“I wish that I had died that day,” I admit, unable to look away from his gaze no matter how much my mind tells me that I need to. “I wish that all the time.”
He inches closer to me on the bed. “Is it really so bad? Professor Hinkley gave you and the others a second chance at life. It’s not fair that the government has decided you and others like you pose a threat.”
I think about a news broadcast I saw a couple of weeks ago, showing a surveillance video of a man with an arm identical to mine smashing in the window of someone’s car and beating them to a bloody pulp for no reason, before pulling a limp body from the driver’s seat and driving off in the stolen vehicle. Of course the thief was found and immediately executed; no trail, no jury, no questions asked.
“Some of us are dangerous,” I answer, and of course, it’s the truth.
“Some people are dangerous,” he insists. “Bionics are still people….just modified.”
“Right now your blood pressure is 124/90, your heart rate is an elevated 70 beats per minute; not bad, but still high for a healthy male that I assume is athletic. You have a tattoo on your left arm of an eagle, and a fractured rib.”
“That is amazing.”
I shrug. “It’s my eye. It is capable of reading a person’s body heat signature as well as their vital statistics. It allows me to pull away individual layers, such as clothing, skin, and muscle to expose what’s underneath. It’s how I knew about the rib.”
I reach out with my bionic arm and poke the rib for emphasis, raising my eyebrows as he winces in pain. “Still think I’m human?”
Gage reaches for my arm—my robotic arm—and grabs it by the hand. I can’t feel it, or his hand circling the wrist above it. His eyebrows wrinkle as he turns my arm over, inside facing up. He traces the inside of my arm, his fingers sliding over the cool metal and, for the first time since I woke up with that hunk of machinery on the other end of my elbow, I am wishing that I could feel the damn thing.
“Cold,” he murmurs as he draws circles on the metal. His fingers stop on the inside of my elbow, on the line where the titanium ends and I begin. I hear his breath catch in his throat and another noisy swallow as the pad of his index finger slides over my skin. I gasp as he trails it up the inside of my arm, flesh now on flesh. The human contact that I’ve denied myself for years has left me sensitive to every touch, and I feel as if I’m being caressed for the first time.
Of course Dax has held my hand from time to time; he’s even held me against him some nights when the nightmares get particularly bad until I fall back asleep. But he’s never touched me like this, and while I’m no virgin I certainly feel like one right now. A thousand emotions are exploding in me at one time and just as many sensations are following the path his finger traces up to my shoulder, pausing at the strap of my tank top.
“Warm,” he says with a smile. “Only about….what…ten percent of you is metal. When I got past your elbow, I felt skin, blood flowing through veins, muscle, and…goose bumps?”
He says that last bit with a smile, forcing me to look away in embarrassment. He holds his arm out toward me, pulling up the sleeve of his shirt and revealing a tanned arm sprinkled with light blond hair, which is standing on end. He leaves the sleeve above his elbow and holds his arm out in front of me.
“See?” he says gently, his head way too close to mine, his breath brushing my cheek. “I have them too.”
Author Alicia Michaels Top Five Summer Reads
Hot Summer Nights by Various Authors: This smokin’ hot anthology was a joint effort between myself and an amazing group of 9 other authors. I hate to brag, but I think we’ve got a nice little collection of hot summer short stories that are perfect for lounging by the pool! It features my short story, Beauty and the Brain, which is a prequel to Brat, the second novel in my NA Contemporary Romance series, Sharing Spaces.
The Singing River by R.K. Ryals: Not only is R.K. a good friend of mine, she’s also a fabulously talented author. She’s most known for her YA Paranormal series, Redemption, but in my opinion, her New Adult Contemporary Romance, The Singing River is her best work. There’s a slightly paranormal feel, as the story revolves around an ancient legend by it’s mostly about this beautiful love story between River and Haven, as well as a coming-of-age story for the heroine. Highly recommended!
Crane by Stacey Rourke: If you like you’re Paranormal stories with darkness and a dash of humor, you’ll love Crane as much as I did! This New Adult Paranormal novel made me laugh out loud, sigh as I fell in love with the hero, and gasp out loud at several parts. A cool twist on the story of Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman, mixed with modern events that run parallel. One of my favorite books of the summer!
Sweet Contradiction by Peggy Martinez: I love a summer romance story that makes me want to read it while sitting on the porch and drinking lemonade. Sweet Contradiction is just that sort of book. With a southern setting that felt like home and likeable characters, this Sweet Contemporary Romance really hits the spot!
Betrayed by Carly Fall: The first book in a Paranormal Romance series about Angels is emotional and heartfelt. It also has one of my favorite things: a hero with some serious swagger. A novel with spirit and heart, that is also currently FREE! This is book 1 in the Angels of Affection series, and I must say book 2 was even better than the first!
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