CHAPTER 18

Bromm

T his.

Was.

Torture.

I wasn’t unfit, per se, but I certainly wasn’t built for repeatedly lifting heavy things. And then lifting heavier things once I’d proved I could do that. I was a lover, not a fighter, which might have seemed odd considering I’d just joined the military, but my body had never been pushed to the limit unless there was pleasure involved. Those were the limits I enjoyed.

These ones? Not so much.

I was huffing and puffing, my arms dangling at my sides like limp noodles and sweating profusely. I was sure I was more purple than blue at this point. It was, quite frankly, embarrassing as fuck. Everyone else was in better shape than me. Stars, Foryk was a damn beast and Reece wasn’t far behind, muscles bulging deliciously while they pushed themselves to their limits… But Arty was confusing me.

Just yesterday he’d been shovelling armful after armful of heavy loads from one room to another without even breaking a sweat. Even the captain was struggling, and the rest of us were panting like we’d run a marathon. But today? It was like yesterday had never happened and it wasn’t making any sense. How was he able to lift a damn engine on his own one day and hardly be able to lift smaller weights than mine the next?

Perhaps he’d overdone it before and was paying for it today. If that were the case then it sucked to be him. I wouldn’t wish to trade places for anything.

But no, that wasn’t it. He was behaving as if he was struggling, but he was as dry as the sands of Gerinium. Was he pretending to struggle?

By the stars, why ?

When I was sure everyone else was focused on their own training, I meandered over to Foryk. ‘Am I imagining things or is Arty faking it?’ I asked.

He sat up from the bench he’d been lying on, raising a heavy bar repeatedly like it was nothing. He studied Arty for a moment before a frown marred his rugged face.

‘His strength seems diminished from yesterday, yet he appears to be excreting no perspiration. I believe he is pretending.’

‘Why?’ I asked, even though I knew he wouldn’t have the answer.

Indeed, he didn’t. ‘Ask him.’

I smacked his shoulder, aghast. ‘I can’t just ask him, Ryk. He’s skittish enough as it is, and he’s clearly trying to downplay his strength for a reason. It would have to be a good one to go through this much effort, too.’

His shoulders bounced in another display of detached perplexity. ‘Ask him in private,’ he adjusted his previous answer, and then went back to his workout. It was clear he was still watching Arty, though, the mystery gripping him just as much as me even if he refused to show it.

Admittedly, I’d been watching the Terran. Pure-bred Terrans were a rarity so far away from Earth, so I hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting one until now. There were a few more dotted throughout the new intake of cadets, but none so fascinating and bewildering as Arty Mercer.

I wanted to peel back his shields and reveal all his secrets. It was an unusual desire for me. I had always been the type to mind my own business beyond the occasional surface-level gossip. I liked some juicy details about a scandal, but I never involved myself. Being born to a regal family did not afford me much – if any – privacy from the public eye, so I tried to respect other’s personal lives as much as possible.

Respect others the way you wish them to respect you , my mother would say.

It could just be that he wanted to lay low and avoid drawing attention to himself after all the accusations being thrown at Reece and our team by proxy, and if that were the case then I couldn’t blame him. If I hadn’t already been watching him more closely these past few days ever since his strange private meeting with CWO Brin that had left him acting weird, I never would have noticed the inconsistencies. He seemed to be working hard just like everyone else, and his weights weren’t small, they just weren’t as large as I knew they could be after yesterday’s display. I wondered if he even realised that he’d given us a peek into his true capabilities.

Watching him now, I didn’t think so. He was far too focused on his act. And he was an amazing actor, I’d give him that. I merely happened to have information that debunked his attempts to hide, not to mention the way his body was giving him away with the lack of perspiration and strain. I was fully aware that Terrans could sweat into existence an entire ocean. Pornography was a brilliant research tool for anatomy, and I’d always been intrigued by them. They seemed so soft and pliant. Delicate, even. Including the males. But they persevered through the toughest of situations, even managing to breed their way throughout the Intergalactic Union. But not without an exuberant amount of sweat.

It was such a shame I’d never been lucky enough for the experience myself.

Definitely a dream of mine.

Unfortunately, I was getting hot and sweaty in a gym rather than between the sheets, and I was just going to have to deal with that. Though, I wouldn’t say no to more muscles. It certainly couldn’t hurt.

?? ?

Wrong.

Fuck, I was so wrong. It could definitely hurt.

Foryk’s face blocked my view of the domed ceiling as he came to stand over me. I was lying prone on the floor, chest heaving, breaths coming in short, desperate gasps, and my clothes sticking to me with the amount of sweat I was excreting.

‘I’m… dying…’ I gasped out.

He just chuckled. ‘Slow your breathing. Deep breaths, not so shallow.’

I tried, but it wasn’t as easy as he made it sound.

‘Come on, Bromm,’ he said as he knelt beside me, taking my hand in his and placing it on his chest. ‘Match my breaths then.’

He started breathing, much too slowly for my current state, but I did as I was told. His chest rose and fell beneath my hand, and I copied the best I could until I succeeded in the synchronisation.

‘There you go,’ he praised. It was kind, but the effect was ruined when he undercut it with another laugh. I smacked him weakly when I sat up.

‘I don’t think I can use my arms,’ I whined.

‘You’ll be fine. You’ll have to work them again tomorrow so they don’t cramp up, though,’ he informed me with a cheeky grin that flashed his fangs. I couldn’t stop my long groan of dread if I’d tried.

‘All right, folks. Hit the showers, you’re done for the day. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning!’ Corporal Stanson called from his position on the mats.

As each team trudged back into the locker room looking equally miserable and exhausted, I felt much better. At least I wasn’t alone in my suffering. But then I realised they looked like that after spending their time with different instructors, and I knew tomorrow was going to be just as stars-damned awful as today only with a different method of torture.

Arty broke off from us first, grabbing his clothes from his locker and moving towards the shower stalls in another section of the room. When he saw the stalls, his entire body relaxed as if he’d been expecting someone to jump out at him from behind a stall or something, but all the doors stood open while they waited to be put to use. He grabbed the closest one, the door clicking shut with a heavy snick.

He could have merely been extremely eager to wash, but I didn’t think that was it. Now that I was thinking about it, I’d never actually seen him get ready in the morning, or at night. He was always up and ready before the rest of us, which I had previously assumed was because he was an early riser. Now, I was leaning towards the idea that he was self-conscious or shy about his body. Why, though, I didn’t understand. He was an attractive man, and quickly becoming the most common cause of my morning wood. Just last night I had a very pleasant dream where I had him writhing beneath me. The image was so stimulating that I almost blew my load in my sleep, and this morning’s self-pleasure session in the shower ended almost before it began.

Perhaps he had communal washing stations where he was from. The little he’d spoken about his past had clued me in that he hadn’t had a typical upbringing, but with each odd action or reaction from him I wondered if there was more to his story. If there was, I had a bad feeling it wasn’t good and my desire to help him break through those brainwashed barriers was growing each and every day.

But that was neither here nor there. He had left his past behind when he stepped on board this ship, just like the rest of us. His home was now the military, wherever that sent him. Whatever doors that opened up to explore his sexuality, the only thing I could do was present myself as a viable option if he ever decided to experiment .

Stepping out of the stall, clean and refreshed, I felt a lot better, though my dick was at half-mast from the direction of my thoughts. I held my work-out clothes in one hand, striding back to my locker stark naked. I’d never been ashamed of my body. As a Griknot prince, I’d been taught from an early age to embody our ideals, and that included embracing nudity as natural and beautiful regardless of shape or size or muscle tone. I’d been told often by past lovers how they enjoyed my softness, especially when they felt the hardness of my muscle beneath. Just because it was cushioned didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

I didn’t know if I’d be able to hold onto that softness here, however, but I would certainly try.

As I walked past the other stalls I heard a squeak. When I turned to see what it was I could’ve sworn I heard a door slam. The only stall nearby that was still occupied was Arty’s, and the barely perceptible shake proved he tried to exit right as I walked by. Had he seen me in all my bare-assed glory and hid?

I grinned to myself. This was a good sign.

Everyone else had already finished their showers and were in the process of dressing by their lockers. As I past them I caught sight of Reece as he bent over, his bare ass on full display as he picked up an item of clothing he must have dropped. My cock stiffened the rest of the way as I took him in, all that exposed bare skin and rippling muscle. He was a glorious specimen and I thoroughly enjoyed the view. Especially when he turned and caught me eyeing him up. His skin changed from pale white to a shocking shade of pink.

He shook his head at me when I winked, choosing to ignore me rather than flirt back, but I didn’t take it personally. I was aware his sexuality leaned more towards women, though with the way I’d noticed his growing protectiveness over Arty I was curious if he’d be open to being with a man, just probably not me.

That was fine. I had plenty of options, and Arty truly was an attractive man. I would keep my attentions on him, though the idea of being the meat in an Arty-Reece sandwich excited me even more. Definitely spank bank material to save for later.

Foryk’s locker was beside mine, and he was shaking his head at me, his lips twisted in a knowing smirk.

‘Shush, you,’ I light-heartedly reprimanded.

‘You should look elsewhere for dick, if that’s what you’re after,’ he said.

‘I was just looking, Ryk.’

‘I think we’ll get more of an eyeful later on when they finally admit their feelings for one another,’ he said, and it shocked me.

‘You think they like each other like that?’ I asked. Despite witnessing their unique friendship I didn’t think anything would come from it. Nor did I believe Reece was actually attracted to the other man.

‘I think Arty is a shy male that hasn’t been afforded many opportunities to explore his sexuality, and Reece has never been attracted to a male before and doesn’t know what to do about it.’

I laughed, my still-hard cock bobbing with the movement. It didn’t go unnoticed by those around me so I bared myself even more for their viewing pleasure. ‘You might be right,’ I replied, though I was eyeing up a male a few lockers down that seemed rather interested in me. I bit my lip when he ‘dropped’ his pants, turning to pick it up so that when he bent over, he presented me with his thick, toned ass. He shot me a wink as he pulled the rest of his clothes on, and then sauntered away with an extra sway in his step.

Foryk’s deep chuckle vibrated beside me. ‘Guess you’ve found a new toy to tide you over,’ he teased.

‘Mm. Perhaps,’ I waved the comment away. While he was nice to look at and I considered taking him up on his offer, I couldn’t get the image out of my head of Arty and Reece together. Naked a writhing, shy at first before passion took over and they came together. It was a beautiful image, and I decided to keep a hold of it for when I used my hand.

I glanced down at the now glistening head of my cock and watched as I throbbed. The tentacles at the base of my shaft twitched, eager to be put to use. I grabbed my clothes and headed towards the restrooms, fisting my hard length as soon as the door closed behind me.

My sack was already tightening, the image in my mind so hot that I was almost ready to blow before I’d even made it into the stall. I pictured how Reece would look, flushed and naked with sweat glistening over his skin. How he would almost completely engulf Arty as he slowly entered him from above.

My tentacles unfurled, rubbing against my shaft in time with my hand. They helped push me towards my orgasm, wrapping around my head as the tips sucking gently, squeezing and writhing to create a delicious friction. They released a lubricant that tingled as it made contact with my sensitive skin, and my hand slid up and down with ease.

I imagined the vision Arty would make, slim body bare beneath Reece, his expression shy but open, his lips in an O as he felt Reece slide into him. The sounds he would make… the way he would claw at Reece’s back, leaving red marks to prove what they had done, to claim him as his own.

The way he’d arch his body up into Reece’s from below, rubbing his own hard length on the bulkier male’s abs. Or how he’d switch positions and ride him from on top, his cock slapping against those same abs as he undulated his hips.

I came with a long, drawn-out groan, the suckers on my tentacles catching my seed as it spilled from my tip. Spurt after spurt left my body as my cock jerked within my grip, desperately seeking the warmth of another’s body. My tentacles attempted to ease the ache by constricting around my cock. I was so hard it was like squeezing steel .

And it kept going. The pleasure spread throughout my body in a flash of heat. My fingers and toes tingled and my vision whited out as the most intense orgasm of my life took me.

Finally, when it was over, I felt like I’d just orgasmed the soul right out of me through my dick. Which was still rock hard.

It wasn’t enough. Imagining them had been incredible, but the desperate need to include myself in the real thing, to feel the way Reece moved against Arty and the way Arty rubbed himself against Reece. To taste their desire on my tongue and do my part to bring their pleasure to new heights…

My body still twitched from the aftershocks, the sheer power of that orgasm causing me to crumple to the floor. I was going to have to go out there and face them after this, and I didn’t know if I could do it without my imagination running wild again.

It was clear they weren’t ready to admit their attraction to themselves if it even existed, let alone to one another. There was no way I’d have to chance to include myself in their stolen moments of passion. And we slept in the same room, for star’s sake. This was going to be torture. Even more so than weight training.

Fuck, I was so screwed.