He nodded. Despite all the advancements in metals, replacement limbs were heavy. Tremaine had some experimental stuff happening in their med labs that were supposed to be even lighter than anything on the market. The records he’d turned up in his clandestine research indicated the product was market ready, but the company was sitting on it for some reason.
Maximizing profits, probably. What would Portia do with all the tech the company was hoarding?
Not the time, Ash.
Hyperaware of her reaction after their kiss, Ash kept his movements slow. His fingers trailed over her shoulder and down her arm. The metal, a subtle copper color, blended smoothly with her skin tone. Her biceps and triceps were perfectly sculpted, with small details like muscle delineation etched into the metal. “This isn’t company work.”
“No. I couldn’t afford that.” She shrugged. Ash watched the arm move with her. “I paid for the best circuitry and software I could. The skin... It wasn’t an afterthought, but it wasn’t the priority.”
“It’s fancier than most, um...” Damn, he had no idea how to describe her arm without offending.
“Streetware?” Her tone was crisp.
His face flamed. “Yeah. Sorry.”
“Itisstreet. I just happened to know a really great artist.”
“An artist did this? Damn, I’ve never seen that.” Ash leaned closer, studying the detailed work. Discovering the hidden design on the inside of her biceps, he tilted his head and glanced up at her. “Is that a tattoo?”
Pink tinted her cheeks. “Yes, basically.”
Straightening, he held her gaze. “A hummingbird?”
“Yes.” Her blush deepened.
“What does it mean?”
“Nothing. I just liked it.” Her gaze darted away.
Damn, he’d made her uncomfortable. “I have one too,” he shared. “A bird tattoo.”
Interest brightened her dark eyes, erasing the discomfort. “What kind?”
Now he felt color burn his cheeks. “A phoenix,” he admitted.
She studied him. “Does that have something to do with your hacking?”
He nodded. “It was my handle. It used to light up when I was jacked into the network.”
“Ooh, I want to see that. Oh wait, used to?”
Ash dropped his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s powered by the network. It was just something stupid I got when I was raking in the credits.”
“It sounds very cool,” she offered with a smile.
“It was.” Ash wished he could show her the network tattoo in all its glory. Or even half its glory. He smiled slightly and wondered if they would have gotten there last night. “Yours is too. I’ve never seen anything like it.” And he’d seen some fucking crazy body mods on other hackers.
Taryn rolled her eyes. “That’s me. One of a kind.”
Ash couldn’t let that stand. He trailed his hand down her arm until he could take her hand. “You are.”
“Stop it.” She tried to tug her hand away.
Ash held on. It was important that she believed him. “No, really. You are unlike any woman—anyone—I’ve ever met. Strong, beautiful. You’re amazing.”
She tugged again, and he let her go. “I’m just a woman, with a bar.”
“You’re so much more.” Could she hear the admiration and appreciation in his voice?
