Summer’s Freedom

DANI GRAY

Copyright © 2022

Copyright © Dani Gray, 2022

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Cover Design by Black Butterfly Design

First Edition July 2022

All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, Dani Gray. authordanigray@gmail.com

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The Summer’s Freedom is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Dedication

Hi guys!!

I hope you all enjoyed this story while it had been up on the Manlove Fantasies on Stormy Glenn’s blog. I know how much she enjoys doing that every quarter.

I decided to put this up for everyone to grab on my website. Enjoy!

Dani

Author’s Note

As we all know, I’ve complained many a time about how lousy I am at grammar. My editor tries hard to correct me, but errors still get through. I’m trying, I’m constantly learning, but I’m still making mistakes. Bear with me. If you see something, shout it out to me. I don’t mind when someone sends me an email to let me know. I figure it’s a chance to get to know you, and I consider that a win!

Thanks,

Dani

Table of Contents

Summer’s Freedom ........................................................................................................... 2

Dedication ......................................................................................................................... 4

Author’s Note ................................................................................................................... 5

Chapter One ...................................................................................................................... 7

Chapter Two ................................................................................................................... 10

Chapter Three ................................................................................................................. 13

Chapter Four ................................................................................................................... 16

Chapter Five .................................................................................................................... 19

Chapter One

Finally, fucking finally, Nate Gibson was getting out of the city and heading to the water.

If he had to spend another summer behind another face mask and locked in his apartment, he was going to do something drastic. He wasn’t sure what, but he would be full on drama queen.

He was going out to meet a group of friends at the lake and it was going to be epic. They were spending a week out there camping and just being out in nature and breathing fresh air.

He had pulled out all his camping gear a couple of weeks ago, made sure it was in good working order, his tent didn’t have any holes, and he also gave it another spray coat of water repellant.

He washed and aired out his sleeping bag, since no one wanted to sleep in one that had been left in storage for over two years. He returned his canisters of cooking fuel for his camp stove and purchased new ones, washed and cleaned all his cook wear and dishes.

He went out last night and bought new groceries, and now he was on the road with a full cup of coffee at first light, windows down and a cool breeze helping to wake him up.

If google maps was right, he should be at his destination in three hours, so he made sure to turn up the tunes and he wiggled his ass around until he found a comfy spot and settled in for the long ride.

After a couple of hours, the google voice told him to make a left turn, so, following the directions, Nate made his way towards the camp site. Once he finally found it, he stopped and stared in awe.

The campsite was amazing. It was right beside the clearest blue lake he’d ever seen, and it even had a rope swing. This was going to be the most relaxing week ever. He could hardly wait for his group of friends to arrive.

The best thing about being the first one there, he got to pick the best place to put up his tent. So, with that thought in mind, Nate began to pull out his stuff and proceeded to set up his tent and get himself settled into his new home. He might be out camping, but he refused to go without somethings, so he also set up his solar shower, his bathroom with a toilet that

used coconut husk, a travel kitchen and even made sure that his hammock was put up, with the bug net on it. Yes, he really was a comfort queen and felt no shame about it.

He did think about bringing his portable hot tub, but he wasn’t sure he would be able to get it filled with water, so he left it at home. Next time he would make sure he’d be able to bring it.

Being able to soak in that at the end of the day with a bottle of beer was simply the best way to relax.

Well, since he had his kitchen set up, he might was well make something to eat. He’d left so early in the morning, he didn’t want to waste time getting some food, so he quickly pulled out some bacon and eggs and cooked them up. What was nice was being so close to the lake, he was able to gather some water and wash his dishes, and he made sure that all his soaps were nature friendly, so he wasn’t worried about that. Just because he was here and brought some home comforts didn’t mean he was going to ruin what was around him, and his friends better make damn sure they did the same.

Sitting down at the table, he sat there and closed his eyes, letting himself simply take a moment to breathe in and be. To give thanks to anyone who was listening to his thoughts and let the stress of the city fall away from him. He suddenly felt about a thousand pounds lighter than he had before he sat down. Smiling, he opened his eyes and reached over to grab his fork and begin to eat while his food was still hot, because, who enjoyed cold food.

Once he finished his meal, he washed up because he didn’t want to attract any animals.

Since it was still early, and the lake was still a bit chilly, Nate decided to grab his tablet and go lie in his hammock while he waited for his friends to arrive. He knew that he’d probably left earlier than they would have. He’d been so eager to get out of the city. Being cooped up in his apartment for the past couple of years had been hard. He missed being able to get out like this, getting out of the concrete jungle and going into the natural one. Listening to the sounds of Mother Nature instead of sirens and people screaming at each other.

Getting himself comfortable, he simply set his tablet on his chest and let himself sway in the breeze, relaxing.

Not realizing that he’d fallen asleep, he woke up a couple of hours later to the sun shining brightly overhead. He looked around and saw that no one else had yet arrived. He thought about calling or texting them but decided to wait in case they were still driving. He didn’t want to distract anyone.

Instead, he figured he’d go and change into some swim shorts and go check out the water.

Once he was changed and had his swim shoes on, he closed his tent and made sure that the campsite was secure and that the food was locked up, and then walked over to the water. He put his towel down and then went to check the temperature of the water, and after finding it nice, he went in and swam around for a bit, making sure not to go out too far. He also went over to where the rope swing would come out and check out under the water to make sure that there were no obstacles, since he didn’t want anyone to get hurt.

Seeing that it looked safe, he decided that he would go give it a try and test it out.

Swimming over, he got out of the water and walked over to the swing. He pulled on the rope and it seemed strong and secure. He got on the swing and swung out over the lake.

The rope breaking and him slamming into the lake was the last thing he remembered.

Chapter Two

Zanderfield Folly, or Zee as his friends and family called him, was heading back to the surface to see if he could try and find something else to help him repair his ship. He’d already been in contact with someone from rescue to come and get him, but he’d much rather see if he could fix his ship before they came and save himself the embarrassment of them coming to his rescue. No one likes to be rescued by them.

Hearing the sudden splash above him, he looked up and saw the body of a man begin to sink.

He looked like he was unconscious and slowly sinking deeper into the water. Not sure what he should do, he carefully swam closer to him and waited to see if he was going to wake up. When he saw that the man was about to drown and die, Zee quickly swam over to him and pulled him close and held him tightly.

Swimming as quickly as he could, he swam them back to his sunken ship. Even though it wasn’t able to fly, that was the only part of the ship that was damaged. The rest of it worked, including his medical.

Quickly going through the decontamination process, Zee then carried the man to medical and laid him down on the med bed. He waited for the bed to begin the process of determining what was wrong, and gasped when he saw that it said the man wasn’t breathing.

The bed quickly inserted a tube down the man’s mouth and began to suction the water from his lungs, and then it slowly pumped air into them. He watched as his chest began to rise and fall with each breath. Soon the sounds of his heartbeat could be heard in the room, and it was beginning to sound stronger.

The pad near the bed beeped, so Zee went over to read what it had to say. Seeing that it stated that he had a concussion was to be expected, but to read that he’d also somehow damaged his spine was surprising. The bed suggested using some nanobots to repair the damage so that he would have full use of his limbs, otherwise, he would be unable to walk.

Zee quickly pressed the buttons to use the bots, and whatever else the medical program said to do to help the human. Knowing that it was going to be a while, he also put a forcefield around the bed, so that if he woke up before Zee came back into the room, he wouldn’t be able to get off the bed and run around unsupervised.

He also had the med unit insert a universal translator. Being able to communicate with the man would be helpful.

Once all that was in progress, and making sure that the human was comfortable, Zee left to go change and get something to eat. Stepping out into the hallway and going into his room, Zee quickly changed and put on some dry clothes as he wondered who it was he had saved.

He had to admit that he’d enjoyed looking at the man’s red hair. He’d seen vids of hair that color, but being able to smell the scent of the man and feel the softness was different.

The way it curled over his ears and the back of his neck was cute, and Zee wanted to keep running his fingers through it.

He wondered what his eyes looked like.

Once he was dressed, Zee left his room and went to the eating area. He walked over to the replicator and ordered some stuffed drake and tea. Once his meal was ready, he took it over to the table and sat down to eat.

He’d set the replicator to cook some of the human foods he’d seen on a couple of the vids he’d watched, but a few of them were so horrid he wondered about the sanity of humans.

How could they eat some of the things they made? A shudder made its way through his body just thinking of some of them.

He took his time eating, going over the specs of the repairs needed, but still frustrated since he couldn’t find the parts required. He only needed a couple of parts, but the worst was finding a new fuel crystal. His was cracked and without a new one, he was grounded.

Most of the parts he could fabricate, but he couldn’t do that with the crystal. They couldn't be replicated. He’d been slowly going around the shore trying to find one, since there were supposed to be plenty of them in the area, but so far he hadn’t be able to find one.

Realizing that he’d finished eating while he was thinking, Zee picked up his dishes and took them to the replicator that took them and processed them for reuse. He then made his way down to engineering. He figured he might was well continue to work on making the parts he needed since he had to wait to see how the human was going to be. He hoped that he was going to be okay, but one couldn’t tell with humans. They were so fragile.

After working for a few hours on crafting some parts, he was almost done with the last ones needed for the cockpit, when he received a warning from medical that the procedures for the nanobots were nearly complete.

Getting up from his workstation, Zee made his way back to medical and waited as the bots began to remove themselves from the man, and then he waited to see if the human was going to wake up.

After a couple of moments, when he still hadn’t opened his eyes, Zee turned to the screen beside the bed and pressed a couple of buttons. The responses told him that there was no reason for the man not to be awake, but for some unknown reason, he was still unconscious.

It did say that he’d received a significant knock to the head when he hit the water, and that it did create some bruising to his brain, so that could be the cause. It suggested that the human be left alone to continue to rest and monitor him. If he still hadn’t woken naturally in a couple of hours, then they could try a stimulant to see if that helped.

Disappointed, Zee made sure that the human was still secure on the bed, and then he made his way to his quarters. He might as well go to bed and get some rest himself as he waited for the human to wake.

Chapter Three

Nate wasn’t sure what woke him up, but he was startled him was the absence of sound.

There should be so much noise from nature around him, but there was nothing, not a single sound other than his breathing.

Suddenly, he could hear the pounding of his blood as it raced though his body, his heart and it began to beat quicker as his fear grew. He opened his eyes and was startled by the sight of gray utilitarian walls, and him lying on a bed that he’d never seen before.

When he tried to sit up, he was held down by an invisible force. He couldn’t move his arms or legs, or even lift his head. He could turn it from side to side, but not lift it so he could see more of where he was.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to scream for help, he heard what sounded like footsteps coming towards him, and a door slide open.

Nate could only stare on shock as a gray skinned person walked towards him. He wasn’t sure how tall the creature was, since he was lying down, but his eyes were all black. He looked mostly human, except that he was all gray, even his hair.

His face was similar to a human, with his nose looking almost aristocratic on him with his sharp cheekbones. His chin was rounded, but there was no sign of stubble on his face. His lips were cupid bowed, and gray, like the rest of his body, all one color.

How in the hell did he end up on an alien ship, and where were his friends?

Were they safe?

Was he safe?

Trying to struggle and get off the bed, Nate looked around wildly to see if there way any way of escape.

“Please, calm yourself. You were just healed, and I wouldn’t like to see you damage yourself again.”

Panting, Nate stopped in shock and stared. “How can I understand you?”

“I had a universal translator chip installed just behind your ear. It’s a small device and won’t hurt you. It can be removed at any time and it won’t damage you.”

“How do you know?” Nate suspiciously glared at him, “How many other people have you used them on?”

“You are the first human I’ve ever met, but there have been others that these have been successfully used on and removed without damage.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“Because I mean you no harm. I had actually saved your life. You would be dead had I not rescued you from the lake and brought you here for medical treatment.”

Nate slumped back on the bed in shock. “I’d be dead,” he whispered.

“I’m sorry, but yes.” The alien stepped up next to the bed and looked down at him. “My name is Zanderfield, but everyone calls me Zee. If you promise not to get all violent, I can release you from the restraints. It took quite a while for the med bed to heal you. You had broken your back, and the nanobots repaired the damage, so you will be able to walk. It took a bit longer for the damage to your brain to heal, but you should be perfectly fine.”

“You really healed all that,” Nate stared at Zee. “Oh my god, you mean I wouldn’t have been able to walk again if those nano things didn’t fix me?”

“It’s true, but somehow, I don’t think it would have mattered all that much since you would have been dead. It took a bit for the med bed to clear your lungs of the water and get you breathing properly once again.”

“I really do owe you my life,” Nate slowly breathed out. “Thank you for saving me.”

“I’m glad I was able to help you.” Zee said, holding out his hand to help Nate sit up. “I’m just trying to fix my ship so that I can go home.”

“What's wrong?” Nate tilted his head and looked at him. “Can I help?”

“I don’t know. I’ve got most of the parts fabricated that I need to repair the ship, but I need to find a new crystal to power my engine. The one I had cracked, and without that, I can’t leave.”

Zee’s shoulders slumped when he finished saying that.

“What kind of crystal do you need?” Nate asked as he got up off the table.

He was surprised to see that he stood about the same height as Zee. Nate stood at just under six feet, and Zee was just a bit over. They both had the same type of build, which was a slim one, like a lean swimmers build.

“I can show you my old one, so if you could help me, I would really appreciate that.” Zee smiled at him, and Nate had a hard time holding back the gasp that wanted to come out.

Zee was beautiful when he smiled. It lit up his face and took Nate by surprise.

Taking the hand that Zee held out to him, he was shocked at what felt like an electric current run up his arm. This time he gasped, and he could hear Zee do the same.

They looked at each other in surprise.

“What was that?” Nate asked.

“I don’t understand,” Zee muttered, “how could this be?”

He started at Nate in shock.

“How could what be? What happened?” Nate’s voice rose in volume as he finished what he was saying.

“According to my people, this means that we belong together.”

Nate simply started at him in surprise. He’d read the books about stuff like this happening, but that was fiction, not something that happened in real life.

Right?

“Are you saying that we’re mates or something to that effect?”

Zee looked at Nate, his face shining with joy, “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Chapter Four

Zee was stunned. He never thought that he would find his mate among the humans. And to find one that was as handsome as Nate was, he was so blessed.

With Nate’s red hair and green eyes, Zee thought he could stare at him for ages and never get tired of it. With his button nose and high cheeks, he thought that his mate was the most perfect human ever created.

“You do know that you’re staring at me,” Nate said.

“I’m sorry, but you really are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, and I’ve watched a lot of your Earth shows.” Zee told him, “You are so much more handsome than anyone who was on there.”

Zee watched in fascination as red slowly began to crawl up Nate’s face and even cover his ears.

“I don’t think I’m that good looking,” Nate began to say. “I’m sure that there are much better-looking people out there.”

“I think that we’re never going to agree on that.” Zee grinned at him. “But, how about we talk about something else. I can still show you the broken crystal, and then you can see if you can help me.”

The smile that Nate gave him cause Zee’s hearts to flutter, or at least he swore that they did.

Realizing that he was still holding Nate’s hand, Zee turned and gently pulled his mate along with him out of the med bay and down the hallway towards the workstation where he’d been making the parts he needed to repair the ship. He'd left the crystal on one of the desks.

Picking up the gray and black flecked crystal, he showed it to Nate.

“This is what powers the ship, but what’s so special is that when it’s in the chamber and lit properly, it glows a bright yellow.”

Nate reached out and, after looked at Zee who nodded and handed it to him, he carefully took the crystal and examined it.

“I think I might have heard of these. We call them Yooperlite Crystals here.” Nate grinned at him. “How big of one do you need and how many? We have lots of them here.”

Zee stood there, stunned. “Do you have any idea how precious these are to us? They are what power our ships. If we had a small crate of them, we could sell them and be rich.”

“I could try and buy a bunch of them if you want, but it might take some time for them to arrive.”

“Can you look?”

“Sure.”

Zee moved over to one of the terminals and showed Nate how to access the human internet and soon Nate was online and shopping. He went into something he called Amazon and immediately was able to buy some, as well as another place he called eBay. They all had quick shipping, and he arranged to get them within the next day or two. He also said they would be delivered to his home. Zee was stunned at the quantity of stones that Nate was able to purchase, but he still had to make sure that they would be suitable for use in the engines.

“I can’t go with you to get them,” Zee told him. “I can’t let anyone see me.”

“I’ve read enough of my romance books to know what a mate is. Are you willing to take me with you?” Nate softly asked.

“I couldn’t live without you,” Zee told him, stepping up to him and gently putting one hand on his cheek. “The thought of leaving here without you, I just can’t do it. I would live here under this water for the rest of my life, just so I could be close to you.”

“Listen, come with me to the surface. Let me get things organized so that I can leave with you. I was supposed to meet a group of friends here, but they hadn’t shown up by the time I went to try out that swing. Let’s go see if they’re there yet, and if not, I’ll contact them and say something. I don’t have any family left here. They gave me up when I came out gay, but I would like to get some things packed from my house when I get the crystals. I’m going to be leaving with you.”

Zee couldn’t contain his joy, so he grabbed Nate in a hug and began to dance around with him. Hearing the sound of laughter coming from Nate, Zee quickly joined in with him.

Looking down at Nate, Zee focused on his lips, which looked soft and so kissable.

What Zee hadn’t expected was for Nate to reach up and pull his head down and smash their mouths together. The kiss was raw, passionate and immediately lit fire through Zee’s body. It was something that he’d never felt before, and he hoped that he would always keep feeling like it every time they kissed.

When Nate pulled back, they were both gasping for air, and the look on his face was dazed, just has he was sure that his was.

“I’ve never been kissed like that before.” Nate exclaimed.

“I’ve never been kissed before.” Zee told him.

"Did you like it?"

Zee nodded rapidly.

“Don’t worry, honey, I’ll make sure you have plenty more of those for the rest of our lives,”

Nate promised. “But, for now, we need to go and check on my campsite and see if my friends have joined up with me. I don’t need them to worry about me and call in the authorities. That’s the last thing we want.”

“No, we really don’t. I can take you up there.” Zee turned around and looked for another breather for Nate. Once he found it, he passed it over to him.

“This is simple to use. You only need to put it in your mouth. It will allow you to breathe underwater. Don’t worry, you won’t drown. It will pull oxygen out of the water for you to breathe.”

“Will I be able to see underwater?”

That made Zee stop for a moment. His eyes had a special membrane that would cover them, allowing him to see underwater, but he forgot that humans didn’t have that.

“Keep your eyes closed, as I don’t have anything for you. I’ll make sure to keep a tight hold on your hand and help bring you to the surface where I found you. Once we’re sure that it’s safe, I’ll come up with you.”

Nate grinned at him, and gave him another kiss. “I can do that. Let’s go and then we can plan from there.”

Chapter Five

Nate held tightly to Zee’s hand as he was brought up to the surface of the water, but as soon as they got there, they found his campsite had a police car there.

“Stay here,” Nate whispered to him. “I’ll go and speak to the cop.” Nate swam towards the shore, and then strode out. “Hey, how can I help you?”

“Are you Nate Gibson?”

“Yes, sir.” Nate walked up to the officer and held out his hand. “Sorry, I was out swimming. What can I do for you?”

“Your friends called in saying that you were missing.” The officer shook his hand, and then looked at him. “Can you show me some identification?”

“Sure, I have it in the car, but my keys are locked away over here. Is it okay if I get them?” Nate pointed towards his tent. “I thought it was odd that the guys hadn’t joined me for camping? I followed where the google maps voice told me where to go and set up my camp. I have to admit, I love this spot.”

“You do have a pretty good one. The one your friends have is pretty crowded and they’re surrounded on all sides.”

“Damn, I got lucky then.” Nate grinned at him when he came back with his keys and unlocked his car, got his phone and wallet, then passed over his ID. “I’m quite happy to be here on my own then. I’ve got a sweet set up here and am more than willing to spend my week here in nature and just enjoy being out of the city.”

“I can’t say I blame you.” The officer passed him back his ID. “Maybe call you friends so they don’t worry about you. I also don’t blame you for wanting to stay here, because I wouldn’t want to leave this spot either. You take care and enjoy your vacation.”

“Take care and stay safe out there.”

Nate watched as the officer got in his car and left. Once he was sure he was gone, he went back to the water and looked for Zee. While he was looking, he pulled out his phone and called one of his buddies.

“Hey, why did you call the cops?”

“Asshole, you’ve haven’t been answering you phone and you never showed up. What else were we supposed to do to? We thought something happened to you. You were to have been here first and setting up camp dude!”

“I was here, and I did set up camp,” Nate snapped at Randy. “I was out swimming when I saw the cop on the shore and came over. I’ve been here for a while. I don’t know what happened, maybe it was a google map glitch, but I’m here on my own, and I’m not fucking moving. You guys can stay where you are, but I’m good where I am.”

“Fuck you too, then.”

The next thing he knew, Randy had hung up on him. Well, that would make the next step easier for him as far as Nate was concerned. He was leaving with Zee as soon as those orders of rocks came in. He would go back to his apartment, pack up whatever he wanted to take with him, and then he was gone. He wasn’t going to miss anything here, and if his books were anything like what he’d felt with that kiss, then he was going to be one happy camper, pun intended, for the rest of his life.

Hearing a splash, he turned and watched as Zee walked out of the water. He wanted to climb that man like a tree. His body was made to be licked and nibbled, and Nate didn’t care that it was all gray.

What he wanted to see was what Zee was packing under all that material he was wearing.

Since he'd felt that hardness pressing against him, he knew it wasn’t small. Nate also knew he was a size queen and was going to be a very happy man.

“Do you know how badly I want you to fuck me?” Nate looked up at Zee as he slowly moved one hand down so he could rub his own cock.

“We will do that after we complete our mating ceremony.” Zee smiled at him. “Call me old fashioned, but I would like for us to do that.”

Nate’s hand immediately fell away from what it was doing and he looked at his mate. “What ceremony?”

“It’s nothing much, just a simple custom with my people. I’ll show you a vid and you can see what I mean.” Zee soothed him. “I think it’s similar to what you call a wedding, at least it is from what I’ve seen in your vids.”

Nate stared at Zee in shock. “You want that with me?”

“Of course, I do.” Zee walked up to him and pulled him into his arms, holding him tight.

“You are going to be the person I spend the rest of my life with. I’d like for us to do it properly.

So, Nate Gibson, will you mate with me?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Nate told him, throwing his arms around Zee and then pressing his lips against Zee’s. He kissed him until they were both breathless.

“I know that I’ll need to go back to my apartment and get the crystals and I’m going to pack a few things that I want to bring with me, but I plan on leaving with you as soon as you have that ship ready to leave. Do you have any idea how much I’m looking forward to this?

It’s going to be an amazing adventure.”

“Will you be okay leaving behind everyone you know here?” Zee quietly asked.

“I’m going to be with you,” Nate firmly told him. “Those who I leave behind are only casual friends and some family that didn’t want me when I refused to stop being gay. Now, I have a mate who I can learn to love and spend, what I hope will be, a happy life with.”

“I know that we will learn to love one another,” Zee gave him a gentle kiss. “So, for now, how about we spend some time getting to know one another then, when we we’re ready, we can go.”

“I can work with that.” Nate grinned. “Now, tell me all about yourself while I make us something to eat, because by tonight, I plan on us having our mating ceremony during the sunset and then in the next few days, I’ll get the crystals and we can go.”

“Are you sure?”

Nate looked right at him, put one hand on his cheek, and gave him a gentle kiss. “I’ve never been more sure of anything. I never knew that going for a week of camping would give me the freedom to the rest of my life.”

THE END

Table of Contents

Summer’s Freedom ...................................................................................

Dedication .........................................................................................

Author’s Note ......................................................................................

Chapter One ........................................................................................

Chapter Two ........................................................................................

Chapter Three ......................................................................................

Chapter Four .......................................................................................

Chapter Five .......................................................................................