“Why are you still holding the room door open for me? You just made me open the cell all by myself.”
“So much sarcasm and so little time to respond appropriately to it,” Eric joked, narrowing his gaze on her expressive face. She didn’t move when he reached out and pulled on the neck of her of shirt to widen the opening. Leaning forward ever so little, he directed his gaze to the top of her breasts. “Black lace. Very nice choice for a restoration celebration. Remind me to thank Meara later for her impromptu shopping trip.”
Why the hell wasn’t she offended over his innuendos? Shouldn’t she be scathing about him making such an overtly sexual advance when she could barely remember him?
Instead of pissed, she snorted at his actions—and at herself—as she playfully batted his hand away from her clothes.
“Are you talking about sex again? Despite what the files said, I should have known that was all we were about.”
She started past him only to be yanked back hard when Eric grabbed a handful of her shirt again. His manhandling made her chuckle, but the amusement died when she was spun up against him and held there by one hand grasping the bunched up material at her back.
She could have easily broken his hold and done so without ever breaking a sweat. But she didn’t want to break his hold on her. And now that she’d waited so long to act, they both knew it.
Given the look in his eyes, Lucy expected Eric’s mouth to be demanding when it found hers. Instead, it was soft and needy, full of relief and caring. His kiss held restrained passion and the desire for more, but she could tell he wasn’t giving in to his urges at the moment. Her disappointment was keen… and quite unexpected. And it wasn’t because of anything she’d read. It was because of how much he was making her feel.
Her arms slipped around him as she leaned forward and kissed him back, basking in the physical pleasure they could bring each other as he groaned deep in his throat. Her mind might not remember this exact intimacy, but her body knew exactly what was going on between them.
She wanted more… and she wanted more with this man.
She pulled away first because her thoughts just wouldn’t stop churning about her revelation. She buried her face in his shoulder so she wouldn’t have to meet his gaze.
“When I was last dating, you weren’t supposed to kiss a guy until the third date. My father used to stay up to make sure it didn’t happen. That’s obviously a memory from my human side.”
His laugh was followed by another more audible groan as she used her hands to draw his hips against hers. Their bodies fit together like two parts of a perfectly designed machine. She sighed and rubbed her face against his shirt.
Damning the urgency that had sent him to retrieve her, Eric let himself enjoy Lucy’s freely given embrace. If he could freeze time, he would have stopped it right then. She was herself and she was still with him.
“I’d apologize for my lack of self-control with you, but I’d just be lying. The truth is that I needed to kiss you. Thanks for kissing me back, by the way. I didn’t know how much reciprocity counted with me until you did that. I was afraid I’d lost all my Lucys.”
Lucy leaned out and put a little distance between their bodies. Keeping her gaze on his, she used her hands to push herself off him. It was surprising how much willpower she had to exercise just to separate her body from his. The flash of regret in Eric’s gaze said more than his words had.
Sighing over how emotionally naked she suddenly felt, Lucy crossed the threshold and let Eric finally close the door.
Directing her gaze down the hall, she saw several armed cyborgs huddled around Peyton Elliott. They were suited with weapons—weapons she doubted were legal inside Norton’s walls. Was the war really over? You couldn’t tell that today. For those who had chosen to become cyborgs, it seemed like little had changed.
“Are those pulse cannons they’re packing?” she asked.
“Yes,” Eric replied. “Peyton designed the ones we use. A blast from them will stop a cyborg or an AI. He hobbies at building them, but they’re far more effective than the normal ones the guards use.”
Lucy nodded to show she’d heard him. The threat must be serious for cyborgs of their caliber to resort to the use of strategic weapons.
Looking around more thoroughly, she noticed Aja and Meara had disappeared from sight. At first she was disappointed to think they’d leave her alone again so soon, but then decided it was probably a good thing. She would have definitely caught more hell from them for kissing Eric like she had.
“From what I can determine, I came out of the restoration process better than I think either of us expected. What’s got you so worried?” she asked as she fell in step beside him. A side glance took in Eric’s instant frown.
“Bradley 360 is missing again. That’s bad enough, because the bastard should have been dead, but nearly all of Norton’s very advanced guard bots are missing too. Kyra and Nero suspect Evil Brad is now running the same kind of neural programming you are. It’s the only way to explain how the man could possibly make AI’s do what he wants, unless someone slipped him another control device we haven’t seen before.”
Lucy sighed and nodded tightly. “In this case I think I will side with the logic of your scientists. Bradley 360’s mind is the device controlling the AI units. Neural control is a specialty of Creator Omega’s. Before each adjustment he made to me neurally, he would brag about what he intended to do. I made notes as he talked. I haven’t recovered all that data yet, but I’ll look in my files to see what I can find out.”
Eric nodded back. “I’m sorry, Lucy. This is definitely not the welcome back celebration I had in mind for you. I hope you know I really did want us to have that date.”
To avoid swearing, which apparently was her new default response mechanism, Lucy reluctantly searched her companion files until she found a polite response. “I appreciate that it matters to you. Rain check on the date?” she asked casually.
They stopped just outside the group Peyton was talking to. Butterflies fluttered inside her again when Eric smiled at her reply and nodded. She was starting to see the benefits of being pleasant to this man who was interested in her.
“That sounds great. See the big guy next to Peyton. That’s King. He has a great restaurant. Maybe we could go to dinner there and get to know each other again… or for the first time… depending on how you end up looking at our situation.”
Lucy grinned as she nodded. How in hell had she snagged someone so good-looking and so charming? Maybe for once her companion side had done her a favor instead of putting her through hell. “Not just a date, but a dinner date. You know, I can’t even remember the last time I had one of those.”
Eric felt the first genuine smile he’d had in an hour shift his face. “What do you mean? Did you forget about the beer and MREs we had in Montana? Technically, that was our first meal together.”
“It would have been a blessing if I did forget. Maybe I was trying to,” Lucy teased back. “MREs are not dinner. The damn things are war relics and should all be consigned to the recycler.”
Eric made a face to keep from laughing. “Come on, Captain. They weren’t that bad.”
Lucy snorted. “It is hard to accept that eating those ‘Meals Ready to Eat’ things could help fulfill Dr. Bastion’s military fantasies. Most men just go join a weapons club, learn to shoot, and hobby at being a soldier once or twice a month to get it out of their system.”
Eric laughed. “For someone who hates them so much, you certainly chowed down on yours. You might not remember that meal, but I will personally never forget it.”
Lucy snorted and dropped her gaze. “That still doesn’t mean the food didn’t taste like shit. I was probably being polite in eating the meal to avoid the pain burst I got whenever I resorted to complaining or making negative remarks. What I do recall about Montana is you making me be honest and go against my programming. Do you know how much that hurt? The headaches were excruciating… fucking scientist bastards.”
Eric couldn’t listen to Peyton’s plan for listening to Lucy. He wanted to know everything she thought… everything. His frustrated sigh was long and loud.
Lucy lifted her head to look at him again. “That was a pretty dramatic release of air.”
Eric met her smirking gaze and smiled again. “You know, I think I like this version of you best of all. This Lucy is easier to talk to than the other versions I’ve known.”
Lucy couldn’t look away from his sincerity. “Good thing you think so because this is the version you’ll be dating… if we get a chance to do that. I’m not going to let anyone take my true sentience from me again.”
Before Eric could answer, Peyton broke in to tell them Lucy had to go back to the bomb shelter as soon as possible. They’d transferred her to Norton after the restoration went well to run tests while she went through her assimilation. Now they couldn’t take any more chances. Evil Brad or one of his bot minions might try to kill her from a distance. Until the bomb inside her was finally removed, Lucy had to be restricted to the facility.
Eric watched her chin lift as she nodded her agreement. It cost her to agree and he could see she wanted to complain. To show he understood, he reached out and took her hand. He linked their fingers together as the rest of his old fire team circled protectively around them.
“Back to the dungeon,” Lucy declared, falling easily into step beside him.
Eric could tell she was joking to show his friends she didn’t mind what they had to do. He wanted to joke back and reassure her they were the best protection she could get, but for once couldn’t summon his sense of humor.
For the entire ten blocks it took for them and their armed escorts to walk back to the bomb shelter, all he could think about were the many chances he’d had to kill Evil Brad, but had never taken. He wouldn’t be passing up another one. It was way past time for the conniving scientist to die.
“As soon as I can, I’ll tell Aja and Meara where you are,” Eric said.
Lucy snorted. “Eric… I already did.”
“Oh… right. I keep forgetting you’re wired for mass communication like Peyton. They just seem more like your friends than your military charges.” When Lucy laughed, Eric turned to see her grinning. “Did I use the wrong word? What did the Army call the people who served under you?”
Lucy shrugged. “We just called each other friends, which is especially true with Aja and Meara because I’ve known them since our academy days. We never openly discussed rank in my unit. Casual relationships helped us do what we were programmed to do. Lacking massive male strength, female cyborgs were programmed to be spies instead of foot soldiers.”
“So you’re a spy, huh?
Call me Bond. Jane Bond
,” Eric joked, squeezing her fingers when she laughed. “Sorry. Couldn’t help the reference. I love old vid movies.”
“I can promise you I’m not a bit concerned about their whereabouts or their actions. Aja and Meara are volatile at times, but extremely loyal. And I would trust either of them with my life.”
Eric grinned, thinking about all they had risked coming after her. She was the reason they had ended up restored before her. “I would trust them with your life too, Lucy.”
And he meant it. Next time Meara and Aja offered their assassination services to kill Evil Brad, he for damn sure wasn’t going to say no. He was just going to look the other way and help hide the body afterwards.
Chapter 26
The ambush they had been watching for happened just outside the entrance to the bomb shelter. Lucy hit the ground just as the command to do so was leaving Peyton’s mouth. She peered up as multiple pulse cannons deployed above her head. The bots she could fight hand-to-hand, but not their weapons. If she took one pulse blast in the gut, this battle was over for everyone.
Then she heard it… a sonic whistle. Somehow Bradley 360 had obtained another one.
Beside her Eric’s head popped up, recognizing the sound as well. She hadn’t realized until then that he’d been lying on the ground too, his human arm wrapped protectively around her.
“Can you set your hearing frequencies?” Lucy asked over the cannon blasts. At his nod, she closed her eyes, sought what she needed, then rattled off the numbers. The strain on his face told her it was going to be a few minutes before he had his hearing adjusted.
Ahead of them, she watched pulse cannons fall from weakened cyborg fingers. At Bradley 360’s sideways glance, two AI’s tossed aside the versions they carried. They gathered up an abandoned cyborg cannon each and proceeded to shoot the remaining cyborgs with their own advanced weapons. The largest man, the one Eric had called King, ripped an AI apart with his bare hands before two more units joined his specific takedown effort. Eventually the sheer number of pulses directed his way took the giant man down as well.
Then she saw Bradley 360 calmly wading through the broken bots and downed cyborgs. He never stopped to see how effective his strategy had been. She was his real target and his gaze was locked on her. Running was too risky. All she could do was use his single-mindedness to her benefit if she could.