ExtremeCircumstances Page 4

  The cockpit looked as if it’d been abandoned for a couple of months. Long weeds grew through the cracks in the glass and metal of the structure and crept in through the open door to blanket the floor without any sign of being disturbed. Still, he kept his weapon trained in front of him as he made his way into the cabin of the vessel. As soon as he stepped through the small hatch he had to clench his jaw in order to keep from gagging. Three skeletons in full uniform remained locked in their seats. Their flesh had been scavenged by local wildlife at some point. Staring at them, he found himself hoping there’d been a crash and these poor unfortunate souls had died upon impact. To be locked in restraints while animals picked at your body. He shuddered at the thought.

  He took a moment to push the image out of his head before approaching the remains. After he’d holstered his weapon he pulled his reader out of a pocket and then used the device to scan the tags on the men’s uniforms. He wasn’t shocked when each scan came back with a name, rank and missing-in-action status. He took a picture of each of the corpses and filed them in the database. These men deserved the dignity of closed files and their families deserved their military death benefits. He couldn’t give them much but he could give them that.

  After Julian pulled the men’s readers out of their uniforms and stowed them in his backpack he did one last visual sweep of the shuttle before leaving it. He needed to find Diller so they could get to the rendezvous point. He didn’t want to be alone and unprepared when night fell in the jungle.

  He made his way to the east as he kept his attention focused on the landscape around him. His hand rested on the gun’s grip but he wasn’t just keeping an eye out for hostile life forms. He also made sure to watch for any trace of Diller. The man should’ve found him by now. Julian had only gone twenty yards farther when he discovered the nature of Diller’s delay. The man was squatting close to the ground as he examined the remains of five men.

  “I found their shuttle about thirty yards west of here. The hull was reflecting sunlight. That’s what Gates saw.” Now that the threat had been identified they didn’t need to remain silent. Actually a little chatter might even help keep some of the smaller local wildlife at a distance.

  Diller looked up at Julian and nodded before returning his attention to the bodies. They were picked clean like the men in the shuttle but vines and weeds had started growing over what was left of their bones. “Were there any men in the shuttle?”

  “Three. They’d been scavenged. I scanned their tags and filed their identities in the database.”

  “Eight soldiers. Either they had a small team or there are more of them yet to be discovered.”

  Julian leaned over and grabbed the soldiers’ readers out of their pockets and then put them in his backpack with the others. After being exposed to the elements for god only knew how long, chances were they didn’t work. Still, he’d hate to leave any evidence behind based on an assumption.

  “What are you planning on doing with those?” Diller looked up at him as Julian closed his backpack.

  “Hand them over to Gates. Figure there might be some helpful information on them.”

  The man stared at him for a moment longer as if weighing the truthfulness of his answer before nodding. “That’s a good idea.”

  “Thanks.” Julian took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. This was one of those times being a super-soldier wasn’t so super. When Diller had openly challenged him, Julian’s body had flooded with adrenaline. He wanted to fight. Now he had to keep himself in check until his endorphins were regulated again.

  “Should’ve thought of it myself.” Diller shook his head and then took out his reader to scan and catalog the remains. “I swear. Being on this planet has me so on edge that I’m not even thinking straight anymore.”

  “You and everyone else, man.” Julian put his backpack on again before offering the man a hand up. “As far as first missions go, I think I got screwed. I’d rather take the damn shot for the rest of my life than be here.”

  Diller chuckled as they started making their way through the jungle to the rendezvous point. “I hear ya. This is starting to feel like a disciplinary mission if ever I’ve been on one.”

  Julian took a moment to study Diller’s olive complexion and trim physique. Coupled with his suave personality, Diller had the tools to get into all the best kinds of trouble. “And I’m guessing you’ve been on a couple.”

  Diller laughed. “Maybe just a few more than a couple. Ever wonder who you pissed off to get the assignment?”

  “Nah. If this is a punishment, I know who put me here.” But most likely his father had put him on the roster out of some misguided sense of pride. It was why, as much as he disliked his father, he could never truly hate the man. He seemed to think he was doing these things as a fatherly duty.

  “Me too. Some women get seriously pissed when you don’t call. Just because you have to obey their orders during the day doesn’t mean you should be subjected to them at night though.”

  Julian groaned in commiseration. “Screwing a superior officer is always trouble.”

  “But they sound so lovely when they’re screaming your name.”

  He nearly moaned and his cock got hard at the thought of Gates calling out Julian’s name during climax. “That they do.”

  Diller laughed and slapped Julian’s shoulder playfully. “Damn straight.”

  They fell into a companionable silence as they hiked through the terrain. The planet was no safer than when they’d woken up that morning but it also wasn’t any more dangerous. He had to take comfort in that knowledge. If the Coalition were here, their mission would be infinitely more difficult.

  They reached the rendezvous point ahead of schedule but Gates’ team had still beaten them there. The camp had been set up and some men were already eating rations. “Thanks for waiting for us,” Julian said sarcastically as he dug his tent out of his backpack. When he managed to get the shelter up he put his backpack into it and then joined the rest of the men near the fire. “Any idea where Gates is?”

  Gates hadn’t wandered off since that first night. But maybe since they’d had a couple quiet days he’d decided solitary hikes were safe again.

  “Over here, rookie.” Gates stepped out of a tent on the east side of camp.

  Julian clenched his jaw with irritation but then forced the muscle to relax. Ever since the night of the spider encounter, Gates refused to call him anything other than rookie. “Great. I figured you’d want a report as soon as possible.”

  Gates nodded and then motioned Julian to join him near the edge of the camp. “What’d you find?”

  As Julian made his way over to him, though, Gates started to walk into the jungle. Of all the things Julian didn’t need after the stress and exhaustion of the day, being alone with Gates topped the list. Still, it wasn’t as if he could just stand there and watch Gates leave. He obviously planned on Julian following him. When Gates finally stopped walking several yards into the dense underbrush, Julian answered. “We found a military shuttle and the remains of eight of her crew. I recovered their readers. They’re in my tent.”

  “Good job. Any trouble?”

  “Nope. The jungle was quiet today.”

  “Good to hear.”

  That was all that really needed to be said. But Julian found that as much as he hadn’t wanted to be alone with Gates, he wasn’t ready to go back to camp. Not yet at least. “What are we dealing with here, sir?”

  “I’m sorry?” Gates’ voice held more challenge than apology however.

  “We’ve come up against some weird shit on this planet. Still, what could take out an entire group of enhanced soldiers?” He looked around them into the jungle as he spoke. “It looked as if three of them died in the landing. Okay. I get it. Sometimes transport is dangerous. But Diller found five of them dead just forty yards away. They were the best of the best and they barely made it off their shuttle.”

  “My best guess is that the military chose a
poor landing site and underestimated the manpower needed for their mission. Looks as though both flaws were corrected with us.”

  “No, there’s more going on here. I can feel it. What are we dealing with, sir?” he pressed again.

  Gates ran his fingers through his hair in apparent frustration. “I don’t have the answers you’re looking for. I got the same file the rest of you did.”

  “And you’re okay with that?” He realized that Gates didn’t have the luxury of being okay with any of this. They were soldiers with orders. But he couldn’t stop the question. “Chances are, some team is going to be identifying my corpse in a couple months time. I’d like to know what I’m walking into my own death for. What merits the sacrifice of two enhanced teams?”

  Gates grabbed Julian’s chin and forced him to meet his gaze as he took a step closer. “You aren’t going to die.” The warmth of his breath caressed Julian’s skin as he spoke.

  He pulled back from Gates’ touch. It was too much. He already had a hard time being alone with the object of his wet dreams. After the stress of the last week, he didn’t think he could handle much more contact from the man without snapping and doing something unthinkable. “Thanks for the morale boost, boss.” Even Julian could hear the dry bitterness in his voice.

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “I’m not the rookie you keep trying to make me out to be. This may be my first mission with your team but I have been around the block a time or two. I know that, as my commander, it’s your job to tell me I’m not going to die. Kind of makes the words hollow when someone is being paid to say them.” He turned to leave but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. “Don’t touch me.” He tried to shrug Gates’ hand off but he held tight.

  “You’re scared and stressed. Your adrenaline has been at peak levels for four days. And you’re having a hard time getting your hormones under control.” Gates pulled on Julian’s shoulder as he spoke, turning Julian to face him. “It’s your first time going through it. You are a rookie. But we’re all dealing with it. Snapping at each other is only going to make it worse.”

  Every word Gates spoke was the truth but there was so much more. “That’s only part of the problem.” His nostrils flared as he pulled in harsh breaths. Gates was too close. And he was challenging Julian. Every atom in Julian’s body demanded he show dominance.

  “We’re all dealing with it,” Gates repeated. As if hearing the words a second time would make a difference.

  “I don’t think you have a fucking clue what I’m dealing with. If you did, you wouldn’t still be touching me, sir.”

  “Do you want to go a couple rounds? Work out some of that aggression with hand-to-hand?”

  Julian’s sharp peal of laughter broke through the night. It just proved how right he’d been when he’d called Gates clueless. That along with the hormones and endorphins flooding his system made him bold beyond all reason. “I have no desire to kick your ass, sir. So if that’s what you’re offering, we might as well go back to camp and call it a night.”

  Gates stared at him in silence for a second as if trying to understand what Julian had just said. He could probably make it clearer for the man. But Julian wasn’t in a particularly giving mood. He was at the end of his rope.

  “If you don’t want to fight me, I can get one of the others. You’re teetering on the brink and need to work off some of the extra adrenaline.”

  “I don’t want to fight.” His words were clipped with what little control he had left.

  One of Gates’ eyebrows arched in question and then his thumb skimmed over Julian’s arm in what could only be considered a caress. Julian closed his eyes as his entire body shuddered in response.

  “Fuck.” The surprise in Gates’ voice made Julian smile.

  He opened his eyes and stared at his commander. “Exactly. Now. Are we done here?” Now that Gates knew where Julian stood, surely the man would give him some space to cool off.

  “No.” Gates’ face was an emotionless mask but his voice was harsh—demanding. Some of Julian’s frustration dissipated as uncertainty started to roll through him. Was Gates going to reprimand him? And if so, for what? Julian might have been disrespectful but Gates had pushed him to it.

  Before he could consider the possible fallout any further, Gates’ mouth descended on his in a show of crushing dominance. Julian let out a slight whimper of surprise but then he began to burn with the heat of the kiss. Needing to feel Gates’ body against his, Julian grabbed Gates around the waist and pulled him closer. But it still wasn’t enough. Julian had to have more so he brushed the tip of his tongue against the other man’s lips. Gates shivered and moaned at the contact and he opened his mouth to Julian’s explorations.

  Gates tasted of coffee, mint and raw power. Julian took a second to enjoy his flavor before he ran his hands up Gates’ muscular back so he could wind his fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. The kiss itself was a struggle for control. But it was so intoxicating that Julian quickly found himself bowing to Gates’ authority. It felt too good not to. And Gates immediately responded to the surrender. He moved his hands down the length of Julian’s body until he reached his waist. With one quick tug, Julian’s shirt was free of his pants, allowing a gentle breeze to drift over his skin. They broke the kiss just long enough for Gates to pull the shirt up and over Julian’s head. But as soon as the piece of clothing hit the jungle floor, Julian fell back into Gates’ embrace.

  He shouldn’t be doing this. This would make everything more complicated. But this was the best he’d felt in more than a month. Gates knew how to kiss. Already Julian’s mind was fuzzy and his body longed to be touched so badly that he hurt with it. He pushed away from Gates just a fraction of an inch but Julian had no intention of stopping. He only wanted to undo the other man’s pants. He’d been waiting for this for so long. Endless days hiking thought rough terrain and sleepless nights fantasizing about Gates’ touch and taste had left him dangerously close to the edge. So close that the harsh hiss of the metal zipper as Julian slid it down almost made him come.

  Unable to wait any longer, he pushed Gates’ pants and boxers down over his hips and then wrapped his hand around Gates’ erection. This was what he’d been craving ever since they landed on this forsaken planet. And now he held it in the palm of his hand. Gates moaned and flexed his hips, thrusting his cock into Julian’s grasp and immediately Julian wanted to drop to his knees and suck Gates’ cock deep into his throat. But he didn’t want to give up the frantic kisses that were making his heart race and his body tingle. He wanted every touch, every taste and every sensation so he let Gates thrust into his hand as he caressed the tip of Gates’ erection with his thumb until he couldn’t bear the temptation any longer. After one last delve into Gates’ mouth, Julian went to his knees in front of him.

  Julian looked up at Gates as he slowly took Gates’ cock into his mouth. The look of pure tortured pleasure Gates gave him made sacrificing the kisses worth it. And when Julian closed his mouth around Gates’ cock the man groaned and tangled his fingers into Julian’s hair on either side of his head. The slight bite of pain was just enough to take the edge off Julian’s hunger and made it so he could enjoy sucking Gates off. With sure, confident thrusts Gates plunged into Julian’s mouth as Julian cupped Gates’ ass and kneaded the muscular globes. It might make everything more complicated but even Julian had to admit that it felt good to have Gates fucking his mouth.

  It felt better than good. It felt right. Julian moaned with pleasure as he trailed his fingertip from Gates’ ass to the tight, puckered opening of his anus. Instantly Gates grew even harder in his mouth. And as Julian imagined what it would be like to fuck Gates’ ass his own erection grew painful behind his zipper. This was exactly the release he needed. Julian moaned deep in his throat as he penetrated Gates’ ass with a fingertip.

  “Fuck.” Gates pulled Julian’s head tighter to him and shuddered as he came down Julian’s throat. It was warm and salty and Julian hap
pily swallowed every drop before he pulled back so he could lick Gates’ still-hard cock.

  “Stand up, Jules.”

  So he was no longer “rookie”, then. If he had known a blowjob was all it took to get rid of the horrible nickname he would’ve gone down on Gates that first night. “Yes sir.”

  As soon as Julian was standing, Gates pulled up his boxers and pants and then kissed Julian again. Julian opened his mouth to the kiss and allowed Gates to taste himself in Julian’s mouth. It was hugely arousing to know the man’s flavor clung to him. Apparently the turn-on was shared by Gates. He couldn’t seem to get enough out of the kiss. Without breaking the contact, Gates pushed against him and Julian took a couple steps backward until his back brushed against a tree.

  Gates unfastened Julian’s pants and then slipped his hand down the front of them to caress Julian. The touch was simple but it sparked a tempest of need in Julian so intense that his knees nearly buckled. He had to brace his weight against the tree’s trunk in order to stay upright.

  As Gates stroked Julian’s cock he left a trail of kisses down Julian’s neck. And when he got to the sensitive skin where Julian’s neck met his shoulder Gates bit down. It wasn’t hard enough to leave a mark but it did make Julian’s stomach cramp with desire and his body tense with need. Need that was quickly becoming all-consuming. The sensations were overwhelming. He couldn’t think past the rough slide of Gates’ hand and the firm kisses the man left against Julian’s skin as he worked his way down his body. It all combined to leave Julian lightheaded and breathing hard.