Chapter Eight
Addie stared after Sam in dismay as he rode off. The harsh Martian landscape seemed even more desolate now that she was alone. A mountain range rose steeply behind their shelter, the jagged rocks offering no softness, but there was something almost protective about the way they encircled the camp. They reminded her of Sam.
She looked over at the habitat he had built so quickly and sighed. Was he really going to keep her here until her project succeeded? What if she couldn’t find a way to make it work? She shuddered. Failure was not an option—she had less than six months left and she was not going to miss her deadline. In the meantime, they were going to be trapped together. They would have to find a way to live together and she suspected that she would need to be the one who found it.
The sun was setting rapidly across the valley and she decided she might as well inspect her new home. Stepping through the outer door of the airlock, she waited until the oxygen level stabilized and pulled off her mask with a sigh of relief. She started to remove her coat as well, then shivered and pulled it back on. The temperature inside was not as warm as she had expected.
The inner door opened directly into the living quarters. They were even smaller than they had appeared from the outside, more like a corridor than a living area. On one side were two narrow bunks, on the other a built-in table and benches with a long window above them. A small kitchen area and a minuscule bathroom completed the space.
The door at the far end opened into the lab dome, significantly larger than the living module. Many of the panels that made up the dome were translucent and they glowed with the light of the setting sun. Crates of lab equipment were stacked against the walls waiting to be unpacked. She wandered over to inspect them and her breath caught when she realized that some of the equipment was stacked on a metal table—a table that bore an uncomfortable resemblance to the one where Sam had been strapped for Derrick’s experiments. If he had brought this in, no wonder he was in such a bad mood. How could he possibly think she would ever use it to experiment on him?
On the far side of the dome, a door led into the greenhouse. The racks for the hydroponic gardens were already assembled, waiting for the flow of water and nutrients. She knew that they were common in the homestead settlements, used to purify recycled water as well as a source of both food and oxygen, but she hadn’t expected to be here long enough to need one. She imagined the room filled with plants and found it rather more appealing than she expected. She could picture the room filled with greenery, a pleasant antidote to the clinical sterility of the lab. It would be something to share with Sam.
The final building, a shelter for the rover and for Blackie, was attached to the far side of the greenhouse. The rover was already inside, but she eyed the space doubtfully. It seemed like a barren place to house an animal, even a robot animal. Was there something they could do to make it a little more comfortable?
Still pondering the question, she made her way back to the lab dome. The sun had set completely now so she turned on the small array of lights circling the floor, filling the space with an amber glow. But despite the warmth of the lights, the temperature in the dome had dropped considerably. Frowning, she located the small RTG that should provide both power and heat. The power worked but she couldn’t make the heat come on.
Damn. She wished she had spent some of the trip to Mars studying the more practical necessities of life on the surface. Instead, she had been overly confident that GenCon would be taking care of their day-to-day needs and she had concentrated on research instead. Looking out the front window of the dome, she strained to see any indication of Sam but all she could make out was a dark expanse of desert and the faint outline of rocky cliffs at the far side of the valley.
He said he would be back shortly but how long did that mean? The outside temperatures would be well below freezing shortly and would continue to drop all night. Without heat, she was in serious danger.
Think, she urged herself. You’re a smart woman. Figure this out.
Returning to the living quarters, she checked the supplies. Both bunks had thermal blankets and she wrapped one around her with shaking hands, feeling some immediate relief. The small living quarters should be well insulated. If she could just find a source of heat… The kitchen area!
The cooking facilities consisted of a microwave device and two small induction burners—not much, but they would have to do. She turned them, waiting anxiously until they began to glow red. It wasn’t much but hopefully it would stop her from freezing to death. She retrieved the second blanket and layered it over her head so that only her eyes and nose were uncovered. Her body still shook within the cocoon of fabric, but she thought she could make it through the night if Sam didn’t return.
She didn’t have a choice. She had to make it.
The night seemed to stretch out interminably. Despite the glow of warmth from the burners, the temperature continued to drop, and she kept stomping her feet to make sure they weren’t going numb. When she checked the time, she was appalled to realize that only thirty minutes had passed. It would be seven and a half more hours until the sun rose. As she turned to search for her bag, planning to layer on the rest of her coveralls, she heard a noise outside. A minute later, Sam walked through the airlock.
“Addie? What’s wrong?”
“N-n-no h-h-eat,” she stuttered.
“Fuck!” he swore, gathering her in his arms and surrounding her with the warmth of his body. “I didn’t set the RTG to heat?”
He strode into the lab as she bit back a protest at leaving the small amount of warmth she had managed to generate and pressed her face into his chest. He was so warm that she tried to bury herself against him. Still holding her in his arms, he squatted in front of the generator and a minute later she felt a faint heat against her back. Her body shook even harder with the returning warmth.
He swore again and sat down on the floor in front of the heater, cradling her in his lap. He unwound the blankets and draped them over the two of them instead so that nothing was between their bodies. She tucked her icy hands against his chest, then slid them under his shirt to get closer to the warmth of his skin.
“Your hands are like ice.”
“S-sorry.” She started to pull them away but he pressed them back against his chest with an impatient noise.
“No, leave them. My skin against yours will warm you faster than anything else.”
Taking advantage of his words, she undid the top buttons of his shirt so she could press her cold cheeks against the firm muscles of his chest. He didn’t protest, only pulling her closer.
“How are your feet?”
“C-cold.”
Without a word, he reached down and pulled off her boots, wrapping one enormous hand around the icy appendages and enclosing them in almost painful heat.
“Better?”
“Y-yes. Thank you.”
“I’m sorry, Addie. I’m not used to accommodating human biology but that is no excuse.”
“Y-you didn’t m-mean to let m-me freeze?” she asked, mainly joking although a tiny part of her wondered.
“Of course not.”
He sounded so appalled that she patted his chest reassuringly. His skin felt so warm and silky beneath her fingers she found her pats turning to strokes as she began exploring the intriguing hills and valleys of his muscles.
“Addie,” he groaned, and she stopped immediately, feeling her cheeks heat.
They relapsed into silence but despite the warmth surrounding her, her body still shook. She’d heard the expression chilled to the bone before, but she’d never really understood it until now.
“You’re still cold?”
“Yes.” A full-body shudder ran over her. “I can tell that the air is warmer but I still feel cold inside.”
“We need to raise your core temperature.” A brief hesitation. “Don’t be afraid.”
Chapter Nine
“Why would I be—oh!”
Addie
gasped as Sam found the fastening to her coverall and opened it from her neck down to below her waist. While she was still trying to process what he had done, he lifted her up, stripping the garment off in one quick move. A second later, he lay back on the floor, bringing her with him so that she was lying on top of him. Her panties and bra were still in place, but the rest of her naked body was plastered against him. His chest was bare and the delicious heat seeping into her chilled body overcame her instinctive desire to protest. Instead, she pressed closer, seeking even more of that comforting heat.
The blankets still covered her back but beneath them, his hands glided soothingly up and down her back in long, heated strokes. God, that felt good. Breathing in his delicious scent, she tried to wiggle closer and suddenly realized that her core was resting over a massive erection. This time, she didn’t panic. He didn’t have her trapped against a vehicle and his hands were soothing rather than urgent. She wiggled again, experimentally, and felt a sudden explosion of warmth between her legs as she found the exact position that created a wonderful pressure against her clit.
His hands clamped down on her butt, not hurting her but with a firm grip that sent a shiver of pleasure through her body and created even more friction against her clit.
“Addie.” His harsh voice vibrated against her breasts. “I’m only hu—able to take so much. You need to be still.”
She raised her head so she could see his face and the movement sent another wave of excitement through her. His hands tightened and he dragged her slowly across his cock before he froze, holding her in place. His face was strained, skin pulled taut over those rough, masculine features, but his eyes blazed blue fire. Her breasts throbbed where they were pressed against his body. Very deliberately she rubbed them along the hard planes of his chest—the firm pectoral muscles and the even firmer plate where his heart had been replaced by a cybernetic organ—trying to relieve the unaccustomed ache.
“I don’t want to be still,” she whispered. “You feel so good.”
“You like this?” he growled.
His hands tightened again, spreading her legs further apart as he guided her up and down his shaft. The position exposed even more of her clit to the delicious friction, her panties flooding with damp heat. He adjusted his grip and his fingers slid under the edge of her panties, teasing delicately at the swollen flesh.
“Yes. Yes, I like it,” she panted.
The tension building in her body was almost frightening, far beyond the mild tightness leading to the pleasant little climaxes she had finally learned to give herself, but she didn’t want it to stop. Her whole body shook, and she clutched desperately at his shoulders. His pace increased as he pressed her harder against the ridge of his cock. A finger wrapped around the damp silk of her panties, then pulled them aside, leaving her completely exposed to his touch, and with one firm stroke of his hand across her clit, she exploded, her head snapping back as an ecstasy she had never felt before swept over her, her body quivering as wave after wave of pleasure rippled through her.
She collapsed against his chest, limp with satisfaction, barely aware that he was rolling her beneath him until he rose over her and she felt the wide head of his cock press against her entrance. Her eyes flew open as her blood turned to ice. Horrible memories rushed over her and she couldn’t bear the thought of Sam hurting her. She pushed vainly against his chest, knowing she had no hope of stopping him. If she hadn’t been able to fight off Derrick’s smaller, less powerful body, how could she succeed against Sam?
“Stop, please stop,” she whispered, knowing it was no use.
S-756 froze as the whisper reached him. He had been focused on Addie’s sweet little cunt, watching the delicate pink folds part for him, but his eyes jerked up to her face. A frustrated growl threatened to escape at her obvious distress. The rosy blush of pleasure had drained away, leaving her pale, and her eyes were wide and frightened.
‘What’s wrong?” he demanded, then winced at the harsh tone.
“I… I don’t like that.”
“Like what?” He frowned at her and she paled even further. “You don’t mean sex?” He couldn’t believe it. She had been so responsive to his touch, so wet and swollen against his cock, drenching him in liquid heat.
Her eyes flicked away from him. “It hurts,” she said finally.
Anger roared through him so quickly that he almost swayed. Someone had hurt her? Had hurt his Addie? And hurt her in the worst possible way?
“Who hurt you?” he demanded, just as the sick realization swept over him. Mingol. “Is that what you meant when you said he hurt you?”
She nodded, still avoiding his eyes, before finally her gaze rose to meet his. “I’m sorry. I could… use my mouth on you. That’s not so bad if you let me breathe.”
The implication behind the words sent chills down his spine. Although his cock jerked reflexively at the thought, his desire had completely disappeared. Instead, he rolled to one side, careful to keep his weight off of her. To his surprise, she followed him.
“Are you still cold?”
“No, but I… I like touching you.”
Her shy confession broke away another piece of the ice from the past. He gently gathered her closer. She nestled against him with a contented sigh and he realized that she wasn’t afraid of him; just of the act itself.
“Oh, angel.” He lowered his head slowly, giving her a chance to pull back. She didn’t. She moved towards him instead. Keeping his hands at his side, fists clenched to restrain himself, he lightly brushed her lips with his. Her mouth parted and her tongue cautiously swept across his bottom lip. He touched it briefly with his own, then raised his head.
“This doesn’t frighten you?”
“Of course not. You don’t frighten me, Sam. You never have.”
“I would never hurt you.”
“I know that. Even when you were growling at me, I wasn’t afraid of you.” She blushed and looked down. “And maybe, we could, um, work up to more than kissing?”
“I think we did more than kissing tonight, angel.”
The color in her cheeks increased. “I know. I’m sorry I had to ask you to stop. It was selfish of me after you made me feel so wonderful.”
“You were afraid, not selfish. You did the right thing.”
“I don’t want to be afraid,” she cried, and his heart ached.
“Then we’ll work on changing that. There’s no rush. We have all the time in the world.”
He liked the sound of that, but her face changed, shadows crossing it.
“I… I have a deadline for completing this project.”
“Why is it so important?”
“If we can get this to work, then Mars becomes so much less deadly. People wouldn’t need the breathing masks all the time. They would be able to handle the temperature shifts more easily.” She shivered and gave him a rueful grin. “They wouldn’t freeze to death if they didn’t know how to operate a heater or if the power went out.”
He couldn’t argue with her reasoning, but he couldn’t escape the feeling that she was holding something back.
“It is a worthy goal, but I don’t understand the urgency. Humans are surviving now. I am not aware of any deaths because of the environment.”
Her eyes cut away from him and she rolled to the side. “I should get dressed again.”
Disappointment roared through him. She was still keeping secrets, still playing games. “What a shame to cover up all those luscious curves. You’ll have to find something else to distract me with.”
His voice came out more sardonic than he intended and she flinched. For a second, her eyes flashed to his, guilt written across her face, then she bit her lip and stumbled to her feet. He saw her ankle start to twist and swore, jumping up in time to catch her. Resisting the urge to lift her up into his arms, he put a supportive arm around her waist until she found her balance, then reluctantly let her go.
“You shouldn’t be walking.”
“It’s f
ine,” she said absently, searching for her coveralls. “I think I’m just tired.”
“I will prepare something to eat and you will go to bed,” he ordered as he fastened his pants and threw his shirt back on without bothering to button it.
She had pulled her coveralls up to her waist and she paused to glare at him. “You can’t tell me what to do!”
“Can’t I?” He leaned down. “Don’t push me, Addie.”
Her eyes went wide and her teeth worried her lip again, but she didn’t look scared. This close, the sweet scent of her arousal hovered between them. Her upper half was still bare, only a brief lacy bra covering her full breasts, her skin glowing in the soft light of the dome and his arousal came flooding back. This isn’t the time, he tried to remind himself, but his body did not want to listen.
Her eyes had dropped to his chest, and then to his erection, and he heard her breath catch in a soft little gasp that did nothing to help him regain control.
“Food, then bed,” he growled.
Chapter Ten
This time, Addie didn’t argue with Sam’s order. Self-consciously pulling up her coverall and fastening it all the way to her chin, she was still aware of his eyes on her. The heat in his gaze hadn’t diminished. Unfortunately, she could see the anger as well. He wanted all of her secrets, but how could she tell him when she knew that it would only hurt him more? He didn’t even want to listen to her explanation about what had really happened back on Earth.
Even more than her wish to avoid his anger, she wanted to avoid his pain. Although he hid it behind the harsh mask, she knew he had been hurt so much over the years. The fact that he didn’t even think of food or heat spoke volumes. He was no longer used to human comforts, comforts that should never have been denied to him. What had the government been thinking when it sent the cyborgs to Mars to face all those long, cold years alone, just so that the terraforming would begin sooner and fewer “real humans” would be put at risk. Hadn’t they realized that the men they changed were still human as well?
A Fistful 0f Cyborg (Cyborgs On Mars Book 2) Page 6
