enjoying himself immensely and had no fear of committing a grave sin. From what little Ranic had been able to learn about Earth, it wasn’t much wonder. Jarrett’s world was complex, varied, and unlike Finoc, it held more than one race. All who lived there were human, but they could be different in terms of skin color, eye color, height, and especially cultures.
“I wish to break sexual laws.”
“Right. You want me to fuck you.” Jarrett rose to fetch the bottle of wine. When he returned to the table, he filled both their glasses before he sat down. “I’m guessing that two men together is a big no-no on your world?”
“It is punishable by death.”
“Ouch.”
“It is not humorous.”
“No. Sorry. Really, it’s just—your people sound like some of the people on my world.”
“Oh?”
Jarrett sipped some wine and then nodded. “They think all gay people should be destroyed.”
“Why?” Ranic knew his people held their belief for millions of years because of ingrained dogma, but he was curious about Jarrett’s people’s reasoning.
“Eh.” He shrugged. “Some say it’s because they believe the word of God forbids it, but others say it goes against nature. I personally think they are simply afraid of what they don’t understand.”
“Yes.” Ranic leaned across the table. “That is my thought, too.”
Their gazes met and held.
“Why didn’t you try to find a man like you? I mean, on your world, there must be other men who feel like you do. If there were enough of you, together you could change things.”
Ranic nodded at how easy Jarrett made it sound when it was anything but. “I’m sure there are more Finoc men like me, but to even ask is to commit a crime. There is no subtle way of knowing, or signaling. I once thought—” Ranic cut himself off because he didn’t want to even speak the man’s name. To even say someone was of that way could damage them irreparably. “I was so desperate to know if what I felt was true. I saved everything I could to buy time here, to buy you, to rent the ship—all of it just for a brief encounter.”
“Now it’s my turn to be flattered.” Jarrett laughed. “Or maybe not. Considering the ship was on the cheap side, I imagine I was, too.”
“No one wanted you after that business with the probe.” Ranic realized after he spoke that what he’d said might hurt Jarrett’s feelings. “But I wanted you as soon as I saw you.”
“Yeah?” A slow smile spread across his face. “Why? I saw those other guys. All young, hot, and that first one clearly loved having a probe up his ass.”
“There was fierce bidding for him.” Ranic recalled that first man very clearly. He had been young with blond hair and blue eyes, but there was something very arrogant about him that had put Ranic off right away.
“Who won him?”
“An enormous Krase warrior.” Ranic shivered. “I wondered how the two would fit together, but then the other Krase warrior fought to buy an even smaller slave. I do not know why.”
“How did you know I liked men?”
“I did not know.” Ranic sighed. “I actually thought you didn’t because of the probe. However, I thought since I wasn’t too different looking from your species that if I offered out your freedom, I might be able to make a trade.”
“So you bought me without knowing if I would say yes. Then you spent your last dime to bring me to this very expensive world in a rust bucket of a ship all so I could fuck you a couple of times?”
“I swear, I will give you your freedom if—”
Jarrett lifted his hand, cutting Ranic off. “I’m not saying no. I’m just stunned that you had to go to that length to get what you wanted.”
“What I think I want.”
“Wait, what?” Jarrett peered intently at him over the rim of his wineglass. “You mean you don’t even know if you’ll like sex with a man?”
“How can I know when I’ve never touched another man until you?”
“Good point.” Jarrett