voice grated. “Thought I recognized you.”
The Shareem stepped fully into the light. He wore off-world
clothes but Braden finally recognized him—he’d known the man twenty-five years
ago but hadn’t seen him since.
“Justin?” Braden said. “What the fuck ?”
Chapter Six
“I thought Rio lived here,” Justin said as he pulled off his
robes in Braden’s apartment.
Beneath the robes Justin wore a sleeveless, translucent blue
tunic that showed off his muscles. It and his leggings didn’t hide much of him,
which made Braden realize he hadn’t gotten the clothes on Bor Narga.
Braden, still sweating from his encounter with Elisa and the
hot walk home, stripped down to his loincloth. Justin didn’t appear to notice.
For Shareem, naked was natural.
“Rio did live here,” Braden said. “When he left for Ariel,
he gave the apartment to me.”
“Rio went to Ariel?” Justin asked, surprised. “How did he
get permission for that?”
Braden grabbed some ale from the kitchen, handed Justin a
bottle and collapsed onto the shallow couch. At least Justin’s out-of-nowhere
arrival helped deflate Braden’s cock a little.
A little . The damn thing was still killing him.
“Rio didn’t get permission,” Braden said. “He fell in love
with a sweetie from Ariel and she smuggled him off planet.”
“In love?”
“Shareem can fall in love, my friend, no matter how much the
scientists at dear DNAmo tried to pound into us that we couldn’t.”
“I know that.” Justin sat on the other chair, but on the
edge, as though unable to relax. “I was just surprised it happened to Rio.”
“You say ‘I know that’ like you have personal experience.”
“Maybe I do.”
Braden took a long drink from his bottle of ale. “Justin,
why the hell did you come back to Bor Narga? You were away, free, gone.
Don’t tell me that where they sent you was worse.”
Justin shook his head, looking sad. “No, it was great. The
original purchaser of my services was forced to let me go after the authorities
on Sirius III pointed out that human trafficking, not to mention sex
trafficking, was highly illegal on Sirius. She was pissed as hell and out a
pile of cash.”
“So what did you do? Wander the streets selling your
services?”
He grinned. “Gods, your mind’s in the gutter. No, I got a
job. A real one. Working cargo on the docks at first—I’m strong. Worked my way
up through the ranks and then started my own offloading company. Made good
money.”
Sounded like paradise. “And you gave all this up, why? What,
you were homesick for Bor Narga?”
Justin’s smile faded. “I sold the business when my lover
died. She and I had gone into it together.” He drew a breath. “We were together
fifteen years.”
The quiet way he said it told Braden that Justin knew all
about falling in love. “Damn. Justin, I’m sorry.”
“She’d been sick for a while. When she was gone, I didn’t
have the heart for the business anymore.” Justin dug fingers and thumb into the
corners of his eyes, and they were moist when he looked up again. “That was two
years ago, and still I miss her. I’ve been kind of kicking around ever since.”
Braden hadn’t known Justin well at DNAmo—Justin and Rio had
been close—but they’d all shared the DNAmo experience. Justin had gotten away,
lived and loved and lost like a normal human. It must have been wonderful.
“Still doesn’t explain why you came back here,” Braden said.
“Can’t have been for the weather.”
“Yeah, that was a bitch of a storm we just had.”
“Does your return have anything to do with Rees?” Braden
asked cautiously.
Justin looked puzzled. “Who’s Rees?”
“Ah.” Braden drank more ale. Maybe if he got drunk enough,
he’d forget all about Elisa. Yeah, right. “Never mind.”
Braden wasn’t certain he could trust Justin with the knowledge
that Rees had once been the experiment called R294E8S. Some
secrets were just too risky. He’d
The Shareem stepped fully into the light. He wore off-world
clothes but Braden finally recognized him—he’d known the man twenty-five years
ago but hadn’t seen him since.
“Justin?” Braden said. “What the fuck ?”
Chapter Six
“I thought Rio lived here,” Justin said as he pulled off his
robes in Braden’s apartment.
Beneath the robes Justin wore a sleeveless, translucent blue
tunic that showed off his muscles. It and his leggings didn’t hide much of him,
which made Braden realize he hadn’t gotten the clothes on Bor Narga.
Braden, still sweating from his encounter with Elisa and the
hot walk home, stripped down to his loincloth. Justin didn’t appear to notice.
For Shareem, naked was natural.
“Rio did live here,” Braden said. “When he left for Ariel,
he gave the apartment to me.”
“Rio went to Ariel?” Justin asked, surprised. “How did he
get permission for that?”
Braden grabbed some ale from the kitchen, handed Justin a
bottle and collapsed onto the shallow couch. At least Justin’s out-of-nowhere
arrival helped deflate Braden’s cock a little.
A little . The damn thing was still killing him.
“Rio didn’t get permission,” Braden said. “He fell in love
with a sweetie from Ariel and she smuggled him off planet.”
“In love?”
“Shareem can fall in love, my friend, no matter how much the
scientists at dear DNAmo tried to pound into us that we couldn’t.”
“I know that.” Justin sat on the other chair, but on the
edge, as though unable to relax. “I was just surprised it happened to Rio.”
“You say ‘I know that’ like you have personal experience.”
“Maybe I do.”
Braden took a long drink from his bottle of ale. “Justin,
why the hell did you come back to Bor Narga? You were away, free, gone.
Don’t tell me that where they sent you was worse.”
Justin shook his head, looking sad. “No, it was great. The
original purchaser of my services was forced to let me go after the authorities
on Sirius III pointed out that human trafficking, not to mention sex
trafficking, was highly illegal on Sirius. She was pissed as hell and out a
pile of cash.”
“So what did you do? Wander the streets selling your
services?”
He grinned. “Gods, your mind’s in the gutter. No, I got a
job. A real one. Working cargo on the docks at first—I’m strong. Worked my way
up through the ranks and then started my own offloading company. Made good
money.”
Sounded like paradise. “And you gave all this up, why? What,
you were homesick for Bor Narga?”
Justin’s smile faded. “I sold the business when my lover
died. She and I had gone into it together.” He drew a breath. “We were together
fifteen years.”
The quiet way he said it told Braden that Justin knew all
about falling in love. “Damn. Justin, I’m sorry.”
“She’d been sick for a while. When she was gone, I didn’t
have the heart for the business anymore.” Justin dug fingers and thumb into the
corners of his eyes, and they were moist when he looked up again. “That was two
years ago, and still I miss her. I’ve been kind of kicking around ever since.”
Braden hadn’t known Justin well at DNAmo—Justin and Rio had
been close—but they’d all shared the DNAmo experience. Justin had gotten away,
lived and loved and lost like a normal human. It must have been wonderful.
“Still doesn’t explain why you came back here,” Braden said.
“Can’t have been for the weather.”
“Yeah, that was a bitch of a storm we just had.”
“Does your return have anything to do with Rees?” Braden
asked cautiously.
Justin looked puzzled. “Who’s Rees?”
“Ah.” Braden drank more ale. Maybe if he got drunk enough,
he’d forget all about Elisa. Yeah, right. “Never mind.”
Braden wasn’t certain he could trust Justin with the knowledge
that Rees had once been the experiment called R294E8S. Some
secrets were just too risky. He’d
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