Burning Up Flint (7 page)

“Oh.” She inhaled again. “I’m getting hungry.”

Doc cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable as he shot a frown at Flint. He bit his lip and didn’t look at Mira. She frowned knowing they were hiding something from her so she decided to ask them flat out.

“What is going on?”

“Nothing,” Flint said softly.

The other
cyborg
was still standing where he’d been when he’d offered a trade. Iron chuckled. “You smell something cooking and it makes you crave food, correct?”

Mira couldn’t turn to look at him but instead she glanced up at Flint seeing his angry look. He turned his head to glare at Iron.

“That is enough, Iron. Do not say another word or I’ll make sure you get the least appealing female on that shuttle.”

Something beeped and Doc looked relieved as he nodded. He put down the handheld device he’d used to start the branding. “It’s done. She can move.”

The wrap was snug and it didn’t seem to want to loosen at first as Doc carefully tugged it gently from her skin with Flint’s help. When they opened the wrap, the smell that had been teasing her grew stronger and horror hit her. Her mouth opened as she stared down at her shoulder. Her skin was marked with black ink and she saw a faint redness around the surrounding skin from the tiny needles. She sniffed.

“I think I’m going to be sick. It was
me
that I smelled, wasn’t it? Did it burn the black marks into me?”

Flint moved fast to grip her face by wrapping his hand under her chin, jerking it up, to almost go nose to nose with her. “Look at me. Take shallow breaths through your mouth to lessen the smell. Do not get sick. Just look into my eyes, Mira. What you smell is the small amount of fatty tissue that was exchanged with the ink. The wrap disposes of it by burning it up after it is removed from your body but your skin wasn’t harmed at all.”

She locked gazes with him and took shallow breaths through her mouth. That helped a lot since her stomach stopped heaving. She blinked back tears that rose at the idea of her fat being disposed of and the horror of getting hungry at the smell. Flint’s grip on her chin didn’t release. She heard someone close to them laugh and knew it was Iron. She suddenly had another name for him. Asshole fit him really well.

“You are fine. I would never allow you to be hurt. By the time the pain meds wear off, it will just be slightly uncomfortable. I will have Doc give me a cream to put on your skin to relieve even that. In two days you won’t even feel it. I told you that I don’t want to hurt you, Mira, so trust me.”

“Okay. I’m not going to throw up. I just… God, it smelled good, like barbeque. How sick is that?”

“I personally like the way you taste and smell,” Flint said softly. “Do not feel sickened by your scent making you feel hunger. I hunger for your body right now, even before you smelled like food. I just don’t want to eat you with a fork and knife.” He winked before releasing her.

Mira blushed at his words, knowing Doc had heard every one. He tugged the shirt back over her head, careful of her new branding as he smoothed it down. Flint turned, nodding at Doc.

“Thank you. I am in your debt.”

“A bottle of some hard liquor would be great.” Doc chuckled.

Flint nodded.
“Done.
I have a case on Garden so I will give two bottles if you’ll measure her for clothing. She needs clothing that will show her markings. It will dissuade anyone from thinking about trying to take her.”

Doc looked at the men standing in the large cargo room. “No shit, Flint. They are almost panting.” He gave Mira another shot with an injector.

Flint’s mouth tightened. “She is branded now so there is no question of ownership.” He turned to glare at the room. His voice rose, deepened, as he addressed his crew. “I do not share my personal possessions and she is completely mine.”

Iron uttered a foul curse. “I guess that means you won’t trade something for her body for an hour then.”

Flint’s jaw clenched. “No.”

Doc walked over to Mira. “I gave you a shot to counteract the paralyzing agent so you should be able to move now. Come with me, young lady. I have to take your measurements. You can keep the shirt on. I just have to wrap a measurer around you in some awkward places.”

Flint moved away to face off with Iron. The two men glared at each other. Mira was relieved as sensation rushed back and she was able to climb off the bed easily when she could move again. Doc led Mira to a corner by a desk where he opened a drawer and removed an electronic measurer. He leaned forward, eyeing her, as he moved the device around her body so it could scan her.

“Are you all right?”

Mira eyed the man who whispered so Flint couldn’t hear him. She nodded. Doc moved the scanner lower, circling without touching her breasts and back to take her measurements there.

“Do what he says. He’s a good guy. You got lucky. Some of the crew would barter your body out. Flint doesn’t share shit. He won’t hurt you and he’ll protect you. Just pray he doesn’t die.”

She swallowed. “What happens if he does?” She whispered the words.

Doc went to his knees, running the device around her lower body as he lowered it. He glanced down then looked up at her and shook his head. “You will be left to his family and if he doesn’t have any then you’ll be auctioned to the highest bidder. If you’re in deep space his things are divided amongst his men equally so it’s fair to all.”

They were in deep space. Horror hit Mira as that sank in. She’d be divided between his men? She was only one person. As if Doc read her mind, his expression was grim.

“You’d belong to all of them. They would all get to use you.”

Terror hit her at that thought, so strongly her knees went weak and she had to lock her legs to keep upright. She jerked her attention to Flint, seeing he was just feet from Iron. The two men were still glaring at each other like guard dogs trying to stare the other down. A horrible thought struck her.

“Do they assassinate each other?”

Doc shook his head.
“Luckily no.
Cyborgs
will not kill other
cyborgs
. I meant if he died in an accident or if we run into pirates. Those crazy pirates love going after large ships. This used to be their flagship until it was taken from them by the
cyborgs
. Sometimes they attack just to piss us off. We lost two of the crew the last time we had a skirmish with them. I doubt they’d attack the
Star
right now though because we have the
Rally
with us this trip but you can never tell with pirates. The
Rally
is a heavily fortified large jumper shuttle so it might make them think twice before attacking two ships.”

Doc got to his feet and nodded at her. “All done,” he called out to Flint. “I’ll feed her information in and have her clothing manufactured within a few hours.”

Flint turned. “I won’t forget your two bottles. They will be delivered to you when we dock on Garden. I’ll dispatch the order today so it’s automatically done.”

“I know you won’t forget.” Doc smiled.

Flint held out his hand to Mira. She ran to his side to grip his hand, not needing any real encouragement than that. She was too close to Iron for comfort. She refused to even look at as they passed him. She heard him sniff as they did though and she stiffened. Why had he sniffed her? Did she still smell like cooked meat?

Flint led her through the throng of men who had decided to spend their free time watching Mira. She refused to look up at them, keeping her eyes on the floor, and brushed against Flint with every step. If she could she would have crawled up him into his arms so he could hold her. She knew he could carry her like that, that he was strong enough to do it if need be, but she just didn’t think he’d appreciate her wrapped around him.

“That wasn’t bad, was it?”

They walked into the lift. Instead of putting her hand on the wall, she faced Flint and walked right into his body. He released her hand and she put her face on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. She knew she’d shocked him when his body tensed but he relaxed and wrapped his arms around her.

“Are you all right?”

“No. I was scared.”

His hands were open on her back. He patted her with one hand. It was a light tap and she got the feeling he wasn’t used to comforting anyone. It was an awkward gesture but she appreciated it.

“I told you that I want no harm to come to you, Mira. I will protect you. The men won’t harm you and I won’t trade you away. You belong to me.”

She looked up into his beautiful blue eyes and then shut hers. She burrowed tighter into his body, seeking the comfort he gave her. He held her even after the lift had stopped. He finally pulled away.

“We will finish this in my quarters. Someone will call the lift at some point and I do not want to be still in it, holding each other.”

She smiled, relaxing at the humorous situation and the horror in his voice at the thought of just that. She took his offered hand and he led her back to his small room and opened the door. Once inside she asked, “Do you have a mirror?”

“No. Why do you want one?”

“I want to see what these look like. The
markings, brandings, tattoos—
whatever you want to call them.”

Flint didn’t hesitate to remove his shirt and drop it on the floor, smiling. “They look like this.” His fingers brushed the marks on his shoulder. “Only on your white skin and you have some red marks that will fade in days.”

Laughing, she shook her head at him.
“Very funny.”

“You calm when you laugh and I want you calm. I feel…” he paused.

“You feel what?”

He hesitated. “Protective. I never had a desire to own a woman before, Mira. When I met you and you took my hand I didn’t want to release it. You smiled at me and you made me laugh. Humans who first see us always react in three ways. They are terrified that we exist still, they are disgusted by us, or they are confused about what we are. You are the first to be glad to see us alive.”

“I
am
glad you’re alive. I hated reading about what was done to your people. Earth has a longstanding history of doing messed-up things to people—like slavery and killing off indigenous people to take their land. People have been killed over religious differences, and for the differences in their skin colors. You would think they would learn but history just repeats itself. They killed your people and it was wrong. Humans created
cyborgs
, which makes us the same in my mind.”

“Remove your shirt.” Flint stepped closer to her. “I want you, Mira.”

Chapter Six

Mira stripped while watching Flint remove his boots and the rest of his clothing. She went to crawl onto his bed but he stopped her by gripping her wrist. He turned her so they faced each other.

“You can’t rub your branded skin for at least an hour.” He released her wrist and clasped her hips instead. “Grip my arms.”

She reached up to curl her fingers around his muscular biceps. He lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his hips. Flint walked forward and braced the side of his shoulder against a thick support column. He hesitated a second before he went for her mouth with his.

She met his hungry kiss. He shared enough passion with her to send her body into flames. She’d always thought
cyborgs
would be walking computers and she was glad she had been so wrong. Flint was a man who just happened to have inner, hidden electronics.

His large hands gripped her ass, cupping her, pulling her tighter against his hips. She was wet and he was hard. His cock rubbed against her clit, his hips slowly moving so the tip and shaft caressed the length of her slit, teasing her. Moisture soaked them both where Mira showed her need for him the most. She moaned into his mouth, wiggling against him, and broke the kiss. She panted. An almost painful ache to have Flint fuck her gripped her.

“I want you now. Please?”

His eyes locked with hers as he shifted her hips. He was so hard he just needed to move her hips over him to fit them together. He lowered her down his body. Mira wrapped her arms around his neck, gripping the back of it with her hands. To her, the sensation of Flint filling her, stretching her and breaching her deeper was amazing as their bodies locked together, bringing a cry of pleasure from her lips. He was amazingly thick.

“Heaven,” Flint rasped. “If there is such a place, you are it, Mira. You feel like home when I’m inside you. You’re warmth, acceptance, just right. So
pleasurable,
and perfect.”

His words turned her on more. He wasn’t only handsome and sexy but he was a romantic, it seemed. She bucked her hips. “Nothing has ever felt better than this, Flint. No one has ever made me feel the way you do.”

He moved then, withdrawing a little to slam upward, driving into her depths in a sharp motion. The sensation of it drove Mira wild. She moaned
,
using her legs to clasp his hips as her hands gripped his back so she could move on him. She braced against his shoulders to ride him as he drove in and out of her body. Flint grew even harder inside her pussy. Her lower back and butt slammed against the side of the support column but it didn’t hurt. She’d probably have bruises but she didn’t give a damn. Flint’s cock was hitting all the right places.

He shifted his hold on her. One of his arms locked under her ass, shelving her bottom on his forearm, while his other hand slid between them. He pressed against her clit with his thumb as he moved even faster, driving harder up into her. It was the last thing she’d expected him to do and her pleasure exploded. She screamed out his name as she climaxed hard.

His hand slid away from her clit so he could wrap both arms around her. He jerked hard inside her, groaning loudly as he buried his face into her neck when he came. He exploded and heated semen filled her deep. They were panting as they stilled, wrapped around each other as Flint stood there holding her tightly.

“You are mine,” he finally whispered. “I will never let you go.”

She should have resented the words but she didn’t. She didn’t want him to let her go. As much as she might miss her family, the truth was she rarely saw her parents. Her father was always traveling the world with his business and her mother’s circle of charity benefits always kept her from making time for either of her two children. Mira’s brother was a senator and she only saw him every few years. With her job as a sales rep for
Firmaline
, a company that sold products to space stations, she traveled too often to have a boyfriend or keep friends. There really wasn’t much to give up or miss on Earth.