Rogue: A Dark Cyborg Romance Read online

  He’s coming for you...

  “Stop it. He’s a damn machine.” I glared back, angry with myself. Lack of sleep was kicking my ass. “Breathe. You just need a break.” Closing my eyes, the vision morphed, becoming even more intense, a ravaging moment of raw desire grabbing at every ounce of my being. Instead of just being able to see his rugged face, I envisioned all of him, every stunning inch of his rugged body and thick cock.

  But there was more.

  I was kneeling in front of him, completely naked and waiting for his command. In his hand was a strap of some kind. He snapped the thick leather between his massive hands, stretching the material as I gazed up at him. Every synapsis was on fire and all I could think of was begging him not to whip me. I was a good girl. I was...

  “You will learn to obey, or your punishment will be much worse,” he stated, the tone a dark and husky vibe riddled with authority.

  “Yes, Master.”

  “I’m going to punish you for all your sins, my sweet Noire.”

  Crack!

  “Fuck. Fuck!” My words echoed in the dingy space and very slowly I opened my eyes.

  He was still there.

  Leering at me.

  Hungering for me.

  I inched closer, stretching out my arm until my fingers brushed against the glass. There wasn’t a portion of my body that didn’t tingle, prickles slowly creeping up from my arms to my neck. My mouth was bone dry, my pussy clenching and nothing around me mattered any longer.

  Except for him.

  The man who beckoned for me.

  The machine who would take me, use me.

  Fuck me.

  And I wanted nothing more.

  No, I was thinking about the night before. The dom had been intense, with carved features and—

  “Officer Richardson? Are you all right?” the female officer asked, her tone full of concern.

  The voice cut through my fantasy and I blinked, my attention drawn in her direction. I took several deep breaths before answering. “Fine. I’m just fine, Officer Jenkins.” Daring to dart another glance at the mirror, of course, as I’d suspected, there was no sexy face peering back at me, hungering like a crazed beast.

  There was just the bleakness of the dingy space and dreadful overhead lighting.

  “Good job with that catch today. The cyborg was on the top ten most wanted. Damn bastard killed what, five people?” Officer Jenkins moved to a stall.

  I was frozen to the spot, half hoping she’d just get the hell out of my way. I didn’t need anyone bugging the shit out of me, prying into my business. “Thanks. Eight, including an entire family.”

  “Jesus. Are you sure you’re okay? I can tell by that shiner you’re going to have you were decked damn hard by the freak.”

  I pressed my fingers against my cheek, forcing myself to pull away from the sink. “Yeah, just need a little time off.”

  “I hear that. Brutal hours lately. Take care of yourself. These outbreaks are getting out of hand.”

  As if she knew. Jenkins was one of the protected, never leaving the office for any reason. Everyone was fearful of the recent attacks, which put the facility under severe scrutiny. Ah, what a shame. I could only hope they’d never let another cyborg onto the street roaming free, pretending to be human.

  I tugged at my hair, winding the long strands around my fingers and fashioning a simple bun before smoothing down the tattered portions of my shirt. All I had to do was finish my report then I could find solace. I yanked the door with enough force the handle hit the wall, clanging against the tile. I remained on edge, furious about the day’s events, but enraged with myself for allowing the images to surface in the first place.

  And I skipped the damn shower. Let them arrest me.

  Storming toward my cubicle, I could see amusement on my partner’s face. “What? What?” I barked and thumped down in the chair, giving him an evil eye. Chris had been my partner for almost three years. He knew my mood swings as well as my determination to capture as many reprobates as possible. And I was damn good at it. I had as many commendations as I did reprimands.

  Chris held up his hands, chuckling. “You look like shit, partner. Thought you were cleaning up.”

  “Later. I have work to do.”

  “One hard bitch, aren’t you? I’ve never seen another officer literally beat the crap out of a reprobate before. We oughta get you boxing as a side job. My bet would be on you.”

  I chuckled at his words. The fact we were a perfect match as partners continued to amuse me. He was exacting in his methods of cyborg collection. I was the unruly one, taking far too many chances.

  “Hey, what was that crap with the new cyborg today?”

  “What crap?”

  He rolled his eyes. “You were quite interested in the guy. I will say, no one would be able to tell he was all metal.”

  “Interested?”

  “You heard me,” he teased.

  Shrugging, I made certain none of the other officers were listening in. I trusted Chris, including with my life, but there were ears everywhere. “I’m not sure, actually, but I have a gut feeling the cyborg is being programmed in an odd manner. My interest is about safety. You know that. I think the facility isn’t just creating the next best generation of cyborg units.” The answer sounded plausible enough, even if I had no freaking clue what was going on.

  “Huh? You always have the craziest ideas, partner. Look, I wouldn’t spend a lot of time trying to fabricate some science fiction story. From what I understand, the facility has big brother watching everything they do. They’d be crazy to go off line.”

  This much I knew to be true. The government had a firm hold on every functionality of the cyborg system. Still, a question popped into my mind. “What if the government is behind a brand new operation, one that the basic civilized population has no idea about?”

  “I wouldn’t say that too loudly. You know what I mean.”

  Yeah, I knew. I’d been watched since the day I entered the CRON organization. My father’s pristine connections were the only reason I was here, much to the chagrin of many who thought my entire family were far too interested in preserving Earth rather than changing it. I’d been called into my captain’s office more than once for asking the ‘wrong’ questions. Today’s experience had been unnerving, pushing my red flags into high alert mode.

  “Don’t look now, partner,” Chris whispered.

  I snarled in an exaggerated fashion, eying our captain as he made his way toward us. “Please, dear God, do not tell me we already have another assignment.”

  The captain lifted a single eyebrow, huffing under his breath. Obviously, he’d heard me. “Officers Richardson, Jarvis. Just wanted to let you know that I thought you did a damn good job today.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Chris said proudly.

  The captain held up his finger. “Hold on. I wasn’t finished. With the exception of destroying six vehicles and bombing a portion of one home.”

  Chris gave me a quick look. I gave him a harsh one. “We can explain,” I said more in passing.

  The captain rubbed his hand across his face. “No need. All in the line of duty, right? However, to that end, you’re both on desk duty for the next seventy-two hours. I need to smooth this over.”

  “Captain!” I started.

  “Don’t ‘captain’ me, Richardson. I know you take your job seriously, but you need to work on anger management. Take tonight off. You can finish the report in the morning. In the meantime, I need you to figure out what kind of down time is going to work best for you. We’ll talk about it more tomorrow.”

  I opened my mouth to retort but he lifted a single finger before walking off. “Damn it.”

  “I think the term ‘excessive force’ comes to mind,” Chris said, grinning from ear to ear.

  “To hell with you. I did what was necessary.” I glared at the visual screen then jerked up.

  “You wanna have a drink tonight? Maybe dinner? I know of a great
Italian place.”

  Chris had been trying to get me out on a date for over a year. I kept telling him that I had this thing about not mixing business with pleasure, but I knew he wasn’t buying it. He had no idea who the woman was inside, and I certainly wasn’t going to let him in on my dirty, dark secrets. Besides, he was a nice guy, much too charming for the likes of me. “I’m exhausted. I think I’m going to crack open a bottle of whiskey and take a nice, hot bath. Maybe another night.”

  “Whiskey. Jesus, you are in a mood.” He huffed, mumbling something under his breath.

  “Yeah, I am.” I walked out of the office, taking long strides toward the exit. If only I could crave a very nice man instead of the darkness.

  But that wasn’t to be.

  * * *

  The sheets felt sensual against my naked body, the thin material shifting back and forth across my aching bottom and erect nipples more scintillating than the round of fucking the night before. I couldn’t sleep and stared at the vivid screen dancing the glowing numbers on the clock. It was almost three in the morning. Exhaling, I turned my head, gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows that were only a few feet away. I never pulled the blinds, had an intense fear of suffocation including any form of enclosure. The windows somehow managed to keep the smothering anxiety away.

  My mind was reeling from the events of the last few days, the adrenaline refusing to wear off. Resigned to an early day, I eased out of bed, padding toward the window. There were a few lights on, mostly located at street level but no sign of activity. Curfews blanketed the entire city, keeping all the good people safe and secure, nestled in their beds. Even the men weren’t allowed out after curfew. That left the entire night for the reprobates to wander the streets. They had no sense of time nor did they care about any of the mandated laws.

  Pressing my face against the glass, I stared up at the few stars and one of the most gorgeous moons I’d seen in a long time. Everything should seem serene but to me, the nighttime was ominous, especially tonight. I’d never felt safe in the city, but I had few choices. There was no family left, no brothers or sisters, my mother and father dying years before. There was only me to take care of myself. I’d worked hard to get where I was, the position with CRON paying me well enough I lived in a very secure location, able to purchase almost anything I wanted.

  And I hated every damn minute of the strict authority, the reminder of a happier time. I laughed softly to myself. So what? I couldn’t make a change now. Suck it up.

  A glint of something metallic caught my attention. It must have come from across the street. I narrowed my eyes, scanning the area, always on the alert. There was a series of apartment buildings located behind a chiseled wall and not a single car was parked in close proximity. I was able to make out several of the shrubs flanking the few remaining sidewalks, but little else.

  The moon must have reflected off a piece of metal. But what and how? My hackles raised, I moved closer to the end of the window, trying to get a different view. There it was again. Tightness grabbed at my throat as one of the shrubs seemed to move. I took a step back, glancing up at the few trees. There was almost no breeze tonight. I had to be seeing things. Jesus. My stomach was in knots.

  I could swear the shadow moved again. After grabbing a robe, I rushed into the kitchen and toward what would be the closest window to the movement. Nothing. I could see absolutely nothing. I tied the sash, chastising myself for even giving a shit. I was an officer of the law, but I certainly wasn’t going to rake some poor soul over the coals for walking. Some good cop I was. Taking a deep breath, I unlocked the door leading to the tiny patio, slowly opening the door and stepping outside. The acrid stench of smoke assaulted my nose. There was an active fire somewhere close by.

  I inched closer to the edge, wrapping both hands around the thick iron railing, peering out into the night. I was a complete fool. I’d let the cyborg get under my skin.

  And not the raging machine who’d gone on a rampage.

  Nothing. There was absolutely nothing.

  Chuckling to myself, I was about to retreat when I heard the slightest pinging noise. Metal against metal. There was no mistaking the sound. I knew it well. I pinpointed what had to be the location, opening my eyes wide.

  The movement occurred again and chills raced down the backs of my legs as the silhouette of a massive man took deliberate steps onto the street. There was no doubt he was staring at me, even though I couldn’t make out his features. I knew by the way my body reacted.

  The cyborg.

  Watching me.

  Hungering for me.

  Blinking, I stretched over the railing, desperate to identify the fucker. “What in the hell is going on?”

  I’m coming for you...

  Scuttling backward, I hit the edge of the door, swearing his scent lingered, as if he was standing right beside me. I’d heard of certain interactive programs where dreams became reality, but this was ridiculous. I couldn’t believe the cyborg had escaped, hunting me down for his own nefarious needs. Stress. Exhaustion. A heavy workload. There was no other answer.

  I locked the door behind me, refusing to give in to my imagination. Sleep. I would take a sleeping pill and fall into a dreamless state.

  I dared to look into the mirror. “Fuck.” I could see his face, his rugged and handsome features. Everything about him turned me on. He was breathtaking, forcing my pussy to clench. This just wasn’t going to happen.

  As I rushed into the bathroom, nearly tossing everything from the small cabinet over the sink, I studied my face, glaring at the ugly, yellowed bruise. Just another battle wound.

  Finding the bottle, my hands were shaking as I snapped off the lid, taking more than the allotted amount without liquid of any kind. This was the only gift I could give to myself, leaving the real world behind.

  No more visions.

  No more desires.

  I was taking charge once again.

  Chapter Four

  Rogue

  Program 69X-HPA 2252

  Begin...

  The way her skin looked in the shadows was seductive, breathtaking. I advanced yet kept my distance, allowing her to feel some level of comfort. I’d followed her, finding out everything about the human female I’d fantasized about. Then I’d begun the hunt. Now, she belonged to me and there was no human or machine who could ever take her away from me.

  “Noire,” I whispered, the single word echoing even in the abandoned space; crumbled walls of concrete, twisted metal girders, and rusted pipes were all that surrounded us. Scattered junk was strewn about, ancient desks and other furniture simply left after evacuation. She’d made a single mistake, falling into my trap. Neither her years of training nor her innate instincts had provided warning.

  Not against the likes of me.

  She turned around in the darkness, gasping for air as she struggled to see where the voice had come from. “Who are you?” She was shaking and even from where I stood, I could hear the rapid beating of her heart.

  “Noire, come to me,” I commanded.

  Moving around a mass of debris in a stealth-like manner, she continuously scanned the warehouse, trying to keep her wits together.

  Inhaling, the scent of her feminine wiles, a wet pussy already clenching with anticipation, was the sweetest aphrodisiac. Even in the darkness, I could see the outline of her hardened nipples straining against the thin tee shirt.

  “Stay away from me,” she huffed, her tone riddled with bitterness.

  “Never.”

  I stepped out into the last remnants of daylight, the scattered sun peeking in through the cracks in the windows.

  She thrust the gun in my direction, taking a fighter’s stance. “You’re under arrest.”

  “Is that what you really want? Is that why you came here all alone?” I took two decided steps toward her, my hands behind my back. The cat and mouse game had been... delicious.

  While Noire continued to fight her urges, the longing that had built to the
point of losing control, her eyes gave her away. She was ripe for the taking, yearning to have my cock buried deep inside of her. She hungered for my touch, praying I’d strip her free of her tight confines, unleashing her pent-up inhibitions and the ugly mask she’d hidden so carefully behind for years.

  And I would do just that.

  “HPA 2252, you’re coming with me,” she stated. Her voice was hoarse, the tone raw and unbridled. I was even more drawn to her, taking a calculated step closer. She responded by tightening her grip on the weapon, her elegant arms fully extended. However, her lower lip quivered and her reaction had nothing to do with fear. She was powerful and strong, even in her desire to succumb to my demands.

  “I have no intention of doing that, Noire. In fact, you’ve come for an entirely different reason. Haven’t you?”

  We’d played this game long enough. Now, I’d give her everything she’d fantasized about all those lonely nights. My footsteps thudded against the cold concrete as I walked closer, until we were only an arm length away, the barrel of her gun planted against my chest. I gazed down the barrel then to her face, cocking my head as I studied every detail of her stunning features; long eyelashes framing the most incredible set of lavender eyes, high cheekbones that couldn’t hide the flush covering her porcelain skin, and voluptuous lips that were slightly pursed.

  She took several deep breaths, the sound ragged, her chest rising and falling. “Don’t come any closer,” she managed, although there was no conviction in her voice. “Get down on your hands and knees, your arms behind your head.”

  “That’s the position you will be in soon enough.”

  “Fuck you, cyborg. You are coming with me one way or the other.” She laughed softly, fighting to keep her hands on the gun.

  I knew her strengths as well as her weaknesses. I had no fear of her pulling the trigger. “No, I’m not.”

  I gave her what had to be a lurid smile before lifting my hand and placing it on the barrel, very slowly pulling the gun from her hand. While she didn’t resist, a series of whimpers escaped her mouth. When her hands were free, she rubbed them up and down her thighs, the pants damp from her own sweat. She blinked several times, uncertain of what had just happened.