Storm and Lightning began on the 13th January. Catch up here: week one, week two, week three, week four, week five, week six, week seven, week eight, week nine, week ten, week eleven, week twelve, week thirteen, week fourteen, week fifteen, week sixteen, week seventeen

On a mining colony planet a long way from Earth, bandit Jedd Lightning dreams of making enough money to get off the planet for good. When a robbery at a high-class brothel goes wrong, he meets gorgeous rentboy Storm and is instantly smitten. But Storm has a few surprises up his sleeve, and when Jedd helps him escape, he realises he might have taken on more than he can handle…

JL Merrow and Lou Harper are once again my fabulous beta readers – any remaining mistakes are my own. Lou Harper also designed my fabulous banner artwork. Check out more of her cover art here.

But now, on with the story:

The route back to Bluebird was a humiliating trial. Jedd liked to stride across town. He wasn’t used to walking behind someone with his eyes to the ground, or being jostled by passersby, but perhaps there was something in Storm’s idea, because they didn’t attract much attention. Just the one burly T’almaki who pointed at him and made a rude remark in a thick accent Jedd barely understood. Fortunately, Storm seemed in his element.

“You just can’t trust a monkey, can you?” Jedd heard him reply. “He had to be disciplined.”

The T’almaki laughed, and Jedd thought for a moment he’d want to walk with them, what with the rather lecherous way he was eyeing Jedd’s naked torso. Fortunately Storm had it under control. “Excuse me. I need to get him home and show him who’s boss around here.”

Boss? The bastard really was enjoying this. Jedd fumed, but when Storm stopped at a busy junction and whispered for directions, he gave them quickly. Wouldn’t do to let his bad mood put them in any more danger than they were already in.

“And how do we cross this street?” Storm asked. “Is there a designated place, or do we just chance being trampled by a Ranak?”

Of all the stupid quest— but of course. Storm hadn’t ever been out on the city streets before. “Hold onto my arm. We’ll just have to run for it when there’s a gap.”

Storm stared as another mighty Ranak lumbered past. “They look so much bigger in the middle of all these buildings,” he murmured. “Not happy, though. You can see they’re tense. They want to get back to the desert.”

“They’re only dumb beasts.” Who cared what a stinking Ranak wanted?

“They’re magnificent creatures. Kind and beautiful.”

“Beautiful?” Jedd’s eyes almost popped out of his head. “Are you serious? With those tusks and that yellow-green hide?”

“Beauty isn’t on the outside, you know. They have beautiful spirits.”

“I suppose your people worship them, or something.”

“Actually, we do. Like all creatures, they’re children of the Twins.” It was impossible to judge Storm’s expression with only a deeply shadowed chin on view, but Jedd could hear the icy hurt in his voice.

He shook his head. The man wasn’t an Earther, he had to remember that. He might look human, but he’d been raised in an alien society. “Come on then, let’s go before another one of your beautiful gods comes along.”

They dodged through the foot traffic and the hovercars, and then into another alleyway. The rest of their journey was uneventful, and after a long half hour under the blazing sun, Jedd finally spotted the junkyard gates.

“Here we go. Nearly there.”

“Nice address, Captain. You sure know how to spoil me.”

“Shut up. At least here no one’s going to be selling your arse to every scumbucket with enough cash.”

That shut Storm up for a while, until Jedd pointed out Bluebird between the decaying hulks.

“There she is. You won’t find a sweeter ride this side of Andromeda.” Shame she didn’t look up to much right now, but if you wanted to travel incognito, it made sense to be unmemorably shabby.

“Is she really spaceworthy?”

“Not at the moment,” Jedd snapped, “But she’s getting there. Had a bit of a run in with an asteroid last time we were out of atmos.”

“Looks like the asteroid won.”

“Nah, we smashed it to smithereens.” But Bluebird had sustained considerable cosmetic damage, and the airlock seal around the cockpit had been compromised. New windows would cost him a huge sum and he could have just sealed them in with titanium, but Jedd wasn’t willing to go space hopping with only a viewscreen to rely on. Technology had a way of giving up when you most needed it. He only trusted his own two eyes when flying.

“She’s a great ship, though. Nippy with huge fuel tanks. Got a couple of dummy ones too, specially kitted out for transporting hot goods.”

“So you really are a smuggler and a bandit?”

“Hell yes, baby. What did you think, I made that all up for shits and giggles?”

“Twins help me,” Storm muttered, but he sounded kind of excited rather than disappointed, Jedd thought. Storm refrained from further comments as Jedd opened the hatch and ushered him in.

He looked back around the deserted yard. He didn’t think they’d been followed, but it never hurt to be vigilant. He didn’t spot anyone lurking, although there were a thousand potential hiding places. He’d leave the external sensors on tonight anyway, just in case.

Jedd closed the hatch and watched the pressure seal hiss back into place.

And then it was just the two of them. Alone behind closed doors.

“So, do you want the grand tour?”

“I thought we could take it after.” Storm stepped right up into Jedd’s space, crowding him against the bulkhead.

Nice. Jedd liked a man who knew what he wanted. “After what, exactly?”

“After I show you just why I’m the sweetest ride this side of Andromeda.”

“Yeaaah.” Jedd’s body engaged autopilot while his mind filled with images of Storm spread wide for him. “Prepare to be shafted within an inch of your life.”

Storm’s breath huffed out against Jedd’s neck in what sounded suspiciously like a laugh. “And what makes you think I’m going to let you top me?”

“Because you’re my ultimate sexual fantasy made flesh?”

Storm’s wicked grin did fluttery, unsettling things to Jedd’s insides. “I might look like your ultimate fantasy, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to act like it, Captain Hard-on. I’ve spent years bending over as everyone else’s ideal fuck. What if I want to change things up, now that I’m free?”

And what if he did? Jedd’s butt muscles clenched. He always topped. He’d tried bottoming back when he first moved to the city, but he’d quickly decided it hurt too much for his liking. “I always top,” he insisted, his voice sounding less certain than he’d like. It didn’t help that Storm was licking his way up Jedd’s neck, setting all his nerves on fire.

“That’s what you think,” Storm murmured.

Jedd felt Storm’s erection press hot against his thigh, and groaned as Storm’s teeth nipped his earlobe.

Molten want flooded his body as he ground himself against Storm. Would it hurt to give in, just this once?

***

Will Jedd give it up for Storm? Or will a freak asteroid hit before they have a chance to get it on? Find out next week in another thrilling installment of Storm and Lightning!

Storm and Lightning – © Josephine Myles, 2012. No part of this serial fiction may be reproduced elsewhere without prior permission of the author. Thank you!