Free No Way Back by Unknown

we’ll see if I have time to visit longer.”
    Drum gripped his wrist, halting his foraging. “Come with me first. Then call.”
    “I’ve got to check in, Drum.” He pulled out his communicator. Drum looked up at the turquoise sky. Dark clouds rolled thick on the horizon, heading their way. The wind had picked up, tossing his hair into his eyes. There were no satellites around his planet to boost the signal, so unless the communicator had a direct angle on the cruiser, Jake was out of luck.
    He nearly jumped for joy when the device indicated No Connection . Without comment, Jake clipped the communicator onto a loop on his flight suit. He looked expectantly at Drum. “Which way is home?”
    “That way.” He pointed toward the oncoming storm. “There’s a cave with fresh water over there.” He turned and pointed ninety degrees north. In the distance, the ground rose sharply into cliffs created by a shift in the planet’s crust a thousand years ago. Caves carved from wind and rain dotted the cliff sides. The lower ones contained fresh water pools deep enough for swimming.
    As long as the Wallabusks stayed on their southerly course, they’d be safe there.
    “I’d rather rinse the sweat off me than have rain pelt it off me,” Jake said.
    “Let’s go.”
    Drum loped past him, leading the way, then slowed when he remembered Jake’s injured ankle. Jake caught up and kept an even pace without complaint. The cliffs were farther than they appeared, but they made good time getting there.
    “Let me make sure it’s clear,” he said, holding Jake back from a cave entrance.
    Jake held out his laser pistol, but Drum shook his head. His knife was good enough.
    A quick turn through the low space indicated the cave hadn’t been visited for a week or more. “Come in!” he shouted. He tossed off his loincloth, walked straight into the cool water until it covered his hips, and then dipped beneath the surface. After a few laps underwater, he came up shaking his long hair, just in time to see Jake, naked, step to the edge of the pool.
    His finely formed lover strode in, made a soft sound of pleasure, stretched his arms over his head, and dove into the deepest part of the pool. He disappeared in the dark shadows of the rocky bottom and resurfaced, spewing water from his mouth.
    “Brrrraaaah!” he shouted, standing up and vigorously rubbing his scalp.
    “This feels great!”
    Drum could only stare. Liquid crystals sluiced over Jake’s broad shoulders and ran in rivulets down his chest and abdomen, then plopped into the rings of water around his thighs. His cock, limp from the bracing dip, hung thick and meaty between his legs.
    Lust speared through him. He’d never seen Jake standing unclothed before with his arms raised to his head. It was a sight he’d store away forever.
    Jake glanced over, and then took a longer look. He chuckled at Drum’s erect penis. “Does that thing ever go down?”
    “Not since I’ve met you, Jake.”
    Jake tossed his head back and laughed.
    For the first time in his life, Drum felt his control spinning away. He’d always imagined himself as the leader, the hunter, the one who made the decisions, who cared for his mates, and stood strong. But Jake made his knees weak. Whatever it took to make Jake happy, he’d do it. Sadly, that was a very dangerous position to take right now because Jake was thinking about leaving him.
    Jake turned around, scooped up a handful of sand from the bottom of the pool, and began scrubbing his arms and chest. “Would you mind washing my back, Drum? I still feel crusty.”
    Like an automaton, Drum sloshed through the water, picked up some sand, and smoothed it over Jake’s broad back. As his gritty palms slid over taut muscle, his ears flushed with heat.
    He had to regain control --of himself, first.
    It was a tough battle though.
    A gel-like substance shimmered in the rock crevices where the pool waters lapped, catching his eye. He scooped some onto his