“You get it?”
“Yeah.” Max lifted the box for Jack’s inspection. “Cost me a shit-ton of credits, and I’m going to have to pull some strings to get that little weasel in charge of coms on one of the patrols outside the wire. He seems to think women like Emma are a dime a dozen on the other side of the fence.”
Jack laughed as Max snorted with amusement. “You should send him out toward those friends of Emma’s with the big dogs. Let him get a taste of what Rafe and Butler and the rest of the Zed team went through.”
“You know,” Max chuckled, “I just might.” He shifted the box again and asked, “Did you talk to Gray?”
“Yes. He wasn’t thrilled but he agreed to give Emma a job. She starts Monday.”
“I’m glad he came around. He’s the only other cyborg I trust around Emma.”
Jack hummed in agreement. After Gray’s cyborg wife had passed away, he had withdrawn and sworn off women, cyborg or human. When volunteers had been requested for Outpost Nine, Gray had been among the first to sign up. He had been given permission to put a small living quarters in the warehouse and rarely left the building. Jack tried to coax him out for barbecues or pick-up football games but he was rarely successful.
Hopefully Emma and Gray could bond over his hermit lifestyle and her once solitary life in the Outlands. She wouldn’t be able to understand the horrors of war that Gray had survived, but she could easily relate to living alone. Maybe she might succeed where Jack, Max and others had failed.
The hiss of the automatic doors drew their attention. Two medics escorted Emma from the hospital. The one with a black eye smartly avoided Jack by lingering near the doorway instead of following Emma out to the sidewalk. A twinge of discomfort pierced Jack’s knuckles as he remembered slamming his fist right into that asshole’s face.
When Max had told him about Emma being stripped in a decon shower and scrubbed by two brutes, Jack had seen red. The regulations were very clear about female intake procedures. No man was to touch or see another cyborg’s woman in that way. Those two medics had taken advantage of Emma.
Infuriated, Jack had knocked the shit out of both men before submitting formal complaints. If they’d done it to Emma, they had probably done it to other women—and that wasn’t right. They shouldn’t be around any of the vulnerable women brought into the quarantine facility.
Jack grinned at the sight of Emma in her too big scrubs. A small bag of essentials dangled from her hand. She glanced around nervously before spotting them. A relieved grin lit up her face. She practically ran towards them and threw herself into Jack’s waiting arms. He scooped her right up and buried his face against her neck. “God, I missed you, Emma.”
“I missed you, too, Jack.” She slid down his body but kept her arms around his waist. Her gaze skipped over to Max. “I missed you, too.”
Max leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I’m sorry I had to skip out while you were asleep the other night.”
“It’s okay,” Emma replied. “I understand.” Her gaze shifted to the box in Max’s arms. She took hold of the side and tugged it down for a better view. Her eyes lit up with excitement. “Is that—? Are those—? You got me a transceiver!”
Jack chuckled as Emma rifled through the various components for building her own transceiver. Excitement radiated from her in waves. “We weren’t sure what you’d need for a descrambler so Max and I just made a list with everything we could think of and gave it to the Outpost’s radio man.”
She paused her rifling and glanced at Jack with concern in her eyes. “You didn’t tell him that I needed to unscramble a signal, did you?”
Jack shook his head. “No one knows about the Chain, Emma. That’s your secret to tell, if you ever feel the need.”
“We have your backpack, too,” Max added. “I smuggled it back to our house without anyone being the wiser. Your logbooks are safe.”
“You opened my bag?”
“We had to make sure there weren’t any more grenades rolling around in there,” Jack teased. “And, no, Emma we didn’t crack the books open.”
She shrugged. “The important one is in code anyway.”
Jack hated to break her sense of security but didn’t want secrets between them. “Actually, Emma, we’re equipped with encryption programs. They’re downloaded right into our neural chips. They update every month when we plug-in for upgrades and maintenance.”
Emma’s jaw dropped. “No way!” She pouted. “And I have to do it the old fashioned way!” Her expression changed as if she had just thought of something. “Hey! Dr. Freedmore told me that cyborg-human children can have implants added if the parents agree. Can I get implants like that if you two signed off on it?”
Max shook his head. “Sorry, Emma, but it doesn’t work that way.”
“Yeah,” she said, “I figured.”
“Major Cardwell?” The medic without a bruised face held up his tablet for a signature.
“Right.” Max took the stylus and signed his name to the bottom of the screen, confirming he had taken delivery of Emma from the hospital. He held up his wrist to the scanner in the lower corner and waited for the reader to find the small ID chip implanted in his wrist. After it beeped, Jack accepted the stylus from Max and signed his name in the second space. He swiped his wrist too.
“Ma’am?” The medic moved the tablet closer to Emma. She took the stylus from Jack’s hand and put her name in the space indicated. Jack noticed the way her handwriting style was so loopy and light and presented a stark contrast to the harsh, tight way he and Max drew their signatures. She awkwardly scanned her wrist, the spot where she’d been implanted with her ID chip still bright red.
The paperwork done, Jack and Max dismissed the medics and walked Emma to Max’s vehicle. Because of his rank, he had been allowed to purchase a private vehicle from the surplus lot. As Max’s housemate, Jack benefitted from the perks Max enjoyed. Now Emma would also.
While Jack lifted Emma into the backseat, he wondered if other cyborgs would start to approach them for inclusion in their family unit. It wasn’t uncommon for single cyborgs to seek out and join established civil unions. It was easier than trying to find an Original woman of their own. He and Max hadn’t discussed it yet but he was certain Max would plant his fist in the face of the first man who tried to make a pass at Emma or ask for a trade of sexual favors with her.
Jack made sure Emma had buckled in before hopping into the front seat next to Max. What would she say if another cyborg approached them? She would probably take a page out of Max’s book and punch the unlucky cyborg or give him a swift kick in the balls.
He made a mental note to discuss the possibility with Emma. While the decision about who she slept with or loved would always be hers and hers alone, she needed to be educated on the realities around the Outpost. Some men used their unions as a means of climbing the professional ladder and gaining access to better benefits. She would be protected from that but other women she would encounter on base might not be.
Emma asked a million questions on the ride across the base. She seemed so excited by the prospect of going into the commissary and some of the small restaurants and cafes. Jack answered her questions while Max concentrated on driving. Five o’clock on a Friday was a busy time on the Outpost. Already the lines at the gate were long. Soldiers, human and cyborg, with weekend passes and pockets loaded with loose credits were waiting to get off base.
“Where are they going?” Emma indicated the soldiers at the gates.
Jack hesitated before responding. “Purgatory.”
Emma’s gasp was audible even over the whir of wind rushing around the windshield and ruffling their hair. “No way! That place is disgusting!”
Max glanced back at Emma. “You’ve been there?”
“God, no!” Emma shuddered and made a face. “Girls like me don’t last long in a place like that. It’s nothing but whorehouses and moonshine and gambling. That’s where the skin traders take women for auctions. It’s
a bad, bad place for any girl.”
“Yes,” Jack agreed. “We’ve tried to have the place deemed off-limits for the men but the higher-ups say the men have rights to alleviate their needs.”
“Have you two been there?”
Jack didn’t miss the strange tone to Emma’s voice. She was either jealous or suspicious or both. “We’ve been there, but we kept our pants zipped. I’m not into paying for sex.”
“Me either,” Max replied as he turned down the street that led to their home. “Besides, I felt certain some of those women weren’t there by choice. We sent teams back—female teams—to rescue them but they refused to go.”
“It’s not that simple,” Emma explained. “Girls like me are sold to places like Purgatory or the rolling brothels to save their families. The money they earn on their backs goes back to their families to buy food, fuel and protection. I heard on the Chain that they started offering more money to families for their daughters when you guys opened the Outpost. Big business boom, I guess.”
Jack’s gut clenched at the idea of Emma being one of those trafficked women. It sickened him that young women were put in that position. To know men he commanded and trained were waiting at the gate to go out and use them made his stomach churn. It was time to start pushing harder for better standards of conduct. The soldiers at Outpost Nine needed to be good neighbors, not Johns putting money into pimp pockets.
“Oh!” Emma said, a lilt of surprise in her voice. “This is nice.”
Jack grinned at Max. Like most officers, they enjoyed living quarters in a subdivision-style section of the base. Their two-story home offered four bedrooms and three bathrooms with a sizeable backyard and deck. It was much nicer than the apartment style housing where most of the Outpost’s inhabitants lived.
He couldn’t wait to get Emma inside the house. Jack was out of the vehicle before the garage door was fully closed. He scooped Emma out of her seat. Like an old-fashioned groom carrying his bride over the threshold, Jack carted Emma into the house, taking her through the laundry room and kitchen to the living area.
He brushed his lips against her temple. “Welcome home, sweetheart.”
Emma’s gaze swept the spacious first floor of her new home. “I like it.”
Jack wasn’t fooled. He could tell she thought it was lacking in some ways. He would be the first to admit their home was rather utilitarian and no-nonsense. Emma’s home, while simple, had been felt like a real home. There had been throw pillows and quilts and curtains and rugs, all of them handmade.
“You can decorate however you’d like, Emma,” Jack said, giving her a squeeze. “Once you have a chance to explore the base, you’ll find a home store that sells fabric and thread and even crafts and other items from outside the wire. The human female who runs the store goes out and brings in products from places like New Town and Borden’s Crossing.”
“But I don’t have any money or anything to barter.”
Jack patted her ass. “You do. Max and I made deposits into your account.” He touched her wrist. “You just swipe that in any store and the credits are automatically deducted.”
Emma frowned. “But I didn’t earn that money.”
“Would you like to?” Max asked slyly as he dropped the box of radio parts on the couch. “I can think of hundreds of ways you can make even more.”
Emma narrowed her eyes at Max but laughed. “Depends on what you have in mid.”
Max moved closer and threaded his fingers through Emma’s dark hair. “How about a long, hot shower with you sandwiched between us? Maybe my mouth on your clit while Jack sucks your nipples? How does that sound Emma?”
Jack watched the spark of interest flash in her green eyes. She grinned mischievously and nodded enthusiastically. “I think I’d like that. All of it.”
Laughing, Jack headed for the stairs and quickly carried Emma up to the second floor. He would give her a tour later. Right now, he angled for the master bathroom. The walk-in shower was his favorite one in the entire house. He and Max typically slept in their own rooms and used their smaller private baths but on occasion Jack liked to enjoy the space and luxury of this bathroom.
Like most houses in the residential section of the Outpost, this was one had been designed to accommodate at least three adults and two children. The living areas were overly large. Bathrooms offered walk-in showers big enough for five or six people and had triple sinks evenly spaced along a counter.
If Emma was game, he and Max would move into the master bedroom permanently, freeing up their two rooms for an expanding family. Jack had no intention of pressuring Emma into starting a family soon but the biological facts couldn’t be changed. He had seen Emma’s med report. She was healthy and likely to conceive a child within twelve months. She had also requested prenatal vitamins after reading about them in the Outpost literature she had been provided. Jack took that as a positive sign.
Once in the bathroom, Jack placed Emma on the counter. She stared almost hungrily as he and Max stripped out of their uniforms. While Max tended to the water, Jack unwrapped Emma like a present. He peeled away the unsightly scrubs and papery thin slippers. His gaze raked her sexy curves. He had been dreaming of her night after night. Finally, he could put his greedy hands on her skin again.
“Oh, Jack.” Emma sighed as he curled his fingers in her hair and grazed his teeth and lips over her neck. Goosebumps broke out on her skin as he licked and sucked until she panted for him. Emma wrapped her legs around his waist and let him lift her up off the counter. He took her into the shower where Max waited for them.
While Jack devoured her mouth, Max washed her hair. They’d had a hell of a time picking out toiletries for her at the commissary. When they had finally stumbled upon the selection of lavender-scented soaps and shampoos, it had been like a sign from above. The scent of the sweet herb blossomed in the shower. Jack was transported back to the first moment he had gotten close to Emma. Her smile, her smell, her infectious personality—he had craved her from that first glimpse and now she belonged to him.
Emma giggled as Max tilted her head back to rinse the suds from her hair and Jack took advantage of the presentation of her throat to nibble and tease. Max showed his gentle side as he carefully swept the foamy water away from her forehead, keeping the shampoo from running into her eyes.
Jack had always been drawn to that side of Max. The behemoth killing machine harbored a tenderness unmatched by other men. If only he would let it show more, especially now that they had Emma in their lives. She responded to that sort of thing and would bond with Max much more quickly if he would show her more of his gentleness.
Emma indicated that she wanted to be put down so Jack complied. He took the bar of bluish soap from Max’s hand and worked up a rich lather between his palms. As Emma’s tongue tangled with Max’s, Jack washed her soft skin. She whimpered when his soapy hand strayed between her legs. Clutching at Max, she groaned against his mouth while Jack let his fingers draw circles over her clit. The little nub stood erect and begged for attention. His mouth watered as the need to eat her sweet pussy overwhelmed him.
“Jack,” she whispered and pressed back against his hand.
“What, Emma?” He kissed her shoulder and met Max’s lust-filled gaze. “Tell us what you want.”
“I want you both to make me come,” she confessed, her voice husky. “I’ve been thinking about this every night. I kept remembering the way you two made me feel. I need it so badly.”
“Emma,” Max growled and claimed her mouth again.
As if sharing her desperate need, Max hastily rinsed Emma and scrubbed down his body with the white bar of unscented soap. He passed it to Jack who quickly repeated Max’s movements. In two minutes flat, they were standing on the bath mat and rubbing towels over their bodies.
Still damp and her hair dripping wet at the end, Emma squealed with delight as Max picked her up caveman style and carried her into the bedroom. He threw her down on the mattress and climbed over her. “
Max!”
Jack chuckled as he slid onto the bed next to them. Max kissed his way down Emma’s body. His mouth closed over one breast and then the next. He sucked and laved her nipples until they were stiff buds. Jack tweaked the hard peaks as Max moved even lower. Emma’s thighs fell open for Max. Already her inner thighs were wet and shiny with arousal. Max licked and kissed her lower belly while his fingers penetrated her cunt.
“Ah!” Emma clutched at Max’s head. Jack bent down and captured a nipple in his mouth as Max continued to torment her with his fingers. Emma reached out for Jack, her desire to share the moment evident. Jack brought her fingertips to his lips and sucked them slowly. She shivered and made the most enticing sounds, sounds Jack wanted to hear so much more of and very soon.
Grinning deviously, Jack contacted Max via their linked chips. What do you say we scandalize our sweet little Emma?
Finally! Max chuckled softly before he kissed Emma deeply, leaving her breathless and shaky. He slipped off the bed and stood near the edge.
Emma glanced over at Jack, her forehead creased with confusion. He grabbed her by the waist and flipped her onto of his body. His throbbing dick rubbed against her inner thigh as he thrust his tongue between her lips. She bucked against him, the slick lips of her cunt smashing against his cock. He groaned at the delicious sensation and fought the urge to pull her wet pussy down on his erection. It would be so easy and would satisfy his raging lust, but he shoved away the need and concentrated on Emma. This was about her pleasure.
“What are you doing?” Emma asked, her voice high-pitched as Max suddenly lifted her by the hips and settled her down closer to Jack’s mouth. Her knees rested on either side of his head. Her tantalizing cunt was mere inches from his mouth. She blushed furiously as she gazed down at Jack. “Are you going to—you know?”
Jack grinned up at her. “I’m going to eat your pussy until you scream, Emma.” He clasped her hips and coaxed her even closer to his mouth. “Can’t wait to tongue-fuck your tight cunt.”
Emma: Part Two (Outpost Nine Book 2) Page 6
