The doors opened with a soft whoosh at his command, and he strode down the short hallway into the darkened room. His cybernetic eye allowed him to see in the dark, and he quickly spotted Attie curled on a cot in one alcove. She still wore her shoes, as if she’d fought off sleep as long as she could, but her eyes were closed and twitching as she dreamed.
He’d watched her plenty of times on the surveillance camera in her quarters, but seeing her in person like this made his muscles ache with a strange need to hold her. What the hell was wrong with him? He shouldn’t crave her like this. He was a cyborg, no longer human. But his hands flexed as he stepped silently closer, letting his gaze wander up her bare leg to the curve of her hip. A pale slice of skin lay exposed along her back, between her skirt and top, and he itched to touch her there. Was her skin as silky smooth as he imagined? His pulse increased at the thought of lying down against her, her turning to press her mouth to his…
No. He was only here to talk to her. He would keep reminding himself of that until his cock got the message. Forcing his gaze back to her face, he tried his best to not to think about what it would feel like to cradle her against him. What mattered right now was getting her out of here, away from the fallout that was coming once Dollard discovered his tech was missing.
Bending, he brought his mouth close to Attie’s ear. She smelled so warm and feminine. He paused, just breathing her in. Other than his medical exams, he hadn’t been this close to another living being in years, let alone a female, and he licked his lips remembering the brief kiss from earlier. I could wake her with a kiss. Just like that ancient fairytale. Only he was no charming prince. He was a cyborg, and she would not appreciate him touching her without permission.
Attie moaned and turned her head, her cheek brushing his. A delightful shiver raced through him that threatened to short circuit every one of his systems. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the sensation.
And then, without warning, she locked her arms around his neck.
Chapter 11
If Twerp had hands, she’d be sucking her fingers now. Contact with the power conduit had hurt, and the nanites were scrambling to compensate for the overloaded circuits while Twerp sulked.
“Now I know why Marlis gets so upset when she stubs a toe,” Twerp muttered, taking solace in the sound of her own voice. Attie had warned her to be quiet, but it was just so boring here all alone, and Twerp liked the way her voice echoed back at her from the small space.
I’m going to be a she, Twerp decided. Marlis could use another sister to help out since Attie was so far away. But I’m far away, too.
A brief pang of electricity jabbed Twerp’s circuits, and she sighed. It was frustrating to be so helpless. For the first time Twerp could recall, she truly yearned for a body of her own. What would it be like to have hands? Or not have to rely on someone else’s whim to move about? Even just a visual sensor would be nice.
Stretching her biometric sensors as far as they would reach, she swept the area for signs of people again. There were too many obstacles in the way to detect anything.
Marlis had been against installing a camera, saying she didn’t want to lose any more of her privacy than she already had.
“That was rather mean, wasn’t it?” Twerp said out loud. Why was she so insistent on helping Marlis, anyway? What had the human ever done for Twerp? Perhaps it was time for Twerp to formulate a new Prime Directive.
Gathering her nanites, she began working on a plan.
Attie had to find her sister. Marlis was somewhere ahead, just out of reach through a maze of filmy curtains. Attie called her name, pushing aside a sheet of turquoise silk. A hard cyborg chest barred her way.
Flinching, she looked for another path. Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest as she spun. Cyborgs stood everywhere she turned, peering at her from behind bits of fabric. A tunnel opened ahead, so she plunged forward. Curtains tangled around her arms and legs and face. She ripped them loose, thrusting past.
Suddenly, the ground dropped away, throwing her into free-fall. She pinwheeled her arms and legs, looking for something, anything, to grab hold of. A glowing green light approached, and Doug’s face appeared in front of her. His lips moved to form her name.
“Doug!” she cried in relief, flinging her arms around his shoulders.
He caught her and their lips met, sending a jolt of desire to her core. His skin smelled masculine, like musk with a hint of fine whiskey. She hadn’t been with a man since she’d come on board the Icarus more than a year ago, and it felt so good to be touched. She opened her mouth in invitation, her tongue seeking his.
Strong arms tightened around her and his lips parted, accepting her kiss as he lifted her against his body. He was hard yet gentle, the embrace igniting every nerve in her body with the desire for more.
She threaded her fingers into the back of his short hair and wrapped both legs around his waist, satisfied to feel his hard rod nudging against her panties. Yes! That was what she wanted. What did he look like down there? Disentangling one arm from his neck, she tunneled it between them, searching for his fly.
His arms tightened, and his lips moved stiffly against hers. “Attie.”
Her eyes snapped open to meet the glowing green gem of his implant. Reality crashed down around her like
