by Eve Langlais
She wanted to deny the passion coursing through both their bodies? Two could play that game.
Act cool.
As he walked past her, heading for the lights of the house, he said, “My upgrade is courtesy of a Tinqqer I know who specializes in breathing cogs.”
“Who? What’s the name?”
“Kiss me again and I’ll tell you.” Pathetic, but he’d do anything to get her back in his arms.
For a moment, she eyed him in the thrashing storm, her gaze perusing him, lingering on the vee that disappeared into the waist of his pants. He hoped, as did the ache in his cock, that she’d decide a kiss worth the price.
But this was Ursy.
She snorted. “You’re going to extort me for sex? Please, if I really want to know, I’ll inject you with a truth serum and you’ll spill your guts.”
He eyed her, the defiance in her stance so familiar. Did he really want her to come to him because of a bargain?
The answer had him sighing. “Ozzlo is the one who made the gears for me. Four in total. Two sets replacing my ribs and connected to a set inside my lungs. A bit extra if you want the ability to breathe water and not just gas.”
He didn’t expect her to match his stride and run her fingers down the side of his body, stopping only when she reached his pants.
She murmured, “Four custom parts. That must have cost a fortune.”
“Yes and no. It just required I bring some latmevilium. Ozzlo keeps twenty-five percent of the metal for himself and uses the rest to fabricate custom cogs to help you breathe in different environments.”
“Where is this wizard of cogs located?”
“On our home planet. Lives on the Emerald Isle. Doesn’t advertise his services but easy enough to find.” And if he didn’t want to see you? Then good luck getting an audience.
Her brow creased. “Why are you telling me?”
“Because you asked.”
“What happened to only divulging your secrets for a kiss?”
He shrugged, standing on the path forking to his room, blinking rain out of his eyes. “A male should never be so desperate he has to beg. If you want to kiss me, you will.”
She tossed her head, chin tilted in defiance. A little too much defiance. “I don’t want to kiss you. Nor will I reward you for saving me.”
“No need for treasure.” He smiled. “You just gave me the biggest present in admitting I saved you.”
“I would have been fine on my own,” Ursy grumbled.
“Sure, you would have,” he said, walking past her, aiming for his room.
“I don’t need you,” she yelled after him.
The words reminded him of his own so many turns of the cogs before when they were un-geared and still children. Turned out she was right. He now regretted them.
Rather than return to his room, he chose to keep going around the house to the other side of the island. He let the storm batter his body, the buffeting winds and stinging rain doing much to revive. Recycled water and filtered air had nothing on the raw elements.
He closed his flesh eye and let the storm do its best to strip him. It flailed at his skin, screamed in his ears, did its best to knock him down.
He beat the storm, but he couldn’t seem to fight his own mind, which replayed the events with Ursy over and over. Could he have done something different? Perhaps snared her close for a kiss despite her protests.
Against her will?
No. Let her come to him.
She could beg him. He was done trying. It kept ending up in humiliation and—he glanced down at his groin—frustration.
Eventually he headed back to the house for a restless sleep, where, in his dream, his younger self didn’t turn her away. Where they became a dynamic pair, a mega Mecha couple.
He awoke alone in paradise.
Bored, he wandered around, ending up outside where he prowled the perimeter of the home. The appearance of a glassed atrium intrigued him especially as he noticed Lowqi within, intent on something. Wulff tapped until he got Lowqi’s attention. The other male put aside his tools to open the locked door.
“Did you need something?” his annoyed host asked.
“What are you doing?” Wulff sauntered closer to the massive table, the metal surface of it dull and layered with pieces of what he recognized as one of Snype’s drones. “Hey, that looks familiar. Where did you get it?”
“Ursy asked me to dissect this machine.”
“Did she say why?” Because he didn’t see how that would help.
“I’m sure if she wants you to know, she’ll tell you.”
The statement brought a snort. “Have you met her?”
A faint smile tilted Lowqi’s lips. “Good point. She is a very private person.”
“You know her well?” he asked, doing his best to stem his jealousy.
“As well as anyone can.”
“Why downplay it? It’s obvious she trusts you, or she wouldn’t have come here. Wouldn’t have asked for your help.” She also must like this Lowqi, given she’d dressed so provocatively. Had she fornicated with him already?
Touched him like— A low growl rumbled from him, and his fingers closed around a piece of metal, bending it with his frustration.
“I’ve known Ursy a long while. Not as long as you, but…enough.” Lowqi shrugged. “She comes and goes as she pleases.”
“You are lovers.”
Rather than answer, Lowqi said, “She must have some regard for you. I’ve never known her to travel with anyone before.”
“She’s hitched a ride with Zak a few times,” he pointed out.
“Her brother. And on his ship. Never hers. You’re the first passenger I’ve heard of allowed on the Unicorn Bandit.”
He opened his mouth to refute it, only to realize Lowqi spoke the truth. The number of missions they’d done together and he’d never known her to have anyone else on board. Not even a pet.
“It’s only because we’re working on something together.”
Lowqi snickered. “Together. Now there’s a word you don’t hear often in conjunction with Ursy.”
He felt a need to defend her. “She’s an excellent partner. An important part of our crew.”
“Only because Zak felt obligated to invite her.”
“What? No. Who told you that?”
Lowqi eyed him. “Who do you think?”
Ursy believed she was an obligation? He frowned. Sure, she’d started out tagging along, and yet, as they got older, it just became accepted that when they had a group job, she’d be included.
“Ursy is an integral member of our team.”
“But does she know that?” Lowqi shot him a sharp glance.
Might be time they said something, not that he admitted it aloud. “Why do you care, anyhow?”
“Because I like Ursy.”
The claim made him bristle, and Lowqi noticed.
“Don’t get all territorial on me. Doesn’t mean she likes me back. She’s all yours.”
“Mine? No, you’ve got the wrong idea. She’s like a sister to me.” Funny how hard it was to say those words. “Hurt her and I’ll come after you.”
Lowqi rolled his eyes. “She is more likely to hurt me than the other way around. Did you miss the part where I said she comes and goes as she pleases?”
“So you were lovers.”
“We have been.”
“Been? You aren’t together?” he asked and wanted to retract his question the moment the words left his mouth.
“Not currently. And not for lack of trying.”
The subtle jab caused him to clench his fingers into a fist. “You want her.”
“As do you. Can you blame me? She’s formidable. Beautiful. Fierce. Strong. And smart, too.” Lowqi sighed as he stared at nothing. He shook his head. “Alas, for all that I admired her, I never could hold on. Every time she visits, she slips away. Usually when I’m sleeping so there isn’t even a goodbye.”
“Why does she go?” Because
she obviously had admiration for this man. She trusted him with the drone and her life.
“Because I’m not strong enough for her.”
Glancing over the other man and his fit shape, Wulff remarked, “You haven’t taken any gears.”
“I have other modifications. But you mistook me. I’m not talking physical strength. More that I give in to her too easily. Ursy says no, and I don’t argue.”
“She gets means if she doesn’t get her way.”
“Exactly. Which you know, and yet you stand up to her.”
“Well, yeah.” Wulff snorted. “I’m not about to just roll over and do whatever she says.”
“Which is why she is attracted to you.”
At the claim, it was his turn to make a scoffing noise. “So attracted she does her best to keep out of my sight when we travel.” Not to mention she’d walked away from that kiss on the beach.
“You just made my point.”
His brow creased. “You’re saying she’s avoiding me because she desires me?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve hinted I’m available. She said no.”
“And you respected her wishes?” Lowqi’s dark brow arched. “Very enlightened of you. But let me ask, the times you’ve ignored what she wanted, what was her state of mind?”
“Angry.”
“And?”
“Vocal.”
“And?” Lowqi prodded.
Wulff couldn’t help but remember the two kisses. The passion in them.
“Methinks the lady doth protest too much.”
A quote he’d long ago heard and which now seemed apt. “Are you saying I should always ignore what she says? Wouldn’t that be disrespectful?”
“Yes. If the attraction didn’t exist. But perhaps sometimes you might want to push past her stubborn insistence to the truth.”
“The truth being?”
“She never got over her crush on you.”
The nonchalant way Lowqi tossed that out there shocked. “She told you about that?”
“She didn’t have to. The moment I saw you by her side, and how she acted, it was obvious.”
“You don’t sound jealous.” Which surprised Wulff.
“I had my time with her, and enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong. But I knew it wouldn’t last. Ursy needs a stronger male than me.”
“What makes you think I’m that male?”
Lowqi smirked. “Because you’re still breathing.”
“If you’re mistaken and I make the wrong move, she’ll gut me.”
“If I’m right…”
No need to finish the thought. Wulff could only too easily fill in that blank.
Lowqi gave Wulff much to ponder that day. Could the problem be as simple as pushing past their dual stubborn beliefs to reach a different understanding?
He no longer saw her as his sister. And if Lowqi were to be believed, she still had a crush.
So what kept them apart?
Fear. An answer he wouldn’t accept, which meant he had to do something to change it.
11
“We didn’t take the gears unto our flesh to only be a cog in a male’s plan. Make your own destiny.” – Today’s Modern Female Siyborgh
I don’t need to be saved. A mantra Ursy had huffed over and over since her rescue. Still repeated when she woke the next day.
She had to fight the stupid warmth that infused her every time she thought of Wulff coming to her aid.
I could have saved myself. Annoyed, Ursy spent the day in her room. She used the pretext of resting and enjoying the solitude. The truth ran more along the lines of she didn’t want to see Wulff.
Ever since he’d left her on the beach, she’d been vacillating between the belief she’d done the right thing in pushing him away and the urge to chase him down and finish the kiss they started. Madness. She didn’t want him.
What a lie. She craved him more than anything else in the universes. Even more than an epic gear.
But giving in would expose that weakness. While she didn’t fear him exploiting it, she couldn’t help but worry about the what-ifs.
What if he disappointed in the bedroom?
Doubtful.
What if he wanted an actual relationship?
She might be ready to settle down.
What if…it all went wrong? Then she’d have no more fantasy. Maybe not even a crew. Leaving her with nothing, which was why she wouldn’t be the one to change things.
Exiting the bathing chamber after a long bath that did nothing for the arousal still warming her body, she emerged wearing only a light robe and headed for the bed, not bothering to light any lamps. Having let her guard down, she didn’t expect the hands that grabbed her and pushed her against the wall.
Her knee rose and was blocked by a thick thigh. Her head butt just missed a face.
“You’ll have to try harder than that,” grumbled a familiar voice.
“Wulff?”
“Who else?”
“What are you doing in my room?” she gasped. Her pulse raced.
“Testing a theory.”
“What theory?”
“That you liked our kiss.”
“I liked being able to breathe.”
He leaned close enough to fan her with the warmth of his next words. “You don’t need to rub against me to do that. You were aroused.”
“Was. I didn’t need you to take care of it. I didn’t just come here for the beaches,” she said with a wink.
He saw right through the lie. “You haven’t had sex with Lowqi.”
“Tell that to my satisfied body.” It was a wonder her entire being didn’t rebel the moment she uttered that huge falsehood. Her cogs certainly spun in agitation.
“I know for a fact you didn’t have sex with Lowqi. I can smell the arousal on you.”
He leaned closer and inhaled. The weight of him trapped her, and yet she didn’t struggle to escape, rather welcomed the thick solidness of him. Her heart thumped hard in her chest. She really needed a cog to regulate it.
“What you’re smelling is the after scent. We just finished having sex. Really hot and satisfying sex.” She lied, the pulse between her legs intense enough it almost constituted an ache.
“No, you didn’t. You haven’t left your quarters all day.”
“Didn’t have to go anywhere. He took a break from his lab and visited me.” Why she kept lying she couldn’t have said.
“No he didn’t, because if he’d pleasured you, you wouldn’t look so damned soft.”
“I am not soft.”
“You are when I kiss you.” His gaze lingered on her mouth. “Your lips haven’t been kissed tonight.”
“Because they were busy doing other things.”
He growled. “Why are you lying?”
“Why do you care?”
“I don’t know.” There was a raw honesty in the words. “It used to be you were Zak’s little sister.”
“By one tick of the gear!”
“You were bratty. Annoying. Untouchable.”
She could hear a but coming. “What changed?”
“I don’t know when, but for some reason, I started seeing you as a woman. And now I can’t seem to stop. I want you, Ursy.” The words whispered over her lips as he captured them.
And she was done fighting.
Maybe this was the thing she needed to finally cure herself of her craving for him. This would fix her.
Fix them both.
Rather than shove him away, she took control, gripping him and flipping their stance, slamming him into the wall.
He continued to kiss her, gripping her waist, grinding her against his hips. The hardness of him pleased. She tugged at his shirt. Tore it in her impatience.
He growled. “My turn.”
Her robe hit the floor, leaving her naked against him. His upper body was bare, his lower half still hidden in his pants.
The coldness of the wall pulled forth a gasp as he flipped them once more, taking co
ntrol again, his heavy body leaning against her. He ceased the kiss only that his lips might delve against the soft curve of her neck. He nibbled and sucked, teasing out by moan and groan her sensitive spots. Controlling the moment. She let him. Even as she ran her fingers through his shaggy hair, tilted her head, giving him unhindered access to her throat.
But he didn’t remain there for long. He kissed a fiery trail down her neck then lower still, his face nuzzling the valley between her breasts. The bristles on his jaw scraped, sensitizing her skin. She shivered as his hot breath steamed her flesh.
Not a virgin and yet she trembled in anticipation when his mouth brushed over the roundness of her breast. She drew in a sharp breath when he nipped at her nipple. Then a low groan escaped her when he sucked it into his mouth. As if that weren’t enough, he inserted his thigh between her legs and rubbed it against her. The friction made her pant, “Yes. Yes.”
“Tell me what you want,” he growled, the words vibrating against her flesh.
“I want more.” She was greedy and intoxicated on pleasure.
“More of this?” He bit her nipple, not enough to hurt, but it did yank on her desire.
She cried out and dug her fingers into his shoulder, riding his thigh even harder.
“You’re so frukxing beautiful,” he murmured in between licks and sucks. He took his time with each nipple, latching onto it, sucking and pulling it into his mouth, every little bite sending an excited jolt to her sex.
When he stopped lavishing attention on her breasts, her damp skin shivered at the loss of warmth.
Then she flushed with heat and anticipation as he dropped to his knees, a supplicant before her. She gripped his hair and lifted her leg so it rested over his shoulder. A clear invitation and yet he teased her first by nuzzling the flat flesh of her belly. He trailed kisses downwards to her mound, rubbed his face against her, and all the while she tingled.
“Wulff.” She said his name softly.
He immediately looked up at her, mismatched eyes both smoldering with passion.
“Say my name again,” he ordered firmly.
And she found herself replying. “Wulff.”
“I’m going to touch you, Ursy.”
Her breath hitched.
“I’m going to taste you and pleasure you until you come.”