By the time John fit his fat cock to Alec’s opening Alec was so ready he was half out of his mind with need.

John pushed the head of his cock inside. He held still a moment, and then it was as if his control finally snapped. John pushed hard, filling Alec’s ass, stretching the muscles deliciously. Alec gasped as John set a fast pace. He lifted Alec’s legs up and outward, holding him apart as he plowed into him over and over. Already Alec could feel his own cock returning to life, and he cried out when John grabbed him by the balls and said one word—“Come.”

Pearly-white streams coated Alec’s stomach. John stilled in his ass, the pulsing beat of his cock comforting Alec as John found his own release. John gasped for breath and held his lover tight. It hadn’t been like this in a long time, and he mourned the loss as John pulled out of his ass.

“Go have a shower, baby,” he said as he helped Alec off the table. “I need to check a few things, so it would probably be a good idea if you slept beside
Tara
tonight.”

“What about you?” Alec asked worriedly. He’d slept next to John every night for the last six years, but tonight it seemed far more important—for both of them.

“I don’t think my presence would help
Tara
rest, but I’ll try to get a few hours out here. Hold her tonight. I think she needs to know she’s not alone.”

Eager to help anyway he could but reluctant to leave his lover alone, Alec wracked his brain for a workable compromise. Before he could come up with anything that made sense, John was lifting him onto his feet.

“Shower,” he whispered as he turned Alec toward the bathroom door.

Unable to think and unwilling to disappoint, he followed John’s instructions.

* * * *

Tara
woke as a clean, soap-smelling arm slid around her middle. She lay facing the wall, but even without being able to see him, she knew it was Alec climbing onto the bed beside her. It felt strange that she could accept his comfort so calmly despite the circumstances. Even the fact that Alec seemed to be John’s lover didn’t really matter right now. The comfort of being physically close to another human being meant more at this moment than any other time in her life.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked quietly. She didn’t want to antagonize Alec, but she really needed to understand how he fit into all of this. Did he just follow his lover blindly, not knowing the details or the circumstances he may be dragged into?

“
Tara
, safe,” he replied softly.

Tara
rolled over to face him in the dim light. Searching his face for something she couldn’t quite define, she tried again. “Safe from what? What is it? Who is it that John thinks he’s protecting me from?”

Alec shook his head, but she didn’t have a clue if it was because he didn’t know or because he didn’t understand her words.

“I want to go home,” she said brokenly, not really caring if he understood or not.

“Home not safe. Sleep,” he said as he rolled onto his back and gently guided her head to his shoulder. “Sleep, John fix, be better. Safe.”

She sighed tiredly but let him maneuver her into a comfortable position for both of them, very relieved to realize that Alec was fully dressed. Whatever was going on here, it didn’t seem to be a kinky sex thing. Well, not yet at least.

Chapter Four

He held her soft curves against him, a little surprised at how different it felt to lie beside a woman. It had been many years since he’d held a female close, and he’d forgotten just how different the experience could be compared to sleeping next to John. John was huge, all muscle and very loving, and most often slept with his arms wrapped around Alec, holding him close, even when they’d been arguing. Sleeping next to John made him feel safe and protected and loved. But sleeping next to
Tara
bought forth a whole lot of different emotions. For the first time in a long time, he felt responsible for another person and didn’t want to let John down again by failing to comfort
Tara
.

He could feel the tension in her body, the way she held herself rigid even as she tried to feign being relaxed. He lifted a callused hand to her face and swept a loose curl away from her eyes. She truly was a magnificent specimen. She was quite tall for a woman, but she was built in beautiful proportions, neither fat nor skinny but rather a lovely example of curvy perfection.

Alec pulled her just a little closer, amazed at how much he enjoyed the gentle press of her breasts against his side. Even fully clothed, he could feel the swell of her womanly flesh.

She’d asked him a question, and he hadn’t quite caught the words, but he felt fairly certain he knew what she’d asked. Basically, why? She wanted to know why this was happening to her, and he had absolutely no way of explaining it. He hated that it was necessary for both Tara and John to go through this, but he couldn’t see any way around it. John said they were coming, and Alec trusted him. John had never been wrong before, so Alec saw no reason to doubt him now.

* * * *

John woke suddenly as his torso tilted forward. He hadn’t even realized he felt that tired, so the small loss of consciousness was a little unnerving. He tipped his head from side to side trying to loosen the muscles in his neck and shoulders. He’d been working on this for so long that even his eyelids were numb.

He ran a hand down his face, glared at the device in front of him, and then pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. His spine felt stiff and sore, so he moved around the room, stretching and flexing his arms as he went over the design again in his head.

He suspected that it was the actual absence of a signal in the area that had alerted them to
Tara
’s existence. They’d found her simply by not finding her. A blind spot in their scans, though not unheard of in itself, had most likely led them to her. He’d always known he ran that risk, but he hadn’t expected them to find her quite so quickly.

He’d been working on a portable device that would mask her signal from the scans, but now it seemed he needed to disguise her, not just hide her. She needed to show up on their scans, but she needed to somehow give a false reading.

He cracked his knuckles as he shook his head in frustration. He needed to create both a scan dampening field and a signal generator, and even though he had an idea how he might do that, he didn’t have the tools or materials necessary to make it. He wasn’t even sure he’d be able to
get
the parts he needed.

But he couldn’t sit here all night. He had to at least try to find what he needed. He glanced at the clock. It was almost four in the morning. If he left now he’d maybe make it back here before lunch. He looked at the wall where the hidden door stood. She was safe in that room, for now at least, but he needed to make sure that she couldn’t escape and give away her whereabouts.

He needed to make sure that Tara and Alec had enough supplies so if he took longer than he expected, they would at least be comfortable. He moved quickly, gathering items and food from the kitchen. The hidden space also contained a small bathroom, so he grabbed toiletries and other necessities as well.

It took several trips, but he managed to grab everything he expected the two of them to need for two or three days. He had no intention of staying away so long, but he knew from recent experience that things didn’t always go as planned.

He removed the small panel that hid the lock override, punched in the sequence to open the door, and then quietly dragged the supplies into the room. He stilled at the sight before him. Even though he’d told Alec to hold
Tara
, he hadn’t quite prepared himself for what the sight might do to him.

A curious jealously wormed its way through him at the same time that his cock swelled with excitement. The man he loved with all his heart and the woman he’d loved from afar were entwined, fully clothed, on the small bed. She slept with her head against Alec’s shoulder, her arm over his chest and her knee bent slightly to fit over his thigh. She looked tired and drawn, but also vulnerable and desirable and very beautiful.

Alec looked even more handsome at that moment than John could ever remember, and he wanted nothing more than to climb onto the bed and pull them both into his arms.

But just remembering the fear in her voice was enough to place a damper over what he wanted. He’d scared her—badly—and he had no idea how to fix it. At least she’d accepted Alec’s presence. At least she wasn’t living through this terrible situation alone.

He bit back the sigh that wanted to escape as he leaned over and shook Alec gently. “Baby,” he whispered close to the man’s ear. “Baby, I need to go out for supplies.”

Alec roused quickly, seeming to wake from only a very light sleep. “Why?” Alec whispered in a sleep-roughened voice.

“I need to track down some parts, but I’ll be back as quickly as I can.” Alec nodded his understanding, his hand moving up his body to rest over
Tara
’s hand that lay fisted over his heart. “You’ll be safe in this room, but it’s extremely important that
Tara
not leave. They’ll come as soon as they detect her signal, so she has to stay in this room.”

Alec nodded his understanding but stiffened when
Tara
moved against him.

“What language is that?” she asked quietly.

“
Tara
,” John said softly in English, “I didn’t mean to wake you. Everything’s okay. Just go back to sleep.”

“No,” she answered stubbornly. “I asked you a reasonable question, and I expect an answer. What language is that?”

He smiled slightly at her attitude. She was locked in a small room with two men who outweighed her five times over—men she probably believed to be delusional—but she still found the courage to stand up to him. Maybe that’s why he’d given up everything he and Alec had ever known to try and protect her.