He’d stiffened at the knowing twinkle in her eyes.
“It’s my job to protect the settlers.” Even reckless little scientists.
“Of course it is,” Dr. Falkner agreed, the smile lingering in her eyes. “But I’m still glad you’re going after her.”
Phantom reached the edge of the valley and started climbing the ridge, mechanical joints moving smoothly beneath his silvermetal skin—the same shade as the artificial skin covering his own cybernetic hand. He sometimes thought that was why he’d chosen the horse when he first arrived on Mars.
He could feel the pulse of the wind in the air, the faint vibrations beneath the ground—the usual patterns that marked the approach of a dust storm—but this one felt different, stronger, and he cast a worried look at the sky. The dark clouds were boiling overhead and within minutes, the light had begun to fade. His enhanced vision automatically adjusted to the dimming light as he urged Phantom to climb faster.
The lights of the station appeared through the swirling clouds of dust, and he breathed a sigh of relief. She was already here and safely inside. As he drew closer, he could see the open hangar door at one end of the station and his lips twitched. The stubborn female might not be happy to see him, but at least she’d left the door open.
As he drew closer he could see her through the window, bent over a console with Roland by her side. She was so absorbed in her work that she hadn’t noticed him, and he hesitated for a moment, watching her. There was something about the way she focused, the way her hands moved with such precision. She was completely lost in the moment, and he couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to have that intense attention directed at him, to have those strong, delicate hands moving over him. His cock immediately responded to the idea, the reaction both unexpected and unwelcome, and he quickly forced it back under control.
He wasn’t here to admire her. He was here to make sure she was safe.
“Time to get inside,” he said to Phantom and guided him into the hangar.
He dismounted and sealed the outer doors against the storm. The noise level immediately dropped, but even without his enhanced hearing he would have been able to hear the winds howling around the station and the grit scouring the outer walls. And yet she’d seemed completely oblivious to the storm.
“Foolish female,” he muttered as he scattered some protein pellets for Phantom, and the horse gave him what a less practical male would have called a skeptical look. As much as he’d tried to convince himself that the robotic horses were purely machines, they exhibited too many signs of independent intelligence to ignore.
“What do you know? You’re a horse.”
Phantom huffed softly, his ears twitching in amusement, and Z-542 rolled his eyes as he brushed the worst of the dust off of the horse, checking for any other damage.
“I’m just here to make sure she’s safe.”
Phantom gave him another skeptical look, then ambled over to the feed. Technically he didn’t need to be fed—between his power supply and micronutrients in the soil, he received all the nutrition he needed—but he seemed to enjoy the act of eating and he’d fallen into the habit of bringing protein pellets with him whenever he traveled.
He watched the horse munch contentedly for a moment, then turned towards the inner airlock. His pulse immediately sped up and, annoyed, he forced his nanites to bring it back under control.
This is just a routine safety check, he told himself, but as soon as he stepped through the airlock and her scent reached him, his pulse immediately increased again. Sweet and spicy and utterly human, it triggered something inside him—a need to be close to her, to lose himself in her…
No.There was no losing himself. He was no longer human, and he was the one who’d made that choice. He could control his body’s primitive reaction to her.
He paused in the small entrance hall and studied the interior of the station. He hadn’t been to this particular station before, but they followed a common pattern. An entry hall with racks for equipment, followed by the work area. A long desk beneath the windows with computer equipment, several consoles, and a scattering of chairs. Two doors on the far wall—one leading to a compact hygiene facility and the other to a storage room. The back wall had a compact kitchen and a narrow built-in bunk—the only bed in the station.
His cock twitched again at the thought of sharing the small bed with her, but he ignored it. He didn’t need to sleep. She would be occupying the bunk alone.
As he moved forward, she reached over to scratch the armadillo’s head and her hair slipped down over her cheek, a soft gold shimmer that he wanted to bury his face in. He pushed that thought aside as well.
“Dr. Winters.”
She jumped at the sound of his voice and spun around. Her big green eyes locked on him and for a moment he could have sworn he saw pleasure on her face before it was replaced by annoyance.
“You’re here,” she said unnecessarily.
“Yes. I told you I would be. What were you thinking coming out in this storm?”
His words came out gruff and disapproving, and she crossed her arms and glared at him. “I didn’t. The storm was a long way off when I left.”
“It’s here now.”
He pointed towards the window and the dust obscuring any view of the landscape, but the annoying female only shrugged.
“And I’m safely inside. Thank you for your concern,” she added begrudgingly. “But it wasn’t necessary.”
“You could be stranded out here for days.”
