Page 37 of The Brotherhood

She shot a finger at him, eyes slit, jaw hard. “You’re the sinner! I know you faked your sickness,” she seethed. “And Iammarrying a robot even if I lust after a thousand men.”

“And I’ll surely let you if you can survive my lessons without lusting to have me the whole time.”

Her jaw dropped like an anchor, and he raised his brows, hoping she denied it. “Oh, you bring yourlessonsMister, and Iwillpass them, every last one of them with flyin’ colors.”

“Good,” he said lightly, so very ready to get her on the mat.

****

8-Bit adjusted his headset, fingers flying across the keyboard as he monitored the Dream Bridge interface. Another night, another cycle. Another round of excuses to Cat. He hadn’t been home in two days. He had all the reasons required—too much work to monitor, too much unfinished. All true and all lies. He was an expert at lying and telling the truth in the same breath. A honed craft from an early age he’d learned in survival.

She knew he could work from home, could’ve gone back, could’ve been with her. Even if she didn’t say it. But he didn’t trust himself anymore.

His phone buzzed and his pulse jumped in his chest then dropped to his cock at seeing it was her. 8-Bit exhaled and answered. “Yeah?”

Fuck, he sounded like a fucking prick.

“Hey!” she gushed, her fake, happy tone crushing his ribs.

He forced himself to breathe through it. “What’s up?” he barely managed back.

“Are you… meeting with Skul today?”

8-Bit stilled at the hope in those words. “Yeah,” he said. “Why?”

“Oh,” she hurried lightly with a pause. “I was thinking I could… make something.”

His stomach tightened as guilt twisted the knife. She was trying to bring him home. Everything in him knew what was coming if he kept hiding. “We’re meeting at the Hack House.”

He grabbed his fidget spinner and went to town on it as she gave a casual “Oh,” loaded with more, barely contained disappointment.

The sudden urge to change his mind hit him. Then he remembered Skul’s condition. “I don’t think Skul’s fit for being around women.”

He stood when his fidgeting needs spread to his legs. “Why?” she wondered.

“The bat bite,” he said, pacing and eyeing the screens, looking for a reason to end the fucking call.

She groaned. “Crap. Right. The whole… hyperdrive sex thing.”

“Yeah.” His tone went flat. “That.”

“Well,” she barely muttered, “maybeyoushould get one.”

His legs suddenly quit working. “What?”

“God, I’m joking,” she hurried with a low piece of a laugh. “Obviously.”

He pressed his fingers into his eyeballs. “Yeah, well. Don’t.” He shook his head at the bite in his tone.

She barely hesitated. “It was just a joke.”

He ran a hand down his face, back to pacing. “I’m the last person who needs my sick perversions tripled.”

Silence.

“You really believe that, don’t you?” she whispered, not hiding her uselessness.

His jaw locked and began ticking.

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