“You panicked, Science Model.” I patted his arm. “It’s okay.” A sudden thought struck. Dr. Shaw had created Dax. She had watched as he had developed and although Dr. Shaw was a genius, I highly doubted cyborgs popped out of the vat fully clothed.
Then again if anyone could do it, it would be Dr. Shaw. Suddenly Ihadtoknow.I raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t jump out of the vat fully clothed, did you?” The image of Dax popping out of his vat in a lab coat and bow tie, shouting ta da, sprung to my mind. I bit my lip in an attempt to hold back the laughter that had begun to bubble up.
Dax released a huff. “Much to my disappointment, that was beyond even Dr. Shaw’s capabilities.” He lifted me off his lap, setting me down carefully on the bed. “I try not to think about it,” he muttered as he walked to the bathroom. Grabbing a cloth, he came back to where I was perched on the edge of the bed.
He sank to his knees, nudging my thighs apart to gently wipe away the lingering traces of love making. His tenderness rooted me to the spot and the laugher I had felt building vanished instantly. I was under his spell, my heart hammering inside my chest as I watched him rise, heading to the closet to pull something off one of the hangers.
Dax turned, holding my dress with the green hearts on it clutched in his hand.He kept it. And he had it hanging in his closet.I looked over his shoulder and noticed all the clothes I had brought with me were hanging perfectly on hangers in the closet next to his. I knew I had left them in my bags, so it must have been Dax who had put them there. I went to reach for the dress, but he shook his head no.
“Let me,” he said softly before he placed the dress over my head, tugging it down to cover me. The scent of vanilla hit my nose as the dress settled against my skin, and at first, I wondered why my dress smelled like Dax, then I realized it had been stored in the same closet with his and his scent had transferred to my clothes.
I hope all my clothes smell like him now.I smiled at the thought.
He cocked his head to the side. “You are smiling, why?”
I brushed a hand over my dress. “It smells likeyou,” I answered happily.
He must have liked my answer because he matched my smile with one of his own before heading back to the closet to grab a set of clothes for himself. Once he was dressed, he grabbed a brush from the bathroom then scooted his frame back on the bed to make room for me to sit in between his legs.
Dax worked the brush through the tangled strands of my hair with methodical care, his strokes calculated and precise to make sure they never tugged or yanked any bit of my hair.
My head tipped forward, letting out a small moan. It had been years since anyone had brushed my hair and I had forgotten how good it felt, how good it felt to be taken care of. My parents had been gone for years and Oz was the kind of best friend you called when you needed the shit kicked out of someone, not when you needed a hug.
Dax taking care of me sent a rush of warmth to my chest. “You’re really good at this.”
The brush stopped moving through my hair. “At what?”
I looked over my shoulder, flashing him a smile. “At taking care of me. Thank you, Dax.”
A blush darkened his cheeks as he shrugged. “It’s what a worthy male does for his female. No need to thank me.” His lips grazed mine in a quick kiss ,then he nudged my cheek and I took the hint, facing forward to let him continue. A few more strokes and he was finished. Setting down the brush, he pulled me against his frame with a contented sigh.
The sigh I made matched his. There was nowhere I would rather be. No male more worthy than mine. I turned my head, placing my ear to his chest so I could hear his heartbeat. “No one is more worthy of forever, Dax. Let’s find out if we get it.”
Chapter Forty-Two
*Poe*
Dr. Shaw ran the scanneronce over my body before focusing it on my head, and her brown eyes flashed with pity. I felt my heart drop within my chest and I squeezed Dax’s hand tighter. Pain washed over me, dragging me from the comfortable shore of Dax’s love, and for a moment, I bobbed in the dark water of despair before a rush of anger exploded in my veins.
My lips flattened. “Don’t look at me like that.” I lifted my chin, challenging her pity filled gaze.Was I really going to challenge Dr. Shaw? The creator of the cyborgs and Dax’s mother?Yep. I was. I didn’t wake up from a coma to have the smartest woman I had ever met look at me with pity. And was there a hint of guilt in her eyes?
I searched her eyes a bit closer and there it was. My suspicions were further confirmed when she jerked her eyes back to study the scanner, avoiding my eyes.Got you. What are you hiding, Dr. Shaw?Her eyes slid to Dax briefly, then they focused once again on the scanner. She was holding something back. Something she didn’t want to say in front of Dax.
My stomach chose that exact moment to rumble and Dax’s eyes flew to the source of the noise. Here was my chance. I had to find out what Dr. Shaw was refusing to tell me.Thank you, empty stomach,I silently whispered in my head.