“I feel fine.”
“I didn’t hurt you?”
She shook her head. “Not in any way that I didn’t want.”
The air expelled from his lungs. He didn’t know how much he needed her to tell him that. “Good.”
“Why did you wear that…black suit?”
He knew she would be curious. He was surprised she hadn’t brought it up sooner. His gaze roved over her. She looked fine. She was acting normal if a little weary. She wasn’t sick.
“That first day, when I caught you and Raul in the storage talking? He told you I was defective.” Fuck, he hated saying the word out loud. It was a fucking travesty that countless billions had been put into him, only to be unable to control his systems as well as he should. Hysterian waited for her to nod. “I have a skin issue.”
It was more than that, but he didn’t need to explain all the gritty details. She wouldn’t understand anyway.
“You”—she licked her lips, checking him out—“have a skin issue? A Cyborg?”
Hysterian straightened. “Yes.”
“Does it have something to do with your animal?”
He stilled. “My what?”
“Your animal? You’re a shifter.”
“How do you know that?” That information was private, like almost all information on his kind. Only the people closest to him knew his vendor number—and even then, they didn’t know what he could and couldn’t do.
“Raul told me,” she said a little too quickly for his liking.
Of course, Raul told her. Somehow that guy knew more than he should about Hysterian. Raul had been a recommendation from Nightheart, and a previous crewmember of Cypher’s before being transferred to Hysterian’s ship. Raul might have had access to classified information at some point. They had been on Cypher’s ship at the same time for a short period—though had not spoken more than a simple greeting while traveling together to Earth.
Hysterian was even happier now that he’d gotten rid of Raul. But he also didn’t believe Alexa.
He didn’t believe that she wasn’t sick, either.
She’s lying to me.
A lot.
He hated liars.
“Yes,” he growled. “It has to do with the kind of animal I am. I’m dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
He rose to his feet. “It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with. As long as there’s a barrier between us, you’re safe.”
“So…you wore a body suit to be able to have sex with me? You…planned this?”
Her expression was curious, concerned, and he didn’t like it. “I wore a suit so I could touch you. I bought a suit tonight so I could give myself a little damned hope that it would happen. Do you know how badly I want to touch you, Alexa? It’s insanity. I’m mad with it, having you right here, right in front of me, not able to lay my hands on you and feel your skin. I licked our goddamned bedding so I could have a taste, just a taste of what I was missing. And you know what I found?”
Her eyes had gone wide. “You licked the—the bedding?”
“I want another taste, right fucking now. You’re sweet. Too sweet, and nothing about you is sweet, why is that? Why the fuck are you so sweet?”
Annoyance flicked across her face. “How am I supposed to answer that?” she whispered.
“You’re hiding something.”
