Kissing Steel (16 page)

A laugh bubbled out of her at his horrified tone. “You do now.”

He tried to lift his head but she tightened her hold, keeping him in place. He took a

deep breath relaxed on her. “Why? What is the point?”

“Relax, babe. We’re joined together. Feel my body still shivering a little from what

you did to me? I feel so damn close to you right now and I want to hold you. I don’t give

a damn about your logic or if there’s a real point to it. I’m feeling, just enjoying you and

me together, and all you have to do is lie where you are and let me touch you.” To

emphasize her point she released his head and shifted her arms around his ribs under his

arms. She slid her hands down the back of his shirt and jerked it up enough to reach his

lower back where she let her fingernails lightly rake his skin.

A sigh came from Steel as his body relaxed more. “That feels good.”

“If you had that damn shirt off it would feel better. Take it off for me.”

To her amazement, he lifted his upper body away from hers to give her enough room

to work open his shirt. Between the two of them they rid him of his shirt and he settled

back down on her, putting his face against the side of her neck. Rena smiled as she

touched Steel, letting her hands and fingernails explore his broad back, enjoying the feel

of the big man still on top of her, his body hot. The only thing wrong was she still wore a

shirt but she wasn’t going to have him try to help her get it off since she couldn’t think of

a way to do that without him having to withdraw from her body where they were still

locked together.

“You’re still hard inside me.”

“I’ll stay that way if I allow myself. You feel good around my cock,” he admitted

very softly.

“This cuddling thing isn’t so bad, is it?”

He paused. “I’m enjoying it.”

“Me too, babe. Me too.”

He sighed. “Why do you call me that?”

She turned her head, nuzzling her check against his. “Babe? It’s a form of

endearment.”

“I know what it is. Why use it on me?”

Part of Rena’s heart broke but no easy answer came to her. He almost sounded the

way a lost little boy would, asking that question, his tone showing that it confused him
.

Hadn’t anyone ever shown him the least bit of care?
I damn well will. He’s an amazing

man.

“I just feel things for you,” she admitted softly. “Is it bad to be called babe? Do you

mind?”

He was quiet for so long that she wondered if he was going to answer her at all but

then he spoke. “None of this is required for me to protect you.”

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Kissing Steel – Laurann Dohner

Pain sliced through Rena’s chest for him, a man who was suspicious and thought

everyone needed a reason to show him any real emotion or warmth.

She hugged him, her arms and legs tightening around him. “I know that, babe. I want

to touch you, I want to be this close to you, and I love holding you. Don’t question

everything, just feel.”

“I don’t know how.”

Massaging his back, Rena pushed aside her sadness for the things this man had never

known. “Then I’ll show you how to relax and we’ll work on you not being so in control

all the damn time. That can’t be good for anyone, I don’t care how you were made to be,

we both know you’re a hell of a lot more than just a cyborg.”

Steel lifted his head, staring down into Rena’s eyes. “What else am I?”

She didn’t hesitate. “You’re a wonderful man, babe. You’re honest to a fault, you’re

a decent man and I know that. You didn’t even know anything about me but you stuck up

for me by not wanting your friend Flint to kill me. You rescued me from your cyborg

buddies who interrogated me and then decided to play with me. You even stood up for

me on that planet when those women weren’t real happy to see me. You didn’t have to do

any of that but you did and it speaks volumes to me about your character.”

He continued to stare at her. “I don’t understand your motivation.”

“Do you have to question everything? It’s not all about logic, reason, or motivation

sometimes. It’s more about following your gut and listening to your feelings which is

what I’m doing right now. I want to get to know you and I want to get closer to you.”

Slowly Steel relaxed, his head lowered and he put his lips against her throat. “You

know if we stay in this position that I’m going to fuck you again, don’t you? If you want

honest responses from me you are going to get them when I start to move inside you to

regain that pleasure you cause me to experience.”

Rena moved her hips, wiggling them, urging him on. “I’m all yours, babe. If you

want me, take me.”

Steel lifted his head again, staring at her, and seemed to search her eyes for

something. He shifted his arms, bracing his elbows on the bed and then started to move

on her.

Rena softly moaned, her hands going for his hair to draw his lips down to hers. “Kiss

me. I love kissing you.”

Steel’s lips lowered until their breathing mingled as he slowly fucked her, his tongue

darting out to flick against her upper lip. Rena opened up wide to him, swallowing his

groan as his mouth fit over hers and their tongues met, moving in tune. Her hips bucked

in rhythm to Steel’s.

They kissed while he continued slow, deep thrusts, drawing Rena to pleasure again

minutes later. This time the climax was softer but no less satisfying as bliss spread

through her body and Steel whispered her name as he found his own release. He let her

hold him without complaint afterward, her wrapped around him as he relaxed over her.

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Kissing Steel – Laurann Dohner

Fusion looked annoyed as she walked into Steel’s quarters the next morning carrying

a tray of food. Rena studied the cyborg woman with dread, wishing that Steel was in his

quarters but he’d left hours before to go to work, leaving Rena with access to his

entertainment screen to watch older Earth three-dimensional holographic movie crystals.

Rena was tempted to ask the other woman how her session with Riker, the ship’s

shrink, had gone but she stayed silent, keeping her distance from the other woman.

Fusion set the tray down but didn’t leave the room, instead glancing at the paused holo

projections of two Earth actors standing in a portion of the room. Fusion moved toward

them, stopping next to them with a frown.

“They are so much smaller than us.”

“Well, to be fair, those two men are six feet tall. Cyborgs were obviously designed

bigger.”

Shrugging, Fusion turned her strange green gaze on Rena. “Why are you watching

these? We have them in all of our rooms but they bore me.”

“I hardly ever had time to see movies so I now have tons of time and Steel has a lot

of them loaded into the entertainment screen. They are almost like being there.”

“Not accurate. I once visited a dimensional theater where the floor moved and you

could feel the wind on your face when they played these movie crystals. That was almost

like being there if you removed the smell of food and could overlook the fact that it

wasn’t real.”

“True. Watching these beat staring at the walls while waiting for Steel to get off his

shift. It’s not as though I have anything else to do since he refused to give me access to

the ship’s computer so I could read a book.”

“He had to go down to the planet after there was a problem with a few of the

survivalists having issues on what has to be left behind.”

That news didn’t sit well with Rena one bit, wondering if Steel would have to

interact with Fiona again, hoping the cyborg wouldn’t hit on him again. She hated feeling

jealousy but she couldn’t deny it was there. Last night had been spent in Steel’s arms

while they made love, getting to know each other’s bodies. She’d had fun with him,

enjoyed the fact that he seemed to really enjoy the after-sex cuddling that she wanted

from him and then he’d slept with her in his arms.

“Your regulated breathing has changed. Are you afraid that I’ll drag you to an

airlock to vacuum your body out into space?” Fusion chuckled. “As tempting as that is

since you’re sharing a bed with the male of my choice I wouldn’t get away with it since

there are vid cameras on every floor so security would see me take you from his rooms.

You are his property and therefore untouchable without severe punishment.”

Rena was speechless, too appalled that Fusion would even say such a thing to even

find a response.

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Kissing Steel – Laurann Dohner

“He could push me into an airlock as well if I disposed of you that way as an equal

punishment for destroying valuable property that can’t be replaced.”

Opening her mouth to speak, Rena still had nothing to say so she closed it.

Fusion wasn’t without words. “Steel is a much-desired male for his intelligence, age,

physical strength, and fighting skills. We value that in our males, along with their

breeding abilities. To combine our DNA to create strong children is very desirable to us.”

The cyborg backed away from the holograms to cross her arms, watching Rena closely as

she stared at her. “He has a very valued job as well with many privileges so the female in

his life would have access to what he has. I think it is a waste that he’s sharing his body

with you.”

“He obviously doesn’t agree,” Rena got out. “Can you please leave now? Thank you

for bringing me lunch.”

Fusion didn’t look happy as she moved toward the door. When she reached it she

turned to shoot a glare at Rena, placing her palm on the scanner to open the door. “You

should watch your step, human, for I am not the only female who is irritated with Steel’s

sexual preferences. Perhaps he didn’t share all the information about himself with you but

are you aware of breeding pacts our males have? Ask Steel about it. If he won’t have me

I’ll choose a male in Steel’s breeding pact, a male who has defective sperm, and then

Steel will have to come to my bed.”

Rena sensed the threat as the other woman left, knowing damn well that if Fusion

had access to her, other cyborg women might as well. She thought of the medic, Wire.

She walked over to the entertainment system and shut down the movie, no longer in the

mood to watch. She walked over to the tray, wondering if Fusion had poisoned the food,

then discarded that idea. According to the cyborg woman, she was irreplaceable, valuable

property and harming her would cause severe punishment. She lifted the tray and walked

to the bed to sit there waiting for Steel as she picked at the food.

Four hours later the door opened to admit Steel. He was wearing his black uniform

and he looked irritated as his gaze landed on Rena, lying across the bed. She sat up

slowly, staring at him as he glanced at the tray by the door. He looked back at her.

“You didn’t eat much.”

“Fusion delivered the food and after her discussion with me I kind of lost my

appetite.”

“Did she threaten you?” Anger simmered in his eyes.

“No. She did mention that if she threw me out of an airlock that you could do the

same to her so she must have thought about that option.” She got off the bed and slowly

moved toward him. “How was your day, honey?”

His small smile disappeared as fast as it had flashed. “Honey? Another endearment?”

Rena stopped before him and reached for the front of his uniform shirt, her fingers

making quick work of the buttons to open it wide to reveal his muscular chest and abs.

She pushed the material apart and had to go on her tiptoes to shove it off his broad

shoulders, tugging the shirt down over thick biceps. Steel’s eyebrows arched but he

didn’t try to stop her as she removed his shirt. She went for his belt next, flicking it open

and slowly drawing it from the loops. She dropped it on the floor and looked down at his

boots.

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Kissing Steel – Laurann Dohner

“Kick those off for me.”

“What are you doing, Rena?”

Looking up at him, she blindly reached for his zipper, easing it down. “What does it

look like I’m doing? I was thinking about how much I missed you today while you were

gone. I want to be on top this time.”

Strong hands gripped hers to halt her attempt to strip him of the rest of his clothing.

Rena tried to tug her hands out of his but his grip tightened, holding onto her and he

refused to let her go. She watched his face closely as she waited for him to say something

or tell her why he was stopping her from undressing him.

“We’re ahead of schedule and the engineers believe we can lift the
Moonslip
from

the surface where it crashed as early as fifteen hours from now. I just returned from the

surface after informing Fiona and the other survivors that they all need to transfer to their