He believes her.
Gone is the cold scientist. In her place is the woman he took for granted. Warm and tender. And open.
Sparks ignite as James closes his mouth over hers. She must feel it too, because her mouth opens to let a sound escape. James swallows the half whimper-half sigh and takes advantage, gently dipping his tongue inside. He finds her rosy tongue. She tastes like mint and honey. Her lips are so unbearably soft. He needs to let her pull away. They have an audience, and he wants to do so much more than kiss this woman. Instincts have him snaking an arm around her waist, pulling her into his body.Shit.
He relaxes his hold, hoping she’ll understand. She does, pressing gently against his chest. Their bodies part, and it’s a painful separation. Her eyes are glazed as she says, “Oh, James. That was quite the goodbye. Run along now. Don’t be late!”
She gives him a playful smack on the ass as he walks away.
Corgi’s brows lift as his gaze sweeps over James. “That was quite the show.”
Corgi isn’t wrong, though James hates the thought of them watching. Still, his heart is fluttering wildly. He doesn’t even have to fake his elated smile as he says, “I’m ready now.”
Because something about that kiss has given him another reason to survive this inspection. He needs to step up and play the part in order to get back to her. Because more than he cares to admit, he wants another kiss.
16 – They Took Him
K8
K8 sits at her desk, furiously punching away at her 3key. In seconds, she pulls up the GROW Unit Contract, Warranty, and Terms of Service. Her fingers leave clammy prints on the keys. Then she taps up her device, which activates her m-volt. She thinks the command: Call Lessa.
Thank Zorg they answer on the first ring. “How’d it go?” Her m-volt delivers Lessa’s voice into her mind as if they spoke the question aloud while in the same room.
“They took him!” she shrieks, both mentally and audibly, because sometimes thinking the words alone isn’t enough.
Lessa sighs. “Calm down, K8. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation. Now tell me what the inspector said.”
“I need your help,” she says, ignoring their question. “We have to read the documents. Isent them to you.”
“When?” they ask.
“Just now!” K8 winces at her own electrified tone. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have raised my voice at you. Please help me.”
As K8 waits for Lessa to get the email, she tries to scan the text of the contract through glassy eyes. The words become too blurry before she even gets through the first paragraph. Why is the urge to cry her immediate irrational reaction to adversity? Stupid hormones. She can’t even remember the last time she took a BalanceMe tablet.
“Did you get it?” She needs them to get it, open it, and tell her what it says. She needs them to find a loophole. Lessa is an expert at interpreting modern legalese, which incorporates the six major languages, so agreements only require one contract. It’s complicated, but Lessa is a genius.
“I’m reading it now. Calm down and tell me what happened,” they say.
So K8 does. She takes a deep breath, then tells Lessa every horrifying detail. With each word, her guilt weighs her down a little more, like it has decided to make her shoulders its perch. “It’s my fault. If I didn’t point out his eye color, they wouldn’t have taken him. But I thought it would help because they would have figured it out, eventually. I thought it made it seem like I knew about his quirky defects, but that didn’t mean he had any memories. I was trying to distract them, but I doomed him. And when they recycle him, it’ll be my fault. Oh Zorg, Les, does this make me a murderer? Do you think it hurts?”
Lessa is quiet for a moment. “K8, seriously. I understand your reasoning. I think you did the right thing. They probably want to run a few lab tests to be safe. Since you didn’t turn him in and he isn’t malfunctioning according to the contract’s definitions, it appears you still have rights to him.”
“Okay, good. I only need to be patient and wait it out.” K8 leans back in her chair, trying to feel relieved.
“Precisely. James won’t do anything to get himself killed. Jett says your man is too self-important to do that.”
“He’s not my man.” Still, K8 considers what they said. Jett is right. James is one of the most self-important people she’s ever met. And as he would be quick to point out, she lives inthe futurewhere one’s every whim is catered to.
But when he pleaded with her and kissed her neck while the inspectors were on the other side of the door, he was different. And when he tried to get her to talk about her feelings and she brushed him off. Again, different. “He’s more than one thing.”
“Uh oh . . .” Lessa’s tone is skeptical, like they already suspect where this conversation is heading.
But K8 breezes right by. “I got eager to end the inspection. I tried to get them out the door, then one of them propositioned me—while he was working. It was so uncomfortable. Can you imagine?”
Lessa scoffs. “Sounds like he’s due for a Respectful and Considerate Conduct Course.”
“Agreed. James could tell I felt uncomfortable, and he got defensive. He let me hide against his side. It surprised me, but it felt good. Is that weird?”
