Programmed To Please (The Tau Cetus Chronicles) (21 page)

“What?”
Jai looked at him in shock. She’d been asking about what happens to
them
now, but she knew how much Marque’s position as the head of Callex Industries meant to him, despite the dangers. Hell, Marque felt he was single-handedly keeping Tau Cetus safe from another war. This must be a terrible blow for him!

He obviously saw her reaction written on her face. “It’s fine, actually. I’m tired of the responsibility, and I’m damned sick of putting the people I love in danger.” He gave his sister an apologetic smile, and then straightened. “The High Council has promised to relocate me. A new name. A new identity. A new life.”

Relocation.

A new life.

The news felt like someone had reached into Jai’s chest and torn out her new artificial heart. Marque said he loved her, but he was leaving her. She would never see him again. “Oh.”

Marque tilted his head to look at her uncertainly. “That’s why… I’m wondering if… well…” Marque cleared his throat, and then turned to his sister. “Leora, could you give us a minute…alone?”

Marque’s sister gave him an encouraging look, and then threw Jai a smile and a wink. Even though they’d just met, Jai already felt that she and Leora could be friends. Despite all Leora had been through at the hands of her brother, it was obvious she still loved him. As much as Jai loved him.

“Take your time,” Leora said. “I’ll be down the hall.” She casually strolled out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her.

Jai swallowed, and glanced at Marque. That guarded look was back on his face, even as he ran the back of his index finger tenderly down her cheek. “God, you have the most beautiful eyes. I’m a sucker for a brown-eyed girl. Especially
this
brown-eyed girl.”

She gave him a small smile. “My eyes match my hair.”

His eyebrow arched in curiosity as he glanced at her chic blonde bob.

“Dyed. You ordered a blue-eyed blonde Beautiful Doll, remember.”

Marque’s other eyebrow joined the first, and he shook his head in wonder. “So you really are my perfect woman. Ideal in face and form.” His finger continued its gentle stroking down her cheek. “But how are you feeling?”

Did he know about her heart? She bit her lip. “I’m being discharged today.”

Marque’s gaze dropped immediately to her lips, her mouth. “Hell, I want to kiss you so badly.”

Jai wanted much more than that. Visions of all the amazing ways they’d made love raced through her head, most particularly their last time, and the thrill of having Marque seemingly tied to the headboard, blindfolded and at her sexual mercy.
Damn
. She could feel an ache of need settle between her legs.

Jai sighed. “Yes.
Please.
Kiss me, Marque.”

She was in his arms even before his name was out of her mouth. His kiss was hungry, desperate, branding. Marque put everything he was feeling into the kiss, and Jai did the same. She wrapped her arms around his neck, never wanting this moment to end.

She loved this man and he loved her.

But he was being relocated.

When the kiss finally slowed, Marque lingered over her lips, giving the bottom one a possessive bite of his own, as if marking her as his.

She
was
his, would always be his, no matter how this day might end. “Are you really okay with giving up Callex Industries?”

Marque blinked away his dazed look of pleasure before answering her. “Actually, it was my idea. I suggested to Theus that he use Anson Carron as his new front man.”

“What?
Carron tried to
kill
you!”

“Yes, but only because he wants to
be
me. He said so himself, right before he pulled the trigger.” Marque shrugged. “Hell, I’m happy to let him try. Maybe the job requires a tougher man than me. And he can bring Theus a unique weapon to keep the peace on Tau Cetus: robot soldiers.”

“Robot soldiers?”
Jai inhaled sharply. “That sounds a little…dicey.” 

“Don’t worry. Theus will keep a tight rein on him. And if Carron gets out of control, well… Theus has no qualms about eliminating problem people.”

Jai swallowed, contemplating the power the head of the High Council had over them all.

Marque slipped a finger under Jai’s chin, tilting her head up gently to look at him. “I love you, Jai. You’ll never know how sorry I am that you were injured because of me. But I was hoping… well… that you’d forgive me. That you’d
come
with me when Leora and I relocate. I know how dedicated you are to your job, but… would you consider starting a new life with me?”

Start a new life with me…

Jai could see Marque holding his breath waiting for her answer. She would love nothing more than to run away with him, to be with him forever, especially now, when her life had changed so radically as well. There was no job for her to go back to, after all, but there was one important issue that did have to be discussed. He might not want her after he knew.

“I’m damaged, Marque.”

Marque’s tilted his head. “I thought you just said you were being discharged today.”

“I am. But I’m damaged
.
The bullet, it went… well… I now have an artificial heart. I’m…part
robot.
”

Instead of the look of horror or disgust Jai had feared, Marque gave her a dazzling smile. “Then you’re literally my very own Beautiful Doll. Can I see?”

Dear lord. He wanted to
see
her injury? Jai bit her lip again. Marque threw a quick glance at her hospital room door to make sure it was still closed, and then turned back to her. He gently eased up her loose, peach-colored sweater, and Jai belatedly remembered she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“
Mmm.
Beautiful,” Marque murmured, bending his head to lay a kiss on the nipples of each of her breasts. “I love your body, Jai. You’re perfect.” Avoiding her bandaged incision altogether, he eased the sweater back down.

Jai was momentarily stunned. By purposely ignoring her wound, Marque was silently telling her that her artificial heart didn’t matter the least bit to him. The action spoke louder than any words. What a sweet, gallant thing to do! Still, Jai gave him a look. “You’re really all right with me being… part robot?”

His smiled widened and his grey eyes darkened to a smoldering charcoal. “Oh, yes, I absolutely am. Especially remembering all the things I did with my Doll.”

What could Jai say to that? Marque was offering to make her dreams come true. To start a new life, in a new place, together with him.

You’re technically well enough to jump on a plane tomorrow if you wanted to, Dr. Jonat had said.

But was she well enough to have sex? What else had Jonat said?

…this heart works just like a real one would… you’re in perfect health…

She longed to put the doctor’s promise to the test, to make love with Marque right here, right now, but to be safe, maybe she should start out slow. A sultry smile spread across her face. “You’re remembering the things you did with your Doll, like…
this
… maybe?”

She reached out and slid the zipper of his pants down. The look of shock he gave her quickly transformed to one of dark heat. God, she loved the way his grey eyes expressed his emotions like that! Especially when he was directing this look of sexual longing toward her.

She eased her hand inside the opening of his pants, and freed his cock. It didn’t take much to get him hard, and when she sank to her knees, his groan of anticipation was like music to her ears.

Jai didn’t even spare a thought as she took Marque into her mouth. With the hospital door closed they were safe from interruption, unless maybe Leora decided to return to Jai’s room to inquire about Jai’s decision regarding Marque’s proposal. Or possibly the arrival of that nurse Jai was expecting with her discharge papers.

Hmm. Better make this fast, then…

Her mouth went to work, remembering Titus Veraine’s instructions. Think of a vacuum… suck like a baby sucks its thumb.
Hard, fast and strong.

Within moments, Jai had Marque moaning, gasping, and jerking, trapped in the wet heat of her mouth. What a sense of power this position gave her! Power over his pleasure. Marque buried his hands into her hair to hold her head close, and she sucked more insistently.

“Fuck… Jai…”

He was close. She loved the desperation she heard in his voice, that deep ache of need, the pleading longing.

His hands fisted tightly in her hair and Jai poised for his climax, but instead, Marque pulled her head away.

“Fuck… Jai…”
he gasped again, his breath now nothing more than short pants. “Want… to fuck you.. 
Need
…to fuck you.”

With a wild look in his eye, he pulled her to her feet, reached for the button of her jeans, and quickly popped it from its hole. Her zipper was next, and then he shoved her jeans down her legs. Hooking his foot around the leg of the wooden chair by her the side of her bed, he yanked it close and sat down on it hard, pulling her toward him.

Jai went willingly, only sparing a quick glance at the hospital room door. There probably was no lock on it, so she leaned forward and tugged at the hospital bed curtain, sliding it around so that they were hidden behind it. The curtain would do nothing to muffle the sounds of their lovemaking or their moans of pleasure if Leora, a nurse or Dr. Jonat should return, but frankly, Jai didn’t care about anything at this point other than Marque. Marque’s magnificent cock. Marque’s amazing passion. Marque, the man she loved.

“Mount me,” he ordered roughly. “Make love with me.
Please.
I need you.”

Jai paused for only the briefest moment, and gazed into the molten heat of Mark’s grey eyes. She’d initiated fellatio because she wanted to please him without fear of overloading her new heart, but hell, she’d trust in Dr. Jonat’s handiwork.

…this heart works as well as a real one would…

And if something
were
to happen, what better way to go than at the height of a blissful orgasm produced by the man she loved? There were worse fates in life.

“Ride us both to heaven.
Please, Jai
. I’m desperate for you.”

Giving him a smile, Jai straddled the chair, facing him. Marque’s right hand gripped his cock firmly, holding himself steady for her.
Offering
himself to her. The look on his face said he was giving her his body as well as pledging his soul. The mix of desire and devotion in his eyes was an image that branded itself into Jai’s heart.
God, she loved this man!
The poignancy of the moment nearly stole her breath. Watching Marque closely, she lowered herself onto his cock, taking him inside her inch by inch. Accepting exactly what he was offering – all of him, body and soul. Willingly. Eagerly. Happily. As she sank into his lap, she reveled at the feel of him – his thickness, his length. She fit him like a glove, as if they were made only for each other.

“So perfect,” Marque groaned.

It was. It was perfect.

“Take me,” Marque encouraged in a whisper. “I’m yours. All yours.”

Thrilled at that emotional, heartfelt pledge, Jai began to move. She knew Marque was close; he obviously knew it, too. So as she began to rock, she felt his thumb come around to play with her clit, circling, flicking, pressing it, driving her crazy with the intense sensations, causing her to jerk and twitch uncontrollably on his lap. Her frantic movements elicited loud moans of pleasure from him, which caused him to increase the movement of his desperate thumb. Fast. Faster.

Dear God.
It was too much. Too good. Jai leaned back in a half-hearted attempt to get away from his insistent thumb, but the new angle allowed Marque’s cock to brush against her G spot. At her sharp gasp, Marque abandoned her clit, sank his hands into her hips, and drove himself into her while pulling her against him, over and over, making her ride his hard cock until they both gave in to the exquisite pleasure and shouted their release.

It was the most profound moment of Jai’s life.

As they struggled to catch their breath in the aftermath of their incredible orgasm, Marque pulled her upright and into his embrace, hugging her tightly, as if he’d never let her go.

Jai smiled contentedly. Her new heart had held up just fine. And if she wasn’t mistaken, it had grown larger, now filled with all the love she felt for Marque.

“You didn’t answer my question,” he murmured huskily into her ear. “Will you come away with me, my beautiful Jai?”

She reveled in the security of his strong embrace, and hugged him back, just as tightly. “Yes, Marque. I’d love to be your very own Beautiful Doll.”

THE END

About the Author

Jenna Ives has the typical problem that affects a lot of modern-day romance authors — multiple personality disorder. She writes for several different publishers under a variety of names, but mostly the reason is to keep her poor sainted mother (who used to read sweet romances by Barbara Cartland) from having a heart attack over how sexy modern romances have become!

And Jenna certainly DOES write sexy…

To learn more about Jenna, please visit her website at
www.jennaives.com
or e-mail her at
[email protected]
.

Don’t miss the next installment of The Tau Cetus Chronicles…

Programmed To Protect:

Tau Cetus police agent Leith Wyatt is charged by the ruling High Council with overseeing the production of Anson Carron’s new robot army for the planet’s defense. Wyatt doesn’t trust the oily Carron, and when Carron gives Wyatt the Beautiful Doll sex robot Ginger, Wyatt knows it’s for a sinister reason. The Dolls are legendary for their addictive sexual prowess. Wyatt tries to resist Ginger, but she’s sweet, kind, sexy, and every intimate encounter they share puts him deeper under her spell. And when Wyatt discovers Carron’s plan to overthrow the High Council in order to grab control of the planet for himself, Wyatt must decide whether his loyalty lies with the planet he’s sworn to protect, or the megalomaniac creator of the android he now loves.