His features tensed. “I will do something about that. I’ll order them not to stare at you the next time we go out.”

Surprised, she studied him closely and asked, “You could do that?”

He gave a sharp nod. “I’m a council member. My opinion matters to all and I can be very persuasive.”

She had heard the cyborgs call him that but hadn’t let it sink in what it could possibly mean. “You’re a bigwig on this planet?”

“I don’t understand the term but I am an important, ruling member of the cyborg council. I help create the laws for our people and judge when someone breaks those laws. If I issue an order it will be followed.”

She shook her head, her gaze lowering to his leather-clad chest. “Don’t sweat it. I’ll adjust. I don’t want anyone resenting me right off the bat if you order them to be nice to me.”

“I don’t understand.”

She smiled when she stepped closer to him. Her hands touched the material of his shirt, enjoying the feel but she preferred to feel his skin. “I don’t want to make waves or have your people dislike me because you tell them to do the opposite.”

His hands encased her hips. “You make no sense.”

Her hands rubbed the leather. “Does everyone here wear this stuff? I noticed most of you do.”

“Not all.”

“Where do you get leather on this planet anyway?”

“It’s synthetic. There are plants that grow here that have the same texture and we’ve managed to harvest them to make clothing. When the plant is cut it hardens, blackens, yet still keeps some elasticity. It’s blended with a gluey substance that keeps the fibers connected. We have become self sufficient on Garden. The only thing we can’t obtain here are metals. We do a lot of trading and salvaging to obtain those.”

The doors opened and Zorus released her, turned, and grabbed her hand. “This is my floor.”

He meant that literally, she discovered when they exited the elevator. It didn’t open up into a corridor but instead into a huge living area. She gawked at the sheer size of his quarters. It had to be the largest she’d ever seen. Tasteful furniture decorated the vast area. The view from the large walls of windows revealed that they were probably on the top floor of the building.

She released his hand, moved across the room to a window, and stared out at the city below. A large wall rose in the distance, and then beyond that trees ended where a blue ocean stretched as far as she could see. The view was breathtaking.

“It’s lovely.”

Zorus moved behind her and his arms wrapped around her body to pull her back against his chest. “I told you it would somewhat resemble Earth. It’s good to be home.”

His home, not mine. At least not yet. A hundred questions filled her mind and she turned in his arms to peer up at his handsome face. She didn’t miss the smile while he continued to gaze over her head at the view behind her.

“You love it here,” she surmised.

His gaze met hers. “Yes. We are at peace. I am proud we’ve accomplished so much. When we first arrived we had to live on our ships. It took a lot of years to build the walls to encase our city. Once we secured the area we were able to concentrate our efforts on creating our homes.”

“You should be proud. It’s really beautiful and so clean.” She flashed back to the memory of their streets. “Do cyborgs get along well?”

“There is no crime if that is what you wish to know. We are happy to have our freedom, our society is well-established, and we base our lives on logic.”

It sounded a little cold to her but she didn’t know enough to judge their society. Zorus turned her inside the circle of his arms to face the window again. She leaned back against his chest, content with the view he seemed to enjoy, and she couldn’t fault him for it. Garden was beautiful.

“I don’t want to leave the surface again. My days of traveling out into space aren’t as tempting as they used to be. I never believed I’d see home again.”

Her heart wrenched a little at the sadness she heard in his voice but she was also reminded that she’d never see her home again. Earth wasn’t as perfect as the view before her but it was all she’d known.

The hold around her waist tightened into a hug. “You will be happy here, Charlie. I will make certain of it.”

She turned her head to look up at him, met his gaze, and smiled. “I hope so. You did promise.”

“I keep my word.”

“Don’t tense up on me. I was teasing.” Her attention drifted to the room. “Wow, is this place huge. Is it all yours?”

He turned her to face the room. “The entire floor is our home.”

She liked how he’d corrected her from his to theirs. “How many bedrooms do we have?”

“Four. They are all quite comfortable.”

“I hope you don’t expect me to clean all this.” She chuckled. “I’m not real good at that and don’t pull maid duty well.”

“Others are assigned to that task.” His hold loosened. “You are not my slave.” His voice hardened. “Look at me.”

She turned to face him again. “I was just joking, trying to break the tension. I don’t―”

Zorus’ mouth descended over hers to cut off her words. His hold on her adjusted and he lifted her against his body until her feet left the floor. Charlie wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips. Desire for the tall cyborg flared instantly to life. The man turned her on like no other man ever had. She kissed him back. He moved but she didn’t care where he took her as long as their lips didn’t separate.

He eased her down on something soft and big, released her, and backed away. She smiled when he tore at his shirt then glanced around the big bedroom he’d carried her into. The room had one solid-glass wall with no curtains, the view similar to the one from the living room, and it had to be the biggest sleeping quarters she’d ever seen. Her entire apartment could have fit inside it.

“This is our bedroom,” he informed her while he bent to tear off his boots. “Strip.”

The massive bed barely moved when she climbed off to remove her shoes and her clothes. “In a hurry, Zorus?”

“Yes.” He didn’t bother to hide that fact when he jerked his pants down his h*ps to reveal every hard inch of his incredibly sexy body. “I have to leave soon but wish to touch you before I have a council meeting.”

She stepped undressed, sat on the edge of the bed, and stared up at him. “Am I going with you?”

He shook his head and inched closer to her until his h*ps were in front of her face. She smiled when she lowered her gaze down his muscled abs to the thick, hard c**k protruding inches from her mouth.

“Want me to do something in particular?” She reached up, her fingertips stroked the stiff, aroused flesh of his shaft, and she grinned when it jerked in reaction to the light trace of her touch.

“Will you take me inside your mouth again? I enjoyed that immensely.”

Charlie licked her lips and opened her mouth. Zorus gasped in air when she wrapped her mouth around the crown of his cock. She tasted that sweet flavor his pr**cum carried, and moaned her enjoyment. She’d never really liked giving head much but Zorus wasn’t typical in any sense. He’d also gone down on her, seemingly happy to do it, and the memory of what his mouth could do turned her on.

She took him deeper inside her mouth to suck and lick him. She tensed a bit when his hand slid into her hair to curl his fingers around the back of her head but he didn’t try to force her closer to take more of his length than she could handle. Instead he just loosely held on to her, his fingers massaging her scalp, and allowed her to move how she wanted. Soft groans came from the sexy cyborg.

She lowered her hand down her body, her knees spread, and her fingers slid through the wetness of her own arousal. She ached for him but didn’t want to stop since he seemed to love what her mouth did to him. She teased her clit, rubbed in slow circles, and moaned louder from the self-induced pleasure.

“Charlie,” he rasped. “I smell you and want a taste. Release me.”

She sucked him a little harder, knew from how unbelievably hard he’d grown—soft, velvety steel against her tongue—that he would come at any second. The fingers tangled in her hair tightened before he tugged her head back. She cried out in protest from being forced away from his c**k and from the slight pain he caused.

Zorus dropped to his knees on the plush carpet between her spread legs, released her hair, and gripped her thighs. Charlie gasped when she suddenly ended up on her back with her thighs shoved up into the air. Zorus spread her wider, his strong hands easily manipulated her position, and he buried his face against her pu**y.

His aggressive mouth attacked, nothing gentle about the way his tongue plowed against the sensitive, swollen bud she’d been playing with, or how he sealed his mouth around it to tug on it and create a hard suction.

Charlie cried out, clawed his red, silky bedspread, and arched her h*ps closer to his amazing mouth. Her feet ended up dangling down his back and she used the leverage to press her pu**y even tighter against his unrelenting mouth. The ecstasy was so intense that she couldn’t breathe. She panted and gasped instead, between broken moans.

“Zorus! Yes! Don’t stop. Please? Oh god!” The cl**ax built, hovered, and she cried out in anguish when he tore his mouth away.

Her eyes flew open to protest but she watched him straighten, let her legs to drop to spread around his h*ps when his hands left her thighs, and then the broad head of his c**k pushed against the her vagina. He snarled at her, his features a mask of passion, and then they both cried out when he entered her fast and deep. His thick c**k slid into her, stretched her vaginal walls fast, nerve endings shot pure rapture to her brain at the tight fit their bodies created.

One of his hands flattened on her lower stomach to hold her down while he started to move, f**king her hard and deep, and to notch up the pleasure his thumb hooked over her pelvic bone to press against her clit. His other hand gripped one of her thighs to jerk it up to his ribs to hold her in place. He pounded against her, drove in and out of her with wild abandon, and Charlie flew apart from the pleasure of him riding her with his c**k and her cl*t with his thumb, the combination making her come hard enough to convulse and scream.

Zorus roared out her name, his hold on her became almost bruising while his h*ps jerked. His hot se**n shot deep inside her and Charlie felt every blast. Her vaginal walls milked him in the aftermath of her volatile cl**ax. They stilled except for their racing hearts and ragged breathing. Charlie smiled when she opened her eyes again to meet his passionate gaze. He licked his lips, sweat beaded his brow and upper lip, and a slow, satisfied grin curved that mouth she couldn’t get enough of.

“You will live with me here, won’t you?”

She’d forgotten he’d given her a choice, once mentioning he wouldn’t make her share his home if she didn’t want to. “If this is part of the benefits living with you entails, try to make me leave.” She grinned. “You live here alone, don’t you?”

He nodded. “My place in cyborg society offers me a penthouse suite.” He slowly withdrew from her body but leaned down to stretch over her until they were nearly nose to nose. “I am happy that you prefer to stay with me and I hope to share this room. There are guestrooms if you prefer.” His features seemed to harden. “I want you in here with me, if you care to know my preference.”

“I enjoyed sleeping with you,” she admitted.

He grinned and all traces of unhappiness faded away. “I enjoyed it as well. It’s settled. We share a bed every night.”

She wasn’t sure what to say. Zorus drew back. “I must shower and be on time for the council meeting. Make yourself familiar with our home.”