Almost perfect. He put his arm around Rylie and tugged her into his side as the ocean breeze blew through the window. They watched in silence as the ship ascended into the air, the noise loud enough to at least wake up the light sleepers before it was gone and vanished into a speck in the sky. A fake star before even that was gone too.
It was no longer his job to look after Zeph. Netto no longer worked for the EPED. And the mission was done.
“Then that settles it.” Rylie wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed him. “Guess you're stuck here, with me. I hope you don't regret it,” she laughed against his side, the sound muffled but he felt it to his core.
“Never,” he said.
“Never?”
He grinned down at her, showing his full rows of teeth, but it was dark and she wasn't looking up at him.
“Only...” He waited for her to stiffen and strengthen her hold on him before he finished. “We’ll need a bigger bed and our own private space.”
Rylie murmured in agreeance.
He picked her up and brought her back to the bed that they had shared. It smelled like her. It made him want to cocoon and stay in it with Rylie forever, never leaving the comfort of the room behind. He wanted to lose himself in her and he didn't want to think about what tomorrow would bring. His quiet connection to Zeph's ship fizzled and died in his head.
There was a long night ahead of them and he smiled as he found his own sleep in her arms.
***
THE NEXT MORNING CAMEtoo soon and he knew it not for the hazy light that was seeping through the open window, but for the telltale fog that had moved up from the shore and pressed into the house. But it wasn't that what woke him. It was the rush of feet downstairs.
Netto kissed the top of Rylie's head and smiled down at her seeing their limbs entangled. She woke with a grumble, peeling herself away from his embrace. He watched silently as sleep fled her eyes and she was alert within moments. And before he could even say good morning, she had already begun to dress for the day. Luckily, he hadn’t missed the view. Netto could see in the dark, after all.
He sat up on the bed and rested his elbows on his knees as his feet hit the ground. Getting a new bed was a priority as he was sure this one wouldn't last much longer with his weight on top of it.
“Busy?”
“I always get up at the crack of dawn it's the best time of day to go out onto the ocean.”
“And is that what you’re doing today?” he asked, amused.
Rylie stopped what she was doing canted her head. “No,” she said slowly as if a realization had come back to her. “But I will work on the repairs of the watership.” She smiled and when she moved closer, he dragged her into his arms.
“I'll join you.” He kissed the hard groove between her breasts as she leaned into his embrace.
“Have you thought about the job offer?”
“Some, I'm not sure yet.”
Rylie guffawed. “Unsure? Can a Cyborg be unsure?” she teased and pulled away.
“We are still human even if our teeth and skin say otherwise.” There was a hard knock on the door and Rylie opened it to reveal her mother. Sheryl glanced at him, momentarily struck by the fact that Netto was actually in Rylie's room and he smiled back at her. He supposed it was a shock on several different levels but the woman righted herself a moment later in turned to her daughter.
“Have you seen your sister?”
“No? Not since last night. Why?”
“Lily wasn’t in her room this morning.”
“She's probably down at the docks, I'm sure she woke up before the rest of us like she usually does and went down to the shore.” Sheryl sighed but nodded. “I called for her out there to get an answer. Janet’s still asleep and so is your dad. I hate to think that she wandered off looking for a Cyborg to torment.”
Sheryl looked at him again.
“I'll help you look for her.” Netto rose from the bed and followed the women downstairs.
Netto focused and tried to find the signature of a little girl as the others called out to her. They searched the interior of the house and the platforms in the back while he searched the bluff and the beach. He had a feeling as his feet sunk into the sand that Lily wasn’t in here.
