Iris pressed her face into his wet, hairless chest and sighed, wrapping her arms around him. He felt like home, and the future didn’t look so bleak anymore as long as he was part of it.
Jolt hugged her back as he realized how good it felt to be wrapped in her arms. Then he moved from their embrace, commanding the shower door to open so he could get a towel to dry them.
Once they were dried, they went back to bed and Jolt cuddled Iris spooned against him with one hand cupping her breast. Iris sighed contentedly and soon drifted to sleep.
Even though Jolt wasn’t at all tired, he closed his eyes and replayed their lovemaking in his mind. Now that he had claimed her, he could wait for her to rest up for the next round of sex.
Jolt, and Iris were eating first meal in the mess when he was notified that the demolition teams were being attacked. They were facing armor-piercing projectile weapons and missile launchers. Four cyborgs had been severely injured and were being transported up to theStarfire Nemesisfor treatment.
The attack was ongoing in all six city blocks that were under demolition. This was the first time they had been attacked with weapons that could cause them serious injuries.
This was the last thing Jolt wanted to deal with that morning. Now that he and Iris were bonding, he wished he could just turn the project over to Axel and start his life with Iris. He had plans in his head for the home he could build them.
At first, he thought he would build their home at the Enclave, but after their recon in the mountains, both he and Iris had agreed. Maybe they should find one of those tree-covered mountains to build a home.
“What is it?” Iris asked when Jolt suddenly went still.
“Our teams are being attacked by heavily armed gangers,” Jolt said. “Four of my men are badly injured enough that we had to send them up to theStarfirefor treatment. One of them might not make it.”
Jolt didn’t say that he suspected the attacked might be retaliation for the men he killed that hurt Iris. He didn’t regret what he did, only that it might have brought on the attack that injured his men.
“I want you to go with the others we are sending to the Enclave,” Jolt said, regretting it almost immediately as Iris looked like she might cry.
Jolt reached for her hand and brought it to his lips from across the table. “Iris, I just want you to be safe. I need to take care of this, not take off several days to spend with you like I’d prefer.”
“How long? When will I see you again?” she asked uncertainly.
“With my flier, I can get to the Enclave in a couple hours. At least there are other women there to mingle with while I am out on the job. The women we brought in here will be transported to the Enclave today,” he explained. “While I am out you will be here alone with only the other cyborgs except if more women need to go to the Enclave.”
“You’re not trying to get rid of me now that we did sex?”
“No, Iris. You are my mate now, my female. When my job here is finished, we will find a place where we can build a home. I want to make offspring with you that we will raise together.”
“But I don’t know anybody there?” she worried.
“Perhaps you know some of the females we already sent there. You did not meet them after they were brought here,” Jolt said, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. “I will ask Commander Dark if his female Danya will meet you there and introduce you to the others. The other females seem to like her.”
Iris nodded even though she still looked unhappy with his decision. “I don’t really like this,” she said, “but it’s probably better like you said.”
“I will come back to the Enclave as much as possible. I have quarters there now thatStarfireis back in space. You can stay there.”
“Okay.” That news made her smile at him.
“The flat is much nicer than my room here, and there is much to do and learn there,” Jolt said smiling back at her. He was not much happier about the situation, but he wouldn’t put his desires ahead of Iris’s safety.
Even while they were speaking, Jolt informed the pilot that Iris would be leaving with the women bound for the Enclave. They finished first meal or breakfast mostly in silence. Neither was pleased with the situation, but they knew it was best.
It only took two minutes for Iris to pack when they went back to Jolt’s room. All she had were the clothes from the plastic crate she’d received the day she got out of the infirmary.
Jolt had only meant to hold her and kiss her long and slow before he took her to the shuttle. But they had ended up naked making love hard and fast. Iris had wrapped her legs around him, digging her heels into his buttocks each time he drove his length into her. She cried out in pleasure with every pounding thrust and then sobbed his name when they reached that point of mutual rapture together.
There were just a few minutes for them to enjoy their post-coital bliss before getting cleaned up to go their separate ways.
Neither of them had ever experienced such strong emotions for another being, as close as Jolt was to his brothers. What he felt when he was inside Iris was a little bit frightening. But those feelings spilled outside their sexual encounters, too.
Much as he hated to, Jolt gave her one last kiss and pulled out of her. He picked her up and carried her back to the shower to eliminate the evidence of their coupling. They lingered an extra minute or so hugging and kissing after the shower stopped.
They took turns rubbing each other dry with a fresh towel then went out into the bedroom to dress. Five minutes later, Jolt was watching Iris shuffle up the shuttle ramp, carrying her plastic crate of clothing. This time she was wearing the shoes as well.
