Love in Retrograde (3 page)

“Oh God.” Kelly’s head shot up, and he stared at the projected information. “Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me that’s—” Kelly thrust a hand out at Suit-guy, his attention now on Jordan. “Tell me
that’s
not Project Mars. And what the hell was all that? Since when can you fight?”

Jordan wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “Since I joined Her Majesty’s Territorial Army. It was some time ago.” He walked up to Kelly and smiled. “Allow me to make the proper introductions. Dr. Kelly Sutton, this is Mars. Mars, this is Dr. Sutton.”

This was so much worse than he thought.

Project Mars was… human. A bioengineered human being. Shit.

MARS—WHO
hadn’t broken a sweat during his sparring—turned and bowed gracefully in front of Kelly. As if this whole encounter hadn’t been strange enough, Mars reached out and took hold of Kelly’s hand. He placed it to his lips for a kiss.

“What… what are you doing? What is he doing?” Kelly asked dumbly.

Jordan scratched his head, his expression apologetic. “He, um, likes old movies.”

“I don’t follow.” What did old movies have to do with a scientific project kissing his hand?

“You know, in those old Hollywood movies the handsome hero kisses the pretty girl’s hand in greeting.” Was that amusement in Jordan’s eyes?

“So now I’m a pretty girl?” Kelly’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. That was news to him.

“Never mind. You’ll understand soon enough.”

“Sure.” Thankfully, Mars released him. “Why did he stop when you said my name?”

“Actually, the Kelly is for Gene Kelly.
Singin’ in the Rain
is Mars’s favorite movie.”

“Of course it is.” Was Jordan messing with him? Maybe this was a joke. Prank the intern day. He half expected Lucius to pop out from behind the grenade launcher shouting, “Gotcha!”

Jordan turned to Mars and smiled warmly. “Why don’t you go shower and get ready for bed. I’ll be along shortly.”

Mars nodded before he gave Kelly a bow. “Excuse me.” Then he walked off as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

What was going on? Kelly gasped. “Am I in a medically induced stasis? Did biotech blow up in my face? Was there a contamination? A breakout?” Kelly’s legs felt shaky. “There was a breakout, wasn’t there? I’m in stasis imagining Project Mars is some hot guy in a suit who watches old musicals and kisses the hands of pretty girls.”

“You’re not in stasis. I needed you to see for yourself. Mars was created to help us extend and advance human life. As it turns out, he’s so much more.”

Kelly frowned. That didn’t make any sense. “Then why is he trained for combat?” Should he bring up his concern regarding Jordan referring to Mars as a
he
?

“Tell me something, Kelly.” Jordan ushered him out of the facility and into what looked like a living room, a rather sparsely decorated living room. Against one white wall was a gray L-shaped couch with fluffy white throw pillows, in the center of the room a white accent rug, and on the far wall a huge glass panel screen. “What’s the first word that comes to mind when you think of what you just saw in there?”

That was easy. “Military.”

Jordan’s smile frightened Kelly. “Fantastic. We’re on the same page. Now when I questioned the society director, I was told the training was merely to test the extent of Mars’s endurance and physical capabilities.”

That made sense. Kind of. Not really. Someone was definitely covering something up.

Jordan took a seat on the couch and patted the cushion beside him. Kelly hesitantly obliged. He shouldn’t be here, and he sure as hell shouldn’t get involved in whatever downward spiral Jordan had gotten himself caught up in. Kelly liked Jordan—he really did—but the man was wading into the deep end with an anchor tied to his waist, and he was going to drag Kelly down with him.

“Mars was never supposed to have become sentient.”

“I hate to break it to you, Jordan, but insentient beings don’t care much for Gene Kelly. Or anything else for that matter.”

“Originally, the Project Mars directive was to create an advanced being for study. All that was required was the biological aspect, not the neurological one. There were side effects, and Mars developed into a sentient human being, yet no one involved will acknowledge this. As if they’ve been sworn to silence.”

Or are scared shitless. Kelly understood why no one was going against protocol. He braced himself.

“I need you to stay here with Mars and look after him.”

And there it was.

“Jordan, I—”

“Just listen. Please. Every day tests need to be run and the results documented, or security will know something is wrong. It’s a tap of the screen. Mars knows his schedule, but he needs to be supervised. I’ve taught him as much as I could over the years without the others suspecting it was my doing. The rest he’s learned on his own when he’s been permitted to connect to the network.”

There was something Jordan wasn’t telling him. “If it’s that simple, why can’t someone else babysit the multibillion-credit supersoldier?”

“Mars has come to resent the others due to how they treat him. They poke and prod him as if he can’t feel. They talk about him as if he can’t hear them, writing off his behavior as simply corrupted programming. Mars won’t allow anyone near him unless I’m present.”

“Why would he let me near him if you’re not here? We’ve only just met.” Jordan’s cringe didn’t bode well. Oh, this was just getting better and better. “What did you do?”

“I may have allowed him to observe you.”

“Observe me? What does
that
mean?”

“While he was watching
Singin’ in the Rain
for the umpteenth time, I mentioned I knew someone also named Kelly. Mars was very curious. I may have tapped into the security feed and allowed him to watch you go about your day. After a few minutes, he refused to disconnect. He was… engrossed. Watching you made him smile. That had never happened before. Last week he asked if he could meet you.”

“I don’t even know where to begin with everything that’s wrong with what you said. How long did he watch me?”

“Eight months.”

“Eight
months
?” Kelly rubbed his hands over his face.
Leave.
He could walk out the door and pretend none of this ever happened.
Then you’d be just like the rest of them.
Damn his conscience. “You let him watch me for eight months? That’s
wrong
, Jordan. So very wrong.” A thought occurred to him, and he felt his face flush. “When exactly did he watch me?”

Jordan shrugged. “In the mornings while you had breakfast, caught the tube to work. Around the lab. In the evenings while you ordered takeout and watched TV.”

Wow, his life was riveting.

“Nothing private,” Jordan added, attempting to soften the blow. It didn’t.

“It’s all private!” Kelly tried to calm himself. Okay, maybe his life wasn’t so private at work, but the rest was. Eight months he’d been watched? Granted, there were cameras all over the city of New London, but that was for security, and like most people, Kelly tended to forget they were there. It was different. Jordan had purposefully allowed some nanoengineered supersoldier to watch him.

“I’m sorry. I know it was wrong, but Mars has had no interaction with the outside world. To see him respond to another human in such a way… it’s incredible. Please, Kelly. All you have to do is keep him company while I investigate. Talk to him, keep an eye on him, monitor his vitals, and perform the tests. You have my word, if there are any questions asked, I’ll take full responsibility.”

“Jordan, I can’t. This is crazy.”

Jordan met his gaze, his eyes pleading. “Look me in the eye and tell me that all you see when you look at him is a soulless experiment and not an innocent man.”

Kelly swallowed hard. If that’s what Jordan wanted to hear, if that’s what it took, then Kelly would say the words.

Mars entered the room dressed in a casual pair of black yoga pants and loose gray T-shirt. He was barefoot, his hair tousled and wet, and his smile had the strangest effect on Kelly. The man was large, his chest expansive, and every muscle was beautifully sculpted. Oh, sweet Krypton, there was no way he was doing this. Kelly shook his head and got to his feet. He was headed for the door when Mars’s sultry voice brought him to a halt. The man’s voice was completely at odds with his warrior’s build. It was lulling and refined, an English gentleman.

“Kelly.”

If you turn around, you’ll regret it.
Kelly turned and almost ran into Mars. He stumbled back and into the wall behind him. Mars seemed unaware of personal boundaries. He was all but pressed up against Kelly, and he was even bigger up close. Big and solid with rippling muscles, yet his voice was kind.

“You’re nervous.”

Kelly let out a shaky laugh. “Me? Nah. Just um, I forgot there’s somewhere I need to be.”
Like far, far away from here.

“You’re lying.” Mars frowned. He cocked his head to one side, his glowing amber eyes studying Kelly before he placed his hand on Kelly’s chest. “Your heartbeat is irregular, and you’re perspiring.”

“Well, yeah, you’re hot. I mean it’s hot! In here. It’s hot. Has nothing to do with you.” Kelly closed his eyes and ignored Jordan’s chuckle. Oh God, this couldn’t be happening. What was wrong with him? Had it really been that long since he’d been with someone that he was getting flustered over a guy who wasn’t even real? Okay, Mars was real, but not
real
. A soft, hot breath against his ear sent a shiver up his spine as Mars whispered.

“Stay.”

Kelly glared at Jordan. The doctor was playing dirty. It was hard to think with Mars so close. Why did they have to make him appear so… vulnerable? If Mars was a human weapon, why was he so gentle?

This was ridiculous. Kelly couldn’t throw his whole career away over this… this….

Mars took Kelly’s hand in his. “I would like you to stay with me.”

“Okay.” Oh sweet Jesus, he was so screwed.

“Great.” Jordan patted Mars on the shoulder, and Mars took a step away from Kelly. With a smile, Jordan pointed to the glass panel screen behind Kelly. “You’ll find you’re authorized to access everything you need to perform your duties. There’s a spare bedroom next to Mars’s. Fresh linen will be provided via the access panel in your bedroom. If you need anything, just request it there.

Jordan gave him a nod and headed for the door. “Mars, behave yourself for Kelly, and do as he says.”

“Yes, Jordan.” Mars stood at attention and waited.

“How long will you be gone?” Kelly asked, following Jordan to the door.

“I’ll try and be as quick as I can.” Jordan looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he gave Kelly’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “It’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

With that Jordan was gone, and Kelly was left to look after a multibillion-credit secret military project with feelings.

“I’m a dead man.”

AFTER PUTTING
Mars to bed—which luckily simply entailed telling Mars it was time for bed—Kelly took some time to read up on Jordan’s notes and Mars’s ability to access any and every interface known to man, provided it was connected to a network. Not long after, Kelly fell asleep, and the next morning it took him a moment to remember where he was. What the hell had gotten into him? Somewhere through the flashing images of him being deported, arrested, and having his brain donated to science as a doorstop, he resigned himself to his fate.

“If I’m gonna die for this, there better be some damn good coffee in that kitchen.” When he stumbled into the kitchen, he found something else that was damned good. And it was shirtless. Who cooked breakfast shirtless?

“Sit. I made breakfast,” Mars said, placing a plate of eggs benedict on the table along with a large frothy latte. Did Mars know they were his favorite, or was it just a lucky guess?

Kelly took a seat. “Thank you. You cook?”

“I can do many things,” Mars said with a wink.

He winks too?
“I, um, okay.” Kelly took a sip of his coffee and moaned. “Oh, this is good.” It was exactly how he liked it. He eyed Mars. “How did you know how I like my coffee? And breakfast?”

Mars smiled brightly. “I heard you discussing your favorite foods with the female scientist. The one named after fruit.”

“Pepper?” Kelly arched an eyebrow at him. “Well, you’re named after a small planet.”

“No. I’m named after the Roman god of war. Representation of military power in a quest for peace.”

Kelly let out a snort. “Peace. Is that what they’ve programmed you to think?”

A plate clattered, giving Kelly a start. Mars turned with a growl. “I have not been
programmed
. Everything I know, I have learned.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.” Could a nanoengineered soldier be offended? Apparently so. Kelly took another sip of his coffee, his gaze on Mars as he sat at the table with his own plate served with eggs benedict. Where was his shirt? He’d gone to bed in a shirt.

Mars arched an eyebrow at him. “Also, the planet Mars is named after the Roman god of war. I was led to believe you were clever.”

Kelly’s jaw dropped. Had he just been schooled by a supersoldier? “Ouch, man.”

Mars stood to face him, his expression concerned. “Are you hurt?”

“No, um, just feeling the sting of your verbal lashing.”

“Oh.” Mars resumed his seat, his expression puzzled. “You’re a strange man.”

“Nothing new there,” Kelly muttered. He hoped Jordan found whatever he was after real quick. “I didn’t know you ate.”

“Humans require nutrition. I’m human, therefore I also require nutrition. I can simply go longer without it than you can.” He looked Kelly over. “Much longer. I’m also immune to human ailments and viruses.”

Maybe it was time to replace the foot in his mouth with some breakfast. “Right. Sorry. Again. This is all new to me.”

“Understood.” Mars gave him a nod and began to eat. His movements were precise and calculated, his knife and fork moved as if he were working out a puzzle, and his posture was flawless. Kelly was fascinated. Mars was smooth and tanned, each muscle perfectly formed and defined. His shoulders were broad, his waist slim, his arms and legs strong, his ass perfectly rounded. The man was also handsome. Why had they made him handsome? He looked like he should be playing Superman in a movie or something. Chiseled jaw, perfect white teeth, full mouth, and thick eyebrows. Kelly had to give credit to whoever designed Mars. The man was damn easy on the eyes.