Page 45 of Seductive Architect
“Why?”
“It’s a superhero thing. Know when to stay and pose. Know when to flee.”
With my suit on the fritz, we’d have to flee on foot. I wouldn’t be carrying Hudson through the air. Fleeing the scene on foot might not be the most graceful thing, but then again, there wasn’t much about this job that seemed glamorous these days.
Sirens screamed in the distance. “Come on, we need to go.”
When I helped him to his feet, he groaned. I couldn’t leave him alone, especially not after that last sucker punch. I wanted to make sure he wasn’t bleeding internally, and dropping him off at the hospital wasn’t an option.
“My place isn’t far from here.”
14
“Huh.”
“What do you mean, huh?”
When I closed the front door, putting the latches into place, he nodded as if I confirmed a suspicion. I wanted to carry him to the couch, but the hair on my arm tingled as I resisted my typical ritual.
“Wait here.” I eyed the ceiling. “Connie, security sweep.”
“Connie?”
Oh. I wasn’t used to somebody outside the office hearing half my conversations. I didn’t need to speak to her, but it helped separate her voice from my own. Growing up, it was difficult to tell if it was me or a machine having a monologue in my head.
“She’s my computer… I’ll explain everything.”
No reply. Ever since she started seeing this new man, something about her had been off. I inspected the house in the usual fashion, ending in the bathtub. Not that I expected Prism hiding in the shower using my loofa, but I’d never be able to sleep until I had seen it with my own eyes.
When I returned to the hallway, Hudson had a grin on his face.
“What?”
“That’s more of what I expected. You’re… let’s saythorough.”
“Is that a nice way of saying obsessive?”
He didn’t answer as I put his arm over my shoulder. On the walk to my place, we skipped the longer route. When I noticed him limping, I traded safety for comfort. I’d be lying if I didn’t think about him curled up in my bed, but those thoughts usually had fewer bruised ribs.
I brought him to the couch, but stopped him from sitting. “Shirt.” His eyebrows rose. “Not for that. I want to make sure you’re not bleeding.” When he lifted his arms in the air, I realized he wanted me to remove the shirt.
I… It’s not like I was going to say no to that. Lifting it, I opted for it going painfully slow. Given time, I’d count every hair on his belly, working my way up to that chest. With his hands above his head, I let my thumbs trace lines along his pecs. I bit my bottom lip, wanting to kiss that beautiful, fuzzy chest. I ripped the shirt over his head, dropping it on the couch. Any longer and I’d do something less than professional.
“Wait here.” I went to the bedroom, pulling an older gauntlet from the closet. The hefty piece of metal had been there before Iliberatedthe nanites. Strapping it on my left hand, I returned to the living room to find Hudson reclining on the sofa. He fidgeted with his fingers.
“Is this how your dates usually go?” He feigned a smile. “I’m not sure I can handle any more revelations tonight.”
Holding my palm in his direction, I scanned him. The small display revealed some bruising, but nothing that wouldn’t heal with time.
“How’s your day going?” he mumbled to himself. “Oh, fine. Just learned I’m a super-soldier programmed to do… I don’t even know.”
Hudson had started a downward spiral. It meant he processed the information at some level. It also reminded me I had a living computer in my house. When the night started, I had been on the fence.
“You’re not so different from everybody else.”
He held up his hand, inspecting it. “I’m not human.”
I chuckled. His eyes shot up. Nope, not the right reaction. I dropped the gauntlet on the coffee table and took a seat next to him. Taking his hand, I squeezed it. “We’re all machines.”
