“Inner door,” he rasped, his voice like sandpaper.
“I don’t think I can get Red inside.”
“Fine in airlock. Better than outside.” When she still hesitated, he caught her hand. “Your safety most important.”
Reluctantly, she climbed to her feet and went to the panel. The horse had not moved from his position and he seemed quite calm.
“I'm sorry,” she whispered, and closed the door.
As soon as it sealed, she rushed back to Clint. Pulling out one of her precious cleansing cloths, she dampened it with the still warm water from the kettle and began wiping gently at one of the many long gashes that covered his body. They didn’t seem to be deep but there were so many of them.
“Stop,” he said firmly, his voice sounding more like his usual deep tone. “They will heal.”
She looked up at him and noticed for the first time that one of the lenses of his ever-present dark glasses had cracked.
“Your glasses are damaged. Why don’t you take them off?”
He was shaking his head before she even finished. “No. Now listen. Did you fill the water reservoir?”
“I did yesterday.”
“Top it off. If you have any spare containers fill them too.”
“I have to take care of you first. You’re injured.”
“And I will heal. I want you to gather as much water as possible. The solar array won’t be able to generate power until this passes, and the pump may shut off.”
“But—”
“Water first.”
“Fine.” She knew he was right—it had been covered in the training manuals—but she still hated to leave his side when he was so obviously wounded.
“Josephine, look.”
He held out his arm and she watched in amazement as one of the scratches closed before her eyes, leaving only a long smear of blood.
“Now go.”
Forcing her eyes away from the healing process, she obeyed. By the time the reservoir was topped up, the water in the chicken habitat refreshed, and every spare container filled with water, Clint seemed to be back to his usual self. He had stripped off the damaged shirt to reveal an impressive display of hard muscle and she did her best not to stare at him as he disappeared through the airlock for a few minutes, returning with a large duffel.
“How’s Red?”
“I told you he would be fine. Technically, he should actually be able to resist the full brunt of the storm but…” He shrugged, an almost uncomfortable look on his stern face. “It seemed better to provide him with what protection I could. You do not mind?”
“Of course not.”
“We will need to conserve power. Is there anything else for which you will need the light?”
“We? Are you staying?”
“Josephine, I didn’t ride through a dust storm just to turn around and leave.”
“But why did you come?”
“This is where I want to be.”
He stepped closer and her pulse raced. In the confined space, she was reminded once again of his massive size. But her pulse had not sped up due to fear. She was uncomfortably aware that her nipples had turned rock hard beneath the thin tank and her panties were growing damp. Her panties. Shit, she wasn’t wearing anything else. Her cheeks heated.
“I’ll just put some pants on,” she said quickly, but as she bent over to retrieve them, she heard him groan.
“You do not need to cover your beauty on my account. I am used to restraining myself.”
Beauty? Restraining himself? She whirled back around, holding the pants to her chest like a shield.
“What do you mean?”
“Josephine, it cannot have escaped your attention that I find you extraordinarily desirable.”
“Me?” she squeaked.
“You.”
He gently took her hand and placed it against the long hard ridge of his erection. Oh my. Despite her best efforts, she had noticed that he seemed to have an almost constant erection, but she had told herself that it was undoubtedly part of cyborg functionality.
“You mean you’re not always like that?”
A rusty noise escaped his lips and it took her a moment to realize that it was a laugh.
“No, my little love. Just around you.”
What had he said? She peeped up at him, but his face was as inscrutable as ever, perhaps more so with one of his eyes completely concealed by the cracked lens.
“Take off your glasses,” she said softly.
He stiffened. “My eyes are not… human.”
“Well, duh. I know that. They’re better.”
“Better?”
“You found the ice for me, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” he admitted slowly. “You will not be repulsed?”
The truth escaped before she could stop it. “Nothing about you could repulse me.”
He groaned again, and then slowly, reluctantly, removed the broken glasses. She couldn’t prevent the gasp that escaped, but she grabbed his arm when he immediately started to replace them.
“Don’t do that. I was just surprised. They’re so beautiful.”
“Beautiful?” The word obviously shocked him.
“Yes,” she said firmly.
It was quite true. A heavy fringe of dark lashes surrounded eyes that glowed a deep, ever-changing red. She stared, fascinated and enthralled, until he suddenly put an arm around her and pulled her up against acres of warm hard flesh. The gaps torn by the dust storm made it even easier to feel his skin against hers and she suddenly wanted to rub against him like a cat, desperate to feel all of him.
“Clint,” she gasped.
“Do you know what it does to me to hear you call me by name?” he growled, grinding his erection against her. “To feel as if you see me as a man?”
“I do.”
He bent over, one arm going under her butt as he lifted her until they were face to face.
“I’m not going to ask permission to kiss you,” he said.
“You don’t need to,” she whispered, and then his mouth covered hers.
Chapter Seven
Josephine had seen his eyes and not rejected him. Clint’s heart rejoiced as he bent his head to kiss her. She responded as eagerly as she had done the first time they kissed and this time when he slid his hand under her shirt, she didn’t freeze. Watching her face carefully, he lifted the garment over her head. Small pert breasts topped with rosy pink nipples matched her slender frame, a tiny waist curving into slender but undeniably feminine hips.
“Perfect,” he murmured as she blushed.
Impatient to feast his eyes on all of her, he carried her to the bed alcove and laid her across the mattress before ripping her panties away to reveal her delicate little cunt, already flushed and glistening with her desire. He shifted his vision, delighting in the heat glowing from her body with her arousal. Her hands fluttered and he knew she was fighting the urge to cover herself from his scrutiny.
“You are beautiful, Josephine. You do not need to hide from me.”
“I know I’m small,” she said.
“You’re perfect. And look at the way you respond to me.” He stroked a single finger across one tempting little nipple and felt it harden even further as she arched towards him. He continued his path down across her stomach and saw it tremble before very gently parting those delicate pink folds. Her clit was already exposed, the hood drawn back to reveal the hard little pearl. Very gently, he brushed his finger across it, and she cried out, her hips lifting. He traveled further, gliding through the slick folds to her tiny entrance. He probed very gently at the tight ring of muscle and groaned as his finger slipped inside. For the first time, he began to wonder if she would be able to take him.
“You’re very tight, my love. Are you intact?”
“You mean am I a virgin?” She shook her head. “No, Nic—No.”
Despite his instinctive anger at the mention of her worthless former partner, he gave a sigh of relief. Perhaps t
his would be possible after all.
Stroking her clit once more, he carefully added a second finger, his cock jerking as he watched her stretch to take him. She cried out, but there was no pain on her face and her hips were moving restlessly against him.
“Clint, please. I want to feel you inside me.”
“Slowly,” he said, to himself as much as her. “We must take it slowly.”
“Yes, yes, but at least start.”
He gave into temptation, ripping off his pants and notching his cock at her entrance. He pushed forward but her body resisted until he stroked across her clit again. He heard her cry out, felt the rush of heat bathe the head of his cock, and pushed again as her hips jerked towards him, her body finally accepting him into an impossibly hot, wet embrace. A streak of electricity rolled down his spine and then he was coming in helpless, shuddering waves as the endless years of loneliness finally came to an end. He had found his mate and he was never letting her go.
Jo’s body hovered on the edge of climax as Clint exploded inside her. His whole body shook as he bent down over her and she put her arms around him, holding on to him with a fierce, protective tenderness. He buried his head in her neck, still shaking, and she stroked his head, even as her clit throbbed and ached.
“I’m sorry.” He finally raised his head and gave her a rueful smile. “I did not expect to lose control that quickly.”
“That’s all right. It’s actually kind of flattering. Maybe in a little while—” She broke off abruptly as she realized that even though he had come, his cock was still hard, still stretching her entrance.
“There is no need to wait. Unless you…”
“No, no. I don’t want you to wait,” she said immediately and tried to raise her hips, but he was so big and heavy that she had little leverage.
“I said we should take things slowly,” he reminded her.
“Yes, well, you didn’t take your own advice. Now it’s my turn.”
“Of course.”
He gripped her hip with one hand and pushed deeper, his passage eased by his own fluids but still stretching her to the limit. The sensation hovered on the edge of pain but then he adjusted his angle to put pressure on her clit and the aching fullness turned into a fiery pleasure. She cried out and he covered her mouth with his, swallowing her cries as he held her in place for his thrusts, sending her ever higher until she flew over the edge, the world disintegrating into a thousand points of light as she shattered, and her climax triggered his own.
As her body finally relaxed, she realized he was wrapped around her, holding her as if she was infinitely precious. Her heart ached as she clung to him with equal intensity, the two of them together in the midst of the surrounding storm.
“You didn’t ask if I was on birth control,” she said curiously as Clint gently pressed a warm cloth to her still sensitive flesh. He had finally let her go so that he could tend to her. “Did you already know?”
His hand stilled for a moment before he continued. “My seed is not fertile.”
“You mean you can’t have children?” Her heart ached for him, and perhaps, for herself.
“No, it’s still possible. But I would have to make that choice.” His eyes met hers. “And I do not think that this is the time.”
A sudden, unexpected longing surprised her with its intensity, but she nodded. “You’re right. Mars isn’t ready for children yet. There is too much work to be done.”
Discarding the cloth, he climbed back into bed and settled her against him. “You are quite correct. Now you should rest.”
“Yes, boss,” she said, rolling her eyes, but she really was exhausted. The warmth of his body surrounded her, and she drifted off to sleep.
Despite his insistence on her need for sleep, he woke her twice more during the night to make love to her with the same passionate intensity before letting her fall back asleep.
“Are you always hard?” she murmured sleepily as he woke her for the third time, his clever fingers already teasing her clit.
“I have control over all aspects of my body,” he said, then grinned at her. “Except around you.”
“What does that mean?”
“I mean, my little love, that my cock does not want to respond to my orders when you’re around. It is constantly hard, constantly seeking to bury itself in this tight, sweet little cunt.”
He matched his actions to his words, and she arched helplessly upwards as he filled her once again. She would have sworn that her body was exhausted, but her clit was once again aching and ready.
“Of course, while I cannot seem to make it go down, I do have other ways of controlling it,” he murmured.
“Like what?” she asked breathlessly, trying to lift her hips as he held her easily in place.
“Like this.”
A sudden deep pulse traveled through her stretched channel, then another. Oh my god. His cock was vibrating inside her. He reached between their bodies, pressing against her clit so that the vibration traveled from her pussy to the aching nub and she came so suddenly and so hard that she was still shaking when she felt the hot rush of his seed exploding inside her.
“You are a god among men,” she said seriously, and fell asleep to the sound of his laughter.
A barely perceptible lightening of the sky was the only sign that the next day had dawned.
“It’s so dark,” she said.
“The dust clouds block the sun. That’s why the solar panels won’t operate the water pump once we run out of whatever is stored in the batteries.”
“But the RTG still works, right? We’ll have heat and oxygen and the power from it.”
“Yes.” He smiled down at her. “Don’t worry, my little love. Everything will be fine.”
She believed him.
“Then I’m going to get the chores out of the way so we can relax.”
“Or play some more,” he suggested, cupping her breast with a big, warm hand.
“Chores first,” she insisted and slipped out of bed before she gave in to the devilish look in those amazing eyes.
Despite her determination not to neglect her duties, there really wasn’t much work to be done. After they tended the chickens and the garden, and performed the daily checks of the equipment, she found herself with more free time than she’d had since she landed on Mars. She would never have thought she would enjoy a week spent confined in a small space with another person, but not once did she find herself bored or annoyed. Clint occupied himself by using some of the extra materials he had brought to build a pair of chairs while she attempted to make a pot from some of the Martian regolith. They played games and experimented with the limited choice of food and inevitably wound up back in her bed.
“How did you end up in the military?” she asked once, as they lay wrapped in each other’s arms.
His body went still, and she didn’t think he would answer.
“I had a little sister,” he said eventually. “Sweet, helpless, always full of laughter. I was working two jobs, trying to make enough money to keep us housed.”
She nodded. She knew what it was like, how hard you had to work to afford even the smallest place. The only alternatives were the streets or one of the vast homeless shelters that were their own form of hell.
“But because I was gone so much, she was lonely. And because she was lonely, she let our mother back into her life. I came home one night, and she was gone. I spent a month looking for her. When I found her, she had been bought by one of those rich corporate bastards. She looked so different, more like a doll than a girl, and she didn’t laugh any more. I told her I loved her; told her I would get her out of there. She said it was too late.”
He gazed up at the ceiling, but she knew he was looking into the past.
“I refused to listen, of course. I went back twice, and I finally thought she was starting to listen to me. The third time I returned, the bastard was there. He told me that she had killed herself and it was my fault. He had his men beat me up a
nd throw me out on the street. I thought I was going to die, and I didn’t care.”
“Oh, Clint.” Tears were streaming down her face.
“It turned out that my body’s will to live was stronger than my guilt,” he said, his voice emotionless. “After I recovered, I joined the military. I had lost my jobs, of course, and the place where we had lived, but I didn’t join because of that. In spite of everything that had happened, I hadn’t completely lost my illusions. I really thought it was about helping people, that maybe I could make a difference.”
“Is that why you volunteered for the cyborg program?” she asked softly.
“Volunteered? Is that what they tell you?” The sound he made could not be considered a laugh.
“You mean you didn’t choose this?”
“No. If you are critically injured, they have the right to use your body in whatever way they see fit.”
“Critically injured?” The thought of him dying made her heart skip a beat.
“Yes.” He took her hand and placed it over his heart. “It’s a new heart—the first thing they modified. Then they decided what other pieces of me they wanted to change.”
“Your eyes?” she whispered.
He tried to shrug, but it was a poor effort. “They were damaged too. When they were done with me, I was no longer human.”
“You are most certainly human,” she said fiercely.
“Am I?” He turned to look at her, his eyes glowing in the dim light. “I don’t have the same rights as a human. The same feelings.”
“You feel the same to me,” she said, willfully misunderstanding his words. When he opened his mouth to respond, she stopped him with a kiss. When he groaned and responded, she climbed on top of him, loving the feel of warm skin and hard muscles beneath her. Determined to make him forget about the past, at least for tonight, she slowly kissed her way down his body, lingering over the small hard nubs of his nipples until he clutched the sheet. When she reached his cock, already throbbing with desire, drops of precum pearled at the tip.
She swiped her tongue across it and they both groaned. He tasted delicious and she lapped at him eagerly, circling the swollen head and concentrating on the sensitive underside.
High Plains Cyborg Page 5