Love is Always Write Anthology Bonus Volume

pinning him to the bulkhead. Daniel's arms around him held him safe. The smell of sex and smoke and skin filled his nose. He sighed and laid his cheek on Daniel's shoulder. "I could sleep now."
    Daniel chuckled. "Oh, that's a compliment. I put you to sleep, do I?"
    Jacob was suddenly too tired and too light-headed to respond to the teasing. He closed his eyes. "It's good."
    "Yeah." Daniel held him quietly. "Can't do it often. We have to be careful."
    Jacob sighed. He didn't want to think about that. He didn't need to have those voices start up in his brain screaming homo and fairy and all the things his father would say if he found out. He'd hoped to have more of this moment out of time, where it was safe to be with Daniel and the outside world could go hang. But Daniel was right. Jacob straightened and pushed away from him gently.
    In the dim stifling-hot space, Daniel's expression was hard to read, but he held onto Jacob's shoulders. "I didn't mean..."
    "No. You're right." Jacob reached for Daniel's wrists, then hesitated and wiped his palms on his thighs first, and lifted Daniel's hands off him. "We have to be careful."
    "But not stop."
    "Don't think I can. Not now."
    Daniel blew out a breath. "Well, thank God for that."
    Jacob wasn't thanking God for anything right now. He was too damned confused and tired. He'd prayed to God to take this unnatural desire away from him. Prayed to his mother's Jesus and his father's Yahweh and whatever nebulous God took care of folks who were neither good Christians nor good Jews. Instead God had given him Daniel. If it was some kind of test he was doomed to fail. "What do we do now, Danny?"
    "You can remember not to call me Danny, for starters. Other than that... see how it goes, I guess. Find time to be together when we can."
    "Odds are we'll be making landfall for repairs after this. We might get liberty."
    "Might."
    "If we get leave at the same time..." Jacob paused, not sure what he wanted to suggest.
    "If we do I'll find a place. The guys all think I'm a hound dog anyway. No one will think twice if I ask about a cheap hotel."
    "Is that safe?" Despite having just come harder than he ever remembered in his life, Jacob felt his cock twitch at the thought of Daniel and a bed.
    "I'll make it safe." Daniel put one slightly-sticky palm against his cheek. "I swear, Trip. For you, I'll be more than careful so no one thinks twice about us. I want to be with you. Please?"
    Jacob nodded slowly, feeling the rasp of his stubble over Daniel's hand. "Yeah, I want that too."
    ****

CHAPTER 4
    One day later
    Sweat ran into Daniel's eyes, but he couldn't spare a hand to wipe it. He gritted his teeth. The roar of the guns just beneath him was beyond deafening, becoming a sound that crashed through his bones with each salvo. He clutched the two-handled wheel with a white-knuckled grip. The hard seat under him was becoming slick with the moisture running off his body.
    "Match bugs," Ensign Callais snapped tersely.
    Daniel wrestled with the cranks to bring his guns' elevation to a match with the target bug. Almost... almost... there. The turret captain's buzzer sounded. Daniel jerked the trigger.
    The guns roared, and the turret shook. Daniel slid sideways in his brass seat and braced a foot to keep himself steady. His head throbbed and his vision blurred for a moment. But by now this was instinct and reflex. Swiftly, Daniel lowered the guns for reloading. The men below him sprang into action. They wrestled with powder and projectiles in the damp heat. Daniel reminded himself it was worse for the men down there. Then the guns were loaded and he brought them up again, matching to the target.
    Every ten or twelve seconds, they got off another salvo. From where he sat Daniel had no clue how successful they were at hitting the enemy. That wasn't his job. Other men chose the target. He just aimed at it. And pulled the trigger.
    Crank, match, wait for the buzzer, pull. Lower, load, repeat. Over and over, the muscles in his arms and back screaming from the repeats. He'd heard that a newer ship would have servo-motors that would make this a piece of cake. It didn't matter. This was the Gageway , and he'd take whatever the old girl had to offer and work with it. Crank, match, wait, pull.
    There was a loud clang, audible over the guns, even to his noise-stunned ears. The ship lurched and recovered. Callais said, "Shit," with no emphasis at all, and then, "Match bugs."
    Crank, match, wait, pull.
    Smoke