Page 3 of The Cyborg Way (Cyborgs on Mars #9)

CHAPTER THREE

L evi made his way through the outer door of the airlock to Ellie’s home, then waited for her to join him.

He half-expected her to resume her protests, but she stood silently as he closed the outer door and they waited for the air to cycle.

Even though she had invited him to enter many times before, he was uncomfortable with his assertiveness.

However, his instincts were telling him that something was wrong, and a soldier learned never to ignore his instincts.

This was the first time they had ever been quite so close, and he was overwhelmingly conscious of her—of her diminutive size and sweet scent.

Her body was so sweetly curved that it was easy to forget how small she was, but she would fit easily beneath his arm.

As oxygen flowed into the room, more of her scent filled his head—delicious, enticing, arousing.

To his shock, his shaft began to stiffen.

How long had it been since he’d had an erection?

He immediately ordered his body to calm, but for once his nanites failed him.

He remained achingly erect as the inner door opened into her habitat.

Her scent was even stronger here and did nothing to help him assume control of his errant body.

In a vain attempt to distract himself, he looked around curiously.

It wasn’t the first time he’d been inside a homesteader’s habitat, but although they followed the same basic pattern, they were all different.

He’d tried to imagine Elle’s home many times, but he hadn’t realized how warm and inviting it would appear.

Just a few simple touches made all the difference—colorful lengths of fabric framing the big window panels across the front of the dome, a collection of rocks polished to a soft sheen on the shelf below them, and multiple plants added for decoration as well as to freshen the air.

As he looked around, his gaze snagged on the disheveled bed built into an alcove along one side of the room.

The bed he barely used at Ranger headquarters was always made with military position, but there was something undeniably appealing about the tangled mess of bedding.

He could picture her small body nestled amongst the covers, her cheeks flushed and her eyes heavy with sleep—or passion.

Fuck. The image did nothing to help control his erection.

“Well? What do you think?” she asked, her expression still anxious as she pulled off her facemask and shrugged out of the heavy thermal coat.

His mouth went dry. The mask had been one of the smaller ones, only concealing her nose and upper cheeks, but without that small barrier, she looked even prettier than usual.

And young. Far too young for him. But that knowledge didn’t stop his eyes tracking down the soft curves straining against her practical coveralls.

The neck was open, revealing a small expanse of pale flesh, and he saw the pulse in her neck flutter.

“It is very… appealing,” he managed to say at last.

“Thank you. Umm, did you want some tea?”

Her eyes darted around nervously as she spoke, and he frowned, following her gaze. She gave the bed a worried look, and he automatically took a half-step towards it before she grabbed his arm again.

“What are you doing? I mean, where are you going?”

Her big blue eyes looked almost frantic with worry, and he couldn’t resist touching her cheek in a comforting gesture.

At least he meant it to be comforting, but the silky softness of her skin beneath his hand sent another wave of heat surging through his body.

Her eyes widened, the worry replaced by something that looked suspiciously like… arousal?

Don’t be foolish , he told himself. He was projecting his own desires onto her.

He started to take a step back, not realizing that the bed was almost directly behind him.

Her eyes widened again, and she suddenly wrapped her hands around his neck as she pulled his head down towards hers.

He was too shocked to resist, and then the impossible softness of her lips touched his and all thought of resistance disappeared.

He groaned against her mouth, and her lips parted beneath his.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he deepened the kiss, delving into the impossible sweetness of her mouth.

For a fraction of a second she froze, but then she sighed into his mouth and responded, her tongue dancing shyly with his as she returned the kiss.

A year of pent-up longing and need urged him on as he yanked her harder against his body, barely remembering to temper his strength.

She didn’t seem to mind, pressing herself even closer, the lush mounds of her breasts a tormenting pleasure against his chest. Her small hands tightened on his shoulders, urging him on.

By the time he reluctantly raised his head, she looked dazed and breathless, but she smiled up at him, her lips pink and swollen.

“That was?—”

A flicker of movement from the kitchen area caught his attention, and he whirled in that direction, automatically thrusting her behind him. His head went to the holster of his gun before he remembered he couldn’t fire within the habitat and take the chance of breaching the dome.

“No! No, Levi, you can’t.”

She grabbed the hand he had on his holster as she tried to step in front of him. “Don’t hurt him!”

“Him?”

An immediate and unexpected flare of jealousy raced through his body before he realized that there couldn’t possibly be another male in the small space.

Easily keeping her behind him, he frowned at the kitchen area for another moment before he finally realized what he had seen—a small, lizard-like creature perched on the counter, regarding him steadily through bright, dark eyes.

“You have a pet?”

No, of course not. There was no such thing on Mars. The only living beings transported to Mars were humans. Even the chickens and goats available for the settlers to purchase were transported in an embryonic state.

“Kind of,” she said nervously, her hand clinging to his arm again. “It’s complicated.”

“Explain,” he ordered, still keeping a wary eye on the creature.

It looked harmless enough, especially given its small size, but just because something was small didn’t mean it couldn’t be deadly.

“I wish I could.” Her fingers kneaded his arm in an unexpectedly provocative gesture as she spoke. “He… he just showed up three days ago.”

“Showed up?”

“Yes, outside in the lichen.”

“He can function without additional oxygen? Does he have nanites as well?”

“I don’t know. I suppose he might, if he belongs to GenCon.”

Her voice tightened on the last words, and he finally looked away from the creature long enough to frown down at her.

“You think he’s a GenCon experiment?”

“I don’t know,” she repeated. “I can’t imagine why they would have created him, but I can’t think of another explanation. Unless…”

“Unless?”

“What if he’s actually native to Mars? I know it sounds impossible,” she rushed on, “but maybe Henry and his species simply aren’t detectable to our technology.”

“Our technology is certainly capable of picking up movement, as well as body heat.”

He wasn’t familiar with all of the advanced scientific apparatus that had been used to survey Mars, but even the military had basic detection equipment.

“He’s not very big, and I think his temperature reflects his surroundings. Maybe he normally lives amongst the rocks, or even underground.”

He was shaking his head before she finished speaking.

“I don’t think that’s possible. There would be nothing for him to have lived on before the lichen. I know we haven’t found any traces of organic matter.”

She sighed. “I suppose you’re right. He must be a GenCon experiment.”

“I’m sure I am, but I will make inquiries to verify.”

“No, don’t,” she said immediately. “Even if they did create him, he’s not just some experiment. He doesn’t deserve to be locked up in a lab. And if they didn’t create him, what if they want to examine him… or dissect him? You can’t let anybody know he’s here.”

Her fingers tightened on his arm as she spoke, just as they had tightened on his shoulders during their kiss, and his heart suddenly sank.

No wonder she’d kissed him. How could he have been foolish enough to think it was because she desired him?

She was only trying to divert his attention from the strange little creature.

“I see,” he said stiffly, taking a step back and forcing her to release his arm. “I appreciate your concerns, but I will not let you distract me from my duty.”

“Distract you? What are you talking about?” Her small brows drew together in an all too appealing frown.

“The kiss,” he said, even more stiffly.

Her cheeks turned an enchanting shade of pink, but he also saw the trace of guilt on her face.

“That wasn’t… I mean, it kind of was, but I’ve also been thinking about kissing you for a long time.”

He wanted to believe her, but he knew better.

“It was unnecessary.”

“I’m sorry if you didn’t like it,” she said softly, biting her lower lip, still swollen from their kiss.

In spite of everything, he wanted to smooth away that disappointed expression and assure her that he had liked it very much. Too much. He reminded himself again that it was his duty to protect her, not to seduce her.

He looked back over at the creature, debating the best course of action, and as he did, small translucent wings flared out from its sides as it hopped into the air, gliding towards Ellie.

He would have intercepted it, but she stepped in front of him with a pleading look as she held out her hand and it landed in her palm.

“This is Henry.” She raised her hand as if introducing him. “Henry, this is Levi. He won’t let anything happen to you, will you?”

He looked from her anxious face to the dark gaze studying him curiously.

“I will have to consider the matter. I will let you know what I decide.”

He turned and strode towards the airlock before he could give into temptation, draw her back into his arms, and promise to do anything she wanted.