Page 12 of Seductive Architect (Grunts of Vanguard #2)

“So, you’re not going to do any work today?”

I didn’t respond. Connie had been pushing for me to monitor the rollout since I arrived. Usually, she’d jump into whatever task occupied my brain. Today, she fixated on the update to the app, claiming I needed to earn my paycheck. The world wouldn’t fall apart if I indulged in a little research.

“Connie, run a self-diagnostic.”

“Fine.”

Moodier than usual, she vanished as the diagnostics ran.

She had been acting weird for days, and I could only handle so much weirdness at once.

It could be anything from janky code to her new experiences with her boyfriend.

We’d get to the bottom of it. With Hudson and the code and now something similar around Arthur, we had left coincidence and moved into theory territory.

When she finished, we could make adjustments, and she’d be back to helping me.

I stared at a virtual wall covered in photographs and newspaper articles.

With a flick of the wrist, everything dimmed except the picture of Hudson.

I reached into the projection, plucking it from the corkboard.

The super-soldier theory had been hidden underneath.

I’d need to ask Connie if she had any more information on Senator McAfee.

I summoned a picture of Arthur. Drawing a circle with my finger, I pointed an arrow to a notepad.

“Both have similar code. It’s fast. It somehow comes back to Synergy, and something I’ve heard there before.

Close, but not quite the same. Could it have already been impacting Hudson?

” I flicked a finger, creating a second notepad with questions. “Could it be what’s erased his past?”

Everything came back to Synergy. One of their experiments could have gone rogue. It wouldn’t be the first time. I had to chuckle at the time their scientists accidentally created a speedster formula. The entire building looked like a racetrack as they bounced off the walls.

As soon as Connie finished, I’d have her scour their records for any projects that might have these results.

In the meantime, I needed to put on my detective hat and stop with the puppy dog love.

Hudson had answers, and I let myself continue to be distracted.

He should have set off dozens of red flags, and yet, at the same time, I touched my lips, remembering our first messy kiss.

I got out my cell phone.

Orion: Hope to see you again.

I clicked send. My stomach tightened, knowing this had less to do with my desire to caress his stomach and more to do with digging into his past. I had conflicting emotions.

Could he be both? The source of a theory, and maybe something more than a casual acquaintance?

I was turning into one of those confusing humans.

I had forgotten my prime directive, and…

I shoved my feelings into a tiny black box and stared at his photo.

“Me, too.”

As I turned to see Hudson in my doorway, my cellphone vibrated. Ding. When I didn’t glance at my phone, he held his up, giving it a jiggle. “It’d be rude if you didn’t reply.”

Seconds ago, I wanted to pick apart his identity and get to the bottom of a theory tugging at my brain. With a few simple words and that charismatic grin, he chipped away at my defenses. I did as he suggested and looked at my phone .

Hudson: Interested in going out this evening? No slime.

I pounded a fist against my chest, trying to quell the excitement.

I didn’t have Connie chattering in my ear, pushing me forward.

There were no Janet hijinks to distract.

I focused on the questions needing answers.

Time alone with Hudson would hopefully wrap up the mystery of him on the wall, and then I could get back to more pressing matters.

Even as I rationalized the date as field research, I knew it wasn’t entirely the truth.

Orion: It’s a date.

Hudson glanced at his phone and smiled. As his cheeks turned red, I found it difficult to believe he had a devious bone in his body.

Every interaction had been sweet. Was I turning into a person who overlooked the obvious issues because of a gut feeling?

I didn’t expect my brain and my heart to wage a war, and yet, here we are.

Hudson had been the instigator, and I was left trying to process. I needed another session with Kiki.

“Any ideas?” I asked.

“Somebody told me about a pizzeria,” he said, without missing a beat .

When he folded his arms, the shirt strained, the sleeves stretched over his biceps.

Danger. Danger. Danger. I repeated the word in my head, hoping I’d stop drooling over him like a teenager with a crush.

Person of interest. Super. Possibly trying to destroy the world.

No matter how much I tried to convince myself this was a bad idea, I couldn’t wait to see his face light up when he tried the pizza.

Hudson glanced down the hallway. Hooking his foot on the door, he half-shut it.

Now, with a minutia of privacy, he sauntered closer to my desk.

I tried focusing on his photo on the wall and the lists of questions surrounding his past. As he leaned across my desk, they vanished.

My resistance faltered as he scooted closer, his face getting dangerously close to mine.

When he closed his eyes and puckered his lips, I found myself powerless. Could it be mind control? Pheromones? Or did I simply want another kiss with this big, beautiful beefcake? The last idea was the one that scared me the most.

There was no fear as I leaned forward, giving him a kiss. A quick peck didn’t suffice. Gripping the bottom of his beard, I held him in place as I went for another. When our tongues touched, my pants tightened, and I imagined another session—with or without the slime watching.

Curiosity got the best of me, and my muscles tensed, powers surging.

I directed them forward, following the hum of code.

With my eyes closed, I imagined following a conduit, chasing a bolt of electricity.

I had never encountered code this sophisticated.

Hell, I had never programmed something this complex.

It could have eluded my powers, but for a split second, it stopped, giving me a chance to catch up.

He tastes like bubblegum.

When I pulled back, his eyes stayed closed, as he wanted to savor it for a moment longer. My eyes remained wide, trying to make sense of four words. When he finally pulled back, half-leaning on my desk, that goofy smile appeared.

“I’ll never get tired of that.” He touched his lips as he stood upright. The mystery of Hudson didn’t make sense, or at least not in a way my brain wanted to admit. I watched as he walked away, staring at the curves of his ass. “I’m looking forward to adding more to my list.”

“Me, too,” I said. Already, the code had faded, turning into white noise.

He laughed, giving a slight wave.

I sat back in my seat, staring at the door.

I thought the code had been from a device, something hidden on Hudson.

A tracker. A chip implanted by Synergy. Machines were unlike humans and incapable of lying, and yet, I had already tried to justify the discovery.

I relied on facts. They’re what allowed me to see past the surface of reality.

Something about this one shook me in a way I hadn’t been prepared for.

“Hudson’s a machine,” I whispered.

Thanks to my powers, I made it a point to be aware of synthetic humans.

I always joked that they’d make the perfect companion.

Designed to your tastes, and powered by gears and hydraulics.

Custom-made companions, my idea of perfection.

Despite the advances in technology, they were nothing more than automated sex dolls.

Even those designed to mimic humans fell short of sentience.

“It can’t be.” I didn’t want it to be.

The facts had been presented, and already I attempted to justify them.

I was too close to this case and had stopped looking at it subjectively.

Could I pick up the phone and demand an emergency session with Kiki?

She’d have plenty to say about my dating life, especially when she found out I, a technopath, had agreed to go on a date with the most advanced machine I’d ever encountered.

The wall.

“Could it be…”

The evidence was there. A machine driven by artificial intelligence. The lack of information prior to his employment. Even his ability to fight with Prism’s goons, the evidence had me mentally tying one theory to the next. Hudson wasn’t just a primitive robot delivering mail…

Holy shit. “He’s a super soldier.” I almost missed the truth .

“Back!” Connie said. “Oh, what’s this? A text from our mailroom stud? We’re going to need to go shopping. I’m not letting you go on a date looking like that.”

“Sure,” I said, unable to string together a coherent thought.

“Seems Mr. Package for Orion left you speechless.”

That he did… and I had no idea what to do with that info.

“He’s late,” Connie said.

I still hadn’t told her about Hudson. I read her diagnostic report, and everything checked out.

Every time I suited up and went out to save the city, I trusted Connie with my life.

For some reason, I held back this morsel of information.

There were dozens of red strings connecting theories to Hudson, but that wasn’t what kept me from confessing his secret.

Ever since our lunch date at the taco truck, I had become entangled.

For the first time in my life, I wanted to be wrong.

“Don’t you have a date?” I asked.

“Well, look at the time! Good luck. Don’t double-click his mouse too hard.” With her last words of encouragement, Connie vanished. To ensure she didn’t check in, I set my phone to airplane mode .