a curse.

“Watch it,” Deviant growled back in a chilling voice.

“Damn drunk,” someone muttered. “You bumped into me, you mutated asshole.”

They walked a little farther before Deviant stopped yet again. He brushed a hand against her ass, removed something from a pocket lower down his leg, and she heard a door slide open. He took a few more steps.

“We’re clear but not safe yet. Hang on, Venice. You okay?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

Sweat tickled between their bodies where their chests and bellies were smashed together. The sensation of rising quickly made her dizzy and she wondered if they’d entered some kind of lift. She had no idea where they were but the rising sensation ceased. Deviant was walking, doors swished open and closed, and he finally stopped.

Light showed through her closed eyelids when he stretched his arms upward, and she opened her eyes as fresh air hit her. He’d thrown off his head drape, and struggled out of the shirt next.

Venice sucked in heavy breaths and pulled away from his chest, her face felt nearly glued to it after their adventure. She blinked a few times to adjust to the bright lights.

“Welcome to your new home,” he sighed.

She stared at the living quarters. It wasn’t big, maybe fifteen by nine feet, with a bed in one corner and a cleansing unit in another. Books lined one shelf along an entire wall, the spines printed in some weird language she’d never seen before. She turned to stare at the cyborg who’d rescued her.

“I’m going to fuck you just as soon as I shower.” He frowned. “I’ve never come in my pants before. That’s classified information. Do you understand me? Don’t ever tell anyone that happened.”

She nodded, stunned.

He stepped over to his bunk—a long, narrow one—and reached up to a shelf high above it. She gasped when he grabbed a sharp-looking blade. He paused as she stared at him with fear, wondering what he planned to do with it.

“Don’t move.”

He cut the curtain that wrapped them together, the sharp metal slashing through it easily, but he skillfully avoided her skin. The second the pressure was off, her legs slid down his body. Her ass landed on a soft mattress when he backed away.

“Stay,” he ordered. “If you try to run, you won’t be thrilled with what you find out there.”

Her gaze left his and located the door. She stared back up at him.

“You’re on a ship full of cyborgs. No one knows you’re here, and for right now, I want to keep it that way. So do you.”

She licked her lips. “Okay. I won’t try to run from you. You saved me.”

He crouched down, staring into her eyes. “They’ll want me to share you. Do you understand? You’re the only female on a ship with seven males.”

Fear hit hard.

An emotion akin to pity flashed in his eyes as he reached out and cupped her cheek. “I’m the only one who will touch you, but you need to follow my rules. Don’t try to leave this room. I can protect you here.” He glanced at the door before staring into her eyes again. “I’m going to shower. Get ready for me.”

“Okay.”

He released her and stood. She watched him step into the cleansing unit before the door closed, and she was alone. Seconds later it turned on, but Venice just sat there.

“Did I just get myself into worse trouble?”

No one answered her.

Chapter Three

The second the cleansing unit shut off, Venice scrambled to remove her underwear, wishing she could use Deviant’s shower too. He wasn’t the only one who’d gotten off during their walk to his ship. Her panties were soaked from both times he’d made her come. She used a dry part of them to wipe off her tummy where he’d left his seed and balled up the evidence, looking around the tidy room. She didn’t have a clue where to put them. He didn’t have a hamper or a trash can. And it was the only piece of clothing she had left.

She turned and shoved them under his pillow, taking a seat.

The unit opened and a wet, mostly naked Deviant stood there. She stared, her mouth open, suddenly reminded how sexy he was. The towel wrapped around his waist rode low enough to show off his flat, firm belly. Muscles were apparent in a tight group of ridges—and that wasn’t the only muscle she saw. His cock was hard, trapped under the material hugging his thighs. She lifted her gaze.

Bright blue eyes met hers before they