“You mean some idiot getting ideas of attacking you.”
“Yes.” She chewed on her bottom lip, staring at his face. “How old are you?”
One of his gray eyebrows arched. “Does it matter?”
She hesitated before glancing at his hair. She didn’t want to insult him by mentioning his hair color reminded her of someone’s grandfather. His features were a drastic contrast to that idea, and no elderly person of advanced years had his muscle mass, no matter how many drugs or medical procedures they underwent.
He smiled. “I was genetically made this way.” He reached up to brush a few strands of hair behind his ear. “Do you want to know a secret I’ve never told anyone before?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a reason I’m more Earth-friendly than others of my race. I was created for a special project by some of the senior scientists. They purposely gave me this hair color to help me fit in with them better. I wasn’t put into general population with other cyborgs, but instead kept inside their labs.” His expression hardened. “At least until the government decided to lock us down after a few incidents that made them reevaluate the cyborg project. I was taken away from my friends. The scientists and I had become very close. They weren’t bad guys. They tried to protect me for as long as possible.”
“What incidents?”
He hesitated. “There are more male cyborgs than female ones by vast numbers. The reason for that was, the female ones were harassed, leaving them no choice but to defend themselves. It was quickly decided they weren’t worth the trouble, so production of females was shut down.”
“Harassed how.”
“They weren’t created to be sex bots. But some of the human assholes they were assigned to work for decided to try to force them perform that job, too. They…resisted.”
Comprehension dawned, and it wasn’t pretty. “Oh.”
“Our males would also defend them if they witnessed female cyborgs being attacked. Your guys didn’t fare well in a fight against us, since they created us to be so much stronger. A lot of humans died as a result. It was self-defense, but we weren’t seen as living beings with rights. Including the right not to be raped, murdered, or both. Cyborgs were basically slaves, but eventually, we wanted equal rights. Cyborgs are living, breathing beings, but they were essentially killing us by sending us on suicide missions no sane person would take. My kind eventually said enough and demanded to be given rights. Earth Government sent us all to facilities for holding. Then they decided to kill every one of us. We were given no choice but to escape or be murdered.”
“That’s shitty…but not surprising. Earth Government sucks.”
His mouth curved a little upward. “You worked for them.”
“Who doesn’t anymore? They get you one way or another. Working off-world at a mine beat the crap out of staying on Earth. It’s gotten really bad there over the past twenty years. They track everything you do and even who you talk to. You’re fined most of your wages for ridiculous things, just to keep you poor. I had a mining background and it afforded me a job on Velion One.”
“What kind of background?”
“I was born on the moon. My parents were miners. That was my life until they were killed when I was in my teens. I’ve hated living on Earth ever since I got sent there. I’d dreamed a lot about it as a kid, but the reality wasn’t so hot. I later worked on Mars. Five years ago, a deep-exploration ship found precious minerals on Velion One that EG wanted. I heard about it, and eventually won the job to run the operation. They prefer women when they can hire us.”
“Why is that?”
“Women tend to stay saner for long stints alone on a planet, more so than men. We’re less aggressive and don’t have all that testosterone making us nuts.” She grinned. “That part’s just my opinion, though.”
He smiled. It changed him from merely striking to making her heart race. He was incredibly handsome. She wondered if he was aware of his appeal to women.
“If you ask EG, it’s cheaper to keep one person in place, rather than rotating them out, and cheaper to keep women in supplies.”
“Why?” He seemed genuinely curious.
“Well, it’s just cheaper to ship supplies than people. The supply shuttles don’t have to be oxygenated unless a living person is onboard. They’re totally manned by androids, who don’t need to breathe air or eat food, and they don’t make messes. And women tend to require less food, which means fewer and less-expensive resupply trips.”
“You said you were there for four years?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a long time to go without seeing anyone else.”
“I had—”
A buzz interrupted her from telling him about Jorg. Sky frowned as he rose to his feet. She watched him stride to the door and slap his palm over a sensor pad—then he just stood there. It sank in quickly that he must be doing something besides just resting his palm over the control, and that something was likely internal. He finally turned away from the wall, Anger clear in his expression.
“I apologize for just walking away like that. The cyborg council has issued orders for the Bridden to immediately return to Garden. They are pissed that I saved you.”
Trepidation filled her. “What does that mean?”
He returned to the bed and sat closer to her. “Don’t worry about it. It’s my ass on the line. I’ll take full responsibility for my actions. You’ll be okay.”
“What are they going to do to you?” She began to worry. “I didn’t mean to get you into trouble, Sky.” Guilt wrestled with the worry. “I’ll tell them I issued a flag distress. You had to respond to that. It’s the law.”
He chuckled. “We don’t give a shit about what laws Earth Government makes. I didn’t have to save you. I chose to.”
“Why would you do that if you knew it was going to get you into such trouble with your supervisors?”
He studied her. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
“Yes.” The conversations they’d had in the past flashed through her memory. “We are.”
“Friends don’t leave friends behind to be killed by pirates.” He winked.
She couldn’t help but smile and appreciate his humor. “I’ll talk to your supervisors. They need to know how dire my situation was. You saved my life.”
“They won’t care why I did it. There are certain laws they get their panties in a twist over.” He sighed. “Don’t worry. Their bark is worse than their bite. At worst, they’ll force me to stay on the planet for a while. If they really want to make me suffer, they’ll assign me to work with Zorus.”
“What is that?”
“Who. He’s a dick. Of course, I’ve been assured ever since he met Charlie, he’s almost been decent. Love can change someone, and I’m told he’s living proof of that.”
“Is Charlie his boyfriend?”
Sky threw back his head and laughed. “No.” His blue eyes glinted with humor as he stared at her. “Charlie is a woman from Earth.”
“Oh.”
“They are married.”
That surprised her. “Cyborgs get married?”
“Yes.”
She remembered him saying he was single, but she hadn’t known he wasn’t human at the time. It made her realize that he must be more than wires and machine parts on the inside, if cyborgs married women from Earth.
It also implied he was probably able to have sex and feel emotions for someone.
“What are you thinking about? You just got the oddest look on your face.”
“Nothing,” she lied.
He arched one gray eyebrow. “Friends don’t lie to each other.”
She hesitated. “You said your friend got married. I was just thinking about that.”
“That makes you curious?”
“So…you have sex?” She had to lower her gaze to the collar of his uniform, unable to stare into his eyes as she asked.
“Yes.”
Her cheeks warmed. She swallo
wed the lump that formed in her throat.
“Don’t worry. I won’t force you to make love to me.”
Her gaze jerked up to his. Make love? That implied he knew the difference between physical pleasure and a deeper emotional bond. She wanted to ask more questions but stayed silent.
“Despite how tempting you are.” He smiled. “I might try to lure you into it, though.” His attention lowered slowly down her body, pausing over her breasts. “Remember when we talked about how lonely deep space is?”
She nodded and held his gaze when he finally looked up.
“Do you have someone on Earth?”
“No.”
“I don’t have anyone on Garden.” Sky leaned in ever so slowly. “It’s going to be days before we reach my planet. We’re both locked inside my quarters until then. It’s a small room, isn’t it? One bed.”
She didn’t withdraw. Sky had saved her, after all, and he looked way better than anything she could have ever imagined when they’d spoken. He wasn’t a mushy-bellied, balding freighter captain. He wasn’t what she’d expected at all. He was a thousand times better.
“I’m the same man you spoke to, Mickayla.” He paused inches from her mouth as she stared deeply into those beautiful blue eyes of his. “I am going to shower and change out of this uniform to get comfortable. You can shower, too, after I’m done. We’ll take things slow and get to know each other. I don’t want you to feel pressured into anything.” He glanced at her lips. “I’m going to get up now and put that cold foam to good use.”
He pulled away and quickly got to his feet. She watched him withdraw folded clothing from one of the storage drawers, but he didn’t glance at her as he disappeared behind the wall of his cleansing unit.
She sat there feeling a little dazed. She might be rusty with flirting, but she was pretty sure he’d wanted to kiss her. She closed her eyes as she tried to take stock of her thoughts and feelings.
Mostly, she felt disappointed that he’d retreated.
* * * * *
Sky peeled out of the tight uniform inside the small space and softly groaned when he freed his stiff dick. Being so close to Mickayla had been torture. He wanted to strip her out of that ugly jumpsuit she wore and find out if her skin was as soft as it looked. He closed his eyes as he shoved his discarded boots and clothing into the miniature cleaner in the wall and hit the button to start the cleansing unit. Foam sprayed his body as he stood still.
His friend Mick had turned out to be a woman. He was still trying to wrap his mind around that but seeing her definitely helped him grasp the reality. He had pictured his mining pal as a male, young, maybe in his mid-twenties. The real Mickayla was a few years older, sexier, and currently sitting inside his quarters on his bed. A groan passed his lips as he reached down to fist his cock.
He didn’t want to frighten her, but no way was he going to make it a week without getting her naked and under him.
The foam began to melt, sending tingles all over his body as it turned into water—and he suddenly remembered telling his supposedly male friend Mick jokes about masturbating. He hoped she’d forgotten those.
Then again…she’d admitted to doing it, too.
He stroked his cock, picturing her touching herself. She had a smaller body than the women he was used to. Cyborgs were designed to be tall and muscular. Mickayla looked soft and pliant, with plush curves. She had pale skin from living indoors to avoid the harsh radiation of the environmentally unfriendly planet she’d spent four years on.
That last thought made him think about how long it had been since someone else had touched her.
“Fuck,” he groaned, stroking his cock faster. She’d be tight—and her body would respond to every touch as if he were her first. Her breasts would have forgotten the sensation of having a hot mouth suckling on them.
He imagined her under him, tightening his hold to simulate how she might feel if he entered her. She’d be wetter, slick with desire, and her thighs would wrap around his hips.
The mental image of her spread open sent him over the edge fast. He shook as he came, nearly embarrassed by his lack of control.
He hadn’t had a woman in months. And that female cyborg hadn’t even been one he wanted, but instead had been an obligation. He’d owed a friend who’d been having trouble getting the female of his family unit to conceive. Sky had been taken out of breeding pacts, since his DNA was considered overused, but friends could request his sperm if they wanted a child. He couldn’t say no to Javilex. The male had saved his life eighteen years before, and he’d wanted to repay the debt.
Tranella had been one cold female. Sky leaned back against the wall to catch his breath and released his cock, rapidly deflating as he remembered her. Some Cyborg women were controlling of their males inside a family unit, and were more about precision than passion in the bedroom. He’d walked into her room to find her already naked. The sight had been nice…but then she’d opened her mouth.
“Activate your sex drive.” Her eyes had closed. “I am activating mine. I prefer a forward-facing straddle position. I will be in control of all movement. Sit in the chair; I don’t want you on my bed.”
That had been the first indication that he wasn’t going to enjoy the sex. He’d done as ordered, and the female had hovered over his lap. Her intense stare left him feeling cold inside as she sank down on his dick. He decided he could forgive her demeanor as he bit back a groan. She felt good, as all cyborg women did.
“Fifty is the count.”
“Seconds or strokes?” Irritation killed his pleasure. He hated the ones who timed sex, but it happened often.
“Seconds. You aren’t one of my males, and I don’t have to placate you. I just need your active sperm.”
“Seriously?”
She hadn’t even blinked. “Sixty seconds, then. I don’t wish to waste more time by negotiating. You are well endowed, but aren’t all cyborgs? Ready?”
He’d closed his eyes at that point to force his body into submission. She moved up and down on his dick. He had to link into his body functions to perform, and he kept track of time carefully. At fifty-eight seconds, he ordered his ejaculation to commence. It hadn’t even felt good, since he’d had to focus on timing instead of sensation.
Tranella stopped moving exactly at sixty seconds, and he opened his eyes. She continued to watch him without blinking. “Now we wait the allotted two minutes.”
It was the longest drag of time that he could ever remember. But he dutifully sat there until she finally climbed off him and headed for her bathroom. “Leave.”
“You’re welcome.”
Her shoulders had stiffened, but that was the only reaction he got as she fled to wash away any trace of him. She probably forgot him as soon as the door closed between them. She’d either conceived with him, or he’d pissed her off enough that she’d refused to ask for use of his body a second time.
He hadn’t checked if they’d succeeded in making a child, not wanting to know. Ignorance was best. He’d learned that the hard way.
Sky pushed off from the wall of his cleansing unit, drawn from his musings, and reached for a towel to dry the water from his skin.
Mickayla was an Earther who had no way of controlling her body or emotions. There wasn’t an on or off switch installed inside her brain used to activate her sex drive at will. His cock twitched with interest at the prospect of learning how to tempt her into allowing him access to her body. He’d go slow but it would be hell. He just wanted to strip her bare and touch her all over.
He dressed in a pair of loose cotton pants and a tank top. He wore them to train in or to lounge around his quarters. The door opened to reveal Mickayla had remained in the same spot where he’d left her. Her gaze traveled the length of his body, pausing on his arms and shoulders. He didn’t see any traces of fear on her face.
“Your turn if you want to get clean.”
She stood and glanced down at the ugly jumper. “This is all I’ve got wear. I didn’t
have any spare clothes to grab. It was all in my sleeping quarters, which were destroyed.” She looked up. “Do you have a shirt I could borrow?”
“You can have anything you want in here.” Me included, he silently added. He pointed to one of the drawers. “I think anything in that one would work. You’re short. They will probably fall to mid-thigh.” An image formed inside his head, and he hoped his dick didn’t harden. “I don’t have any pants that will fit you, though.” She’d be bare under his shirt. He’d have only to shove it up to gain access.
Mickayla followed the direction of his finger and opened the wall panel to go through his shirts. She picked a bright blue one, one of his favorites. He liked her even more when she turned, holding it. She had the same taste as he did.
“Is this one okay?”
“Yes, Mickayla.”
“Please, just call me Mick. I’ll hurry.”
He made a mental note that she liked the shorter name. “Are you hungry? I could order food.”
She shook her head. “I ate a few hours ago, and I’m used to eating once a day.”
“Why?”
“The supply shuttles sometimes are late, and there’s always the fear that one of them will be stolen or destroyed. I learned the first year to reduce my eating and stockpile supplies. It’s better to have too much than go eleven days without anything but water and supplement pills.”
“You did that?”
She nodded. “It sucked.” She flashed a grin. “I did lose seven pounds, though, and gained an even bigger appreciation for being clean, since I had to conserve water, too. That’s the good thing about being a miner. You might sit on your ass a lot at the controls, but the meager supply situation keeps you from gaining weight.”
He moved out of her way. “Go ahead. I’ll at least order snacks. That way it’s here if you want it. We don’t have a shortage of supplies. We’re well stocked at all times.”
“That’s fantastic. Thanks. It sounds as if cyborgs take way better care of their people than Earth Government does.”
Falling for Sky (Cyborg Seduction Book 11) Page 4