about a life upgrade!
She reached out to touch him, but he wasn’t there. She opened her eyes and lifted her head, looking around the room. A few lights in the ceiling had been left on but at a dim setting. Big wasn’t within sight. She had no guess as to the time. There were no windows, and there sure wouldn’t be sunshine to indicate morning even if there had been. It sank in once more that she lived inside a crater, inside a moon. And not the one she’d grown up seeing in the night sky.
Gemma dropped her head back down on the pillow and closed her eyes. The reality of her situation overwhelmed her. It wasn’t a drug-induced dream. She’d actually woken in the future, now had a cloned body, and it was years younger than the one she’d lived in before. Upgraded. Improved.
She noticed the changes once again as she lie there. Her knuckles didn’t ache from arthritis. She’d slept through the night without waking to use the bathroom. Her left knee usually throbbed if she didn’t put a heating pad on it before bed. It felt fine now. She didn’t have to worry about moving too fast or twisting wrong, causing back pain.
Then there was Big. He was everything she’d always wished for in a man. Sweet, kind, sexy, and he had a body on him that didn’t quit. He cared about what she was thinking and feeling. He was just…attentive. It was wonderful.
He talked about commitment, too, and being with her, taking care of her, as if they were already married. It was a forgone conclusion that they were a dedicated couple, to hear him speak. She’d noticed immediately but hadn’t said anything, not about to complain. She was onboard with keeping him forever; there had to be some tradeoff to all the panic.
Being created in a clone factory and living a hellish life on Clone World probably made him want a serious bond. Relationships sounded rare, and that would make them special. His extremely attractive looks made sense, too. Why wouldn’t a company make hunks? Tall, gorgeous, muscled ones, with impressive cocks. He had girth and length, plus stamina.
The list of his awesomeness went on. Like some romance hero, Big had rescued her from Sherlock, the horror bot with six fingers, and had turned out to be an amazing lover.
“Maybe it is a dream,” she muttered. “If it’s too good to be true, it usually is.”
She heard a soft click. It had to be Big returning to bed. He probably had to use the bathroom. She smiled, thinking they could make love again—
Suddenly the covers were torn off her body. A gasp escaped her as she rolled, staring at a shape next to the bed. It wasn’t Big but instead a smaller man, dressed all in black.
A scream ripped from her throat and she frantically scrambled away, falling off the other side of the bed with a thump.
She clawed at the soft carpet, got to her feet, and watched as the thing streaked across the room to disappear into a dark corner. Her heart pounded madly.
The bedroom door hit the wall as Big rushed inside. “Gemma?”
She ran to him, threw her naked body against his dressed one, and pointed. “Someone came in here! He went that way!”
Big wrapped his arms around her. “Lights on full,” he demanded.
The overhead lights grew bright enough for her to have to blink a few times to adjust. He eased his hold on her and gripped her shoulders, turning her to face him.
Concerned masked his features as he spoke. “What happened?”
“Someone was in here. He yanked the covers off me.”
Big’s mouth opened…but then he sighed, features relaxing. “Shit.”
She clutched at his gray shirt. “You said we were alone on this station but we’re not!”
“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.” He softened his tone and rubbed her arms. “It was the room-cleaning bot. I forgot to program you in. It registered that I had ordered breakfast and came in to change the bedding. Your movements would have overridden the programing and made the robot return to storage.”
She stared up at him, heart still pounding, trying to make sense of what he was saying.
He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. “It’s like Magna, only for the bedroom. Their programming is less advanced. They don’t interact with people. It was just trying to change the bedding until its motion sensors picked up your presence. I’m so sorry.” His body