I looked at his black t-shirt and khaki cargo pants and smiled. “We will match. They will do just fine. My old clothes were getting pretty thin with patches on patches.”
“Anything you need, just ask, and I will try to source it for you,” Steele asserted. “And we need to talk about some things.”
“Do you remember my telling you I am your cyborg?” His gaze was openly admiring with a hint of desire, and I felt suddenly shy and self-conscious.
“I do,” I replied, feeling my cheeks heat.
“I realize that you don’t know me, but I want the chance for us to get to know each other. I also want to protect you from being taken again. In order to do that, I need to stay where you are staying. Do you want me to find a place for us to live, or do you wish to go back to your family ranch?”
“I need to get back to my ranch to see if anything’s left. There is room for you to stay at my ranch house. While I don’t exactly remember what happened, I know I was taken from there, and I’m a little scared to stay there alone.”
“I would be worried about letting you.”
He went to get the plastic box that he had placed on the chair on the other side of the room. He brought it to my bed and opened it so I could see inside.
“These are wonderful. You don’t know how badly I need these. Thank you so much.” I smiled up at him, wishing I could hug him, but the box was between us. I’d never been attracted to a male like I was to Steele, and I didn’t know how to handle it.
“When you know me better, you will understand that I will do anything for you.” Steele reached up, pushed my hair behind my ear, and then brushed my cheek tenderly with his fingertips. “Dr. Star notified me that your discharge is complete. I can step out while you get dressed, and then we can leave.”
Chapter Three
Zaya
I felt Steele’s absence acutely when he left the room. I would have asked him to stay, but I really didn’t want to dress in front of him. As he left, I reached up to touch the cheek Steele had caressed. I smiled and realized I liked his touch.
Living on my family’s isolated ranch, I hadn’t met many men nor had a relationship with any. But I’d read enough old romances to know I was attracted to Steele. I had never felt like this before. Whenever he was near, I felt a fluttery feeling between my legs.
I was a virgin when I was kidnapped, but the alien took that from me. The nanocybots left only the knowledge that it happened but not the memory of the experience.
Before I was taken, I learned about the Cyborg Mating Project; one of the times, I went to Gretchen to trade for supplies. I met a cyborg and his mate who took a scan of my DNA for inclusion in the database.
They gave me a com-tablet and hoped that I would get a cyborg mate one day. The cyborg Dagger was so handsome and solicitous of his mate; I knew he was the kind of mate I wanted. I daydreamed about it frequently while I was working in the garden or tending the animals.
It just seemed like all the good men were married or taken. The others were either loners or thuggish brutes, only looking to benefit themselves. Some were the kind of men who wouldkidnap a woman and sell her to aliens so that they would not have to work for a living.
I dressed quickly, anxious to leave the hospital. The clothing all fit perfectly, and I was so glad to have it. Putting the lid back on the plastic box, I said in a normal tone, “Steele, I am dressed and ready to leave.”
He was back at my side in seconds. He was so handsome as he looked down at me with a combination of frank admiration and longing. I felt it, too, as I met his gaze. Though I was taller than average height, Steele was head and shoulders taller, probably 6’8”.
Steele moved closer and gently took my face between his hands. “May I kiss you?”
I nodded. That was exactly what I wanted. I needed to know if it would feel as good as I imagined, and it did. He kissed me lightly at first, then ran the tip of his tongue along the seam of my lips. I opened instinctively for him, and our tongues slowly danced together. Steele pulled me against him, rubbing my back as we kissed.
I slid my arms around his neck as need surged through my body. Dagger’s mate told me it would be like this if I ever met the cyborg who was meant to be mine. I could feel his erection against my belly and an answering throbbing in my clit.
Although I wasn’t ready to go farther than that, I felt relieved to know that I could still feel that way about the man I wanted. I felt safe with Steele and intensely attracted to him. Since he was my genetic mate, that was a good thing.
Still, I was relieved when he didn’t take things any further and released me from his embrace, though reluctantly. He went to the closet where he had stowed his rifle and shouldered it by its strap. Then, he returned, picked up the box of clothes, and reached for my hand.
Since we couldn’t get transport back to Montana until the next day, Steele told me on the way out, he had arranged for us to get a hotel room. But first, he asked, “Do you want separate rooms?”
“No. I don’t want to be alone, but,” I hesitated. “I’m not ready—”
“It’s alright. We will wait until you are ready. If it is alright with you, I will hold you until you fall asleep. I can hold you all night if you wish.”
“That sounds lovely,” I sighed. His tenderness was exactly what I needed.
An auto tram was waiting for us when we emerged from the hospital building. Steele helped me into the seat and climbed in beside me. The tram immediately set off to the hotel. There was no waiting to check in because Steele had already arranged it through the AI Net from his internal CPU.
