MaleAndroidCompanion (21 page)

Where to? Her home in California? Back to
the Institute? Nothing was making sense. Gia couldn’t quite comprehend exactly
what was going on, but it didn’t take a genius to see Marc was madder than a
wet hen. Then it dawned on her.

“
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.
You’re jealous.”

He paused for moment before slamming the
lid down on the suitcase. Raising his razor-sharp gaze to meet hers, he took a
step toward her. “Hell yes, I’m jealous. What did you expect? The minute Temin
steps back into your life you welcome him with open arms.”

“I. Welcomed. Him?” The words caught in her
mouth.

“Gina, you’re a great actress, but give it
a rest.” Sarcasm dripped from his mouth.

Now she was getting mad. “Just what do you
think went on out there?”

He ground his teeth. The tendons in his
neck bulged as if they would burst at any moment. “I—” His gaze narrowed. “I
saw you two hugging.”

“Hugging?” A burst of disbelief in the form
of laughter spilled from her lips. “Uhhh.” Her palms lit on her hips. She
leaned slightly forward. “Did you see my arms around him?”

Marc offered no response, but the
brittleness in his expression lost a little of its edge. She could almost see
memories race before his eyes.

Still no answer.

Her brows furrowed. “Did you also see me
push him away? Uhmmm. No. You didn’t. You turned tail and stomped off like a
child. Not to mention, he’s gone and I’m here—
with you
.”

What the hell was going on here? Was this
their first fight? Before she could even analyze his anger, he asked, “You’re
not going back to him?”

Resigned, she threw up her hands. “Oh my
god. You’re kidding, right?” Then she shook her head. “Your hardheadedness and
stubborn streak is indeed a man’s trait I could do without. Why would you think
I’d ever go back to that lowlife? Especially when it’s
you
I want.”

Crap. She’d said that last thought aloud.

“Me?”

She gave him her best “duh” expression.

“God help me, but yes.” She sank down onto
the bed. “I can’t get you off my mind.” Gia raised her gaze to his as he
advanced. “I know it’s silly. I know we can’t have a real relationship, but… I
think I’m falling in love with you.”

Why did the words feel so right when it was
impossible? Tears stung her eyes.

Lips pressed tightly together, she
shrugged, feeling helpless as she gazed up at him. “I don’t know what to do
about it.”

“Nothing.” He pulled her into his embrace.
“Just let it happen.”

Gia buried her face in his jacket, smelling
his earthy essence that seemed to anchor her in this fantasy world she was
falling into. “That’s easy for you to say. They’ll just reprogram you for the
next woman in your life.”

“There won’t be another woman in my life.”
His vow rumbled over her.

Easing back, she saw the truth on his
handsome face, but she knew differently. No way could they keep this charade up
forever. Someday she would have to let him go, and when she did her heart would
break.

“Hey, Gina, you up here?” Parker’s voice
preceded him into the room. “Mom’s holding dinner up for you guys.” Concern
flashed in his eyes as he glanced from her to Marc. “Everything okay?” There
was a slight pause before he said, “Why do I get the feeling that I’m always
interrupting something important?”

“Because you have the uncanny ability to be
in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Gia teased, trying to cover up her
lingering emotion.

“Well, I’m hungry and you know how Mom is.”
Parker stopped at the door, waiting for them.

Marc wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Gia felt his warmth, his support. It
cocooned her like a blanket. “Parker, you’re always hungry.”

Even as they headed for the door, she saw
Marc look longingly toward the bed. Yes, crawling beneath the covers with him
sounded like more fun than facing a yard full of people with a million
questions. Plus, she had yet to share her news with Marc.

“Ha. Ha.” Parker stepped aside, poking her
in the side as she walked by.

Gia jumped and swung at the same time, her
hand striking her brother’s shoulder.

“Ouch.” With a scowl on his face, he rubbed
the offended spot.

“Are you two always like this?” Marc asked.

“Sometimes worse,” Parker answered with a
grin.

No one spoke as they moved through the
house and finally stepped outside. Just before they entered the pavilion,
Parker sidled close to Gia. “Is Temin out of the picture for good?”

“Yes.” She glanced at Marc and his grip
around her tightened. Without a doubt, she knew Doug was out of her life, but
she still had no idea what to do about Marc.

The party was a raving success. One
congratulatory drink in honor of the anniversary couple and Marc and Gina had
silently slipped away to their bedroom. The window was cracked open, letting in
the fresh pine air along with a mixture of music and laughter. Marc glanced at
the clock on the bureau flashing midnight in neon green. By the sounds below,
the jamboree showed no signs of nearing an end.

Naked, he stretched out on the large bed,
enjoying the feel of the cool sheets beneath him. Gaze narrowed on the bathroom
door, his mind wandered back to Gina’s announcement. She had been so thrilled
with the news of
Starlight
. Excitement had glistened in her eyes and
heightened her rapid speech. Marc had responded in kind, but he was no fool.
Her success would be their downfall. She would be swept away in a sea of fame
while he would be left behind drowning in what-could-have-beens.

Inhaling a weighted breath, he slowly
released the air from his lungs.

In truth, Marc hadn’t expected any more
than a whirlwind relationship that would end badly once his secret was
revealed. Unfortunately his shame and regret gnawed unmercifully at him. What
had ever possessed him to think he could pull this off and step away unscathed?
He needed to come clean and see if there was any way to salvage what they had
together.

Before they were interrupted by her brother
earlier, she had admitted to falling for Marc, even loving him. She had
appeared so helpless, so aghast at the possibility of having feelings for an
android. Yet he had to remember she loved what she thought he was, not what or
who he truly was.

A man capable of returning her love.

Still the question remained. Could they get
past his deceit, as well as
Starlight
, and develop a life together?

His thoughts dissolved into a mist of
arousal when Gina opened the bathroom door and stood dressed in a sheer black
negligee. The diaphanous material stroked her curvaceous figure, hiding little
of her full breasts and the small patch of hair at the apex of her thighs.

His heart did a somersault and then skipped
a beat while his cock stirred to life, firming. The hardening felt amazing,
stimulating all of his nerve endings so that they tingled beneath her scrutiny.

Tomorrow.
He’d confess all tomorrow. Tonight he would love her as she deserved to be
loved.

Rolling onto his back, he eased up the bed,
pillows propped behind him, one knee bent. Her hips swayed seductively on her
approach, black heels silent across the carpet. A whisper of a smile touched
her pouty lips, lips that called to him. His mouth watered to taste her. His
palms itched to touch her.

Through half-shuttered eyes, her gaze
caressed him head to toe. The spark that flared beneath her heavy eyelids when
she scanned his erection shook the primitive side of him. He couldn’t wait to
take her—make her his.

Pure, unadulterated sex moved toward him,
heating his blood to a slow burn. With each step she took, he realized that
sometime during their liaison he, too, had fallen in love with her. Not like
infatuation or star admiration or even a fantasy, but the kind of emotion that
thickened his chest, made him ache just thinking of not waking with her in his
arms each morning.

“Gina—”

She pressed a finger to her lips.

Without a word, she crawled atop the bed,
slinking toward him as if she were a cat on the prowl. She nibbled on his big
toe before closing her mouth, swirling her tongue and then sucking.

Damn. Did she even realize what she did to
him? What he would give to have those precious lips wrapped around another
appendage of his. He fisted his fingers to keep from reaching for her.

The lascivious gleam in her eyes as she
pressed soft kisses at his ankle made his pulse leap. Warm, moist caresses
moved over his calf before she advanced farther along his leg, dragging her
silky hair across his skin to send a tremor up his spine. When she reached his
inner thigh, she nipped him—marking him. The love bite startled him, but added
something raw and erotic to the moment. It was like throwing fuel onto the fire
igniting inside him.

His body went up in flames. Blood surged
wildly through his veins, slamming into his balls. When she licked a path over
them he sucked in a breath and held it. Only when her delicate hand cupped his
testicles, massaging them gently, did he manage to breathe again. His cock
jerked in anticipation of feeling the warm cavern of her mouth.

Through thick, long lashes she looked up
his length until their eyes met. Held. The pull between them couldn’t be
denied. It was electrifying. He half expected her to purr. Marc knew he felt
like it when she flattened her tongue along his shaft and bathed him with her
heat.

“Gina. Please.” His plea was answered with
a soft stream of feminine laughter sliding across his flesh like silk.
“Sweetheart, fuck me with that beautiful mouth. Now.”

“Now?” A low, vibratory sound revealed her
pleasure.

“God. Yes. Now.”

When her full lips parted, he raised his
hips and she took him in. Hot. Moist. For a moment, he closed his eyes and
savored the tightness of her hold, the fever of her caress moving up and down
him. As her teeth scraped his tender skin, he hissed, eyes opening to watch his
erection disappear once again beyond the depths of heaven.

The visual of her head bobbing between his
thighs was every man’s fantasy. His fantasy. “Yesssss…” he hissed, drawing
breath. “That feels so fucking good.”

While she sucked and tantalized him, her
fingers stretched and played with the thin flesh of his sac. The woman was a
master, his body a slave to her ministrations.

Marc reveled in the feel of her mouth,
tongue and teeth. Then she swallowed. The squeezing sensation nearly jerked him
out of his skin. It was beyond anything he had ever experienced. Muscles
clenched. Taut, so friggin’ taut.

Shards of lightning exploded at the base of
his cock, forcing his bent leg down upon the bed. He gritted his teeth,
wanting, no needing, to ride the exquisite sensation to its end. His fingers
speared her hair, closed around her head. He held her motionless while his hips
rose and fell, as slow as he could manage without gaining his release.

In and out and in. Over and over.

Her hair tickled along his legs and his
sac. The moist, sensual sounds she made sliding across his cock were hot, her
soft whimpers even hotter.

Slower and slower he moved until he swore
he couldn’t take it anymore. Except for the head of his shaft, he extracted
himself from her mouth. Willfully, he withstood the swirl of her tongue around
the crown. Still, he wasn’t prepared when she pressed against the small slit
and sucked.

Marc’s toes nearly curled. Shards of desire
zigzagged through him. His control and mind almost fled.

“Stop. Oh God. Gina. Stop.” His erection
swelled even more, the throbbing of blood pulsing madly through him. If she
didn’t halt her exquisite torture, he wouldn’t be able to hold back any longer.

With the last strength left in him, he
eased out of her shelter, dragging her cool body atop his. The silk of her
negligee was the only thing between them until he reached for the hem and
wiggled it up and over her head. When she had removed her heels he had no idea,
didn’t care. Nestling his cock between her thighs, he released a sigh that she
captured with a hungry kiss.

Tasting himself was arousing. She nipped at
his bottom lip before thrusting her tongue deep into his mouth. He held on,
sucking and angling his head to take all of her.

As their tongues dueled, he rolled them
over, wedging a knee between her legs to part them. With one plunge he slid
between her swollen folds and once again found a little slice of heaven’s warm
embrace.

God, she was wet.

A flash of pride struck him as her inner
muscles seized around him. When he stroked the back of her pussy, he breathed
in her gasp. Their lips still connected, their tongues struggling for
supremacy.

A deep groan formed in his chest and he
tore his mouth away to stare into the dreamy eyes of the woman he loved. Did he
dare say the words? They were on the tip of his tongue.