Unedited Excerpt -- Cyberius III (tentative title) by S. J. Willing
For the second time that night Sherri was angry. She'd been moments away
from what she knew was going to be the best sex of her life and was
now being dragged by a Mil buffoon through streets so dark that she
couldn't see to the end of them. Okay, so he was a handsome, sexy,
I-want-to-ravish-his-bones type buffoon. It didn't change the fact
he was a buffoon.
With a shock Sherri realized she had no idea what he was. Especially
now, as he dragged her from shadow to shadow, purposely choosing the
path of least light--his behavior wasn't that of a new Mil shuttle
pilot. Hadn't she been thinking earlier that the sensors had been sabotaged?
Jonathon moved, and acted, as though he had years of military experience
behind him. Experience he wouldn't have had through mining or agri.
Now that something very serious had gone wrong at South Colony, he
was dragging her away with him. Sherri decided she ought to be very
afraid.
If only her body would believe that!
She'd been so aroused by his touch, so eager to allow him to take her,
that even now her body ached so hard it hurt.
"What's happening?" Sherri demanded, breathless from the fast running."Why are
you taking me to the tower?"
"Didn't you hear the explosions?" Jonathon snapped a glance back at her before
weaving to another dark zone across the street.
Sherri felt like the heart had been ripped out of her.
"Explosions?"
"Explosion in the power core for one. We have to get out before…"
Sherri turned, tried to pull him the other way. She had to get to the
core, stop it spreading…
"Don't be stupid!" Jonathon shouted angrily. "You'll just get yourself killed."
"Let me go," Sherri demanded. "I've got to stop it. I must. The colony will die
if we come back and there's no power." She struggled harder against his grip.
Before she could blink Jonathon had swung her around, hands on her shoulders,
and pinned her against a nearby wall. She opened her mouth to protest
more when, suddenly, his lips were on hers. Hungry, demanding.
Her body belied her brief struggles as the fire in her groin burst and
she kissed back. Crushing her lips against his in an effort to douse
the need she felt, she pushed her body against him, rubbing greedily.
Reveling in the effect she had on him that had his erection pressing
hard against her through the thin fabric of her dress. Jonathon responded,
holding her buttocks as she lifted her legs around him. He ground his
groin against her, leaving her breathless, floating in a sea of want.
When he pulled himself away, gently lowering her legs, she could barely
stand. He put one hand against the wall and leaned on it, his mouth
inches from hers, his face strained with passion and a look of uncertainty.
She reached up, touching his face and he gave her a huge grin that
melted away any last traces of her anger.
"Damn, you're so sexy when you're angry."
"Jonathon, the power…" God, why did she have to sound so pleading.
He caught her cheek in his hand, his look was full of compassion, a look
that nearly broke the dam holding back the desperation in her.
"I know how you feel, Sherri," he told her, stealing a small kiss that sent fireworks
sparkling through her, distracting her worry. "But trust me. We have to go to
the tower. We'll do what we can from there. We, I, don't want to risk you getting
hurt down there."
She wanted to trust him. She almost did, but how could she trust someone
who, with a single kiss, could command her body and soul? She paused,
waiting until she felt strong enough to stand, then gave a small nod.
"Okay," she agreed, hoping she was making the right choice. Wishing he would
kiss her again.
"Thank you."
Jonathon stepped back, and taking her hand he linked their fingers, as
if he didn't quite trust her yet. Then led them again on a hurried
back street journey to the tower.
There were two more explosions in the colony before they reached the
tower, by the fifth Sherri had given up hoping they were accidents.
A slow, simmering anger began to build in her. Someone was destroying
her colony. Her people would be coming back to die. She began to formulate
emergency plans in her mind. Delayed migration, extra supplies saved
from the harvests. Maybe she could have the Mil and Civvie engineers
come back next week and assess the damage. She had four years to plan,
in four years they should be able to prepare.
She looked at Jonathon. That's if she got back to North Colony alive.
At the tower Jonathon slowed and double-checked every doorway and hall
before entering the building. A sixth explosion, more council offices,
Sherri guessed, rocked the colony as Jonathon finally led her into the
tower.
Her heart sank as she looked at the bank of nearly lifeless monitors.
"The computer systems," she said. "They've--"
"No longer working," Jonathon agreed. He checked the locker room then eased her
into it.
"Get your heat suit on. We have to get to the shuttle."
Numbed, Sherri didn't argue this time. She cursed a little when she found
the heat suit unplugged. She could have sworn she'd plugged it into
recharge when she'd left it here. Still it was a short walk to the
shuttle, the charge cells should still hold enough power for that.
With trembling fingers she slipped out of the dress, feeling herself
heat up at the memories of Jonathon's hands on her breasts, and the
desperate fire in his kiss. How would it have felt to have those lips
where his hands had been, and his hands…
What was she going to do to save the colony? Sherri pulled her thoughts
sharply to the matter at hand. Who, why, would anyone have done this?
Wearing only her panties, her bra was now part of a pile of rubble in
her rooms under the council dome, Sherri quickly pulled the heat suit
on. The soft interior of the suit brushed smoothly over her skin, like
Jonathon's hands, and the front of the suit rubbed tantalizingly against
her nipples that were still sensitive from Jonathon's touch.
What was it, she wondered, that prevented her from being afraid of this
man. Especially now she'd come to understand just how dangerous he
was.