Song of the Navigator by Astrid Amara Page B

almond skin glistened with sweat. At some point he’d taken off his shirt, and now Tover found himself distracted by the sight of that muscled torso, flexing and bending, as his lover looked for the advantage in sinking the ball.
    â€œYou get the galaxy’s best blow job,” Tover promised, and Cruz’s laugh bounced off the gym walls, and his eyes sparkled. He kicked the ball hard, but Tover could sense where the ball headed and he blocked it in time.
    Cruz shook his head. “No fair using your superpowers,” he complained. Tover kicked the ball back to Cruz and wiped sweat from his forehead.
    â€œWhat do I get if I win?” Tover asked.
    Cruz didn’t hesitate. “I’ll fuck you so hard you won’t be able to stand for a week.”
    Desire flooded Tover’s body, and he shuddered in expectation. Despite the fact that they had screwed only two hours before, his cock twitched in his shorts. Cruz smiled, brushed back his black hair with his hand, then put his hand down the front of his own shorts.
    Tover watched, excited, wondering what he’d do next.
    Cruz kicked the ball, and Tover, distracted, missed it. The ball shot into the goal and Cruz raised his arms in triumph.
    â€œHa ha ! Blow job!”
    Tover shook his head. “That was cheating.”
    â€œI can’t help it if you’re easily distracted.” Cruz grinned.
    Tover approached Cruz, and his heart did a little flip as Cruz pulled him in the rest of the way, kissing him deeply, his body sweaty and musky, heat radiating from him in delicious invitation. They kissed for a long time.
    â€œDo you have time for a rematch or do I need to get to your prize right now?” Tover asked.
    Cruz sighed. “I need to be at customs in an hour. My ship leaves on the next pulse.”
    Tover pulled away, looking for his sweat towel. He felt disappointment building inside of him. Even though these were only flings—pure sex, nothing more—he found it harder and harder to say goodbye every time Cruz left. Tover would simply have to deal. It wasn’t like Cruz would stay on the station for him.
    Not for the first time, Tover considered asking Cruz to go with him on vacation. Tover had hundreds of vacation hours saved up, but he found he disliked travelling alone, and he had quickly tired of the company he’d brought on previous trips.
    But he knew he wouldn’t get sick of Cruz’s companionship. Cruz’s mysterious silences were a welcome reprieve from the lovers who had talked incessantly.
    Nevertheless, Tover didn’t ask Cruz. He was afraid the answer would be no, and Tover’s ego would bruise badly from it. It was better to wait, and make sure Cruz would say yes, before he exposed himself like that.
    So they took a shower, and Tover gave Cruz his winning blow job, and they talked about Tover’s newest bird shipping in from a wildlife park on Greater Arland. Tover had casually asked Cruz when he thought he’d be back.
    â€œI’m not sure.” He always said that. Cruz reached down and cradled Tover’s genitals in his hands. He looked into Tover’s eyes. “I’m trying to get the Carida contract,” Cruz had said. “If I do, I’ll have to travel at least once a week.”
    Tover smiled at that, and Cruz smiled back. Cruz had rested his forehead against Tover’s, and something lurched in Tover’s chest again. How the hell was he supposed to sit around and wait for this feeling indefinitely?
    Cruz kissed him, then let go of Tover’s balls, and quickly dressed. Tover busied himself, ordering a lavish meal for one to be brought up to his aviary. He kissed Cruz once more and waved goodbye. He didn’t like waiting at the door when Cruz left.
    But as Tover sat in his birdcage, listening to the sounds of his beloved pets, he couldn’t help but wonder why he never followed Cruz to the door when he departed. He suspected it was