Page 34 of A Mate For Matrix
She gave a sideways glance at him. The impossibly sexy alien was currently devouring a donut like it had wronged his ancestors. Powdered sugar dusted his bottom lip, and his lashes lowered in pure bliss with each bite.
The most dangerous man she had ever met was completely undone by a red dress—and now fried dough. She could not handle how adorable he was.
“I still can’t believe we did that,” she muttered under her breath.
Matrix glanced at her, crumbs clinging to the corner of his mouth. “Did what? Let me pleasure you until you came? You should be thankful I had any willpower left—we’d still be locked together.”
“Willpower?!” she squeaked, clutching the steering wheel like it might save her from spontaneous combustion. She cleared her throat. “Thank you, I guess, for that small miracle. I, um… I was just wondering…”
His golden gaze landed on her, sharp and curious.
“How… how did you know my measurements?” she blurted.
Matrix shrugged, wiped his mouth with the napkin, then looked out the passenger window as if he needed a second to contemplate alien-to-human etiquette. “I am enhanced,” he said, matter-of-factly.
Jana frowned. “Enhanced? Like… how?” she asked, feeling a tickle of memory—K-Nine had mentioned something about that back at the house, hadn’t he?
She glanced at Matrix’s lap, a rogue image flashing through her brain. Maybe that’s what he?—
His cheeks darkened, and he shot her a flat look. “Not there,” he growled.
“Oh my God,” she groaned, slapping her hand to her face. “I didn’t mean—I mean, I wasn’t trying to—I mean—wait, what are we talking about again?”
His scowl deepened, though the corner of his mouth twitched. “I meant enhanced in other areas. After the ambush on Elgaron-9, I sustained… significant injuries.”
Jana’s breath caught, the amusement instantly melting into worry. “Matrix…”
He turned his gaze out the windshield again. “The Cyborg Protection Unit was in the early stages of development. They needed candidates. I needed to survive.”
“And that meant what? That they… used you as a guinea pig?” she asked softly.
“What is that?”
“Oh, someone they experiment on—you know, to test if something is going to work,” she clarified.
He nodded, lifting his left hand and turning it palm-up. Fine, silvery lines ran along the inside of his arm, so faint you might miss them unless you were looking. “I had skeletal reinforcement for my shattered bones. Nerve integration. Sensory mapping—my hands, left eye, neural interface. It connects me to K-Nine, the ship, and my weapons. I can track, target, and analyze faster than before.”
Jana reached over and gently took his hand, running her thumb along one of the nearly invisible scars. “That must’ve hurt. A lot.”
He didn’t speak for a long moment. “The pain was worth surviving. But… I wasn’t the same after. Some people…” he hesitated, “they look at me and see something unnatural.”
The last few words were so quiet, they barely reached her.
She put on the blinker and turned the van off the main road and into the parking lot of the local grocery store—a cheerful red-and-white sign declared it Mayo’s Market & More. The surrounding area felt comfortably familiar: a hardware store with flowerpots out front, a bakery with hand-painted signs, the pet shop next door with a faded cartoon dog on the window.
The lot was nearly full, lined with beat-up pickups and compact cars with their bumpers held on by duct tape and hope. A breeze stirred the scent of warm bread and mulch from the garden center. Somewhere, a child squealed and a cart rattled loose from its corral.
Jana put the van in park but didn’t move. She just stared out the windshield for a moment, her fingers still wrapped around his.
“Matrix,” she said gently, turning to look at him. “You saved my life. You saved the kittens. You’ve been nothing but strong, and kind, and completely confusing—but I see you. All of you. And you’re beautiful to me.”
He scoffed lightly. “Zion warriors are not… beautiful.”
Her heart twisted at the faint flicker of vulnerability in his eyes. “Maybe not,” she said, her voice warm. “But you are… to me.”
She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips, playfully licking a spot of powdered sugar that he’d missed. When she pulled back, he was staring at her, stunned.
She smiled. “I’m only going to grab a few things. Toiletries and stuff for the kittens at the pet store. For your sanity—and mine—it might be safer if you stay here and enjoy the rest of your donuts.”
