“We hold lotteries when women have too many males to choose from and she can’t make a decision. Numbers are assigned and one is drawn. The winning number gets her, so you would have been given to one male. If he wanted to share your body with other males it would have been his decision. You are human and that makes you property.”

“I’m a person, not property.” Anger poured through her at being considered a thing someone could own as though she were a pair of boots.

“Cyborgs were property on Earth.” He took a few steps toward Rena before stopping just mere feet from her. “When we escaped so we weren’t murdered by humans we took a page right out of your laws and made you property that belongs to us.” He took a deep breath. “Why did you choose me?”

She nervously licked her lips. “I heard what you said, implying you didn’t want me killed. I also assumed that you don’t like to share a woman since you didn’t want your wife back after she slept with another man. You’re really big too.” Her gaze ran up and down him, studying him closely. “You can protect me from other cyborgs.”

A silvery eyebrow arched. “If you are referring to the bullshit stories that we cut up humans for spare parts it is false. We take DNA samples because our gene pool isn’t as varied as we wish. A lot of cyborgs were created from the same DNA samples, making breeding difficult because we must be tested to ensure we aren’t from the same donors before we form a family unit. If a couple is set on becoming a unit even if their DNA is too similar we need spare samples from human donors that we can use to implant the female so the DNA is solid for their offspring.”

She was shocked. “I hadn’t heard that rumor about you cutting up people. I didn’t even know cyborgs still existed. You have children?”

His eyes narrowed. “Yes we do. It is required by law that we must increase our numbers to ensure our continuing existence. We are set on our future and to have one we must reproduce so it is greatly encouraged to have as many offspring as possible.”

“So you use artificial wombs and—”

“No.” He stepped a little closer. “We reproduce the same way you do.”

Stunned fear filled her, knowing that he could get her pregnant, that cyborgs could have children. She was pretty certain they weren’t designed to do that. She swallowed hard.

“I’m not on anything. I mean, I’m not using something to prevent pregnancy.”

He frowned as his gaze raked up and down her. “You’re too damn small and fragile to have sex with. I couldn’t get you pregnant anyway since my sperm has not been activated.”

“Activated?”

“We have to take shots to null out what was done to us.” Anger deepened his voice.

“Humans didn’t want us to procreate. They sure as hell didn’t want it to happen since some cyborgs were used as sex toys by the sick and perverted ass**les who controlled us.

We found a way around what they did to us but we have to take shots that last a few months when we plan to have offspring. I was going to be activated for the woman in my family unit when I returned to her but my ship was damaged. I was unable to contact my planet for a while so my female thought I was dead. Now she carries another’s offspring.”

“I’m sorry. Did you love her?”

He hesitated. “Love is a human term. I enjoyed the sex, she was attractive, we got along well and I had a good time when I was on Garden.”

“What is Garden?”

“My home world. We found a planet and settled on it after we fled Earth.”

She was shocked again, assuming they lived similar to nomads in space on the ships they stole. Apparently there was a hell of a lot more to cyborgs than she suspected. She was also relieved that he’d said he didn’t want to have sex with her since he was a big bastard. She had been a little afraid of the idea of him touching her. What if he wasn’t gentle? What if…well, she didn’t need to worry about that since he didn’t want her.

“As soon as I’m able, I will find you another male to give you to.” His gaze ran up and down her again. “I have an engineer who is smaller—about six feet tall and not as muscular. He might share you with his bunkmate since they are very close friends who share quarters but they will not abuse you.”

“No!” She stared up at him. “I don’t want to be shared.”

“What you want is irrelevant. What is your name?”

“Rena Gates.”

“Rena Gates, I will give you to another male, and if he shares you, that is his decision. I have work to do and will return in a few hours. Do not unpack or get too comfortable.”

She watched him leave with icy dread settling into her belly. She didn’t want to be given to some guy who was going to share her with other men. She shivered and it wasn’t in the good way. She worked with a woman named Dana who would have loved being shared between men but that wasn’t Rena’s idea of a good time. She moved toward the large bed and glanced at the chains before she sat down heavily on the soft mattress. Her mind started to work toward a solution.

That’s how two hours passed as she watched the clock on his wall before the doors opened and Steel walked back into his quarters. He looked stressed and his silver hair was messy as if he’d finger combed it a hundred times. Irritation flashed in his silvery blue gaze as it landed on her. He carried something in his arm so her focus dropped to the container box when he moved toward her and the bed.

“I thought you might be hungry.” He nearly dropped the box next to her. “Eat. I am going to shower.”

“I wanted to talk to you.”

He had spun away but then he froze. He didn’t turn around, instead chose to keep his back to her. “We have nothing to discuss. I set a meeting with the engineer in the morning when he ends his shift but I’m sure he will take you.” He stormed into the bathroom.

She opened the box and made a face when she saw it was filled with packet food.

She lifted one, shocked as she read it was from Earth. She realized she shouldn’t have been surprised at all since the Vontage was an Earth floating hotel and obviously the food was from the ship’s massive stores. She sighed, tearing open one that said steak. It wasn’t too bad but it was all she ate. She heard the water shut off in the bathroom and stood up, placing the box and her trash on the floor. She turned to face Steel as she waited for him to enter the room.

He walked out of the bathroom wearing loose, comfortable-looking pants. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at his thickly corded muscles, thinking he had the best damn body she’d ever seen. She saw scars on his chest and a thick one on his left shoulder. He also had weird lines tattooed from the beginning of his collarbone, over the top of his shoulder that disappeared down over his back. More tattoos adorned his rib cage, making very attractive patterns on his skin. His wet hair was just shaken out and looked as though it had some curl when wet. His pale blue eyes fixed on her.

“You can sleep on the floor. You may have one of the blankets and a pillow from my bed.”

Heart pounding, fearful, and really uneasy, she kicked off her shoes as she locked her gaze with his. “I’m not sleeping on the floor. You’re also not going to give me to some engineer who may or may not decide to pass me around to his friends.”

“You are my property and will do as you are told.” The man’s voice went even deeper, changing from a gravelly tone to an outright growl.

She didn’t think he’d hurt her since he hadn’t wanted her killed. She reached for her shirt, tearing it over her head. She saw his eyes narrow as his body tensed. Steel’s large hands fisted at his sides when she reached back to unfasten her bra even as heat flamed her cheeks. She wasn’t the type to ever strip for a stranger but desperate times called for desperate measures. It had been a long time since she’d been touched. The idea of him being the one to lay his hands on her made her a little excited, urging her to keep undressing.

He didn’t say a word or move as she dropped her bra. She reached for her pants next and quickly shoved them down her legs, taking her panties with them. Totally na**d she straightened up to meet his stunned gaze.

“What are—” His voice broke and he cleared it. “Why have you stripped?”

“I’m intelligent. I can’t escape so I’m here for the duration until a real possibility of escape happens and that means I need to survive.” She took a step toward him. “You don’t like to share women, you’re the biggest cyborg that I’ve seen and I know you don’t want me dead. That means that I want to stay with you.”

He blinked but didn’t move. Rena didn’t have that problem, inching forward until she stopped within a few feet of him. “You said you haven’t had a woman in a long time.

I’m a woman, I’m willing, I’m here and I plan on remaining with you instead of being given away to someone else. I thought we could come to an understanding. If you protect me and keep me safe from the other cyborgs then I’ll do almost anything to keep you happy. I don’t have a lot…well, any…experience in seduction but I’ll try.”

His eyes were wide and utterly stunned. “Are you a virgin?”

She laughed. “No. I’m married actually.”

His face hardened and his mouth turned down in an angry expression. “You belong to another man but you’re so eagerly offering your body to me?”

“I haven’t touched my husband in a very long time and I never had an affair, too afraid he’d find out and he’d put me on the street. I married him thinking he was someone he wasn’t.” She paused. “He has a mistress. Do you know what that is?”

He shook his head.

“A mistress is a woman he pays for sex and is exclusively his to use. He couldn’t marry her because he has an important job with a father he has to impress to gain more money when his father dies. He never loved me, he lied about that and let me think he did. I was naïve but I found out soon enough that he barely tolerates me. He sleeps with other women as much as he can, so I stopped sharing a room with him and live on the other side of the house we share. He won’t let me divorce him because he says it would embarrass him and he likes having a respectable wife in order to garner his father’s favor.

He’s my boss, so if I left him he said he’d fire me and make sure no one would ever hire me again. On Earth, without a job, I’d be without a home and do you know what they do with homeless people? They force women into pleasure-worker jobs or they make us grunt government employees. I’d end up picking up trash and living with dozens of other people in a small room. It’s…hell.”

His anger melted away. Steel was still frowning but he unclenched his fists as he reached for her. Rena tensed a little but forced her body to relax when his hands curved her hips. They were large and warm as he gently gripped her. He took a deep breath.

“How many men have you had?”

“Two. I lived with a man I worked with for six years but he was killed when he tried to save me when we were trying to recover stolen property. I was devastated and Chuck, that’s my husband’s name, used it to his advantage to get me to marry him.”

His hands dropped. “Get on the bed.”

“Do we have an understanding then?”

His gaze lowered down her body and then lifted to meet her blue eyes. “Yes.”

She still hesitated. “I want to be clear that I’ll just have sex with you. Do you promise me that you won’t let other men touch me?”

“If I take you as mine no other man will touch you.”

“If?”

“You’re not on the bed yet…unless you want me to take you standing up.”