© Cyndi Friberg, April 2008
All Rights Reserved

“If you manage to knock me out, do not leave this shelter. The storm will probably last through the night.”

If he meant for her to set off some sort of explosion, he would be caught in the blast. She didn't understand his intent, but she sent out a small, controlled pulse. All around them blocks began to glow. Fascinated, she got to her knees.

“Again. Stronger this time.”

She sent out a strong, sustained pulse, and the shelter burst into light. Hundreds of blocks glowed with warm, red light. Her gaze swept the room, and she gasped, her implants quickly counteracting her response to the beauty. “This is what becomes of the stones I saw outside?”

“After a long, involved stabilization process. The facilities are through that archway. We both need to shower and decontaminate our suits.” He paused, his gaze narrowing on her face. “When they brought you out of stasis, they tried to remove your armor, and your vital signs went haywire.”

“I must intentionally disengage the sensors or it causes a system-wide overload. It prevents the technology from being recovered by an enemy and ensures I am not taken alive.”

“That explains a lot.” He motioned for her to follow him. “But none of it's important right now. We have to get this residue off before our skin blisters.”

She rose and followed him into the adjoining room. Why had he searched for her? He'd saved her life; she couldn't deny it. Still, it didn't make sense. Or did it? If they had tried unsuccessfully to remove her armor ...

Her thoughts sputtered out as she stepped into the adjoining room. The facilities offered no privacy. A row of showerheads protruded from one wall, separated from the sinks by recessed lockers. A half wall offset the toilets from the shower area, but the rest was one open space.

Dr. Hydran and her handler had stripped her naked to demoralize her when she displeased them. This was even worse. Hydran was old, and her handler was female. Her mouth went dry, and knots formed in her stomach. She wasn't ashamed of her body, but she'd never been naked in front of a young male.

He unceremoniously stripped off his suit and the garments he wore beneath. “There should be clean uniforms in the lockers. Come on. We don't have time for modesty.”

The knots in her belly tightened with each garment he tossed aside. She couldn't drag her gaze away from his spectacular body. Golden skin stretched tight over corded muscles. His tight ass bunched and flexed as he moved beneath one of the showerheads. He turned to face her, and her eyes widened owlishly.

“You're welcome to look, just get out of that suit. You have to wash the dust off now.”

Dragging her gaze away from the proof of his virility, she looked at her hands. Her skin did feel unusually sensitive. Her knuckle conduits functioned without her armor, so she disengaged the six primary sensors and unfastened her body armor. Her gaze drifted back to his groin. Even relaxed against his thigh, his shaft was long and thick, and his balls ...

With a chuckle, he turned to face the spray, presenting her with his broad back. She gave herself a mental shake and continued undressing. It wasn't like she'd never seen a naked man before. She'd had access to a variety of simulations and stimulators, but nothing in her experience came close to the sheer power of this man's body.

He smoothed his hair back from his face with both hands, the muscles in his back rippling. “Am I going to have to come get you?”

She peeled off her suit and moved up beside him, activating one of the showerheads. Cool water saturated her hair. She raised her face to the spray as much to hide her flush as to cleanse the dust from her skin.

Lyrik ignored his growing erection and tried to focus on the task at hand. “Scrub your hair with this.” He pushed his hand into an indentation in the wall, and a gel covered his fingers.

She followed his example, working the gel though her long hair. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. Her body armor had been form fitting, but naked the little hellion just about knocked the breath from his lungs. She was sculpted with lithe strength. Firm, round breasts begged for attention, her nipples pebble hard. How would she react if he dragged her beneath his showerhead and finished washing her himself? Her belly was perfectly flat. He couldn't see more without looking directly at her.

“The dispenser below it is soap. Scrub your face and hands thoroughly. The dust is fine. Make sure you get it all.”

As she reached into the soap dispenser, her gaze swept the length of his body, lingering on his hardening shaft. She lowered her lashes and turned back toward the spray, color rising across her cheekbones. There was definitely a woman underneath the body armor. A secretive smile curved his lips. He abandoned all pretence and faced her.

“I'm not sure you got it all.” He took a handful of liquid soap and warmed it between his palms. “Your skin looks irritated right here.” Moving with careful patience, he slid his hands from her shoulders to her neck. She started violently when his fingers skimmed the ring implanted in her flesh. “I won't hurt you.”

“Stop touching me.” She shivered and grabbed his wrists.

A smaller connector marred the upper curve of her left breast, and he'd glimpsed several others scattered along her spine. This must be how her armor interfaced with her implants.

“I want to make sure you got the gash nice and clean. You don't want it to get infected, do you?” He stepped closer, until her shower ran over them both. Teasing her temple with his fingertips, he slid his other hand down to her wrist. He held her right hand against her thigh and pulled her against him. Her warm, soft breasts pressed against his chest, and he sighed. “Oh, that's nice.”

“What are you doing?” Her tone hitched, and she pushed against his shoulder with her free hand.

Without her suit were her implants able to calm her physical responses? Interesting question. “Say your name, or I'll kiss you.”

Her eyes widened. “That is irrational.”

“We already established that I'm irrational. Now say your name, or I'm going to kiss you.”

“My distinction is --”

He cut her off with his mouth. She wiggled against him, her stiff nipples teasing his chest. After brushing his lips against hers, he nipped the corner of her mouth.

“You're a woman, Saebin, not a machine. You're naked, in the arms of a man who wants you. How does that make you feel?”

She turned her face away, panting harshly. “Do you expect me to spread my thighs because you came after me?”

“You'd definitely come first, and then we'd come together, but you're jumping way ahead of the conversation. How does it make you feel? Is your heart racing?” He eased away and covered the upper curve of her breast with his hand, the sensor ring a cool reminder of all she'd suffered. “That's a pretty powerful heartbeat, and you seem more emotional than you've been since we met.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your body armor works in tandem with the neurostimulators. Doesn't it? One without the other isn't nearly as effective.”

“You had to paw me to figure that out?”

“I'm not pawing you. Now this --” He cupped her breast, stroking her nipple with his thumb. “-- is pawing you.”