No Remedy Read online

  Interesting. “I know more than a few things about usefulness. Alec likes to be useful. Don’t you, Alec?”

  The lewd groan was all the answer he needed. Mace glanced at the bed. She bit her bottom lip and her fingers dug into her hips. Byron moved half a step closer, so his breath would tickle the side of her face.

  “See, I like to help people be useful. Before he turned tail and ran, Alec enjoyed me telling him what to do. And I have a feeling you might appreciate someone else taking the lead in your life for a change. Help you work out all those problems piling up before your eyes and resting on your shoulders. I can help you, Mace. If you let me.”

  Another groan from Alec, and Byron knew he couldn’t waste any more time trying to convince Mace to join them. His boy needed him now.

  He knelt on the side of the mattress, giving himself enough room to pull the hem of Alec’s shirt over his head.

  “Let’s get you naked. I promise I’ll make you feel better.”

  “I don’t deserve your help.” Alec sobbed, pressing his cheek against the sheet and bucking his hips into the air. “It burns, Bry.”

  “I know it does.”

  “I need . . . No. Let me suffer.”

  Byron couldn’t help running his hand across Alec’s bare chest, teasing his nipples as he went. “Don’t ask me to do that. You know I looked after you whenever you had a problem.”

  “N-n-n-no.”

  “Sorry, not listening. Pants next.”

  “Let me help.” Mace moved to Alec’s feet and started to pull off his boots.

  “Change your mind?” Byron fumbled over Alec’s belt, fighting against his overeager lover. “I’m not going to have time to coddle you if we do this. Alec is my priority.”

  “I want to help him.” She reached out and ran her hand along his bare arm. “I just . . . Tell me what to do.”

  The knot of apprehension he’d felt was chased away by the rush of anticipation. Byron exhaled slowly, waiting until Mace dropped Alec’s second boot to the floor before taking the final plunge.

  “Good girl. Now strip.”

  Mace didn’t think it was possible for her heart to beat any faster. But when Byron looked up at her with that silver-blue gaze, she thought it was going to pound through the muscle and bone. He was more commanding naked than he’d been fully clothed and armed to the teeth. Unlike other men, Byron really was as dangerous as he let on—with or without weapons.

  Gods, she couldn’t believe she was going to do this—with a stranger.

  She would do everything in her power to help Alec, never mind that he didn’t seem to want the help. His research was the best chance Faolan had. She would make sure Alec was healthy enough to see it through to its conclusion. If that meant succumbing to the sexual desires of a handsome stranger and a man she’d lusted after since nearly the moment she’d met him—well, it really wasn’t much of a hardship.

  With a single step backward, she popped the buttons holding her vest together. Her breasts sprang free of their binding, making her nipples instantly hard. Byron let his gaze run slowly down her front, his eyes widening slightly at the sight. Alec’s face was now turned toward her. He licked his lips and his cock twitched against his bare stomach. His eyes looked almost black; she knew if she got close enough, she’d see that his pupils were fully dilated.

  She could have slipped off the vest, but something kept her from removing it completely. While she wasn’t ashamed of her body, the tease was proving to be as enticing as the main event. A rare occurrence in her experience.

  Biting down on her lip again, she hooked her finger around the button of her pants and popped it free. Shivering from the intensity of their gazes, she kicked off her boots before she shimmied out of the hot leather to let it fall to the floor.

  “Very nice.” Byron shifted to stretch out beside Alec on the bed. “Leave the vest on. Get rid of the rest.”

  With a little effort, she managed to pull her feet free and kick the pants away. If someone had asked her to dress like this, she would have laughed in their face. But in her current state of seminakedness, she felt like a sexual goddess.

  “Alec, you were a smart man to let this one work for you. However, I don’t think you fully appreciated the siren you had hiding beneath that stubborn nose of yours.”

  Alec let out a sob. “It burns.”

  “I know. Mace and I will make it all better.” When Byron ran his hand through Alec’s hair, Mace knew that whatever rift had driven the men apart in the past, there was still something between them—at least on Byron’s side. “Come join us, Mace. You’re no good to me on the other side of the room.”

  Ignoring the nervous twitter in her stomach, she did as he said. She sat on the edge of the bed at first, leaning back to put her weight on her arms. Alec immediately rolled and covered her with his body, forcing her flat to the bed. He pressed his face to her neck; the first swipe of his tongue across her skin drew a soft sigh from her. She’d wanted him for so long, denied her own pleasure knowing that Gar and Faolan were suffering. She’d forgotten how devastating a simple touch could be.

  Mace hadn’t realized her eyes had slipped shut until she felt a hand force its way into her hair, cupping the back of her head. Opening them, she looked over at Byron. Gone was the cocky bounty hunter and jilted lover. In his place spoke a man who knew what he wanted and rarely took no for an answer.

  “Alec, you’re lucky you’re not in a good way at the moment. Otherwise I’d have to ignore you in favor of this luscious creature.”

  She shivered.

  “Want to watch.” Alec bit down softly on her shoulder. “I want to watch you fuck her.”

  “Not now. Maybe next time I’ll tie you up so you won’t have a choice. I’ll pound into her across your lap until you’re begging me to let you come. Would you like that?”

  Alec stiffened against her and groaned. Her pussy clenched as a rush of wet trickled down and dampened her thighs. In the next breath, Alec was pulled away from her and was once more laid out flat before her. Byron didn’t hesitate, covering Alec’s mouth in a deep kiss. Alec responded immediately, reaching up to lock his arms around Byron’s neck.

  With them occupied, Mace took in the sight of the men, the strength of their bodies as they rubbed against each other. Sweat and the scent of male arousal washed over her, filling her senses and making her head spin.

  She groaned and let her fingers find their way to her cunt. Brushing the soft curls, she sought out her clit and pressed down. With her free hand, she reached over to caress the top of Alec’s thigh, teasing the coarse hair as she approached his cock.

  Avoiding more intimate contact, she dug her nails into his skin as she swiped the pubic hair on her way up to his stomach. With his eyes closed and without breaking their kiss, Byron reached over and captured her hand. Sightless, he guided her back down to Alec’s cock. Instinctively she wrapped her fingers around the hot, engorged flesh, and her stomach flipped at the strangled noise Alec made in the back of his throat.

  Byron pulled back, panting, turning his head enough to look at her. “Lick his nipples. He likes that, and it will help make him come faster. And stop touching yourself. I haven’t given you permission to do that yet.”

  Bastard.

  To decrease the temptation, she shifted her position on the bed so she required both hands to keep her balance to do what Byron instructed. While she was no shy virgin, her recent experiences with men had been relegated to the boring variety. The few times she’d had more adventurous encounters, she’d been forced to move on too quickly. There were few chances at repeat performances as a pirate if you didn’t have a lover among the crew. Which was why something as mundane as licking a nipple somehow seemed thrilling. Her mouth watered, forcing her to swallow before leaning fully over Alec, flattening her tongue and lapping at the tight bud. The reaction was near instantaneous.

  Alec’s spine bowed so severely, Byron was forced to press him back into the mattress. Mace used he
r body weight to hold him down as well, but continued her attack. Alec latched on to her shoulder, squeezing hard.

  “Yes, yes, yes, yes,” he chanted steadily. “More. Give me more now.”

  “You can’t wait, can you?” Byron muttered. “Mace, do you have any lube?”

  Her brain didn’t want to cooperate. She had to think hard. “This is my brother’s ship. I think he has some in the table.”

  “Get it.”

  She never thought she’d jump to follow any man’s command—other than her captain’s—but something in Byron’s voice had her obeying before she even considered doing otherwise. A quick search of Gar’s possessions turned up a mostly full bottle of lube. Pushing away images she never wanted to have of her brother, she went back to the bed.

  She was in time to see Byron shift Alec’s legs to either side of his shoulders and lie between them. Climbing onto the bed to kneel beside the two men, she watched Byron lick a long path from Alec’s asshole to the tip of his cock. The sight almost made her come on the spot.

  Without looking directly at her, Byron extended two fingers. Mace cursed her nervousness as she squeezed lube onto them. Making sure to get in between the digits, she used as much as she thought necessary before pulling back.

  Byron moaned his appreciation as he set out to stretch Alec’s ass. Fascinated, she watched him prepare his lover, stretching Alec wide and getting him ready to accept Byron’s cock. Mace didn’t know what to do with herself, and finally decided to explore Alec’s chest once again.

  With tongue, teeth, and fingers, she teased Alec. The sweat on his skin tasted unusually sweet, an addiction she could quickly acquire. She wondered if Byron was right, and Alec had been experimenting on his own DNA. In this case she liked the result, but she worried about what other features might be lurking inside him.

  Alec’s arms wrapped around her to pull her up for a kiss. Every brush of his lips against hers was a fantasy come true. A mix of hard and soft bodies. She knew she could either melt completely against him or burst into flames. Alec suddenly turned his head to groan.

  “F-f-f-fuck.”

  Byron had gotten to his knees and was pushing his cock into Alec’s ass. The angry red tip of Alec’s cock deepened in color as Byron filled him. Mace stopped breathing until the two of them settled.

  “Gods,” she breathed.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m just getting started.” Byron smirked, thrusting forward shallowly. “We’ll have some real fun in a moment. For now I want you to jerk him off until he comes.”

  Alec’s eyes rolled back. “Yes.”

  Mace knew enough about Brasillian syndrome to know Alec would need as many orgasms as they could give him. They’d all be sore and tired long before he built up enough natural defenses to stave off the worst of the symptoms.

  Wrapping her hand around Alec’s cock, she looked at Byron to set the pace. Taking the counterpoint to his thrust, together they worked Alec’s body until he was panting furiously. Byron pounded into him harder and faster until Mace felt Alec tense beneath her.

  With no warning, Alec’s face contorted into a mask of pleasure as cum shot from his cock in white ropes that covered both her hand and his stomach. Byron rode him through the aftershocks, slowing his pace until Alec was no longer moving.

  Looking over at Byron, Mace was fascinated by the sweat soaking his skin. He clearly hadn’t orgasmed with Alec. Running his fingers through Alec’s cum, Byron scooped up as much of the fluid as he could before holding his hand out to her.

  “Lick it off.” The deep, gravelly quality had returned to his voice.

  She hesitated. Locking her gaze with Byron’s, she leaned forward and sucked both his fingers into her mouth, swirling her tongue around and between them. Byron gritted his teeth but didn’t look away. Only once she was done did she release him with a pop.

  “Now what?” She was pleased her voice didn’t shake.

  Byron chuckled, giving his hips a lazy thrust forward. “He’s still nice and hard. I know he has one or two good orgasms still in him. Are you on the standard precautions?”

  Mace nodded. Faolan allowed his crew to take no chances with “one in every port” diseases—or with pregnancy, as the condition made interdimensional travel unfeasible. Everybody on the Belle Kurve received military-grade inoculations and birth control.

  “Good.” Byron flicked the base of Alec’s erection, eliciting a whimper from him. “Get on top and ride his cock. Face him, not me.”

  Her breath caught, but she complied without argument. Not sure of the best way to approach things, she knelt up before turning to face Alec. While he didn’t look unhappy to have her climbing onto his lap, there was still a sense of urgency reflected in his eyes. Not sure exactly how quickly the Brasillian symptoms would start to wear him down, she swung her leg over his body and settled over his cock. It would be best to drive him over the edge as quickly as possible.

  Looking Alec in the face proved to be a bit harder than she’d anticipated. While she had no doubt he was aware of her churning emotions, this wasn’t exactly how she’d envisioned their relationship starting out—though in a way, it was exactly how she should have figured things would go. Fast and unpredictable.

  Alec reached up as she settled him at her opening, giving herself room to sink down the length of his shaft. When she fell forward, he cupped her breasts, pinching her nipples between his fingers.

  “Gods, you’re fucking beautiful. Just like I’d dreamed.”

  She closed her eyes but didn’t stop her smile. “Thank you.”

  Hands cupped her ass from behind, reminding her of Byron’s presence. “No coming until I say. Alec gets to go before us.”

  “Hardly seems fair,” she said on a sigh as she swiveled her hips to grind down. “I think we’ve earned a treat.”

  A hard slap to her ass drove a cry from her. “Not until I say.”

  “Trust Byron, Mace. He’ll look after you. He makes things so good.”

  Leaning forward to brace her weight on her forearms, Mace knew Alec was right. She pressed her mouth to his ear and sucked the lobe into her mouth as Byron began to thrust once more in earnest.

  After a few moments, they fell into a new rhythm. Byron would thrust deep into Alec, pushing him into her cunt with each snap forward. Moaning, grunting, and groaning filled the room, making Mace’s skin tingle. Alec’s thick cock filled her, setting her nerve endings on fire. The drag of skin on skin burned into her memory. Alec wrapped his arms around her, his knees bracketing either side of her hips while Byron drove them closer to completion.

  Her body began to shake, the muscles tightening and relaxing as she drew closer to her release. It was far harder than she thought it would be to fight against the promise of bliss, but somehow she managed to hold her own.

  “Byron.” Alec bucked up hard into her. “I need to come.”

  A soft groan behind her preceded Byron leaning forward to press his forehead to Mace’s back. His sweat-soaked skin slid across hers. “Gods, yes.”

  Alec thrashed beneath her, in no way resembling the formal and professional man who had never once acted in an inappropriate manner toward her. He squeezed her tight with his legs and arms, bucking up hard and coming with a shout.

  Behind her, Byron cursed and shifted, pulling her back against his chest. He buried his fingers in the short curls of her hair, licking at her shoulders.

  “Can you feel him? His cum deep inside your pussy? He’s wanted to fuck you for a long time. Do you like his cock inside you? Alec, I want you to touch her clit. Make her come hard.”

  Mace didn’t have time to catch her breath before Alec did as he was told. Both their juices soaked her cunt and covered his shaft and pubic hair. Alec caught as much of it as he could from their joined bodies, pressing his thumb against her clit. It took only the barest of contacts for her to seize up. A scream ripped from her chest. Waves of pleasure crashed through her until she could no longer form coherent thought.
r />   Muscles weak, she fell forward onto Alec’s chest. Byron continued to thrust, then his hips stuttered before he finally cried out and slumped over her back.

  They lay together in a massive heap, panting desperately to catch their breath. A hand stroked her hair, tucking the loose strands behind her ear. She didn’t quite care who it was, though she had the uneasy impression Byron was laying a claim over her.

  When she couldn’t take the weighty silence any longer, Mace rolled off Alec, displacing Byron in the process. “How are you feeling?”

  “Tired,” Alec muttered. “My skin . . . is still . . . burning.”

  “That’s the particles from the dimension gate swirling around inside that thick skull of yours.” Byron slapped Alec’s thigh. “What the hell were you doing to get stuck with Brasillian syndrome? More importantly, why didn’t you say something?”

  “I tried.” Alec stiffened and turned away from both of them. At least with Byron there, Mace had an ally to get him to talk. They reached at the same time, stopping him from his retreat.

  Alec stared at them both, and she didn’t like the serious expression he now wore. He looked angry and frustrated, both emotions she’d rarely seen from him.

  “I was trying to find a way to help.” His jaw clenched. “I was fixing a mistake.”

  “Help who?” Mace shook her head, baffled. “Brasillian syndrome isn’t very common in this part of the galaxy. We’re not even in the same quadrant as the Syrili system.” She ran her hand along his arm, hoping the little reassurance she could offer would be accepted. “Though I’m sure they would thank you if you managed to find a more accessible cure.”

  Alec sat up straight, his gaze never dropping from hers. She’d seen the look on his face before—from a pirate who’d been convicted of a crime. One he’d been guilty of.

  “I killed them.”

  Mace stiffened in Byron’s embrace, not believing what she’d heard. “What? Who?”

  “All of them. I killed them all.”

  Alec was strangely relieved to finally tell someone. His blood still burned from the dimension jump, distracting him. It would be easier for him to give in to the pain and brush his words aside as a delusion. He couldn’t—wouldn’t do that. He owed it to the people he’d wronged to let the truth come out. Closing his eyes for the briefest of moments, he swallowed past the growing tightness of his throat. There was only one final wrong for him to right. Shit, he should have gotten further with his research given all the time he’d had to fix things. Facing Byron again, letting Mace know exactly the type of monster he really was, would have been far easier if he could show them his penance.