The Cassini Mission Page 12

  These men were Kane’s friends. His family. Though he remained stoic and composed, my heart ached for him.

  There were also the members of the Cassini crew we lost: Dr. Nikhil and those who died during the battle with the Scorpius. We would honor them at a later service.

  For now, I was pleased to see Captain Yoruba and Ensign Yates in attendance, as well as Captain Bragman and Kenji. It was nice to have Navy support at a Marine service.

  After the service was over, Kenji made his way over to us. We gave each other a quick hug.

  “How are you holding up?” I asked. The scar on his temple was barely noticeable now that he’d had reconstructive surgery on it. He still looked tired, like he could use a good deal of rest. I’m sure I did as well.

  “I’m fine. I’m on sick leave for now. Once I’m cleared, I’ll be resuming my post on the Artemis.”

  “Good for you, Kenji.”

  “What about you, Aron?”

  “My plans are still in limbo.”

  Kenji glanced over his shoulder where Captain Bragman was waiting. “I’d better get going. Keep in touch, Aron. And it was good to see you, Kane.”

  Kane dipped his chin. “Lieutenant.”

  Aron held out his hand and Kenji shook it. “You keep in touch too, Kenji. Once I get settled, we’ll chat over vid-comm.”

  Kane shook Kenji’s hand before he left.

  As Kenji returned to Captain Bragman’s side, the Commandant of the Union Marines approached Kane. I recognized the Regulan officer as the Council Rep. Falling back, I gave them a little privacy.

  The Commandant shook Kane’s hand. “Corporal Robertson. It’s good to see you.”

  “Thank you, sir. If there’s anything I can do to help with the investigation, I’m always willing to assist.”

  “No need, Corporal. Bolander, Carson, and Brimley are already in custody. I suspect we will have their collaborators rounded up in short order. But I thank you for your dedication.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “I suspect you’ll have your choice of assignments, Corporal. Good day.”

  The Commandant’s words hit me like a punch to the gut. In my head I had known this day would come. Of course Kane and I would both be reassigned. I didn’t have any idea where my future would lie. Like I had told Kenji, everything was in limbo. Would I stay in the Navy or return to Union Research? Not to mention, it was still unclear whether or not my reinstatement was even valid.

  So for now, I was technically out of a job. Either way, there was zero chance that Kane and I would stay together. I didn’t see any way that our worlds could overlap.

  “Ready, Aron?”

  Snapping out of my morose thoughts, I gave Kane the brightest smile I could muster. With a heavy heart, I walked by his side and let him lead me back to our assigned room.

  * * * *

  I slowly lowered myself onto Kane’s thick cock. My head fell back and a long groan escaped my throat. As soon as I felt the wiry curls of Kane’s bush against my skin, I dipped my head forward and opened my eyes.

  His blue-gray eyes were already locked onto me, staring into my soul. I braced myself and tensed my muscles. Raising myself until he was just about to slip from my body, I dropped back down.

  “Fuck, baby,” Kane groaned. His hands gripped both sides of my waist as he pushed his ass up off the bed. When he rolled his hips, I tightened my ring of muscle around his girth. Kane’s eyes widened and he let out a curse.

  I couldn’t keep my eyes from Kane as I rode him. I wanted him to see me, to see what he meant to me. In that moment on the Cassini when I thought we were going to die, I had told him I loved him. I didn’t want to say the words again, not while we were making love, but I desperately wanted him to know that I meant those words.

  Kane hadn’t returned the words when I had said them earlier, but looking into his eyes in this moment, I knew how he felt. He didn’t need to say it. Kane Robertson was in love with me.

  I poured every ounce of emotion I had into our lovemaking. If this was to be our last time together, then I was going to make damn sure he would remember me.

  The sheer emotions of the moment made my rhythm falter. With a growl, Kane pulled himself up. He tightened his arms around me and flipped us over. On his knees, nestled between my wide spread legs, he speared his cock into my ass in one hard thrust. “Take it.”

  “Yes!” I wrapped my legs around him and pulled him close with my arms.

  Over and over, he relentlessly drove into me. Kane felt huge inside me, like a battering ram. Each thrust pushed me along on the bed, bit by bit bringing me closer to the head of the bed. I threw a hand against the headboard to keep my head from being pounded into it. Kane felt huge inside me, like a battering ram, but I didn’t want him to stop. I never wanted him to stop.

  “Oh my god,” I panted. “Your cock…”

  The slaps of skin against skin echoed through the room. His heavy balls thumped against my ass.

  He was driving me mad. I was going to be bruised and achy in the morning, but I didn’t care. When I looked into his eyes, I could see the connection we had. It was a connection I physically felt with his body on top of me and inside me, but also deep down in my soul. I had never experienced this with another man, and I knew I never would ever again, not with anyone else.

  All thoughts flew from my head. The pressure built in my groin and my nuts pulled in tight to my body.

  Kane’s mouth was all over me, kissing, sucking, biting. He left no part of my upper body untouched. My lips, chin, neck, collarbones, and nipples would bear his bruises and teeth marks.

  I returned his kisses similarly, frantically pressing my lips to his skin anywhere I could reach.

  His thrusts grew harder and he grunted louder. “I’m gonna fucking come.”

  Wanting to come with him, I grabbed my dick in my hand. I didn’t even need to stroke myself. Kane took care of it with his unrelenting jabs to my prostate. “I’m coming!” With a cry, I unloaded, coming all over my chest and stomach.

  Kane followed with a shout. He shoved his cock into me so hard my head banged against the headboard. Using my free hand, I braced myself, pushing away from the wall.

  His body went taut and then shuddered. Loudly, he groaned and grunted out his release. His cock jerked inside me and I felt it throbbing as he shot his load deep into my body.

  The warmness spread inside me, leaking out around his shaft as his hips jerked a final series of erratic thrusts.

  Kane’s body began to relax and just before he dropped on top of me, he pulled back, sliding out of me to fall onto his back next to me.

  Only the sound of our harsh breathing filled the room, which reeked of sex and sweat.

  “So, what happens now, Kane?” I asked, staring at the ceiling.

  The mission was over. This was over.

  Kane rolled onto his side and looked down at me. He tenderly brushed my damp hair from my forehead, then pressed a quick kiss on my head. “What do you want to happen, Aron?” he asked as he slid his index finger around the cooling semen on my stomach.

  “I’m going to miss you,” I said as I laid my head under his chin. “So much….”

  “We don’t have to be split up, you know.”

  “I don’t even know if I will remain in the Navy. It’s not up to me. You heard the rep. My reinstatement might not even be legal. Besides, the chances they would assign us to the same ship even if we requested it are zero.”

  “They’ll keep you in the Navy. After what you did for the Union, how could they not? You are a hero, Aron.”

  A hero? I wasn’t so sure of that. “I didn’t do it by myself. I would be dead if it wasn’t for you.”

  Kane pressed another kiss to my head and then sat up and pulled his legs together, wrapping his arms around them. For a man his size, he looked oddly vulnerable. As he spoke, he wouldn’t meet my eyes. “There is a way that we can be together.”

  I had racked my brain trying to figure
out a way that we could remain together and time and time again, I had come up empty. “How?”

  Kane was silent for a moment and when he finally spoke, his voice was quiet enough that I had to strain to hear him. “Married couples who request the same assignment are given preferential treatment.”

  It took me a moment to process his softly spoken words. I sat up straight and looked at him in shock. Kane’s suggestion had never occurred to me. Even if it had, I don’t think I could have suggested it. This wasn’t something to be taken lightly. For Kane to even suggest it, meant he was very serious. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

  Kane finally turned his head to look me dead in the eye. Though his voice was deep in timbre, it cracked as he began to speak. “I don’t think I can be without you, Aron. I would miss you. I would worry about you. It would kill me not knowing if you were safe.”

  I wanted this, but only if it was for the right reasons. Swallowing the knot in my throat, I asked the question I desperately needed to know the answer to before I could agree. “Because of your enhancements?”

  Kane shook his head. “No, Aron. It’s because I love you.”

  The undisguised, raw emotion in Kane’s eyes had me on the verge of breaking down in tears. I took Kane’s face in my hands and I kissed him, letting him know with every fiber of my being that I returned his feelings.

  “Yes, Kane Robertson. I will marry you.”

  Epilogue

  The intercom binged and the pleasant female computer voice echoed through the room: “U.S.C. Cassini docked on platform 12A. Ready for boarding.”

  I stood up and adjusted my uniform.

  I pulled my footlocker through the spaceway towards the airlock. I looked up through the transparent windows and marveled at the new Cassini.

  The old ship had finally been scrapped and just a few weeks later, a new ship had been christened.

  Fresh out of the fleet yards, the U.S.C. Cassini II was a brand new top of the line Union Navy scout vessel. The sleek Zeta-class scout was larger than the previous Cassini, almost half again as long, with five decks. It was still small and highly maneuverable. It carried the latest technological advances and was one of the hottest assignments the Navy had to offer.

  Captain Yoruba and his remaining crew deserved this ship.

  I pressed my hand to the airlock scanner. “Lieutenant Aron Adler; access granted.”

  The door hissed open and I entered the ship, making my way to my assigned quarters. I scanned my hand on the door lock and it beeped and opened. After I secured my locker, I quickly made my way to sickbay. I needed to check that my cargo was delivered and set up properly.

  The medical personnel were busy getting the new sickbay up and running. I smiled and nodded as I walked past them to the makeshift bio-lab that had been set up in the back corner. From what I understood, the equipment in the main science lab on deck four was still being installed and would not be ready for the ship’s maiden voyage.

  After checking the portable cryo-tube was connected to the computer and being monitored on critical priority, I ran a quick diagnostic. I placed a hand on the cryo-tube and whispered softly, “This ship is gonna get you home safe and sound, little guy.”

  I didn’t know where the little guy came from, but I did know that he did not match the genetic profile of the data I had on Devin Drago. Whoever this was, he did not belong to Devin and that was worrisome. What exactly were these people doing and who were they preying upon? With the Union Council now heavily involved, I was confident that we would get these answers. They were already rounding up suspects and issuing warrants to pull research. The data I had extracted from the XP-8460 lab was also being used to prosecute Bradley, Carson, and Bolander. We were provided with assurances that this data would never be used again.

  Satisfied that the cryo-tube was safe enough to make the trip, I left sickbay and made my way to the bridge to check in with the captain.

  When I stepped out of the turbolift, I took a moment to stand back and watch. The bridge was bustling with activity as the ship prepared for its first mission. Engineers were packing up their tools so that they could disembark after last minute installations.

  I took in a deep breath and smiled. The ship had that “new car” smell.

  Captain Yoruba stood in the middle of the bridge, next to his seat.

  I walked up to him and stood at attention. “Captain Yoruba. Lieutenant Adler reporting for duty.”

  Captain Yoruba turned and raised a brow. “Welcome aboard the Cassini, Lieutenant. I was wondering when my science officer was going to make it aboard. You are cutting it very close, Mr. Adler.”

  “Sorry, sir. I had some things to take care of here on Earth, packing up my apartment and my lab.”

  “Very good. I believe my chief of security has been looking for you.”

  The turbolift door hissed open and Kane stepped onto the bridge with another Marine. “I want the weapons inventory complete before we leave port. Also, make sure to run a final diagnostic on the weapons arrays.” The young Marine he was with nodded, then turned on his heel and walked to his station to carry out Kane’s orders.

  The captain called out to Kane. “Sergeant Robertson?”

  Kane turned and saw me and his eyes lit up. A few quick strides and he was standing in front of me.

  I gave him a smile filled with joy and just a touch of heat. “It’s good to see you again. Sergeant.”

  Damn, was I ever proud of Sergeant Kane Robertson. He deserved his promotion more than anyone. And the Commandant had been exactly right. He had his pick of any assignment in the Union. After he had heard of the re-christened Cassini, he had spoken to Captain Yoruba, and the pieces had fallen into place quickly. The Captain was pleased to have the both of us as part of his crew. I was over the moon happy to be able to remain with Kane.

  Kane grabbed my head in his hands and kissed me hard, right there on the bridge, in front of everyone. When he finally ended the kiss, I stood there speechless—breathless and weak-kneed.

  “It’s good to see you again. Lieutenant,” he said with a smirk before turning on his heels and taking his station, standing to the right of the Captain’s chair, facing the viewscreen. His expression went stoic as he clasped his hands behind his back and waited for his orders. Ever the soldier.

  I blinked and shook my head, trying to clear it from the field of lust that Kane had so effortlessly enveloped around me.

  Getting my bearings, I walked over to the science station and sat down in my chair. My hands flew over the touch screen as I brought up the ship’s scanners. I then engaged the pre-flight diagnostic program.

  The glint of the titanium band on my left ring finger caught my eye and I marveled at it for a few moments as I was apt to do, still so early in our marriage. I looked back at my husband. As if sensing I was watching, Kane’s eyes darted towards mine. I smiled at him and held my left hand over my heart so he could see my ring. His expression softened and he did the same.

  I mouthed, “I love you” to him and he repeated the gesture.

  Captain Yoruba looked up from his comPad and addressed Kane. “Is our priority one passenger aboard, Sergeant?”

  “Yes, sir,” Kane replied. “And, if I may be blunt, the little runt is already a priority one pain in the ass, sir.” He returned to his previous stance and looked ahead at the viewscreen.

  The Captain smirked and took his chair. “Unfortunately, he is a guest of the Prime Minister. And since we are headed to the same destination, you’ll just have to deal with Mr. McSmith.”

  Robertson grunted. “Hmph.”

  The Captain turned forward. “Lieutenant Yates? Set a course for Alpha Ursae Majoris IV.”

  Yates swung around in his chair, nodding his chin in acknowledgment. “Aye, sir. Course laid in for the Degan homeworld.”

  About the Author

  Rob Colton is a software developer by day, and avid reader of romance novels at night. A romantic at heart, he loves stories that feat
ure big, burly men who find true love and happy endings.

  Rob grew up in northern Michigan and currently lives in the Atlanta area with his very supportive husband and their very spoiled miniature schnauzer.

  Visit Rob online:

  http://robcolton.com

  http://twitter.com/robcub32

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  http://www.gayauthors.org/author/rob-colton

  Also by Rob Colton

  From Dreamspinner Press

  The Ranch Foreman

  An American Lamb in Europe

  From Rob Colton

  The Degan Incident (Galactic Conspiracies 1)

  The Cassini Mission (Galactic Conspiracies 2)