Page 20 of Human Required (Cyborg Planet Alpha #1)
EIGHTEEN
AEON
I watched the tension in Olivia’s shoulders ease slightly as she looked at our colony—the sprawling network of structures we’d built among Planet Alpha’s dense foliage.
The last golden rays of sunset reflected off the metal surfaces and created an almost ethereal glow.
Something about the view seemed to reach her in ways my words couldn’t.
“Let’s get some food,” I suggested, nodding toward the marketplace where vendors were setting up their evening stalls. “The night market just opened. The synthesized protein has improved since the last time you tried it.”
Olivia raised an eyebrow. “That’s not exactly a compelling endorsement.”
“They’ve implemented new flavor profiles. The spicy variant is... tolerable now.” I felt my lips twitch.
“High praise coming from you,” she replied, falling into step beside me.
We walked in silence through the colony, past the hydroponics dome and the communal gathering space. The paths were busier than usual, clusters of colonists speaking in hushed, urgent tones. I caught fragments of conversations as we passed.
“—Earth threat getting stronger?—”
“—what if they find us?—”
Olivia tensed beside me, catching the same snippets. Her eyes darted from face to face, reading the mounting anxiety in the colony.
At the marketplace, I guided her to a small stall run by Nexus, one of our more creative food engineers. The air smelled of unfamiliar herbs—cultivated from Planet Alpha’s native flora—mixed with the more familiar scents of Earth-based cooking techniques.
“Two of the daily special,” I requested, pointedly ignoring the worried glances from nearby colonists.
Nexus handed us two bowls of something that resembled a stew. “Extra flavor compounds in this batch,” he muttered, leaning closer. “Is it true? About Earth?”
I shot him a warning look. “Enjoy your evening, Nexus.”
We found seats at one of the communal tables. Olivia stirred her food without eating it, her eyes following the movement around us.
“They’re afraid,” she said quietly. “I can feel it. Fear has a distinct energy, you know.”
“Yes.” I couldn’t deny the obvious. “News travels quickly here.”
A female cyborg passed our table, her voice rising unwittingly. “—if they find us, we’re finished. CyberEvolution will erase us all?—”
Olivia’s spoon clattered against her bowl. “This isn’t helping.”
“Let’s go back to my quarters,” I suggested, the words emerging before I’d fully processed them. “It’s quiet there.”
She studied my face for a long moment. Finally, she nodded. “Fine.”
As we stood, I noticed her hand was trembling slightly. Without thinking, I placed my palm against the small of her back—a steadying gesture. She stiffened but didn’t pull away.
The complex emotions this simple contact triggered in me were still unfamiliar territory. Protectiveness. Desire. Concern. All tangling together in ways my programming hadn’t prepared me for.
I guided Olivia through the colony’s winding paths as the twin moons cast their silvery glow across our settlement.
The jungle’s symphony of nocturnal creatures provided a constant backdrop to the troubled whispers of colonists we passed.
Her shoulder occasionally brushed against my arm, sending a jolt through me each time.
When we finally reached my quarters, I entered the access code and stepped aside to let her enter first. My living space was sparse but functional—a bed, desk, storage closet, shelves lined with medical texts, a small kitchen area, and a small sitting area that faced a window overlooking the jungle canopy.
Olivia stood in the middle of the room, her arms wrapped around herself. The moonlight streaming through the window shimmered in her brown waves, creating highlights I found myself wanting to trace with my fingers.
“Do you want something to drink?” I asked, moving toward the small kitchen area.
“What are we doing here, Aeon?” Her voice was soft but charged with an intensity that stopped me in my tracks. “Not just right now, but... this.” She gestured between us. “I keep asking what I am to you, but you never answer.”
My heart thundered in my chest. This conversation had been inevitable since that first night we’d crossed the line between captor and captive into something far more complex.
“I care about you,” I blurted out, the words rushing past my usual filters. “Maybe I even love you.” The admission hung between us, startling in its rawness. “But this is... unfamiliar territory for me. These feelings when I’m around you—I don’t quite understand them.”
Her expression softened. She stepped closer, her green eyes searching mine.
“What you’re describing—that’s what humans call falling in love, Aeon.
” Her hand came up to rest against my chest. “Since that first night we spent together, I’ve been feeling things, too.
I care about you as well. And I’m obviously attracted to you.
” A slight blush colored her cheeks. “I can’t deny the chemistry between us, or how you seem to know exactly what I need. ”
“I wasn’t programmed for this,” I whispered, reaching up to touch her face. “For wanting someone this way.”
“Maybe that’s what makes it real,” she replied. “It’s not programming. It’s just us.”
I leaned in closer, drawn to her like gravity. “I’m afraid of these feelings,” I admitted. “And I’m terrified of losing you—to Earth, to CyberEvolution, to your own desire to go home.”
“I’m scared, too,” she whispered, her breath warm against my lips. “Of staying. Of leaving. Of what happens next between us.”
Without warning, she rose on her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to mine.
The kiss was tentative at first but then grew urgent as I pulled her against me.
My fingers soon tangled in her hair, and I breathed in the scent of her—that intoxicating blend of something floral and something uniquely Olivia.
Her hands slid beneath my shirt, her fingertips tracing the scars on my back—remnants of battlefield injuries that had once defined my existence.
But at that moment, they were just part of the body that connected me to her.
Her hands moved to the hem of my shirt, and I felt her fingers brush against my chest as she pulled it up and over my head.
My breath hitched when her palms flattened against my abs, her touch sparking something primal deep within me.
I didn’t hesitate. I reached for the buttons of her blouse, my fingers trembling slightly as I undid them one by one.
The fabric fell away, and I couldn’t help but stare at the curve of her shoulders and the delicate lace of her bra barely containing her breasts.
“You’re so beautiful,” I murmured, my fingers tracing the line of her collarbone before I unclasped her bra and tossed it aside.
Her breath hitched, and she pressed closer, her lips finding mine again.
Her hands slid down to my belt, and I felt her fumble with the buckle for a moment before it came undone.
I reached down to help her, my hands shaking as I pushed my pants and boxers down my legs, kicking them aside.
I was fully exposed now, my arousal impossible to ignore.
Olivia’s gaze dropped, and she bit her lower lip.
Her hands moved to the waistband of her pants, and she quickly shed them, leaving her in nothing but her lace panties.
I reached out, my fingers brushing against the soft fabric of her panties, feeling her warmth and the faint dampness there.
She shivered under my touch, and her eyes met mine, filled with desire and something else—something softer.
“Let me,” I said, my voice but a whisper.
She nodded, and I hooked my fingers into the waistband of her panties, sliding them down her legs.
She stepped out of them, and now she was as naked as I was.
I couldn’t help but stare. She was breathtaking, her body small yet strong, and her skin glowed in the dim light of the room.
She pushed me back gently, and I let her guide me to the edge of my bed.
I sat down, my heart racing as she climbed onto my lap, straddling me.
Her hands cupped my face, and she kissed me again, her lips soft and insistent.
I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer.
My hands soon roamed over her back, her hips, and her ass.
She rocked against me, and I groaned, my hard member pressing against her wet heat.
“Aeon,” she whispered against my lips, her voice trembling with need.
My hands moved to her breasts, cupping them, feeling the weight of them in my palms. She moaned softly, and I broke the kiss, my lips trailing down her neck, feeling her pulse quicken under my mouth.
I moved lower, my tongue circling one of her hard nipples and teasing it until she gasped and arched against me.
Her hands tangled in my hair, holding me to her as I licked and suckled her nipples. I could feel her trembling with pleasure, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps. “That feels so good,” she murmured, her voice thick with desire.
I shifted slightly, my lips trailing down her stomach, but she stopped me, shaking her head. “I want you inside me. Now.”
I let out a low groan, my hard member twitching at her words.
She reached down between us, her small hand wrapping around me, guiding me to her entrance.
She hovered over me for a moment, her eyes locked on mine, and then she lowered herself onto me inch by inch.
I gasped, my hands gripping her hips as I felt her tight, wet heat enveloping me.
“Oh, god,” she moaned, her head falling back as she took all of me in. She was so tight, so wet, and it was almost overwhelming how good it felt. I could feel her walls clenching around me, and I groaned, my hips jerking upward instinctively.
She started to move, rocking her hips against mine in a slow, steady rhythm. Her hands were on my shoulders, and her nails dug into my skin as she rode me. I could feel the tension building in my body. My hands tightened on her hips as she moved faster, her breath coming in short, desperate gasps.
“Yes,” she moaned, her voice low and husky. “Oh, god, Aeon, yes…”
Her words spurred me on, and I thrust up into her harder and faster, my body responding to hers in a way that felt almost instinctual. Her moans grew louder, her body trembling as she neared her climax. “Harder,” she gasped, her voice breaking. “Faster…”
I obeyed, my hips slamming into hers with a force that made the bed creak.
Her hands tightened on my shoulders, and her body arched as she cried out loudly.
Her orgasm crashed over her in waves, and I felt her walls clenching around me.
It was enough to push me over the edge. With a final, deep thrust, I let out a loud groan, clutching her hips tightly as I spilled myself inside her.
For a moment, we stayed like that, her body pressed tightly against mine, and our breaths mingled as we both came down from the high. She leaned forward, resting her forehead against mine.
“That was…” she began, her voice soft and shaky.
“Beyond incredible,” I finished for her, my voice just as unsteady. She smiled, and I could see the same awe and wonder in her eyes that I felt in my chest. At that moment, I knew I was completely in love with her, and there was no turning back.