Dare: A M/M Sci-Fi Romance (Mindset Duet Book 1)

23. Chapter 23

Lewis knocked briefly on Mr. Stravetta”s door just before entering at fifteen hundred hours. He stepped in with a greeting ready to go but was struck dumb by the vision of his boss kissing the empath, as though he would die without him. Flushing red, he was about to back out, hoping he hadn”t been seen, when Stravetta held up a hand, holding him in place.

The older man slowly pulled away from the Mindset, giving him one last gentle kiss. Lewis could only see the back of Dare”s head as he burrowed in between Stravetta”s neck and chest. Jason firmed his hold on the empath, before turning to look at his bodyguard, giving him a slow smile.

His blush fading, Lewis ducked his head. ”I”m sorry, sir. I didn”t know…I mean, I wasn”t thinking that you”d be, ah, occupied with Mr. Munro. You asked to be notified when it was fifteen hundred. Should I come back later?”

Jason shook his head, then bent over to listen to what Dare was murmuring. He nodded, giving the younger man a smile, then looked back over at Lewis. ”Mr. Munro says it”s fine to call him Dare, and we agree it”s time to move back up to the suite. Give us a moment, Lewis, and we”ll be ready to go.”

Lewis backed out quickly, the door closing behind him. Untangling from each other, Dare gave the older man a blissful smile. ”That was great. You”re a wonderful kisser. That marks another concern off my list.”

Jason”s eyes widened comically. ”You have a list? What is this? A tryout?”

The empath grinned, then licked his slightly swollen lips. ”It”s important we be compatible, isn”t it? I love kissing, and you are world class in that category.” Jason looked heavenward, shaking his head. Dare”s smile faded as he looked concerned. ”Are you upset? I didn”t mean to…make you feel weird or anything.”

The older man leaned in, giving him a soft kiss on the lips, his own puffy and red. ”No, I”m not upset with you. I enjoy kissing, too, so it”s great we can share that. What shall we do next, and do I get to choose this time?”

Dare leaned into him, Jason”s arm pulling him close. ”Whatever we do, as long as we both enjoy it, I”m game. I”m thinking that having sex is going to happen much sooner than we thought. I wanted to leap on you just from kissing, and I felt the same from you–my shield dropped just a little, that”s how I know. I don”t think ”going slow” is going to work.”

Jason chuckled. ”No, I don”t think it is. We”re men, and patience is not one of my virtues. You tell me when you want to spend the night, and I”ll be more than ready for you. Has your cock deflated? Mine finally did, so I think we can join the redoubtable Lewis now.”

Dare nodded, giving him a thoughtful glance. ”I hope we didn”t embarrass him too much.”

Jason gave him a wry look in return. ”He”ll live, and probably never open the door again without calling out first.”

It was a swift lift ride to Jason”s deck. Dare met the other two staff on Jason”s payroll, Henry and Lola. They did the cooking, cleaning, and other tasks such as laundry. They were an older couple, and from their smiles, had been with Jason for a long time. Both gave the empath a warm, polite smile. Henry informed his boss that Derek had already gone to his room. Sensitized by their recent close contact, Dare felt Jason”s displeasure about that, but said nothing. He did, however, firm up his shields.

The suite itself surprised Dare, although he couldn”t say why, given who Jason was. It opened into a living area, complete with a couch, a low table, and two armchairs. The bed and bathroom were off that, with an office on the other side of the living room. The rooms for Henry and Lola were off the small kitchen. That room looked much like Dare”s current berth but was large enough for two. Lewis and Derek had rooms in the corridor on either side of the suite. The empath only got a glimpse of the bedroom with its large bed, and the bath that had its own shower.

Jason sent everyone to get settled again, then turned to the Mindset. He gave the younger man a questioning look. ”Well, this is my home. What do you think?”

Dare stared at him mutely for a moment, feeling strangely overwhelmed. ”I think it”s bigger than anything I”ve ever lived in. I feel kind of exposed in so much space, to be honest.” Jason frowned as the younger man hastily added, ”I”m sure I”ll get used to it. I mean, it”s nice and everything.”

The older man”s expression tightened when he heard Dare trying to placate him. ”I”m not upset or anything. I guess I never thought of this as being big, especially compared to where I grew up. I know I”ve had a privileged life, and you haven”t. I don”t care if I stay here or go back to my berth next to yours. I don”t want you to feel uncomfortable, so don”t force yourself into accepting this place. I mean that, Dare.”

Dare sighed, then finally met Jason”s eyes. ”That”s very nice of you, but we won”t fit into the bed together in either of those berths. Your bed looks decadent, and I really, really want to take a shower in your bathroom. I know we come from different lifestyles. I know you”re wealthy and I”m not. I”m not into any of that crap. Stay up here, and I”ll visit you as much as I can. It”ll be like a wonderful vacation for me, and you”ll be comfortable. That matters to me as much as my comfort does to you.”

The older man nodded. ”If you change your mind, tell me. You”re more important to me than all these things. Do you want to sit down and talk some more?”

The empath glanced at the comm by the door, checking the time. ”You know what will happen if we sit down together,” giving Jason a mischievous smile. ”You need to get settled in, and I”m meeting Riis for dinner.” He glanced around the room. ”I know you have a meeting tonight and will want to check on all of that. I”ll see you tomorrow for lunch, alright?”

”Fine, be that way.” Jason grinned, then gave the Mindset a serious glance. ”Does all of this mean we”re boyfriends now? I don”t know what to call what we have.”

Dare wrinkled his nose. ”I”ve never liked that term. We”re not boys. I think we”re friends, soon to be lovers. I really care about you, Jason, and that”s what matters most to me.”

Stravetta nodded, his voice soft. ”That means everything to me, too. Say hello to Riis for me, and I”ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well.”

Jason walked him to the door, surprised when Dare hugged him tightly. ”You, too, J.”

The captain arrived exactly on time, in his dress uniform. Jason met him at the door, glad he”d put on a suit.

”Good evening, captain. I trust you had a reasonable day.”

The captain bowed his head, then politely smiled. ”If reasonable includes moving day for some of my officers, nervous engineers, and coming up here for dinner, then it was, as you say, pretty reasonable. You know you don”t have to feed me to see me. I would have come to you if you”d asked, without the dinner invite.”

Jason shook his head, sighing. ”Captain, let”s pretend for a moment that you like me. I already respect you. I have no nefarious purpose for asking you to dine with me, other than to exchange some information with you that may impact this ship and has impacted me. As far as dinner goes, I don”t enjoy eating alone, so there you are. Since we”re both dressed up, let”s have a decent meal, and then I”ll give you my news. Does that meet your approval?”

Arends gave him a wry smile. ”Well, when you put it that way, how can I refuse? For the record, Mr. Stravetta, it”s not that I don”t like you. It”s that I don”t trust you.”

The older man met the captain”s glance. ”I see. Perhaps what I tell you tonight will change that. I can only hope.” Jason moved forward towards his office. ”We are eating in here, as it is the most secure room in this suite. The dining room is nothing to get excited about, anyway.”

Arends eyes widened, but he kept pace with his host. ”Curiouser and curiouser, Mr. Stravetta.”

”Keep that thought, captain, because it only gets better.”