Love in Retrograde (6 page)

“Oh God.” Kelly threw his head back as Mars massaged him through the thin fabric. Exactly what kind of information was Mars accessing when he connected to the network? “Mars,” he gasped as he attempted to regain some kind of control. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“My body feels as if it’s burning, and my heart’s pounding fiercely,” Mars said gruffly. He took Kelly’s hand and led it down between them. Mars was rock-hard. “I need you, just as you need me. Please, Kelly.”

Kelly groaned as Mars rutted against him, his tongue trailing up Kelly’s jaw. His hand roamed Kelly’s body, slipping underneath his shirt, his fingers tweaking one of Kelly’s nipples.

“Your body responds to my touch as if you were meant for me and no other.”

That really wasn’t helping. “Mars.” Kelly all but gasped the name.

Their hard erections pressed against each other, demanding release. Mars’s hand traveled down and under the waistband of Kelly’s pants, his breath hitching along with Kelly’s as he took hold of Kelly’s cock. Whatever good sense Kelly might have had flew out the window with Mars’s gentle strokes.

“Tell me what you want,” Kelly rasped, his teeth nipping at whatever part of Mars he could reach.

“I’d like… I want,
need
to feel you inside me.”

Kelly nodded. He kissed Mars before taking hold of Mars’s T-shirt and pulling it off him. Mars followed his lead, undressing Kelly as Kelly undressed him. There was passion between them, but they didn’t rush. Kelly made certain to set the pace, to take his time. They kissed and caressed each other’s naked body as they writhed on the soft accent rug. Mars arched his back from beneath Kelly, his whimpers and pleas fueling the fire inside of Kelly. A love song from Mars’s favorite movie filled the room, and Mars turned onto his back.

Kelly draped Mars with his body, his knee spreading Mars’s legs open. He planted kisses on Mars’s shoulder, on his neck, and nuzzled his temple, making sure he was attentive to all of Mars’s little signals until Mars was all but ready to fall apart beneath him. Kelly prepped Mars as best he could with saliva and precome. The lab wasn’t exactly equipped with lube. Kelly pressed his lips behind Mars’s ear as he lined himself up.

“If at any point you want me to stop, just say the word. This will hurt at first.”

“I want to feel everything, Kelly. With you.” Mars took hold of Kelly’s chin and kissed him, a feathery kiss that broke Kelly’s heart.

Kelly nodded, his words not making it past his throat. Gently, he breached Mars’s entrance, his gaze focused on Mars, who let out a sharp hiss. He closed his eyes and peace washed over his face, but Kelly could feel Mars’s muscles tense beneath him.

“It’s okay,” Kelly urged softly. “Trust me.”

Mars relaxed beneath him, his body welcoming Kelly inside until he was buried deep. Kelly kissed Mars and began to move. Sweat beaded his brow as he forced himself to go slow. The pain and pleasure was intense, and Kelly let out a low groan when Mars pulled off him to turn around, getting on his hands and his knees. Kelly knelt behind Mars and carefully pushed inside him. He slid in and out as he trailed his fingers over the muscles of Mars’s back, enthralled by the way they moved beneath his skin. Mars took hold of his cock and stroked himself as Kelly picked up his pace. He watched Mars for any signs of discomfort or displeasure as he snapped his hips against Mars’s ass.

“Kelly!” Mars let out a surprised gasp before moaning and pushing himself back into Kelly. “Yes, please. Again.”

Kelly obliged, smiling at the need in Mars’s voice, at the pink of his flushed cheeks. He dug his fingers into Mars’s hips as he thrust into him again and again, rotating his hips until he hit that special spot inside Mars. With a cry of Kelly’s name, Mars’s release caused his whole body to shiver. His muscles tightened around Kelly, and Kelly lost his rhythm. Mars slid onto his belly, and Kelly followed, his skin slapping against Mars’s as he drove himself in and out. His hips lost all control, and he felt his muscles tightening. He laced his fingers with Mars’s and kissed the side of his head as his release slammed into him. His whole body shuddered as he came inside Mars. He lay against Mars’s back as he regained his breath, his now soft cock slipping out. With a kiss to Mars’s shoulder, he rolled off him and onto the carpet, smiling when Mars drew him into his arms and held him close.

“Thank you,” Mars whispered against his ear.

Kelly responded with a slow, lazy kiss. He closed his eyes and fell asleep to the sound of Mars’s pleasant humming. Something beeped in the middle of the night, and Kelly rolled over with a groan. He snuggled closer to Mars and wished he could stay like this a little longer. The incessant beeping confirmed that wasn’t possible. Reluctantly he got up, and as quietly as he could, he dressed. He ran a hand through his hair, and when he looked a little less like he’d spent the whole night fucking and getting fucked, he answered the call.

“Yes?”

An extremely sour-faced assistant smiled tightly at him. “Dr. Sutton, the director will be in to see to the project in the morning, along with Dr. Skye. Thank you for your services. You’ll report to Dr. Bryant at the lab first thing.”

“But—”

The image went black before he could finish. That was it. His services were no longer required. No word from Jordan all this time, and he was just going to show up in the morning? Kelly didn’t know whether to laugh at the absurdity or be furious. Strong arms wrapped around his waist, and Kelly let his head fall against the glass screen. God, he was such an idiot. Here he was playing house with a government weapon, and he was disappointed it was coming to an end? Of course they were coming to take Mars away. What had he expected?

“Kelly?”

Mars’s soft voice squeezed his heart, and he turned, a lump forming in his throat at Mars’s sweet smile. The one guy he could see himself falling for, and he was a secret military project.
There’s no alternative. You have to walk away.
“I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

Mars cocked his head to one side, his brows drawn together in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“There’s no future for us, Mars. It’s time for you to fulfill your purpose.” Kelly swallowed hard and closed his eyes.
Coward.
He couldn’t even look Mars in the eye.

“Why can’t I choose my own purpose?”

“Because that’s not what you were created for. You should be proud, Mars. You’re going to help humanity.” It was a lie, but he knew Mars would believe him if he said it was so. Kelly took a deep breath and did his best not to let his emotions get the better of him. It was his fault for letting it get this far. He’d been so stupid. Allowing himself to get attached, sleeping with the guy? What the hell had he been thinking? “Few are given that kind of opportunity. You’re special.”

“Will it make you happy?” Mars asked softly.

Kelly swallowed hard, his voice cracking when he spoke. “Yes. It will make me very happy.”

“Then I’ll do it, because it’s what you want most.”

It wasn’t what he wanted most, but what else could he do?

“Will you come with me? I want you to stay with me.” Mars took hold of Kelly’s hand and placed it on his heart. “I love you.”

Kelly’s heart plummeted. “That’s not possible. You don’t know what love is.” Mars couldn’t possibly love him. It was all those romantic movies. Even if Mars knew what love was, he couldn’t have fallen in love with Kelly. It was too quick, too easy. Mars was confused. Kelly had been good to him, the only other human besides Jordan to see him as more. Mars thought he loved Kelly, but he didn’t.

Mars released his hand. “You believe I’m incapable of love? My heart is not a program, Kelly.” He backed away, his eyes glassy. “How can you doubt me so easily?”

“Mars, I’m the only man you know besides Jordan. At the most, it’s infatuation. What we did—”

“Stop,” Mars barked. “Don’t say another word.”

Shit. “I don’t regret it,” Kelly said quickly. Geez, what a douche he must sound like. Sleeping with the guy and now telling him he had to take off? Mars had never been with anyone, and now Kelly had fucked him and was leaving, and Jordan was going to kick his ass. This wasn’t how he wanted things to end. Hell, he didn’t want them to end at all, but he had no choice. “It was amazing, and I’ll never forget it, forget you. You have to understand—”

“Leave,” Mars ordered quietly. “Jordan will return in the morning. I don’t need you.”

“Mars, please.”

Kelly never saw it coming. Before he could react, Mars had him pinned against the wall, his amber eyes now glowing blue.

“Leave! Or I’ll show you the heartless weapon you believe me to be.”

Kelly wasn’t scared. He should be but he wasn’t. Instead he took the out Mars was giving him. With a nod, Kelly placed his hand to the glass panel. The door opened, and he rushed out without looking back. He didn’t care that he was in his pajamas or that it was late. The trains stopped running hours ago. His vision blurred, but he wiped at his eyes, refusing to give in to his grief. He stopped by his locker, grateful there was no one around to see him in such a state. There was a pair of wellies in his locker and a raincoat. He looked like a crazy person, but no one would give him a second look on the streets of New London. They’d likely think he was drunk.

The cool night air helped him get a hold of his nerves, and he managed to call a cab without running into any drunken college kids. When he entered his apartment, he was numb. He didn’t even take off his boots or coat when he curled himself up on the bed. His apartment was dark and silent. His exhaustion got the better of him, and at some point he must have fallen asleep since he was startled awake by his phone. He tapped the answer button on the glass interface of his nightstand, and a voice hissed at him before he could utter a word.

“What did you do?”

“Jordan? It’s three in the morning.” Kelly sat up. “Where the hell have you been?”

“I don’t really care what bloody time it is! What did you do to Mars?”

Kelly flinched at the mention of his name. “Why? What’s happened? Is he okay?” Oh God, what if something happened to him? What if he did something to himself? “I knew I shouldn’t have listened to him. I should have stayed.”

“Relax. He’s fine,” Jordan growled. “Somewhat. I went in to relay my findings to you, and instead you’re nowhere to be found, and Mars is sitting in the observation room staring at the wall.”

“Why was he in there?”

“You tell me. When I asked him where you were, all he said was
gone
. He refused to say anything else.”

Just when Kelly thought he couldn’t feel any shittier. “He told me he loved me.” He braced himself for a barrage of curses. Nothing but silence met his ear. “Jordan? Are you still there?” More silence. Kelly was checking to see the call hadn’t been disconnected when Jordan spoke up.

“He told you he loved you?”

“Yeah, but that’s impossible. I mean, he just thinks he loves me because of all the movies he’s been watching and because we spent so much time together. I’m pretty sure he’s been researching it online.” He had to have picked up those moves from somewhere.

“Please tell me you didn’t say that to him.”

Kelly let out a sigh. “I was just trying to make him understand.” That wasn’t even the worst of it. He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Jordan, I, we um…. Listen, things kind of got a little out of hand, and um….”

“Will you bloody spit it out!”

This was going to go swimmingly. Jordan had never lost his cool like this. Kelly shut his eyes tight, as if that might somehow soften the blow. “We kissed.”

Jordan groaned, and Kelly continued.

“And we uh, slept together.”

More silence on the other end. Oh, this could not be good. Maybe if Kelly remained quiet, Jordan would calm down and—

“Are you out of your fucking mind? You bloody wanker! You kissed him, you slept with him, he tells you he loves you, and then you break his heart and bugger off? What the hell’s the matter with you?”

“A lot,” Kelly muttered pathetically. “A whole lot.”

“I am beyond disappointed in you, Kelly. How could you do that to him? How could you be so cold? Everything he’s feeling is new to him. Can you for one moment think about the emotions that are bombarding him at this moment? Mars is just as human as either of us. Simply because he was engineered doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a heart or emotions. Mars put himself in a vulnerable position, trusting you, only to be treated like the very instrument of destruction everyone else believes him to be. I chose you because I believed you were different. That you would see him as the human being he is, and you bloody use him like—”

“Hey,” Kelly snapped, bringing Jordan’s tirade to a halt. “I might have fucked up, but I didn’t use him. I care about him. We had sex because we both wanted it. He wanted me as much as I wanted him, so fuck you for making me out to be some kind of asshole who took advantage of him. I didn’t want to leave. He kicked me out. I was informed my services were no longer needed, and you weren’t around. I didn’t know what the hell to do!”

Jordan let out a heavy sigh. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to imply—I know you’re a good man, Kelly. I’m sorry. I wish I had been able to get to you sooner. It’s my fault. I’m afraid matters have taken a turn for the worse.”

“Are you kidding me? How can it get worse?” The moment he said the words he cursed himself.

“Tomorrow morning Mars is scheduled for a filtering session.”

“What is that?”

“Mars is designed to be a human weapon, the most technologically advanced soldier achieved to date. Once the filtering has been completed, there will be nothing left of Mars’s humanity, leaving room for more military programming. He’ll be their puppet. We’ve been lied to. All of us. And that’s not even the worst of it.”

Definitely a lot worse. Kelly let his head hang in his hands. “Tell me.”

“Engineering begins in a week. Mars was not intended to be one soldier but an army, and as soon as that’s done, arrangements will be made to initiate Project Saturn, which will cover law enforcement.”

Kelly’s head shot up. “Law enforcement? Why would the city need nanoengineered officers?”