Blackie tensed at her side but didn’t stop her from being polite to the tall cyborg. Steel’s clasp was gentle and his skin was warm when they quickly shook hands. “It’s nice to meet you, Eve. I was brought up to speed on what was going on when my ship was ordered to escort your shuttle here. Welcome to Garden.”

Some of the cyborgs went to the lift where Krell waited to leave and Eve decided to give her mate a few moments alone with the commander. “Thanks. What a view!” She darted toward the big windows, staring out at the city and the wall that enclosed it. Beyond that, in the distance, she saw endless ocean.

The silence was acute and she winced. She’d hoped her stepping away would be hint enough for her mate to take an opportunity to speak privately to Steel.

“Thank you for overseeing the preparation of our home.” Blackie paused.

“I didn’t. This used to be the quarters Rena and I shared. She’d forgotten a few things and I had them sent downstairs.”

“Understood.” Blackie cleared his throat. “I want to apologize to you, Steel.”

Eve grinned, resisting doing an air fist pump in case they could see her out of the corner of their vision. It was an important step for Blackie to deal with his past issues.

“For what? It isn’t protocol to give a top-level space to someone of your standing but the woman merits special privileges. Rena actually prefers the lower floor with the balcony. She enjoys sitting in the fresh air after being on the Vontage for long spans of time. This living space wasn’t assigned to me permanently. Zorus informed me it was being held for another couple when we arrived.”

Come on, baby. You can do it, Eve urged her mate.

“I deeply regret the way I treated your woman. I believed Rena was a threat and had somehow influenced your judgment. I didn’t understand that she inspired deep emotions from you.”

Eve hoped the silver-haired cyborg would accept the apology. It didn’t take long.

“I see.”

Her shoulders sagged a little and part of her heart broke for her mate. It wasn’t the response she’d hoped for and was sure Blackie felt the same way.

“I was completely loyal to the council and believed their assessment that she was a danger to us. I’ve since learned my error and realize how angry you must feel regarding my words and actions. I regret them. You have my deepest apologies and I would like to state my error to your mate as well.”

The seconds ticked by, urging Eve to get involved and she spun, studying the men as they regarded each other. Steel didn’t look ready to throw any punches but he also didn’t exactly appear convinced.

“We bonded when we met on Earth.” The words came from her easily as she crossed the room to stand at Blackie’s side, peering up at Steel. “He lost me and I think it kind of hardened him against emotions. He’s really sorry and, in hindsight, feels terrible about some things he’s done. We talked about you and your wife on our way here.”

Blackie took her hand. “Don’t, Eve.”

She wasn’t ready to give up. Steel’s expression lacked any hint of his thoughts but he listened. “I’m sure you had one of those moments when you fell in love with your Rena that changed your outlook on everything. Blackie is seeing things differently now. He’s really torn up about stuff he’s done in the past and I told him that he can make it up to everyone if he just expresses how he feels. Everyone deserves a second chance, don’t you think?”

Steel said nothing.

“Look at me. I’m standing on a planet of cyborgs when my entire line was left behind on Earth to die. I don’t blame everyone here for that. It’s Parlis’ fault. He’s the one who lied to me. Blackie was taken in too, by lies, and now he knows the truth. He was doing what he thought was right. I don’t know all the details of what went down between you guys but he feels horrible. Trust me on that.”

Steel’s piercing gaze left her and he frowned as he spoke to Blackie. “You love her?”

“Yes. She’s everything to me.” Blackie didn’t hesitate to answer.

“She obviously loves you. I have no problem with you anymore, Blackie. My memory is lengthy but I accept that you’re no longer a threat to Rena. You and I will be on good terms. Agreed?”

“Agreed.” Blackie gave a sharp nod. “Thank you.”

“Treat your woman right. She’s your number-one priority. Never forget that. It’s not a dereliction of duty to place her above all else. She will be the reason you enjoy life.”

“There’s no need to give me that advice.”

The cyborg’s silver-blue gaze lowered to Eve. “My Rena will want to meet you. You appear human and she doesn’t enjoy spending time with cyborg women. She finds them too emotionally remote to connect to. You may feel the same way about them once you learn more about Garden. You’re welcome to visit us.” He glanced at Blackie. “You may bring him after I speak to her. She may not be receptive at first but we’ll attempt a polite social gathering. I’ll send you an invitation to dinner soon.”

“Thank you!” Eve grinned. “We would love that.”

The cyborg left, closing the door behind him, and Eve couldn’t resist laughing as she hugged Blackie. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

His arms wrapped around her. “It wasn’t the smoothest verbal communication I’ve shared but it wasn’t as dire as I estimated it would be.”

“Did you think he’d punch you?”

“There was a high probability. I believed he came here to warn me to stay far away from his woman or to ask me to request residency in another building.”

“We got a dinner invite instead. See? This apology thing works.” She backed up enough to stare at his handsome face. “So give me the tour. I’m mostly interested in the bedroom. We have a lot to celebrate. I’m talking about sex, just in case that hint wasn’t strong enough.”

“Do you want to check on Danica to be certain she’s safe? Gene won’t allow any harm to come to her but I understand how you might want verification.”

A hint of guilt struck when she realized she’d totally forgotten about that situation. Her priorities had changed and getting Blackie na**d had been her only fixation. It didn’t mean she loved Danica less but her mate came first. Blackie trusted Gene and she wanted her mate to know she had faith in his judgment.

“How long do those drugs last?”

He paused, seeming to calculate in his mind. “We have approximately four hours and twenty minutes before she rouses.”

“There’s no point in bothering them if she’s snoozing. Let’s inspect this bedroom of ours first. We’ll contact your friend afterward.”

“We should send the communication in case she wakes early. I based that calculation on human response time.”

“Okay.” She allowed him to lead her into the living room to a wall with a screen. “I’m not going to be able to work anything here, am I?” She raised her hand and pressed it to the surface. Nothing happened. She tried again but couldn’t link to the system.

Blackie brushed hers aside and placed his on the sensor. “They are coded for cyborgs only. It won’t be a problem. I can set our home to voice activation and program it to follow your commands.”

“Even the door locks?”

“Yes.” He closed his eyes and in seconds the screen lit up. Gene’s face appeared.

“How did it go? Why are we on a visual connection?”

“Everything went according to plan. Parlis and Jezel have been taken into custody and stripped of their status. Eve wished to leave a vid message for Danica.” He released the pad and nodded. “Go ahead. Gene can end the transmission when you are done. I’ll meet you in our bedroom.”

“Great.” She watched him disappear down a hallway and remembered the other cyborg waited. She stared into his eyes. “She’s going to be pissed that you drugged her and took her to your ship.”

“I assumed.” Gene shrugged. “I will be able to handle the situation.”

Eve sucked in air. “Can you record this and show it to her when she wakes?”

He touched something. “Recording.”

“Hi, Dani.” It was a term she only used when she knew her sister was angry. “I’m really sorry about you being slipped a sedative. They wanted to make sure one of us survived if Freedom had any nasty surprises waiting for us on the surface and he did. You were actually the lucky one since you missed being shot at and enduring a wild ride in an armored vehicle. I’m fine. Freedom is toast, okay? He’s been locked up and is in deep shit. Gene is going to return you to the surface so don’t bust his balls, okay?”

She noticed Gene’s eyes widened at her request and grinned. “I’ll see you soon. Be good and play nice. That’s an order from me to you. I’m still the first. Love ya!” She nodded at Gene and ran her finger in a slicing motion over her throat. “You can stop recording. Hopefully that will keep her calm but just in case, watch out for her knees near your groin, okay?”

He swallowed. “I understand.”

“Good luck. You can hang up now.”

The screen went dark and Eve spun, tracking her mate down the hallway. His scent lingered enough that she bypassed the first two open doors without glancing inside and entered the third one on the left. He stood at the end of a large bed, minus his uniform shirt.

“Getting undressed without me?”

“You seem to enjoy looking at my skin.”

“I do.” She crossed the large space, noticing the views beyond the tinted windows, showcasing the city. “One question though. Can people from the other buildings see inside here? Don’t you guys own blinds?”

“Computer, remove all exterior light.”

The windows darkened until the glass turned black. “Wow. That’s a cool feature.”

“We work different shifts and daylight can annoy some during a sleep cycle.”

“I’m going to like it here if the food is good. That’s my only holdout now,” she teased, openly examining his muscular chest and reaching out to splay her hands on his abs. “I love everything else I see.” She slid her palms lower, to the waist of his pants. “Let’s get you out of these and discuss what else might taste good.”

Blackie stiffened his spine when Eve dropped to her knees before him and used her fingers to unfasten his pants. He lowered his chin, watching her as she tugged them down until his dick was free. Having her so close was more than enough to make blood rush to that area.

The light touch of her fingertips exploring the sensitive skin at the base of his shaft then traveling upward to the head increased his heart rate. He inhaled sharply and stilled, enjoying her intimate attention. Her gaze lifted to his and she smiled. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips and they parted, inching closer. He locked his knees to keep upright when she surrounded the bulb of his dick with her hot, wet mouth.

“Eve,” he groaned as she took more of him, lightly teasing him with her tongue and suction. It took control not to move when the urge to thrust hit.

It became a mixture of torment and pure pleasure when one of her hands cupped his ass while the other one slid up the inside of his thigh to caress his scrotum. She massaged it, working his dick between her lips at the same time. His eyes closed as he experienced every sensation from her warm breath fanning his lower belly to the erotic spell cast each time she nearly withdrew, only to take a little more when she advanced forward.

He blindly reached out, grabbing the post of the bed for support. Every muscle in his body seemed to grow rigid as he drew closer to ejaculation. He didn’t want to come too fast but his body refused to listen to his commands.