Adam (14 page)

“Want you with me?” He repeated her words with a note of incredulity. He pressed against her, his erection evident, but it was the blaze in his eyes that caught her breath. “Of course I want you with me. You make me feel. You. No one else, and I don’t care if you accuse me of being a cave-borg, but dammit, I am not about to let you go. Ever. We belong together. We will be together.” As if to seal his command—and his promise—he pressed his mouth to hers, a kiss she eagerly accepted and returned.

Screw logic. Perhaps science didn’t always have an answer, and maybe one wasn’t always needed. She wanted him. He wanted her. It was enough, and at the same time, she needed more.

I need him.

Yet, despite the urgency of the upcoming mission, he seemed keen on taking his time. Slowly, he turned them until they both stood under the spray. It wasn’t just the hot water stroking her back, though. His fingers stroked up and down her spine as well before dipping lower to cup her full bottom.

Pulling her tighter to him, she couldn’t help but note the insistent press of his cock against her lower belly, his desire for her flattering, and exciting. As he took his time tasting her lips, she trembled, the slight motion causing her nipples to rub against his chest with just enough friction to make her buds poke, hard nubs aching for something more.

Again, she could have sworn he read her mind, or at least her body. His mouth left hers to travel down the column of her neck, soft nibbles, which made her shiver deliciously. Lower still he went, the rough scruff of his facial hair abrading her skin, but in a good way. The hands cupping her bottom left but only so they could grasp something new. Her breasts.

With a gentleness that made her sigh, he held her wet globes and rubbed his face against them. The teasing, though, frustrated her.

“What are you waiting for?” she grumbled. Forget the patience she showed in the lab. Here and now, she didn’t want to take her time.

He latched his hot mouth onto an erect nub, and she cried out. Threading her fingers through the short, damp strands of his hair, she held him to her breast, gasping and moaning as he suckled the tip, nibbling and teasing each one in turn until she leaned against the shower wall, trembling.

If she had the breath, she might have begged him to stop, or do more. His every touch just heightened her arousal. When he knelt to move lower, oh so decadently lower with his mouth, she forgot to breathe, holding it in taut anticipation.

Surely she’d burst if he touched her there. No, she would die because he avoided it, kissing his way down her thigh instead, his lips teasing and torturing her with their closeness.

He leaned back, his hands no longer stroking down the length of her legs, his mouth abandoning her skin.

It took effort to open her eyes, the lids heavy with passion. She made a sound of protest, and he chuckled.

“Don’t worry. I’m not done. I just forgot the soap.”

Soap? Oh my. When his hands returned, lathered with suds, they proved extra slippery against her flesh. Reaching high, he ran soapy fingers over her breasts, his fingers tweaking her nipples. He stroked his cleansing hands across the roundness of her belly, swirled circles through the curls topping her mound. And then he slid his soapy hands between her thighs, dragging his fingers across the swollen lips to her sex, a short teasing rub before he continued his sudsy journey to her thighs, dragging bubbles down them to her toes.

Forget getting clean. She’d never felt more dirty in her life. With commanding hands, he turned her to face the spray, his hands once again traveling the length of her body, this time rinsing, even as it teased her senses. He then soaped her backside, broad, circular strokes for her back, palpating massage for her butt, a nip on one cheek that made her squeak.

Again, he spun her and rinsed her. Even as the soap from her back sluiced down the crevice of her ass, he knelt between her legs and placed his mouth on her.

Oh.
Ooooh.

She couldn’t help the guttural moans as he lapped at her, his tongue quick and sure with its strokes, lavishing attention on her clitoris before dipping between her plump lips. She clutched at his wet head, not just to anchor him there but also to try and remain upright as her legs turned to jelly.

As if sensing her weakening muscles, his hands gripped her hips, which kept her aloft but also allowed him to angle her for better penetration by his tongue.

She couldn’t hold on anymore. With a cry, she burst, her climax rushing through her, making her throb and gasp and shudder. Before she could say, ‘no more’, he was standing, one hand lifting her leg to angle it around his hip, opening her for the thrust of his cock.

How he filled her, thick and long. With quick strokes, he pumped her waning climax back to life, and her breathing hitched as her channel pulsed and squeezed his penetrating length.

His eyes closed as he leaned forward until his forehead rested against hers. “You’re mine, Doc. All mine.”

His. How the possessive claim could trigger yet another orgasm she couldn’t have explained, but it was longer and more drawn out than the others. In that moment, as they shuddered together, wet lovers joined by the flesh, she would have almost sworn their minds touched.

She couldn’t help but think.
I think I love you.

And her fanciful mind imagined a reply.
Of course you do. Because I’m awesome.

Something odd happened in the shower. For a moment, Adam could have sworn his mind touched Laura’s.

Impossible. She was human. Not to mention what he’d heard. Surely he imagined it.

She loves me?

How he wanted to believe she did, but his rational thought process wouldn’t allow it. It gave him numerous reasons why she couldn’t; it was too soon, she was tired and scared from events, she saw him as a savior and felt grateful. Yet…

I heard it. I know I did.
And he’d replied, and he could have sworn she’d caught his reply because she laughed as soon as he said,
I’m awesome.

Which, in retrospect, if something inexplicable had happened and they had mentally spoken, was the totally wrong thing to say. The proper response when a woman said I love you was I love you too. But he couldn’t say it aloud now.

Not only had the moment passed, but what if she didn’t feel it? Despite all the skirmishes he’d fought, the things he’d seen, in that moment, he couldn’t think of anything more devastating than revealing a tender emotion and not having it reciprocated. He’d hate to have to kill her to survive the humiliation.

Okay, so maybe he wouldn’t kill, but he sure as hell couldn’t blurt anything now. Or should he? Or—

Argh.

All this doubt threatened to fry his mental circuits.

He needed to focus on something else, like the mission. Yeah, the rescue operation, which meant danger and the prospect of blowing shit up. Tit for tat.

Take out my house, will you?
He’d show them why that wasn’t a good idea.

Clothing themselves happened quickly and quietly. Laura dressed in some clothing Anastasia provided while Adam equipped himself from the stash they kept on hand. In order to give himself the best fighting chance, he layered body armor over his upper body and also added armguards to act as bullet deflectors. No point in stressing his nanos into repairing unnecessary injury.

To his numerous holsters, he added guns, ammo clips, knives, a few throwing stars, a kitchen sink. Okay, so he didn’t add the last, but it sure felt as though he’d loaded himself down with just about everything the safe house had to offer.

He wasn’t the only one armed to the teeth. Both Seth and Anastasia were walking arsenals, too. As a group, which included Rosalind and a nervous Laura, they headed out to the rear alley where the benign garage hid their transportation.

His customized beauty gleamed even in the shadows, and when he clicked his fob to start her, she growled. Knights might charge into battle with a valiant steed. He preferred four wheels, a big motor, and custom-molded leather seats.

While Anastasia traded last-minute instructions with Rosalind, Adam pulled Laura aside. She trembled, fearful, yet trying not to show it. He tilted her chin and made sure to catch her gaze, a gaze not hidden by her thick glasses—something he’d have to replace for her when he got a chance.

“Listen, Doc, whatever happens next, I think you should know that getting to know you on a personal level has been one of the best things to happen to me since my liberation.”

Her brow crinkled. “You talk as if we might not see each other again.”

“If I’ve learned one thing since this fight began, it’s never assume you’ll have a tomorrow, so you need to live without regret. If I have my way, and I usually do, we’ll all make it through. We will prevail. We’ll save Avion and any other cyborgs hidden in the joint. Then we’ll haul ass to get off this planet and start over somewhere new. Somewhere fresh where cyborgs and humans can cohabit without the violence and the hatred.”

“I’d like that.”

So would he. It was time to recognize he’d done all he could here. Time to move on and start anew. He kissed Laura, a kiss of promise. A kiss that he hoped said,
I’m coming back.

And again he could have sworn he heard her.
You’d better.

“Ahem. I hate to break up a potential sex video. However, if you two are done making out, we really should get going. The timer is ticking. And I
mean
ticking,” Seth emphasized, holding up his knapsack with its explosive burden.

Laura stepped away and hugged herself.

For a moment, he questioned his choice to leave her behind but had to remind himself that he was leaving her in relative safety. Dragging a human into a warzone just wasn’t feasible.

Then why was it, as he drove away, he couldn’t help but wonder if he made the right choice?

Strapped to a medical gurney, several levels underground…

Avion really questioned his sanity in turning himself over to the military types he’d run into after stumbling around blindly after the massive explosion.

He could have just hidden. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have the chance. Feeling his way along the tunnel, he’d emerged into the cooler evening air, aware Rosalind had fallen behind.

Plenty of time to duck down considering he’d heard the screaming of tires on pavement and the clatter of many booted feet as troops moved into the area. They knew where to come because they’d arrived too quickly after the shocking blast that shook the earth and sent him flying.

Ouch. Regaining his feet, mildly disoriented, he’d initially aimed his stumbling steps away from the shouted orders of the military on site.

Until he had the bright idea.

Or dumbest thought ever.

Raising his hands, he shuffled toward the chaos, hoping against hope they wouldn’t shoot first.
Please let them want some
answers.

“I give up,” he shouted, a cry not at first heard or noted. How emasculating. He yelled louder. “Hello, assholes, cyborg over here trying to give up!”

The word cyborg got him attention, the ominous kind that involved guns cocking, weapons aiming…but thankfully not firing.

“Hold,” a man barked. “He’s one of the suspects on our list. Our orders are to bring him in. Alive.”

Halle-fucking-lujah.

Alive, though, didn’t mean gently. Arms reefed behind his back and tightly manacled in heavy chains, head covered in a chainmail mesh hood, legs tethered to a short bar to control his steps, and a collar clamp attached to a Taser rod.

Avion would have laughed at all the precautions they took for a broken machine if he’d had the strength to laugh. He didn’t though, not when every heavy step was a struggle.

How he missed his nanobots. Not a thing he’d ever expected. Once upon a time, he’d dreamed of returning to being just a plain ol’ human. Then his wish was granted, and now he just wanted it all fucking back. Especially his sight.

This eternal darkness weighed heaviest of all.

Avion found himself loaded into a truck where they chained him some more, and the questioning began. Questions he saw no point in lying about since they already knew more about him than expected.

“You are a cyborg.”

“Yes.” If a broken one.

“You recently arrived from space?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“No idea.” He couldn’t tell them from where because, in all honesty, he didn’t know.

“How many other cyborgs are you working with?”

Currently? “None now. You took us by surprise with that bomb.”

“No others made it out alive?” Suspicion tinged the question.

“Not that I know of. They sent me ahead since I was slow. They wanted to make sure that in case the bomb didn’t wipe the computers that nothing was left behind. It’s why I gave myself up. Without them, I have nowhere to run.”

Besides why run when they seemed intent on taking him where he needed to be? Judging by his internal radar where a certain female was concerned, he was heading in the right direction.

I’m coming.
Although what he could do remained to be seen. He could hope only that an opportunity would present itself.

Hope. Blech. What an awful thing to rely on. If his BCI were still active, it would scoff at his irrational belief in something so inaccurate.

The questions from the military fellow in charge continued the entire trip. When possible, Avion stuck to the truth, easier to keep track that way. However, he also mixed in a few omissions and lies.

While he spun his web, the convoy got him closer to his goal. He could feel it in his aching bones. The stop and go of the truck let him know they neared their destination. Checkpoints and questions.

Exclamations of, “Damn, that’s a fucking cyborg? Doesn’t look so tough to me.”

Not right now, but you should see my friends.
Knowing them, they would arrive to the rescue, guns blazing.

Blind didn’t mean he couldn’t guess that they took him deep into the installation, several levels down, judging by the length of time they spent in the elevator.

The floor they emerged on had a smell most often associated with hospitals. Cleaners, bleach, and recycled air. Great. He’d only recently escaped one medical lab and now found himself right back in another.

But this time he had a purpose, he reminded himself as they strapped him to a gurney yet again with chains.

Then he was alone. Bored. A little hungry. Tired. And frustrated because he could tell
One
was close, but no matter how much he called for her in his mind, she didn’t reply.

Eventually the silence of his incarceration was broken as someone entered the room, the echo of booted feet following.

“If it isn’t the unit we thought lost, AF313. How kind of you to rejoin us.”

“I’d say nice to see you, but I seem to be visually impaired since my last sojourn at one of your lovely medical facilities.”

“Ah yes. A shame we lost that installation. The things they were working on made for fascinating reading. Especially the breakthrough they made on permanently turning off nanotechnology.”

“That information was destroyed.” Einstein had made sure of it, and transmission logs didn’t show any of the information having been sent before he wiped it.

“You might have destroyed the facility, but we have the information.”

“You’re lying.”

A boisterous laugh. “Why would I? Soon, the whole world, make that the universe, will know we’ve finally found a way to eradicate the mistake we made.”

“Why wait? Why not just kill us all now?”

“We intend to, but first we need a weapon to deliver the anti-nanos. The method used with you, which involved an injection, isn’t exactly feasible. I highly doubt you robots will stand still while we prick you.”

“My friends will kill you.”

“Such brave words from a dying robot. To think, you were once a force to be reckoned with. Now you’re just a pitiful, dying shell.”

“If I’m so pitiful, why all the security? Even blind and weakened, you fear me.” Avion couldn’t help the taunt.

His captor laughed. “You think I’m scared of you. You obviously haven’t seen yourself. I’d say you’re only a few days away from dying. Without the technology, you are no stronger than me. Less even I’d say, given how your body is shutting down. You think you can hurt me? I’d like to see you try. Guards, remove his shackles.”

“Sir?”

“Do as I say, soldier. I’ve nothing to fear from this wreck.”

Arrogant prick.
But in this case, Avion approved.

The soldiers did as told, and Avion almost sighed with relief as the weight of the chains lifted from him. He didn’t let his relief show though, instead keeping his shoulders hunched and his head bowed.

“Well, AF313. Let’s see how tough you are.”

He didn’t have much reserved strength left, but he drew on it now. Live or die.

Forget all his training, forget finesse, freed and yet unable to see, Avion flailed his arms. “Come here, you bastard. I’ll kill you.”

Laughter rang out as the man in charge and the soldiers with him danced out of reach, easily evading his feeble attempt. Avion lunged in the direction of a voice, and missed, his momentum skewing his balance. He landed on the cold, tiled floor.

Flat on his stomach, he panted and pushed himself to his knees, only to fall victim to a jagged coughing fit.

“How the mighty have fallen,” said his captor with an obvious sneer in his tone. “Fear you. I’ve more to fear from the mindless vacuum my wife uses. Get him off the floor and put him back to bed. I’ve seen and heard enough. He’s of no use to me. Bring in the doctors and start dissecting. Let’s see what’s happening inside his body.”

As a set of hands yanked him to his feet, Avion slumped, hacking even harder. Spittle flew.

“Hey. Get him off me,” the soldier yelped. “Damn guy might be contagious.”

“No, but I am deadly,” Avion muttered as he fired the gun he’d filched from the soldier’s holster. Before the body could hit the floor, he turned and fired some more, using perceptions to guide his aim. It wasn’t just fictional Jedis who knew how to use their other senses.

In moments, only one breath gasped for mercy, and it wasn’t his own.

“How is this possible? You’re blind. Your nanos are dead.”

“But there’s nothing wrong with my ears or skills, asshole. Thanks to the military, I know how to handle pain and defend myself.”

He especially knew how to kill. Without mercy.

Bang
.