MaleAndroidCompanion (18 page)

“You’re delaying the inevitable.” Yet he
did have to agree. Taking Gina to bed sounded more fun than having another
pissing contest with Scott. In fact, having her tied to that large four-poster
bed sounded even better. Maybe a little sultan play. He could tease and love
her all night long.

Her coy smile was sexy. “How’d you know?”

“Sweetheart, I know everything about you.”
He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her thoroughly before swatting her
on the ass.

She yelped, laughing. “Okay. Okay. I’ll go
change.”

As she rummage through a suitcase and then
headed for the bathroom, Marc took a moment to survey his surroundings. The
room was large, feminine. The curtains and matching comforter were cream with
white eyelet lace. Even the light oak furniture had a womanly touch to it. He’d
already noticed the king-size bed, but there was also a dresser and mirror, a
tall armoire and a table with two chairs that sat near the window. The
furnishings were elegant but simple. Pictures hung throughout were of Gina and
family members on what looked like vacations. Marc especially enjoyed the one
where she looked about sixteen in a bikini lying on the beach, a starlet pose
that gave him a glimpse into the dreams she had made reality.

Now if only she would allow him to make all
her other dreams come true.

Chapter Nine

Surrounded by family, Gia should have felt
at ease, but it was just the opposite. The subtle looks she received not only
from her immediate family members but cousins, aunts and uncles were enough to
make her skin crawl. With all family get-togethers it seemed there was always
someone who supplied fodder for gossip. Guess it was her this time.

Oh wait. Hadn’t she been the topic of
discussion two years ago too?

Scanning the crowd, she spied Marc with her
nieces. As she approached, Sylvia was intently explaining the rules of
badminton. Gia smiled at the grin he wore.

“Can I play?” Gia asked.

“Sure,” Shelley chirped. “Here.” She pushed
the old-fashioned racket in Gia’s hand. Blonde ringlets bounced as the little
girl ran to where additional equipment was stashed.

“Whose team am I on?”

“Mine,” Shelley yelled, returning. “When
the birdie comes to you, Aunt Gina, you have to swing. Okay? Now stand over
there.”

“Okay.” Quickly Gia moved to the location
her niece pointed to.

“Ready?” Sylvia raised her racket.

When everyone acknowledged their readiness,
she tossed the shuttlecock into the air and batted it over the net. There was a
slight breeze in her favor and it carried the birdie right to Gia. She swung,
striking and returning it.

The game was on.

Marc moved out of the way to allow Sylvia
to intercept the shuttlecock, only swinging when she was out of reach. He even
gave up his serve to allow Sylvia more playing time. Gia marveled at how at
ease he was with the children. When Marc and Sylvia won the game, he swept the
child off her feet and swung her high into the air, both of them laughing.

“He’s good with the girls.” Gia’s mother
eased up beside her. Evidently, she had been watching them from the sidelines.
“Has he ever been married?”

“No. But he has two nephews.” The lie came
easily.

“Soooo… Is it as serious as he alluded to
earlier?”

Serious?
If
only Gia could confide in her mom, but she knew the fallout would be
monumental. She shrugged.

As always her mother didn’t push the issue,
allowing Gia to come around in her own time, which might be a very long time in
this case.

When Marc came up behind her, wrapping his
arms around her waist, she startled. He hugged her tight and for whatever
reason the world righted. Well, except for the interest that gleamed in her
mother’s eyes.

“Mrs. Easton, thank you for allowing me to
invade your special occasion. By the way, congratulations.”

“Thank you. It’s a pleasure having you join
us. And please, call me Elaine.” She turned to Gia. “The Seattle Seahawks are
playing San Francisco. Parker said to send Marc in to join them.”

Yikes! Football? Sports and politics.
Dangerous topics.

“Do you like football?” she asked
tentatively.

“Love it.” Marc responded with way too much
enthusiasm for her comfort. “Lead the way.”

Leaving her mother behind, they walked
toward the house. “Do you really know anything about football?” Sports, hunting
and fishing were everything to her family.

“I do. Trust me.”

Trust me.
Such easy words to say—hard to do.

“The Seahawks are my family’s favorite
team.”

“San Francisco is mine.”

There was a cockiness to his tone that
pulled Gia to a screeching halt just outside the door. “Marc?” But he had
already stepped inside, heading toward the cheers and laughter.

Shit. Shit. Shit.
This had catastrophe written all over it.

As she entered the large, circular video
room behind Marc, Parker tossed an open beer toward him. He caught it dead-on,
not spilling a drop. Tipping the bottle to his lips, he took a long drag and
then crossed the carpeted floor that muffled his footsteps. The curved walls
were aligned with luxurious theater chairs designed for comfort and also for
viewing at any angle. Passing by several unoccupied chairs, Marc plopped down
in one right next to Scott, surprising Gia. The friction between him and her
eldest brother couldn’t be mistaken. As she wondered if Marc’s choice of
companionship was intentional, an itchy sensation spread across her skin.

Gia hovered next to Marc, squealing when he
reached over and pulled her onto his lap, earning a frown from Scott. Marc
handed her the beer and she took a swig.

Slowly she scanned the occupants. Everyone
with even a mild case of testosterone was in attendance, which included some of
the younger boys and an aunt or two. What could she say?

A low grind sounded as a panel in the
middle of the ceiling slid open and the television projector emerged. A
spotlight shone down and dust motes floated in the beam. The surround-sound
speakers rumbled and for a moment the crowd grew silent. Then a hologram
formed, displaying the pre-game announcers chatting around a table and the
prattle in the room continued.

Scott slid his narrow gaze from her to
Marc. “What do you do for a living, Charleston?”

“I work for the Institute of Robotics.”

Gia’s eyes widened. Marc wouldn’t dare.

Scott looked away, feigning attention on
the picture before them. “Janitor?”

She ground her teeth, wanting to berate her
brother, but thinking it best not to in front of a crowd. What had gotten into
Scott? He never treated anyone with such disrespect.

Marc chuckled but there wasn’t any humor in
the low, ominous sound. “I’m a scientist.”

Scott harrumphed in disbelief. “Scientist?”

“Yes. I’m the creator of the latest models
of the Male Android Companions,” Marc offered smugly while Gia almost swallowed
her tongue.

No. No. NO.
This was not happening.

How would she ever remember all these lies?
And how dare Marc tread so close to the truth of where they met? Gia took
another drink of the bitter ale and then another.
Hell.
She tipped the
bottle up and drained it dry.

“Hmmm…” Scott eased back in his seat. “Been
working there long?”

“Since college.” Marc pinned his gaze on
the hologram, which showed clips of each team’s prior games. Other than the
television, silence reigned—all eyes seemed to be focused on him.

Last week’s game between the Seahawks and
Cardinals filled the room. A young boy jumped up from his seat, blending in
with the three-dimensional picture. With a big grin on his face, he ran after
the football player carrying the ball, stopping only when he smashed into a
coffee table. The crash pulled everyone’s gazes from Marc to seven-year-old
Joshua, who started to cry. When he realized he’d captured everyone’s attention
he thought differently about weeping and dried up immediately. His father, one
of Gia’s cousins, pulled the boy backward out of the center of the room.

“I saw the advertisement the other day.”
Parker moved up behind Marc and Gia, handing her another beer as he took the
empty from her. “Can’t really be a market for such a thing. I mean, what woman
would want an android when she could have the real thing?”

“Like you, bro?” Scott snickered.

“Well. Yeah.” Parker flexed his biceps,
which was pretty impressive even to Gia. “I’m prime-cut, USDA male.”

“And married,” their father stated frankly.
He sat on the other side of Scott pretending to watch the pre-game, but she
knew his sharp attention was on the interplay between Marc and her brothers.
How did she know this? Because he was that type of man. Nothing escaped his regard,
especially a stranger introduced into the family.

“We sold twelve units within three hours
and I have a backorder of six.” Marc jumped when she pinched him on the side.
He frowned. “What?”

She giggled nervously. “Quit showing off.”

“Baby, it’s the truth.”

Gia flexed and curled her fingers. She felt
like strangling him. Why didn’t he just keep his mouth shut? Thank goodness the
announcer introduced the two teams and they began lining up for the kickoff.
But that’s when the real fun began.

San Francisco received the ball and Marc
almost threw her off his lap as he started to cheer for the receiver.

Gia tensed, every muscle and tendon
bunched.

Except for the play-by-play commentary from
the television, a dead hush filled the room. All steely eyes were on Marc but
he didn’t seem to notice, he was so intent on watching the runner successfully
weaving through a mass of oncoming Seahawks. Gia almost cheered when the
runner’s luck ran out.

“Damn,” Marc yelled when the 49er became
buried beneath a mob of navy-blue uniforms. “That was a hell of a catch.” He
turned and she saw him fighting a grin. “Don’t you think, Scott?” The little
devil was teasing her brother.

Parker was the first to catch on and then
her father as they burst into laughter. Several others in the room followed.

When Scott realized Marc’s reaction was for
his benefit, he chuckled softly. “Sis, your man has shit for brains, even if he
is a scientist. Thank God he had the good sense to snatch you up.”

Gia took her first real breath since they’d
entered the room, pulling it deep into her lungs. Snaking her arms around
Marc’s neck, she relaxed against him. He held her near until the ball was
snapped and the game resumed.

The noise in the room rose with the
excitement. The comfortable rivalry in the air actually appeared to make the
game even better for her family as they threw Marc insults and he returned them
admirably.

Everything was working out.

Then why did tears threaten to fall? She
squirmed in his arms. This is exactly what she had dreamed of, except that
their arrangement was a ruse. Gia glanced at Marc and felt her chest tighten.
He would never be part of their family—couldn’t.

During a commercial, he leaned into her.
“You okay?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Even to her the taut smile
she plastered on her face felt weak.

Concern darkened his eyes.

Dammit. She wasn’t fooling him.

“Do you want to go outside?” he asked.

“Yes. No. You stay here and watch the
game.” Gia started to rise but felt his arms close around her.

“You need me.” It wasn’t a question but a
statement.

How did he do that? Yes. She needed him or
at least someone like him. He was perfect except for the small fact that he
wasn’t human.

“I haven’t seen Mom and Becka in so long. I
think I’ll join them. You stay and watch the game.”

He slid his warm palm down her bare arm,
causing goose bumps to pebble her arms. Every inch of her ached to feel him
against her, to have him hold her as if he would never let her go. If only—

Her heart squeezed as he gripped her hand.

When the room exploded into loud cheers,
Marc’s gaze darted to the hologram. “You sure?”

Gia nodded and pulled out of his grasp
before quietly drifting toward the door and letting herself out. Outside wasn’t
much better than inside. Sylvia dodged Shelley in a game of tag. Children ran
all over the ground like ants. Their laughter and screams filled the wide-open
space, reminding Gia of what she didn’t have.

In the distance she saw Aunt Clare pinning
her keen gaze on her. Quickly she looked away and headed for the line of trees
promising escape. It had been so long since she had filled her lungs with the
clean scent of pine. A forest of fir trees shot upward some seventy-five to a
hundred feet, threatening to block out the sun. Vines and other foliage draped
the trees, shrubs and ground. Serenity promised to take her into its embrace.