“You are returning me to Earth for death?”

Her mouth dropped open in shock. “Why do you do that, always look for the worst scenario possible? God. Do you know me at all?”

“The female I believed I had correctly assessed would not have attacked me and stolen a life pod.”

She moved to her knees and then threw her leg over the stunned cyborg as she straddled his h*ps and leaned forward to press her hands on his chest.

“I didn’t do this to hurt you in any way. It sure as hell wasn’t to use you in any way. Whatever you have going on in that brain of yours right now, forget it.” She took a slow, deep breath, and let it out. “I know what a breeding pact is and exactly what that means.”

He said nothing as they stared at each other but he had gone a little pale. She nodded as she lifted a hand to cup his face, her thumb tracing his jawline. She stared deeply into his eyes.

“I’m just going to be totally honest with you since I stole an escape pod, kidnapped you, and had to knock you out to make sure you didn’t turn the ship on me while I tried to steal both of you.” She hesitated. “I love you, Iron. I fell for you hard and fast. The idea of you having to touch other women kills me. It will destroy me the first time you leave to go climb into bed with someone else. If we go to Garden, your people can make you to follow those stupid laws, force you to have kids with other women. If we go to Earth my people will kill you.”

“So your plan was to steal a life pod?” He frowned but something in his eyes softened and the angry tone was gone from his voice. “We can’t travel extensively in one of these. We’re defenseless, Dawn. We’re a target for pirates. This wasn’t a good plan to avoid my breeding pact.”

“I know it’s not perfect,” she admitted softly. “But what choice did I have? We can’t live on your world or mine but I do know a place we can go.”

“Are you thinking of taking me to your space station full of humans? They will see me and instantly alert someone to my presence, Dawn.”

“No, not the station. I can’t let anyone see you or they will contact Earth Government. I’m not that damn naïve. The thing is, Arian Nine is perfect.”

He frowned. “The planet you are converting for colonization?”

“There’s an underground station that isn’t in use. When we first set up the scientists miscalculated the changes that would take place on the surface. They placed the Vonder emergency underground station on the far northern region, making it unlivable for nine months of the year. It’s an icy area where life would be too harsh. They had me close the station down three years ago but it’s totally self-contained and was stocked to sustain life for everyone on Vonder Station to hole up in case we had to abandon it. There’s enough food supplies in it to last us five or six years. I’m a mechanic so I can keep it going if something breaks down. By the time we need to resupply they’ll have cities built. I can easily slip into one of them to buy us more supplies without being caught if anyone is even looking for me by that time. There is a three-month window where it’s actually pleasant and sunny so we’ll have those months to live on the surface to get fresh air and sunshine.”

“What about money or do you plan on stealing when our supplies run out?”

“I have been saving all my salary for retirement. I have enough to last us a long damn time, Iron.” She bit her lip. “We can be together, just you and me. I know it won’t be easy sometimes but no one can force us apart or control us. You won’t have to sleep with other women. You’ll be safe from detection right under their damn noses, literally. If you think about it, it’s a solid plan.”

The tense lines in his features softened. “You would live underground nine months a year to be with me?”

“In a heartbeat.”

“Release me, little red.”

She wanted to. “I can’t.”

“Do you think I will hurt you?” He stared at her with a returning frown. “I won’t.”

“You told me once that you’d lure your captor into believing you were docile and then escape the first opportunity you had. I can’t risk that because I’d lose you.” She hesitated. “Unless you don’t want to be with me. Is that it? Do you feel anything for me?”

Pain gripped her as he silently watched her without saying a word. The thought of Iron refusing to go to Arian Nine with her because he no longer wanted her almost broke her heart. She licked her lips and reached for the tool kit. Iron remained quiet as she opened it to remove pliers. She met his gorgeous eyes.

“I won’t force you to be with me, Iron. I love you too much so if you want to be free, I won’t keep you against your will.” She tore her gaze from his, working to free the stapled belts.

She half expected him to grab her when she freed his wrists but he didn’t. He rubbed them instead, still staring at her without uttering a word. She had to climb off his lap to reach the belts securing his legs. She set the tool down when she was done, turning on her knees to meet his intense gaze.

“I guess I should fix the controls now so the computer can take us back.”

Iron moved quickly, his hands going to her waist, wrapping around it. He lifted her easily, showing her once again his impressive strength as he set her back on his legs so she straddled him. She was surprised but as she gazed into his eyes she saw no anger there.

“I want you to remain mine, Dawn. You should know that by now. I just don’t believe this is the answer.”

“What other options do we have? I’ve been all over this situation in my head. You have a damn breeding pact in your world and in mine you’re public enemy number one.”

“I was working on finding a solution and have been in contact with two sympathetic members of the cyborg council to ask for their help. Before you took me.”

That surprised her. “You were?”

He nodded. “I don’t want to be in a breeding pact anymore, Dawn. I don’t want another female and I knew, after you attacked Fiona, that you would attack any female who was physical with me. If a human harmed or killed a cyborg, they’d be put to death. I am not willing to risk you that way.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Well, it’s done and we’re free of your people so we might as well give this a shot. We can have a good life on Arian Nine.”

“We have to go back, Dawn. We’ll return together and I won’t allow anyone to harm you or punish you for stealing me and the pod.”

“You’re putting faith in your council to find a solution for you but look what they did to Coal. Those women turned him into a slave and they aren’t going to punish them over it, are they? I refuse to put our future in their hands.”

Anger darkened his features. “You do have an obsession with that male.”

“I do not.” She shook her head. “You’re the only man I want.”

His eyes narrowed. “Prove it.”

“You want me to prove you’re the only one I want?”

“Yes.”

She grinned as she reached for the front of his pants, unfastening his belt and slowly jerking it free of the loops. “I can totally show you how much I want you.”

Iron’s eyebrows rose as he stared at her. Amusement spread through Dawn as she wiggled until he released her h*ps so she could stand and shed her pants. She reached for the shirt but Iron stopped her.

“Keep it on. It is chilly in the room.”

Dawn straddled his lower thighs, the material of his work uniform a little rough against her skin, creating an erotic sensation. Her fingers quickly worked the front of his pants, opening them up and then making him lift up enough so she could jerk down both pants and briefs so he was na**d from mid thigh to his lower stomach where she pushed up his shirt to just under his bellybutton.

“Look at you,” she breathed, her gaze lowering to his erect cock, protruding upward. “I was afraid of this part of you at first.” She glanced at his face, grinned. “I never thought I’d have to tell a man he was too damn big.”

“I want you, little red.”

He wasn’t playing fair with his low, husky tone that turned her on. And he was using his special name for her. She leaned forward as she scooted down his legs, one of her hands sliding up his hip to grip his shirt, which she shoved higher on his stomach. Her palm ran across firm muscles that tensed as her other hand wrapped around his cock. She saw him bite his lower lip as she licked her lips, making a show of it and lowered her face close to his c**k until she knew he had to feel her warm breath fanning him.

“You’re the only man I want, sexy. I’m yours, but you’re mine too.”

Iron’s intense focus shifted from her lips to her eyes, their gazes connecting and holding. “We belong to each other,” he said softly. “I can live with that.”

She ran her tongue over his c**k head, teasing the slit. She shook her head. “I loved it when I was tied down and you could do anything to me. I wish you were still secure so you could know what it’s like. Don’t touch me and just enjoy this, Iron.”

She took him into her warm, wet mouth, hungry for his sweet taste as she started to inch him deeper in. Iron’s legs tensed under her ass and he arched his h*ps a little, feeding her more of his c**k as he lay all the way back so he was flat on the floor. She took him as deep as she could and then eased off, using the flat of her tongue and wrapping her lips tightly around his shaft as she pumped him slowly with her mouth. He was so unbelievably hard that she knew he was enjoying what she was doing to him as much as she was.

Her hand on his stomach inched under his shirt, gliding up his rib cage to find a beaded nipple. Her fingernails raked the hardened tip of it, coaxing another groan from her man. She loved that she could do this to him to show him how she worshiped his sexy body. She did.

Her cl*t throbbed and moisture was pooled between her thighs with each soft gasp and moan Iron made. His flavor teased her tongue with every pass over the tip of his c**k as pr**cum eased from the slit. She loved how sweet he was, how good he tasted. She stopped playing with his chest to ease that hand down between their bodies to rub a finger over her aching clit, searching for relief. Pleasure spread through her until it made thinking impossible.

She knew both of them were ready to come so she slowly released his c**k with a soft popping sound, breaking the suction. She removed her hand from between her thighs and then lifted up. Iron opened his eyes, his features flushed with passion as their gazes locked. Dawn moved higher, wrapping her hand around his thick shaft as she leveled her h*ps over him and adjusted him until the crown of his c**k slid through her soaked, creamy slit. She was so wet he slid easily as she rubbed against him, wiggling her hips.

“I love feeling you come deep inside me. You pulse and throb, filling me up, sexy.”

“Dawn,” he groaned. Her name was almost a pleading sound from his parted lips.

She eased down, moaning loudly as he breached her entrance, stretching her and slowly filling her as she lowered her hips, releasing his c**k once he was firmly embedded inside her. She eased the rest of the way down until her ass was on his lap, loving how full she was with him right where he belonged. Her gaze locked with his.

“I love you, Iron. I was always afraid to let someone mean so much to me but I’m more afraid of facing life without you. You’re everything to me.”

His blue eyes darkened. “I love you too, little red. No one has ever made me feel what you do.”

She lifted up, moaning at the sensation of him rubbing against oversensitized nerves in her turned-on body. Pure lust and need flashed through her as she started to slowly lift up and lower, riding him as her thighs squeezed against his. One of his large hands wrapped around her hip to grip her firmly and urge her to move faster.