Stealing Coal Read online

  “Truth?”

  “No. I just made it up to see that surprised look on your face.” She rolled her eyes, shook her head, and stared at him. “Of course it’s the truth! Why would I make up that horrible stuff? I wish someone would shut them down but it will never happen. People bet on the fights and they charge people a lot of credits to watch them. It’s probably pretty profitable but I can’t help but feel sorry for the men fighting. I always suspected that not all of their fighters were there willingly and now I’m sure. The people who run them were going to buy you off that captain and force you to fight.”

  “I would have refused.”

  “Then you would have allowed them to beat you to death. I’m certain they don’t exactly ask if you want to go inside the cage. You would have been tossed in with people who knew the only way to survive would be to kill you.”

  His frown deepened. Jill sighed.

  “All I can think to do is to cover you with something, tug down your shorts so you’re not…exposed. I’ll tug them back up once you dry enough not to get them damp. I can do your lower half later.”

  She turned and spotted some clean rags she used for wiping down spills on the decks. She walked over and grabbed a few then turned to face the glaring cyborg. Her plan didn’t seem to amuse him and he definitely didn’t appear happy with it.

  “Got any other ideas? If you’d allow one of the androids do this we wouldn’t have to worry about embarrassment on either of our parts.”

  “Your cheeks are pink.” He stared at her, continuing to frown.

  She blushed more. “I’m not comfortable with this either but that oatmeal has to come off. It’s on your lower stomach too. I guess I could hand wash you but that’s not something I want to do either. You’ve already accused me of wanting to rape you. I’m not giving you any ammunition for more of that crap by touching you.”

  Something in his dark eyes changed, a little of the coolness leaving. “You really do not wish to force sex on me?”

  “Hell no!” The idea horrified her.

  “You do not enjoy sex with males?” His eyebrow arched as his expression totally relaxed. “I have known females who enjoy touching other females exclusively.”

  It was Jill’s turn to frown. “I’m not into women. I’m not into anyone.”

  “You have sex with droids?” His focus shifted to Arm and his expression turned to one of horrified shock. His gaze flew back to Jill. “Are they sex droids equipped for sexual relations?”

  “No!” Jill had to close her mouth—it had fallen open at that remark. She shook her head. “What is wrong with you? They aren’t sex anything. They don’t even have those parts or that kind of programming. What is it with you and your obsession over sex?”

  “You’re human and have urges. It’s basic needs.”

  “Well, I don’t have needs, as you put it. I’ve been there and done that. It wasn’t anything worth repeating, especially now that I don’t have a man bitching at me until I give in just to shut him up so he doesn’t get mad. Sex is for men, not women. Only guys get pleasure from it.”

  His stunned expression was easy for her to read.

  Embarrassment had her clearing her throat. “What?”

  “Sex is very pleasurable for women as well as men.”

  “Not in my experience.”

  “You stated you once had a male.”

  “Ex-husband. Yeah. He happened to be an asshole and it only became worse when he was in the mood to touch me. I grew up in a remote area where I never got to be around men. When I turned twenty-five my father sent some men to my aunt’s place, ones he approved of, and told me to pick one. I chose my ex because he seemed the nicest out of the bunch. That was a big mistake on my part. I should have picked the scarred freak who resembled a serial killer. I bet he’d have been nicer to me.”

  “Your male didn’t attempt to make sex pleasurable for you when he touched you?”

  Jill looked away from his curious, intense gaze. “No. He turned out to be a real bastard. He laughed at me for all those stories I had read about sex. He said I had to be the biggest idiot he’d ever met right before he spun me around, shoved me over the bed, and hurt me the first time we had sex. It was all downhill from there. I was stuck with him for three years until my father realized how bad it had become for me. He saved my ass and got me away from my ex-husband. I never left my aunt’s farm again until last year. My aunt swore sex wasn’t all about pain and humiliation but no thanks on ever allowing a guy to touch me after what I survived. The only men I meet are assholes. Would you want the captain of that freighter touching you?” She didn’t wait for a response. “Me neither.”

  “It’s a human father’s job to protect you. That’s what fathers do for their children. He allowed a male to abuse you for that length of time?”

  Jill walked forward and dropped the large rag over his lap to cover him from ribs to thigh. She refused to look at his face when she shook her head. “We rarely spoke. Every communication he sent put me in danger. My father wasn’t well liked and if anyone had known he had a daughter then his enemies would have come after me to get back at him. The first time we spoke, and I told him how miserable it had gotten, he sent men to get me off my ex’s ship to return me to my aunt.”

  “Are you afraid of sex?” His voice softened.

  She glanced at his face. “Let’s just say you’re totally safe from me molesting you, okay? Ready? I’m going to reach up the sides of your legs and tug down your shorts but you’ll remain covered.”

  He frowned but nodded sharply.

  Jill hesitated. She really didn’t want to get that close to the intimidating cyborg. She had to lean over him. Her hands shook when she reached under the rag and gripped the bottom of his shorts. Her wrists brushed against hot skin that she tried to ignore.

  The cyborg helped her by lifting his hips slightly as she slowly tugged the shorts down. She kept her attention on the line of the rag that dragged down from his ribs to his lower hip region, only stopping when his groin area nearly became exposed. The shorts ended up near his knees and definitely safe from getting wet. She released the material and backed up.

  “Okay. That wasn’t so hard.”

  He watched her as she bent and grabbed the foaming-cleanser canister. She checked the nozzle, turned it for use, and then met his gaze.

  “Close your eyes and hold your breath. It tingles a bit but in about thirty seconds it will melt into water. Just don’t open your eyes. I’m going to get you from head to waist, okay?”

  He didn’t answer her but he closed his eyes and pulled a deep breath into his lungs. Jill took that for agreement and started to spray him down. White foam coated his head, his face, neck, and she made sure to get his arms too when she covered him in a thick layer of the stuff.

  She stepped back and put the canister down, turning away to get more rags. She took her time and then faced him again. The foam melted and with it the oatmeal slid off his muscular, wide chest. She swallowed. Her ex-husband had been pale, overweight, and the only muscles he’d had were those developed from using his insulting mouth to verbally abuse her. She walked closer and waited for the cyborg to open his eyes. He shook his head, lifted his face, and his gorgeous eyes snapped open. They immediately locked on Jill.

  “I’ll dry you.” She shoved one rag under her arm and gripped the second one with both hands. She hesitated and then leaned over him. He had a lot of body to rub down with the dry material. “Just give me a second. I don’t want you getting chilled.”

  He didn’t protest when she started at his waist and worked her way up, careful not to touch his skin with hers. She had barely reached his chest when she had to toss away the damp towel and use the second one. She hesitated at his neck, staring at his handsome features.

  “If you’ll close your eyes I’ll dry your face and head.”

  His intense gaze narrowed but then his eyelids closed. She very gently patted dry his face and his mostly bald head. Her thumb brush