Page 21 of A Mate For Matrix (Cyborg Protection Unit #1)

Chapter Fourteen

T he little brass bell above the door jingled as Jana stepped into Vivian’s Woman’s World.

The boutique was the pride of the town—three generations strong, lovingly composed of pink awnings, antique chandeliers, and racks of impossibly expensive clothing arranged like exhibits in a museum.

Soft piano jazz played from somewhere near the perfume counter, and the scent of roses and lavender hovered in the air like her mother’s garden when she was little.

“Look, but don’t touch. Everything here is really expensive compared to what I normally buy,” Jana mumbled, leaning into him.

Matrix stood beside her, his nose wrinkling at the overwhelming swirl of perfume as he peered inside. There were a few places like this on the spaceports he visited. He always avoided them, as the smell could trigger a migraine.

His hat and sunglasses were still in place, but nothing could hide the predator grace of him or the long line of muscle stretching beneath his black shirt as he surveyed the store like he was planning a tactical invasion.

“I was not planning to touch it. I am here to observe… and protect,” Matrix replied, narrowing his eyes at the lone male sitting in a chair near the entrance.

Jana rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. After the bank, she’d decided not to leave him alone again—not that he would have allowed it.

An older woman in a peach cardigan, her silver hair swept up in a perfect French twist, looked up from behind the front counter.

“Oh my,” she breathed, her eyes sweeping over Matrix like he was a late entry in the Mr. Universe competition. “Welcome to Vivian’s. I’m Penny. Can I help you?”

Jana flushed and tried to wave her off. “I’m just picking up a few things. You know, end-of-the-world shopping spree.”

Penny blinked when Jana gave a snorting laugh. “Pardon?”

Matrix stepped forward, fixing the woman with a warm smile that probably should’ve been registered as a controlled substance.

“She is relocating—permanently,” he clarified, his tone sincere. “I’m here to ensure she’s equipped for the journey. She’ll need clothing… and accessories.”

Penny sighed and visibly fanned herself with a handkerchief. “Well, aren’t you the devoted one.”

“ Oh yeah,” she said emphatically. “He’s practically glued to me now.” Her lips quirked fondly, even as she grabbed a handheld basket with a resigned sigh.

Ten minutes later, Matrix stood sentry near the dressing rooms, a pile of silky garments draped over one powerful arm while his gaze tracked Jana’s every movement like she was the only lifeform in the galaxy.

Jana disappeared behind the changing curtain with a huff and an armful of dresses. “This is ridiculous,” she called over the top. “I’ve never spent this much on clothes in my life!”

“Clothing is armor,” Matrix replied solemnly. “And you are preparing for a trip that is literally out of this world.”

Jana snorted. “Right. Since when did you become a comedian? This is highway robbery! I could get this same outfit—well, almost the same, except for the material and the cut and the—Oh. My. God. This blouse and skirt fit me as if they were made for me. I’ve got to have them,” she groaned, stepping out to swirl in front of him.

Penny reappeared from behind a rack, holding up a matching set of lace lingerie in pale pink and cream. “Can I interest you in our silk and lace intimates collection?”

Jana started to shake her head—until Matrix beat her to it.

“Yes,” he said, his voice a low purr. “She will need these—and more.”

Jana blushed, looking from Penny who was grinning like the Cheshire cat to Matrix, whose eyes were glued to the scraps of lace and silk.

“Matrix—”

Her blush deepened when Matrix rattled off her exact measurements. “No synthetic blends: I prefer soft fabrics, and her inner thigh is sensitive. May I see that one in crimson as well?”

Penny’s lips parted, and she nodded her head as if she were in a trance. “You… memorized her measurements—and where she is sensitive?”

He tilted his head and smiled that devastating smile of his again, amused at the effect it had on the women around him.

“Of course. She is my life mate. I enjoy touching her—all over.”

Penny dropped the lingerie. “Oh my, gracious.”

Jana’s jaw dropped before she breathed out. “I cannot believe you just said that.”

Matrix’s brow furrowed. “Why not? It is true. Just as I enjoy it when you touch me—all over.”

Penny, now definitely flushed, handed Matrix a silk chemise with trembling fingers. “You are… welcome to shop here any time, Mr.…?”

“I am Matrix.”

“Of course you are,” she sighed.

“Show me more of this. I will pick this out for Jana while she continues to try on the other clothing she will need,” he instructed.

“Yes, uh, this way.”

“You are incorrigible,” Jana hissed, half-laughing as she tried to glare at him.

He chuckled, following the flustered Penny to a section near the changing rooms. He picked out several dozen pieces before he reached out to touch a piece of lingerie called shapewear. His brow furrowed in confusion as he studied it. It looked more like a torture device than lingerie.

“What function does this serve?” he asked, holding the piece of material up like it was a weapon.

“Compression,” Penny offered helpfully.

“Does it cause pain?”

“Not… intense pain. More like discomfort. Although, after a few hours, it is a relief to take it off,” she hedged.

“Then why wear it?”

“It, um… helps smooth things out. Makes women look smaller.”

Matrix scowled. “But Jana is perfect as she is. I do not want her to look smaller.”

Jana took the shapewear out of his hands and hugged it to her chest. “Is there a black hole nearby? Because I’d love to fall into it right about now,” she groaned.

He shook his head as he walked back to the dressing room several minutes later. Penny had tactfully stepped away with a mountain of pieces that he had picked out, saying she would begin wrapping them.

He lingered near the dressing room curtain, his body tense with visions of Jana modeling—and him removing—the scrappy pieces. He was trying to decide which color he would like to see her in first when he was distracted by the swish of fabric.

Jana released a soft curse when the zipper stuck for a moment. He was highly sensitive to every sound she was making. The pressure inside him built until he thought he might explode. The moment her breath caught as she turned to examine herself in the mirror snapped the thin thread of his control.

He couldn’t help it. He lifted the curtain slightly and ducked inside.

Jana whirled, half-dressed in a rich burgundy wrap dress that hugged her curves like it had been made for her. Her lips parted in outrage—then softened when she saw the hunger in his eyes.

“Matrix,” she moaned, flustered by her response to him. “You can’t just?—”

“I had to see,” he murmured, stepping inside and making sure the curtain was closed behind him. “I can hear every sound you make, and it is driving me crazy.”

“I was… You can’t…! This is a public store!”

“You are so beautiful,” he said simply, his hand sliding along her waist.

She sucked in a breath as he pressed her back against the wall of the dressing room, his lips grazing her jaw.

“Matrix—someone could walk in.”

“They wouldn’t dare. Besides, the woman is still packing your undergarments,” he growled.

Jana let out a half-hearted protest that dissolved into a soft moan. His hands were warm, sure, and reverent. The wrap dress fell open as if obeying him.

“You’re absolutely ridiculous,” she whispered, giggling as his lips traced a path down her throat.

“I’ve learned that I am only ridiculous when I am away from you,” he murmured back, his hands lifting her as if she weighed nothing.

Her fingers fisted in the fabric of his shirt. “We’re going to be banned from this store.”

“Who cares? I’ll take you to a dozen new ones a galaxy away,” he said simply. “But first, I need to have you.”

Outside, Penny was carefully wrapping the bras and panties. She paused when she thought she heard a muffled moan. Looking toward the dressing rooms, she noticed that Matrix had disappeared. Her lips twitched, then slowly curled into a wistful smile.

“Oh, to be thirty years younger,” she murmured. “Hell, twenty. Alright, ten. I still have shapewear.”

She patted her hair, glanced at the sign hanging in the display window, and flipped it to: Closed early for Lunch. Come Back Later!

Then she pulled out a fresh copy of Cosmopolitan, poured herself a cup of tea, and sighed.

Some women have all the luck.

The mountain of bags in the back seat of the van shifted with every bump in the road, as if teasing her with each delicate whisper of silk and lace.

Jana’s fingers tightened on the wheel of the battered clinic van.

Her cheeks burned to the tips of her ears, her body still tingling in ways she definitely wasn’t going to dwell on right now.

She shifted in her seat, the friction of the fabric against her thighs sparking an embarrassing jolt of memory: Matrix. Fitting room. Hands. Mouth. Oh god.

When did you become a sex-starved lunatic! He went down on you—in the middle of the day—in the dressing room, with nothing but a freaking curtain between you and the world!

Well, and Matrix. Good grief, but she was about ready to have another orgasm just thinking about it.

“Focus on driving—not sex,” she mumbled to herself.

The low chuckle next to her told her she had definitely spoken aloud.

She gave a sideways glance at him. The impossibly sexy alien was currently devouring a donut like it had wronged his ancestors. Powdered sugar dusted his bottom lip, and his lashes lowered in pure bliss with each bite.

The most dangerous man she had ever met was completely undone by a red dress—and now fried dough. She could not handle how adorable he was.

“I still can’t believe we did that,” she muttered under her breath.

Matrix glanced at her, crumbs clinging to the corner of his mouth. “Did what? Let me pleasure you until you came? You should be thankful I had any willpower left—we’d still be locked together.”

“Willpower?!” she squeaked, clutching the steering wheel like it might save her from spontaneous combustion. She cleared her throat. “Thank you, I guess, for that small miracle. I, um… I was just wondering…”

His golden gaze landed on her, sharp and curious.

“How… how did you know my measurements?” she blurted.

Matrix shrugged, wiped his mouth with the napkin, then looked out the passenger window as if he needed a second to contemplate alien-to-human etiquette. “I am enhanced,” he said, matter-of-factly.

Jana frowned. “Enhanced? Like… how?” she asked, feeling a tickle of memory—K-Nine had mentioned something about that back at the house, hadn’t he?

She glanced at Matrix’s lap, a rogue image flashing through her brain. Maybe that’s what he?—

His cheeks darkened, and he shot her a flat look. “Not there,” he growled.

“Oh my God,” she groaned, slapping her hand to her face. “I didn’t mean—I mean, I wasn’t trying to—I mean—wait, what are we talking about again?”

His scowl deepened, though the corner of his mouth twitched. “I meant enhanced in other areas. After the ambush on Elgaron-9, I sustained… significant injuries.”

Jana’s breath caught, the amusement instantly melting into worry. “Matrix…”

He turned his gaze out the windshield again. “The Cyborg Protection Unit was in the early stages of development. They needed candidates. I needed to survive.”

“And that meant what? That they… used you as a guinea pig?” she asked softly.

“What is that?”

“Oh, someone they experiment on—you know, to test if something is going to work,” she clarified.

He nodded, lifting his left hand and turning it palm-up.

Fine, silvery lines ran along the inside of his arm, so faint you might miss them unless you were looking.

“I had skeletal reinforcement for my shattered bones. Nerve integration. Sensory mapping—my hands, left eye, neural interface. It connects me to K-Nine, the ship, and my weapons. I can track, target, and analyze faster than before.”

Jana reached over and gently took his hand, running her thumb along one of the nearly invisible scars. “That must’ve hurt. A lot.”

He didn’t speak for a long moment. “The pain was worth surviving. But… I wasn’t the same after. Some people…” he hesitated, “they look at me and see something unnatural.”

The last few words were so quiet, they barely reached her.

She put on the blinker and turned the van off the main road and into the parking lot of the local grocery store—a cheerful red-and-white sign declared it Mayo’s Market & More.

The surrounding area felt comfortably familiar: a hardware store with flowerpots out front, a bakery with hand-painted signs, the pet shop next door with a faded cartoon dog on the window.

The lot was nearly full, lined with beat-up pickups and compact cars with their bumpers held on by duct tape and hope. A breeze stirred the scent of warm bread and mulch from the garden center. Somewhere, a child squealed and a cart rattled loose from its corral.

Jana put the van in park but didn’t move. She just stared out the windshield for a moment, her fingers still wrapped around his.

“Matrix,” she said gently, turning to look at him. “You saved my life. You saved the kittens. You’ve been nothing but strong, and kind, and completely confusing—but I see you. All of you. And you’re beautiful to me.”

He scoffed lightly. “Zion warriors are not… beautiful.”

Her heart twisted at the faint flicker of vulnerability in his eyes. “Maybe not,” she said, her voice warm. “But you are… to me.”

She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips, playfully licking a spot of powdered sugar that he’d missed. When she pulled back, he was staring at her, stunned.

She smiled. “I’m only going to grab a few things. Toiletries and stuff for the kittens at the pet store. For your sanity—and mine—it might be safer if you stay here and enjoy the rest of your donuts.”

Matrix nodded absently, still looking like someone had rebooted his central processor.

Jana laughed softly, her embarrassment fading. She opened the door, the warm breeze brushing her face. Grabbing a shopping cart, she gave one last glance over her shoulder.

Matrix sat there, powdered sugar dusted across his shirt, his sexy lips slightly parted in a bemused smile. She smiled brighter, something warm unfurling in her chest.

She hadn’t felt this light—or excited—since she had left to go to college. It was a feeling that something incredible was waiting just beyond the bakery aisle.

With a pep in her step, she wheeled the cart toward the entrance.