Playboy Tellan knows other races consider his people
spoiled and arrogant, but he’s determined to put aside fine sheets and elegant
meals in order to search for a mythical Domidian elixir for his ailing sister.
He’s also smart enough to realize he’ll need help staying alive in the
unsettled wastes of the Empty Quadrant. Enter Jorant, an intimidating Atavaq
who’s been genetically modified to be the perfect soldier. On the run from his
past, Jorant accepts the task of protecting Tellan as they venture to a planet
populated by tentacled monsters and space pirates. As they search for the
potion, Jorant realizes his Domidian client isn’t as helpless as he’d assumed,
and Tellan is intrigued every time the taciturn bodyguard speaks. Will their
unexpected attraction to each other survive the dangers threatening to destroy
them?
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Enjoy a behind the scenes exclusive from The Essent Quest
Jorant and Tellan’s Truth or Dare
By J. J. Lore
A clean bed, a full
belly, and a securely locked door. Not to mention a warm, naked man sprawled
next to him. Jorant sighed and luxuriated in the comforts. He and Tellan had
survived numerous perils and were now on a ship, heading for Domid, planet of
sophisticated amusements and great wealth. What would happen once they arrived,
he didn’t know, but as a warrior he knew how to enjoy his down time and not go
looking for trouble.
Tellan stirred and sent
a firm arm scooting across Jorant’s abdomen. His Domidian partner was very
tactile, something Jorant wasn’t used to in bed mates. Before it had always
been pleasure, sleep, then on to a mission.
“Tell me you napped, at
least.” Tellan pressed his face to Jorant’s arm and rolled closer. “You don’t
need to be alert constantly anymore.”
“I did sleep.” The
admission cost him nothing, and gained him a kiss on his shoulder.
“Of course you did. You
needed to recover your strength after the vulgar demands I put upon you.”
Tellan peered at him with a smug expression on his fine features. Jorant
pressed his lips together so as not to smile back as some recently awakened
part of his heart urged.
“I am strong.” Thinking
of all the meanings underlying the word, Jorant sucked in a breath as his cock
swelled under the light sheet covering him. “I’m ready.”
Tellan’s eyebrows
lifted. Light from the dimmed illuminators above the bed highlighted the defined
muscles of his chest and arm. Jorant wanted to touch again, wanted to feel
Tellan’s body strain and shake against his own. “That sounds promising, but I’m
not sure if I’m fully recovered.”
A gentle way to say he
wasn’t ready for more sex. Jorant appreciated Tellan’s polite ways, much more
so than the gruff demands or rejections he’d had from others in the past. “We
can rest.”
Tellan sat up abruptly
and Jorant suppressed his instinct to scan the room for a threat. They were
safe here, safe for the first time in many days. “Let’s do something fun. We’ve
been under so much pressure, it would be nice to relax.”
Sex and sleep were all
the relaxation Jorant had ever needed. “What fun?”
“Admit or act.”
Tellan’s face lit up like he’d said the most clever thing
“How is it enjoyable to
list the crimes we’ve committed?” Domidians had strange notions, Jorant was
learning, but this was taking matters to an extreme. He’d always had a reason
for the things he’d done, but he didn’t want to shock Tellan with some of the
more violent episodes.
With a chuckle, Tellan
shook his head and scooted even closer to Jorant. He let his fingers drop to
Jorant’s chest and move lightly, almost as if he didn’t realize what he was
doing.
“Not crimes, nothing
serious. This is a child’s game. You decide if you’ll tell me the truth when I
ask you a question, and if you decline, you must accept a dare from me.”
What an odd way to be
entertained. “I’ve always told you the truth.”
With a sigh, Tellan
leaned down and brushed his lips against Jorant’s cheek. His cock stirred
again.
“I know that. This
isn’t a test or a way for me to trip you up. Just amusement.” Tellan’s voice
was soft and low in Jorant’s ear, further enhancing his overwhelming sense of
well-beining. He was glad Tellan was so near, so he could catch his musky
scent.
“Then go ahead. Dare me
to do something.”
Tellan laughed. “You
would choose that. I already know you’re brave. I’d rather learn something new
about you. You are so mysterious.”
With a frown, Jorant
considered this. He’d always considered himself a simple man, all his traits
obvious to even a casual observer. Not interesting. But Tellan leaned against
him, studying him as if he was simply fascinating. “Fine. Ask a question. You
won’t be entertained.”
Tellan licked his lips
and narrowed his eyes. “Have you ever been in love?”
Jorant had been
prepared to list how many men he’d killed, or how many lovers he’d had, so
Tellan’s question confused him. “What do you mean?”
Tellan leaned over him
and prodded his shoulder. “You know what I mean. Love. Finding someone who you’re
willing to sacrifice for, wanting to share with, not be separated from.”
“You mean like a
personal contract?” Jorant had heard of such things among Creig warriors. Men
would find like-minded fellows and bunk together, aim for shared postings. Of
course, if the Masters decided to separate them, there was nothing the men
could do about it but leave each other. A little pang of sadness intruded in
Jorant’s mind as he considered how difficult that must have been.
“More emotional than that,
I think,” Tellan rested his hand on Jorant’s chest. He could probably feel
Jorant’s heart beating at an increased rate. “Have you ever been thrilled to be
near someone you just signed a contract with? Thought about them constantly?”
Jorant shook his head
against the soft pillow underneath it. He’d never paid much attention to how he
felt about anything, other than whatever might motivate him in a fight or find
the will to continue a painful training session. He’d always assumed his genetic
modifications had dulled such impulses. “No, I’ve never experienced that. Have
you?”
“Is that the question
you want me to answer? I was hoping you’d dare me.”
JJ decided not to include this scene in the book
About the author:
J. J. Lore has been interested in the
dashing men who roam outer space since she was transfixed by Han Solo piloting
the Millennium Falcon a long time ago in a theatre far, far away. Sadly, there
is no way for her to join in the fun of intergalactic adventures unless she
writes them, so that’s what she does whenever she isn’t taking care of the
business of life. If you can’t find her typing madly on her sluggish keyboard,
she’s probably poking around in a thrift store searching for the perfect pair
of worn jeans or a vintage kachina bolo tie. These days she puts her anthropology
degree to work when she whips up dishes from many different cultures, most of
which benefit from a liberal dose of sriracha or a smear of green curry paste.
Her favorite reading topics are costume history, epidemiology, and
permaculture, all of which she’d like to work into a story if she’s suddenly
overcome with a brilliant idea someday.
Twitter: @JJLore1
Website: www.jjlore.com
And I was lucky enough to read it here. *starts frantically looking under the couch cushions for enough $$$ to buy this intriguing book*
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