Page 21 of Seductive Architect (Grunts of Vanguard #2)

“Huh.”

“What do you mean, huh?”

When I closed the front door, putting the latches into place, he nodded as if I confirmed a suspicion. I wanted to carry him to the couch, but the hair on my arm tingled as I resisted my typical ritual.

“Wait here.” I eyed the ceiling. “Connie, security sweep.”

“Connie?”

Oh. I wasn’t used to somebody outside the office hearing half my conversations. I didn’t need to speak to her, but it helped separate her voice from my own. Growing up, it was difficult to tell if it was me or a machine having a monologue in my head.

“She’s my computer… I’ll explain everything. ”

No reply. Ever since she started seeing this new man, something about her had been off. I inspected the house in the usual fashion, ending in the bathtub. Not that I expected Prism hiding in the shower using my loofa, but I’d never be able to sleep until I had seen it with my own eyes.

When I returned to the hallway, Hudson had a grin on his face.

“What?”

“That’s more of what I expected. You’re… let’s say thorough .”

“Is that a nice way of saying obsessive?”

He didn’t answer as I put his arm over my shoulder. On the walk to my place, we skipped the longer route. When I noticed him limping, I traded safety for comfort. I’d be lying if I didn’t think about him curled up in my bed, but those thoughts usually had fewer bruised ribs.

I brought him to the couch, but stopped him from sitting. “Shirt.” His eyebrows rose. “Not for that. I want to make sure you’re not bleeding.” When he lifted his arms in the air, I realized he wanted me to remove the shirt.

I… It’s not like I was going to say no to that.

Lifting it, I opted for it going painfully slow.

Given time, I’d count every hair on his belly, working my way up to that chest. With his hands above his head, I let my thumbs trace lines along his pecs.

I bit my bottom lip, wanting to kiss that beautiful, fuzzy chest. I ripped the shirt over his head, dr opping it on the couch.

Any longer and I’d do something less than professional.

“Wait here.” I went to the bedroom, pulling an older gauntlet from the closet. The hefty piece of metal had been there before I liberated the nanites. Strapping it on my left hand, I returned to the living room to find Hudson reclining on the sofa. He fidgeted with his fingers.

“Is this how your dates usually go?” He feigned a smile. “I’m not sure I can handle any more revelations tonight.”

Holding my palm in his direction, I scanned him. The small display revealed some bruising, but nothing that wouldn’t heal with time.

“How’s your day going?” he mumbled to himself. “Oh, fine. Just learned I’m a super-soldier programmed to do… I don’t even know.”

Hudson had started a downward spiral. It meant he processed the information at some level. It also reminded me I had a living computer in my house. When the night started, I had been on the fence.

“You’re not so different from everybody else.”

He held up his hand, inspecting it. “I’m not human.”

I chuckled. His eyes shot up. Nope, not the right reaction. I dropped the gauntlet on the coffee table and took a seat next to him. Taking his hand, I squeezed it. “We’re all machines.”

“But you’re?—”

“Wired?” I tapped my temple. “What do you think this is? People are just complicated computers. The only difference, our programming doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”

“But… you’re human .”

I didn’t know what to say to that. If it had been Wyatt, he’d talk about being an alien. If it were Drew, he’d reassure Hudson that he mattered. Janet would make an offhand comment about why he hadn’t taken off his pants. This is where words eluded me. Emotions weren’t my strong suit.

“I’m not great with people.” I chuckled at the understatement.

“They’re confusing. I tell everybody it’s my powers that make me prefer machines.

But honestly, I’ve just never felt like my brain worked like other people’s.

Computers are logical. I can understand them in ways I’ve never been able to with people. ”

“Is that why…” He chewed his lip as he mustered the courage to ask his question. “Is that why you like me?”

Maybe? He had been a curious person on the first day we met in my office. Then he moved to the board and became a person of interest. I didn’t want to lie to him, but I found the answer more complicated than a simple yes or no.

“Maybe,” I admitted. “I mean, it was your smile first and foremost.” A grin flashed across his face. “It could be because we speak the same language.” My eyes dropped for a moment. “I’m not great at feelings.”

“This is a lot of firsts. I don’t know what to think. I mean… what about my parents? Why do I exist? Who made me? Everything is… It’s a lot.”

“That’s the most human thing I’ve heard in days.” I tightened my grip on his hand. “Sounds like an identity crisis.”

He slumped back against the couch, letting out a shaky breath. “Who am I?”

I couldn’t fathom the thoughts running through his head. If I thought his code worked fast before, every time he posed a question, it was as if it picked up the pace. He needed a single point to focus on.

“Why did you try to stop the robbers at the bank?”

He glanced at me. His muttering stopped. Guilt wasn’t something I felt on a day-to-day basis. In this case, I had upended his entire universe to get to the truth. I went into our date ready to say that getting answers mattered more than his feelings. I wanted to slap my younger self.

“It’s kind of important.” I wanted to know the logic behind his actions, but I think he also needed to understand the why.

He hesitated, eyes darting to the floor. “They were breaking the law.”

“That’s it? You put your life on the line because of laws?”

His eyes dropped, focusing on the table. “Sort of.” He grew quiet. I dropped the gauntlet on the coffee table and sat next to him. “People work hard. That could have been their entire life savings. I could have stopped them.”

“You did it out of the kindness of your heart.”

He shrugged.

“That wasn’t a question.” I rested a hand on his chest, painfully aware of the warm skin under my palm. “You wanted to do good. Unlike the average person, you could have stopped them. I’m not the authority on all things human, but that sounds pretty human to me.”

“But—”

“Arthur is going to kill me for this.” Hudson leaned back, the suspicion written across his face. “I prefer talking to my computer. Wyatt is an alien. Drew… Drew’s a human with powers. Hell, even Janet claims she’s the reincarnation of a goddess. In my world… human is a subjective term.”

“An alien?”

In one statement, I had violated everything Arthur required from us.

My permanent record was going to double in size before this ended.

It’d be worth it if I could provide some peace of mind for Hudson.

I could hear Kiki’s voice in the back of my head, urging me to tap into those feelings festering in my gut.

She’d be delighted to hear her preachings were having an effect.

“I’m sorry.”

“For?”

Deep breath. I didn’t have the right words… just words, and a lot of them. I realized I could still feel the slight th umping of his heart. My face turned red as I realized a half-naked man sat on my couch.

“There’s something weird happening in Vanguard…

specifically with Synergy. I’ve been following the trail, and…

” Facts. Spitting out facts, I dodged the knot growing tighter in my stomach.

“I wanted the truth and didn’t think about what it might mean for you.

I’m sorry. None of this was ever meant to hurt you. ”

We sat in silence. I removed my hand from his chest, tucking it in my lap. Already, my brain ran a mile a minute, trying to connect all the pieces of the puzzle. My fingers dug into my palm, hard enough that it hurt. I needed a distraction to keep me in this moment.

He reached into his pocket and produced his book of firsts.

Cracking it open, he fished out a pen. He flipped through the pages.

If I were to start a similar project, I don’t know if I’d be able to keep track.

Hudson had meticulously documented his life.

He reached the back of the book and scribbled two more lines.

“First time I discovered my brain is a supercomputer.”

Was that humor? Did that mean he’d be okay? I wonder if Kiki had an opening for a new client? If she could convince me to access my emotions, she’d easily be able to help Hudson with his new reality.

“What’s the second?”

“First time somebody apologized for hurting my feelings. ”

It stung. At least he hadn’t left it as, “First time somebody hurt my feelings.”

He closed the book before turning toward me. He winced, moving slowly. When he took my hand, I secretly hoped he’d put it back on his chest. He gave it a quick squeeze. As much as I wanted to climb on top of him, I would have settled for wiping the sadness from his eyes.

“Thank you.”

“Not what I was expecting.”

He snorted. “This is going to take a while to process. But I’d rather know the truth. I just—” He let out a long sigh. “I wish I knew what it all meant. You know?”

I let go of his hand and cupped his cheeks. I gave him a quick peck on the nose. “You want to know the meaning of life? If I couldn’t hear the algorithms churning, you’d be the most human person I know. In this case… I think I can help answer your question.”

I stood up, taking his hand, pulling him to his feet. He groaned, and I tried to take it easy. Throwing his arm over my shoulder, we walked across the room. I was about to do the unthinkable. We stood in front of the door to my study. I was the only eyes to see what hid on the other side.

I pushed the door open.

“Welcome to my sanctuary.”