Blue solace complete ser.., p.113
Blue Solace: Complete Series Boxset, page 113
Soon, neither of them was thinking of anything other than the taste of one another and the feel of their bodies pressed together.
Finn straddled Crow’s lap and slid his hands over Crow’s shoulders, pushing his mate’s robe off. He hummed happily when he saw Crow was naked underneath.
His mate had plenty of muscles and thick, meaty thighs. Crow’s dick was hard and more than a handful.
Finn wrapped his fingers around Crow’s length and pumped, enjoying the silken heat in his hands. Crow groaned and cupped Finn’s face, kissing him again. I think I could live on his kisses.
Finn lost track of time, his mind and body focused on Crow. He stroked his dick a few more times, then cupped Crow’s balls in one hand, testing the weight against his palm.
As their kisses grew more heated, Finn’s hand slipped farther down, and he ran a finger over Crow’s hole, then rubbed it for a moment before dipping the tip of one finger inside him.
Crow pulled back from their kiss, panting. “You in me or me in you?”
Finn blinked, surprised. “I get a choice?” Most of the men he had been with were bigger than him, and they all automatically assumed he’d be the bottom. Usually, he had to work them up to letting him top.
Crow’s laugh was rough. “Finn, I’m fucking gone on you. As long as I’m with you, as long as our bodies are moving together, I’m happy.”
Finn kissed him again, deep and hard. “You drive me crazy, Aiden.”
He slipped off Crow’s lap and pulled him to his feet before leading him to the bed. Finn dug around for the lube before joining his mate.
Finn stretched out alongside him. He ran his hands over Crow’s chest and across his stomach, noting the pale birthing line on his muscled stomach. He thought for a moment of a little, overly serious Aiden running around his home on Charybdis Station. I’d have to make sure he knows how to smile.
Crow spread his legs and pumped his dick, drawing Finn’s attention. He moved down and took his dick in his mouth, moaning at the taste of Crow’s precum.
Crow cupped his head and pumped into Finn’s mouth. “I’m close, Finn.”
Finn hummed, wrapping his tongue around the tip of his shaft and sucking. He slid Crow’s dick as far down his throat as he could. When he felt Crow beginning to shudder, he relaxed his throat and drank every drop as his mate came.
Crow collapsed back against the blankets, and Finn grabbed the lube. He took his time stretching Crow’s hole, teasing him with his fingers and tongue. By the time Finn pushed inside him, Crow was hard again.
Finn pumped his hips, moving slowly in and out of Crow’s ass. His hands clutched Crow’s plump, generous ass cheeks. My mate is pure perfection.
He stroked Crow’s dick as he moved inside him, angling his hips to hit Crow’s prostate as often as he could. Crow’s eyes rolled back in his head, and Finn knew he’d found the right spot. A few strokes later, Crow came hard, splattering cum all over Finn’s hand.
Finn grinned and let himself go, coming hard and filling Crow’s ass. As soon as his mate’s ass had milked his dick of every last drop he had to give, Finn collapsed on top of him, panting hard.
Crow stroked his wet back, and Finn pressed his head against Crow’s chest, listening to his fast heart beats. “Damn, Finn.”
“We fit together, don’t we?”
Crow was silent for several minutes, and Finn started to worry that his mate wasn’t feeling the powerful emotions moving between them.
“We fit,” Crow said. “I’ve never felt so attached to someone, and it’s just been a couple of days. I’m not… This isn’t me, Finn. I’m not this man you think I am.”
Finn looked at him, his heart starting to slow from its own furious pace. “What are you talking about?”
“I don’t help people.” Crow turned his face away. “I don’t make things better. I worry about my profit line. That’s who I am.”
Finn struggled not to laugh. “Really? Is that why you helped Draif against Humans First? Is that why you helped lead the fight here on Rueal to get them off the planet? For your profit line? Has all that helped your smuggling business?”
Crow’s confused and lost look sobered Finn quickly. “I don’t know, Finn. I was so mad at them. Dad was a good person. He made the world a better place just by existing, but he’s dead and I’m alive. It’s not fair.”
Crow’s eyes filled with tears, and Finn wrapped his arms around his mate, holding him as he sobbed.
“Shh, I know it’s not fair.” Finn’s own eyes watered, and he wished he had his medallion.
They rocked for several moments before Crow’s tears slowed. “Fuck, this is embarrassing. I have the best sex of my life, then I cry all over my mate.”
Finn’s laugh sounded wet. “It’s been a wild couple of days, handsome.” He rubbed his cheek against Crow’s. “I want to show you something.”
He scrambled out of the bed and ran to the bathroom. His medallion sat on the counter. He took it back to Crow and jumped into the bed, bouncing Crow around.
“Fuck, I found the wet spot,” Crow grumbled before moving over. “My ass itches.”
Finn patted his chest. “It’s moments like this that love is built on.”
Crow gave him a half smile, eyes still sad. “What did you want to show me?”
Finn held up the medallion. “I met a woman a few years ago named Hazel. It was right at the start of everything that happened with the Crellic Queen and Humans First. We rescued her from a Concord ship where she was being abused. I carried her onto our ship myself. She was so scared.”
Crow scowled. “They were a nasty bunch. Their admiral had connections here on Rueal.”
“Yeah.” Finn swallowed hard. “Hazel joined the Blue Fleet. She wanted to help people like we had helped her. We became good friends. We hung out all the time, and I even introduced her to Amelia. Last year, she met this man and wanted to impress him, so she made me train her on the silks. We had to work around both our schedules, but she was getting good and starting to feel more confident in herself. I gave her this charm and told her she had graduated Finn’s Silk Training course.”
Crow wiped tears from Finn’s face, and he realized he was crying. “What happened, Finn?”
“Hazel’s ship left to go fight the Crellic Queen. She didn’t come back.” Finn shook his head, angry at his tears. “It wasn’t fair either, Aiden. She was just discovering herself and truly learning to live and be happy. Now, she’s just ashes on the planet she died on. Some creature pulled her apart as she screamed. She deserved better. She deserved to find her mate and dance for him. She deserved a future.”
This time Crow held him as he cried. Finn sobbed against his shoulder, unable to stop the pain. He hadn’t talked to anyone about Hazel. At the time, Dannol was three systems away and worried sick about Meggie. Everyone else had other things to worry about, and Finn had pushed it all away.
Then the fleet that had left to deal with the Queen came home. Morgan had given him Hazel’s charm and something had broken inside him. He had lost friends before. It was part of the life of a mercenary, but none had hit him so hard.
Finn’s sobs lessoned, and they clung to each other in silence for a long time. Finn knew nothing had changed for them. Crow’s dad and Hazel were still dead, and Finn and Crow were still bound to two different places.
Somehow, though, it felt better to cry and mourn with someone. Life wasn’t fair and that wouldn’t change, but it was easier to bear when Crow was at his side.
Chapter 8
Crow woke up the next morning with a smile on his face. It had been a long time since he had felt at peace. Maybe not since he was a kid who soaked up his dad’s stories and ideas but had no idea what the galaxy was really like.
The bed was empty, but a tray of food sat on the table next to a wall of glass looking over the dock. Finn’s medallion and communicator weren’t on the bedtable anymore either. My mate has a lot to do. Crow still wished he had said goodbye.
His comm chimed, and he leaned over to grab it, careful to keep the video off. “Crow here.”
“Hey, boss. You still at Finn’s place?” Parker’s voice held more than a little amusement.
Crow cleared his throat, cheeks heating. “I’m on the Blue Albatross, yes.”
“Where on the Blue Albatross?” Parker teased.
Crow grinned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “What did you need, Parker?”
“One of our contacts has some goods he wants to sell us outright. He already brought them over. It’s all sitting in storage.”
“That’s strange.” Crow frowned. Typically, merchants contracted him to smuggle goods off to sell for them. They avoided paying tariffs and could make a higher profit.
“Yeah. He’s closing his business in Rueal. Said he’d come back when Jada had shit straightened out.”
Crow sighed. “Leaving doesn’t help anything.”
“You know business has been off since HF deported so many. When you add in the fighting, it’s hard to make a living right now.” Parker sounded tired. “That will change, but it takes time. Some folks don’t want to wait.”
“I’ll come home now and look over what they have for us.” Crow rolled out of bed and started pulling on his clothes. So much for some down time with Finn. “Do me a favor and ask Brisco to start gathering info on the Weasel. He has a large group of Vextonians, and Finn will need as much information as possible. We need to locate his base if possible.”
“Hmm.” Parker sounded amused again. “I thought we were going to hand over info to Charybdis Station and then get back to work? It sounds like we’re getting involved here.”
Crow rolled his neck and shoulders, trying to work the kinks out. “We’re involved. Really involved.”
Parker laughed. “I hear you, boss. I’ll see you when you get home.”
Crow pulled his boots on and grabbed his rifle, slinging it over his back. His eyes lingered on the aerial silks and his dick hardened. I’d give every credit I have to see Finn on those.
He shook his head and left the room.
Finn sat in one of his office chairs, legs folded beneath him. A tired-looking Fallon woman sat in the chair next to him. Her long, golden hair was gathered in a messy bun on top of her head, and her Charybdis Station uniform was wrinkled. Screens were pulled up around the two.
Finn smiled when he saw him, his golden eyes lighting up with pleasure. “Aiden, did you sleep well?”
Crow moved closer and leaned down to give Finn a kiss. His body told him he needed to stay right there and kiss Finn all day.
He forced himself to pull back. “What’s the plan for today? I have a few things to take care of this morning, but if you need help this afternoon, I’m in.”
Finn pulled him down for another kiss. When the woman next to him cleared her throat, Finn pulled back. “Aiden, this is Halli.”
The Fallon sent him a wry look. “Hello, Mr. Crow. Everyone in the blue fleet has heard about you and Finn. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Crow flushed. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
Finn chuckled and gently nipped Crow’s lip before settling back in his seat, looking far too satisfied. “We’re updating our numbers and putting together our reports today. I’ve already sent requests for information on Dramacus, Prism, and the Weasel. I don’t want to make a move until we know more.”
Crow knew Prism was the only moon circling Rueal that was settled. It was an industrial colony and produced a lot of the luxury items Rueal exported. Dramacus was a planet in the Sugarworm system but was a bit of a mystery. The Weasel though…
“Brisco is gathering intel on the Weasel too. I’ll let you know what he finds.” Crow cupped Finn’s face. “I’ll call you later today. Be careful.”
“You too.”
Crow left the office reluctantly. Even as a hormone-driven teenager, he had never been so drawn to someone before. He wanted to stay right at Finn’s side. For the first time in his life, he was reluctant to go home. Normally, when he was confused or worried, he’d talk to his dad. Damn it.
He left the spaceport and found his speeder parked near the entrance where Brisco had left it. As soon as he put his helmet on and pulled out, he lifted into the air. Speeders weren’t ideal for flying, but Parker had taken the rest of Crow’s team home in the shuttle last night.
He flew over Pagent’s Distillery, absently noting that someone was already repairing the city defenses. Jada had temporarily commandeered an abandoned business building to serve as the government center. For some reason, his friend thought she ought to update Crow every time she did anything so his comm stayed full of messages.
He thought for a minute, then made a call.
“Hey, man.” Dermot’s voice filled his helmet. “I called last night, and Staci said you and the others were out rescuing slaves.”
Crow licked his lips. “Yeah. Some missing Vextonian slaves.”
“The ones Charybdis Station ordered released?” Dermot sounded impressed.
“Yeah, those. Dermot, I need to ask you something and please be honest.”
“Sure.” His brother sounded surprised. Dermot was the oldest, but Crow seldom asked him for anything.
“When you met Jenise, you knew she was your mate immediately, right?”
“Yeah. I felt a humming, just like a Havenite. Dad said he felt the same when he met Mom.” Crow could hear the smile in Dermot’s voice. “We may be galaxy mutts, but genetics are a funny thing. Mom has Havenite blood too, but she didn’t sense anything. She always said she had too much damn human blood.”
“I didn’t hear a hum, but there was this loud beating. Like I could hear the pulse of his heart.” Crow swallowed hard. “It filled my head, and it’s like my heart started beating to match his.”
“Aiden! You met your mate?” Excitement practically vibrated through the audio in his helmet. “That sounds a bit like the hum I heard. Damn, little brother. I’m so happy for you. You need some good in your life.”
Crow couldn’t hold back his grin. “His name is Finn, and he’s with Charybdis Station. He’s searching for a large number of the Vextonians that were given to Teresa Malone, then went missing.”
“That’s some nasty business. Lucky you’re good at that shit.”
Crow blinked, surprised. Good at rescuing people? Not my thing. “What do you mean?”
“You know, all that dangerous shit. You’re good at helping people out of bad situations.” Dermot paused for a minute. “Dad told me about all the slaves you and he smuggled off planet. Don’t pretend you’re not one of the good guys, Aiden.”
Crow’s laugh was hollow, even to his own ears. “I’m not one of the good guys, Dermot.”
Dermot groaned. “How are we arguing about this? You help people all the time, Aiden. You smuggle slaves to freedom off planet, yeah, but you also go out of your way to take care of your family and friends. Sure, you dodge tariffs and make a profit, but you don’t cheat people. You’re a good person, just accept it and move on.”
Crow didn’t know what to say. He didn’t see what his brother did, but he was tired of arguing with people about it. If Finn, Parker, and Dermot wanted to think he was a good guy, Crow wasn’t going to go out of his way to prove them wrong.
“You still there?” Dermot asked. “Don’t let Mom get in your head, Aiden. She’s not herself right now.”
Crow snorted. “That’s the truth. You seen the house?”
“Yeah. Jenise and I went over last night and cleaned it. I took care of the lawn too. You remember when she grounded us for a week when we left the dishes unwashed for the weekend?”
Crow laughed. “She was always so proud of the house.”
“I think it’s hard for her to be there.” Dermot sighed. “Jenise and I are thinking of moving in with her. Your friend Jada is already trying to put Pagent’s Distillery back together, and we’ll be voting in a new president of Rueal soon. I think I’ll try to rebuild Dad’s company.”
“I thought you didn’t want anything to do with it?” Crow asked, surprised.
“I wanted to make my own company, not inherit one.” Dermot sounded sad. “Now, I think I’d like to see Dad’s company back in business and stronger than ever. It would still be mine, but I like that it would be his too. Does that make sense?”
“It does.” Crow smiled softly. He liked the idea of Dermot and Jenise building a family in the old house and making Dad’s company his again. “Let me know if I can be of any help.”
“I will. Just make sure you visit Mom as much as possible. Jenise and I can’t seem to break through her walls. Maybe you can.”
“I doubt it, but I’ll keep trying.”
“I want to meet your mate too. Can you bring him to dinner tonight at Mom’s? Jenise will cook something nice.”
“I’ll see if he can and let you know.”
“Good.” Dermot sounded pleased. “Be careful out there, little brother.”
Crow thought about Dermot’s words for the rest of the drive home. He had always tried to keep his life simple – take care of business and stay under the radar. When his dad died, everything had changed. Now, he wasn’t sure which direction to go. Keep it simple and go back to how things were before or complicate the shit out of everything and keep Finn?
“Keep Finn,” he muttered. “Fucking keep Finn.”
He made another call.
“Do you miss me already?” Finn asked, voice full of mischief. “I miss you.”
Crow grinned. “Dinner with my family tonight?”
“Was that an invitation?”
“Yeah.”
“Send me the address.” Finn sounded nervous. “Will they be mad if I intrude?”
“You are not an intrusion, Finn. My brother wants to meet you.”
“Okay.” Finn sounded shy. “I’ll be there.”
By the time he was home, his mind was settled. He would figure out how to be the mate Finn deserved.
