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The squeak of a door’s hinges opening had him sitting upright.Subtle creaks in the floorboards, then the stairs, brought an uncharacteristic smile to his face.Perhaps Hannah was as affected as he was.
He debated if he should get out of bed or not for a moment.They needed to talk, he decided, even though neither of them was very good at it.He waited until Hannah reached the first floor before he slipped out of bed and followed her.
Rhys found her in the kitchen, clad in a long sleeveless garment that only reached the tops of her thighs, her hair unbraided, a glass of water in her hand.She glowed in the illumination offered by the ceiling light above their heads.Any words he might have had to say disappeared as he took in the incredible sight.She didn’t speak either, instead staring at him.
“I was trying to be stealthy,” she finally said.
“My senses are finely honed.”
“Yeah, I’d be surprised if they weren’t.”She set her glass in the sink.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Neither could I,” she confessed.“I’ve been tossing and turning all night.”
“I couldn’t hear it.”
“It’s an expression,” she explained.
Rhys understood.He cleared his throat.“Do you wish to talk about it?”
She surprised him when she smiled.“I like how direct you are.”
“Being anything less wastes time.”
She leaned against the counter, crossing her arms under her breasts, which Rhys tried and failed not to notice.“You picked a hell of a time to start a conversation.This is the first time I’ve ever seen you without gloves, let alone most of your clothes.It’s distracting.”
“What’s special about my gloves?”
“It’s your hands I was curious about,” she explained.“Jasmine said that SP29 has ports in his.”
Was Hannah’s interest in him mere curiosity?Was he a novelty?The masculine pride he didn’t know he had until recently stung at that idea.“I see.”
She immediately picked up on his discomfort.“I don’t mean in a circus freak kind of way.You don’t have to show me if you don’t want to.I’ll just stay here and enjoy the rest of the view.”
He wore only a pair of loose drawstring trousers.In addition to the ports in his hands, he also had components embedded in his skin, in his chest and back, but he didn’t think that was what Hannah was admiring.An uncharacteristic surge of confidence swelled in him at her notice.
At least they were talking.“I’ll show you.”
She padded to where he stood, and he obediently held out his hands.The ports were small, barely raised ridges along his fingertips, with larger ones in his wrists.She touched the ports, sending sparks across his skin and his heart rate skyrocketing.He inhaled sharply.Without letting him go, she said, “I don’t see how this isn’t going to complicate things.”
“I’m certain we can find a solution that will work for both of us.”
“I’ve been thinking about how we shouldn’t be having these feelings,” she said.
“Aren’t we both adults?I was last cloned twenty-eight years ago.You aren’t much younger than I am.”
“Twenty-six.Thank you for noticing.”She gave him a wry smile.“I was thinking about feelings and attraction and how it’s unlikely that all of our people are going to be living like monks now that you’re here.”She took a deep breath and traced her thumb on the back of his hand.He had no idea such a small touch could feel that intimate.“I’m sure there will be plenty of New Edeners and cyborgs hooking up before the month is out.Probably sooner.So, I’m not going to fight this.I like you.”
Hope flared to life in him, warring with the desire he felt when he was in her presence.“I like you too.”
He caught her gaze and held it.He wrapped her hands in his, then leaned forward to kiss her.
She gasped against his lips before she reciprocated.He instinctively opened his mouth, and she took that as the invitation it was, her tongue touching his.Rhys’s knees went weak, quickly corrected by his cybernetics.Arousal thrummed through his body in a steady beat, a primal urge that had him wanting to pick her up bodily and carry her up the stairs to his bedroom.
She gently took his lower lip between her teeth, a gesture he wouldn't have thought to have found erotic.His cock strained against his trousers, and he wondered what it would feel like to have Hannah’s hands on him, her mouth.The idea nearly made him spend right in her kitchen.
He broke their kiss, pulling away before he embarrassed himself.He had never had sexual contact before, but he was familiar with the act, knew he was supposed to have more control.When he looked at Hannah, he saw her eyes were half-lidded, her lips swollen.Her nipples were outlined in the thin garment she wore, and he yearned to pull it off her.
