He had finally decided that she was merely shy. She was not used to being around very many people and even though he was a cyborg and not a person, she did not seem to think there was a difference.
He thought that was one of the reasons he had wanted her to look at him, wanted her attention. She did not behave as if he was only a machine and she could not have been in doubt of it when his flesh had been torn away and exposed his chassis. She had felt badly when he was hurt and she smiled at him in greeting as if she was glad that he was there.
She had begun to behave very differently after her father was killed. She had wept inconsolably for so long that he’d begun to think that she would simply die from sorrow. He and Jared had fought over which of them should go to her and try to reason with her and he had lost. He had not felt the same stomach churning fear when he had been readying himself for battle that he had felt standing outside her door, listening to her, and trying to think what he might say that would dry up her tears. In the end, it had not seemed to take anything at all. When he had finally nerved himself to go inside, he had done nothing more than collapse weakly on the side of the bed and pat her heaving back a couple of times awkwardly. She had turned to look at him almost at once and then she had flung herself against his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around him. When he had asked why she was crying she had said it was because she was alone, she had no one. That had made his belly clench even harder, but it was not true and he told her that. She had him and Jared and they would never leave her.
He still thought that it was strange that he had had to tell her. She should have known that they would forever be loyal and grateful to her for saving them from Xeno-12, but apparently she had needed to hear it. Because afterwards, she had been almost as happy as she had been sad before. Not at once, but she had ceased to cry each night and she had begun to smile more and more often and after a while, to chatter at them.
It was about that time that he had realized exactly what it was that he wanted every time he looked at her. He was not certainwhyhe had only to look at her to think of fucking, but there was no getting around that, no ignoring it, because each time he looked at her his cock would get hard and images would fill his mind of fucking her.
He did not suppose she would have any interest in it now—ever—although he had thought she might … eventually.
“She did not ask that fucking snake to fuck her either,” Jared growled, interrupting his thoughts, “but I would not lay odds that that is not what he is doing right now!”
Indignation rolled through him. He discovered when he glanced at Jared that Sebastian, Lucien, and Thor were also looking indignant and for some reason that outraged him more. He scowled at them. “You have no reason to feel as if you have been fucked over! She isourwoman!”
“Exactly how did you arrive at that conclusion?” Sebastian asked tightly. “I have not seen anything to indicate thatshethinks so!”
Kane felt his face heat because he knew that that was true … in a sense. “We were here first!”
“That is only by default and it does not count. She collected you with the other salvage she and her father picked up on Xeno-12! She chose us.”
Jared glared at him. “You are delusional! If we were chosen only by default because we were there, then the same is true of the three of you! She did not go there to get you! She went to collect that fucking fuck droid!”
A look of triumph entered Sebastian’s eyes that made Jared want to smash his face all over again. “Which means that she is no more yours than ours!”
“Which also means that there is no reason for us to fight among ourselves,” Lucien said irritably. “As Reuel pointed out,wewere busy distracting one another while that fucking fuck droid walked off with her! And that is what he willcontinueto do if we continue to focus on one another instead of her!”
Jared stared at him blankly for a long moment and then frowned thoughtfully. Shutting off the water, he picked up the flight suit he had discarded, discovered that it was far too soiled with dirt and blood to put on again, and pitched it toward the recycler. He moved into the dryer but discovered he did not really feel like standing in it long enough for it to dry him. Emerging again, still dripping, he stalked from the shower room and headed to his cabin.
He heard faint sounds emanating from Chloe’s cabin. He had no trouble interpreting them and it infuriated him. For a handful of moments, he toyed with the idea of stalking into her cabin and dragging Damon off of her, but he finally discarded it. Violence seemed to distress Chloe, particularly violence aimed at the fuck droid. He could always beat the fuck out of him later—when he felt more up to it.
* * * *
Chloe had spent so many long nights alone in her bed, unable to sleep, and thinking of Damon that she couldn’t help but think that it was vastly unfair that she was so distressed now that she could scarcely focus on the things that he was doing—the things she had longed for him to do. Either he didn’t notice the stiff unresponsiveness due to Chloe’s sense of guilt, however, or he decided to ignore it. He continued to stroke her and place light, nibbling kisses along her neck and shoulder as he held her.
Chloe was inclined to think he simply didn’t notice. He was a pleasure droid, after all, designed specifically to know how to arouse a woman—any woman—to fever pitch and give her pleasure such as she never had or ever would experience anywhere else, with anyone else.
She knew she wasn’t special to him. How could she be? It hadn’t mattered before, though. He was special to her. He had been her first—actually her only. In spite of the fact that she’d felt awkward, uncomfortable, unattractive and fearful of the pain associated with losing one’s virginity, he’d taken her to a state of true beauty and then beyond that to true passion. He had made her feel loved, desired, beautiful. She had missed that, she thought, more even than she’d missed the passion he’d shown her. She’d wanted that more than anything.
Sheknewthat it was unhealthy, that everyone would think her certifiable if they knew, but she’d fallen madly in love with him.
A sex machine.
It was a little weird, actually, that it had taken another machine to make her see that, to make her feel like a complete fool.
Was it weirder that she felt that way because she felt so guilty aboutthinkingabout having sex with Damon when she had just been with Jared and he had seemed to need her so badly? Her throat closed at the thought. She didn’t know why he suddenly didn’t want to be her friend anymore. She couldn’t think of anything that she’d done to make him feel that way.
Unless he was angry about Damon?
She was pretty sure he was. She just wasn’t certain if it was because she had done something so stupid and dangerous, or because she had riskedthemto rescue Damon, or if it was just Damon himself that pissed him off.
Apparently Damon tired of nibbling on her neck—either that or he finally decided it wasn’t really working. He turned, laying her back against the mattress and then settled beside her.
Instead of resuming his efforts to seduce her, however, he propped on one arm and settled his jaw against his fist, studying her speculatively. She stared back at him uneasily, wondering why it was that he seemed … different.Washe different? Or was it her that had changed?
“You are distressed,” he said finally, a statement rather than a question.
She looked at him a little reproachfully. “Of course I’m upset! They were fighting! They’re going to hurt each other.”
