“How is it that you ended up alone on the ranch?”
“Well, my dad got sick when I was young, and he died. Then, it happened to my mom about four years ago. I’ve been on my own ever since,” she told me as we strolled on a garden path. “Not many people found their way to my ranch, so I was really surprised when those men showed up and kidnapped me.”
As I watched her speak, I had an overwhelming urge to kiss her. Locating a secluded spot, I steered Zaya there and took her into my arms. “I’m sorry that happened to you. It’s taken us longer than we would have liked to get help to all the people who need it. But you are not alone anymore. I am here to help youand care for you. I am programmed to love you, and I hope we will breed and make offspring one day.”
I stroked her hair and caressed her cheek as she held my gaze. Her lips parted, and she seemed amenable to a kiss, so I took the opportunity. My cock hardened as soon as her body pressed against me, but I instinctively suppressed my arousal.
I kissed her tenderly, slipping my tongue between her lips, gently stroking and swirling it around hers. With the combination of my programming and her pheromones, I was completely smitten with her.
When our lips parted, I couldn’t stop staring at her face. Although other cyborgs told me so, I still found it amazing that she so closely resembled the avatar I knew while in stasis.
Even more satisfying, Zaya was real, and she looked back at me with open admiration. It seemed logical to conclude that she liked me. The way she kissed me back was even more convincing. Reluctantly, I released her and said, “Are you ready to get something to eat?”
“I am now.” She nodded, and I draped my arm around her shoulders and started walking her back to the tram station.
From there, we took one to a restaurant called Quantum Cuisine. There, a droid led us to a table for two with a spectacular view of Lake Michigan. A computer tablet attached to our table displayed the menu with attractive pictures of each dish.
“I don’t know what any of these dishes are,” Zaya said as I scrolled through them for us.
“What would you normally eat?”
“Mostly vegetables, eggs, and cheese or an occasional chicken or fish from the river.”
“Okay, let’s see what they have with those ingredients. I scrolled through the menu to that section and let her read the descriptions of the cuisine offered. After a few minutes, Zayapicked a dish that consisted of a medley of vegetables and meat. There were also wine selections, but Zaya had never had wine. She chose to have iced tea with her meal.
I ordered a meal of seafood, vegetables, and pasta.
“The food smells wonderful and looks good, too,” Zaya said when the droid waiter brought our meals to the table.
“We can share,” I suggested, picking up my fork to try a bite. “Certainly, tastier than meal bars.” I scooped up a modest forkful and offered it to Zaya.
She smiled, her green eyes sparkling as she took a bite from my fork. “Mm, it tastes even better than it smells.”
Then she offered me a forkful of her food. Her chicken and vegetable medley was also quite tasty.
We ate in a comfortable silence for a while, intermittently offering forkfuls to each other. Zaya seemed to enjoy feeding me as much as I liked sharing nourishment with her.
“I want to order some supplies to take with us tomorrow. We don’t know what will be usable when we return to your home,” I suggested.
“How will I pay for that?” Zaya asked.
“I will take care of it. I have almost all the credits I’ve earned since I came out of stasis six years ago. I saved them for use when I found my genetic mate.”
“I’m used to taking care of myself, but I will accept your offer. I don’t know how long I was away. I was almost finished with spring planting when I was taken.”
“Considering the growing season, it might have been three months since you were taken. Also, the condition of your animals seems to indicate they have not been on their own much longer than that,” I tried to reassure Zaya.
“Well, I expect there will be a lot of cleanup to do when we get there.”
“Whatever you need, I will help you,” I assured her. “We are in this together now.”
Granted, we didn’t know each other well, but all of my instincts were programmed to provide whatever my genetic mate required or desired. Above all, I was programmed to love the female whom I recognized as my genetic mate. I was made for her, so I was already enamored.
Zaya
I looked at him, hardly believing what he was saying, yet I could see he was completely sincere. Tears brimmed my eyes as I thought back over the years I’d lived alone before I was taken. I went months at a time without seeing another person.
Now, this gorgeous, caring man had dropped into my life like the hero of the romantic stories I used to read in the winter when it was too cold to do anything else. I reached across the table and touched his arm to reassure myself that he was real.
