Avery stood on the open deck that looked out over the water. They had returned to Core’s home over an hour ago. It was late—or early depending on how you looked at the time. She had slipped outside while Core talked with Merrick about the council meeting tomorrow.

After everything that had happened in the last few months, she would be surprised if they didn’t ban all Gateway technology. It should be obvious by now that humans were much more trouble than they were worth.

Absolutely not! We are warriors first! Core’s thoughts came through loud and clear.

If Avery hadn’t given up rolling her eyes when she was thirteen—well, except for the very rare occasion when she forgot—she would have done it now. Instead, she wrapped her arms around her waist and stared out over the moon-drenched water.

Our people need the Gateway, he continued.

Aren’t you in a meeting to prepare for a meeting? Why are you talking to me? she silently retorted.

We are almost finished, he promised.

Take your time. I’m enjoying the beauty of the night. It isn’t often that I get this type of solitude, she dryly thought back.

She could sense his concern before he withdrew—or at least pretended to withdraw. This form of communication was definitely different from what she was used to. Lifting a hand to her temple, she rubbed at the dull throb, then sighed when she felt Core’s gentle touch. In seconds, the throbbing was gone.

What did you do? she asked.

I took your pain. Relax. I will be there in a few minutes, he tenderly replied.

Bring a glass of wine when you do, please, she responded.

His fading chuckle filled her with warmth. Once again he was gone—almost. She dropped her hand to the railing and leaned forward. A part of her wondered if their connection could stretch across the universe before she shook her head at the ridiculous idea.

“It truly is beautiful here,” RITA2 said with a sigh.

Avery turned toward the AI. This time RITA2 was dressed in a silky nightgown with a matching robe that would have made a Victoria’s Secret model drool. Avery raised an eyebrow.

“Have you been shopping?” she asked.

RITA2 twirled and grinned. “DAR’s idea after our visit with Trudy,” she replied.

Avery crossed her arms and gazed at RITA2 with a pointed look. “Is there a reason why you are here or are you so bored with advancing military defenses and intergalactic programming that you’re selling lingerie now?” Avery retorted.

RITA2 chuckled. “First, Trudy is doing much, much better. The medical units on this world really are superior to those back on Earth,” she said.

Avery waved her hand at the AI. “We haven’t been gone from the medical center all that long and it was pretty obvious that Trudy was doing fine,” she stated.

RITA2 hummed thoughtfully. “Well, I was just showing off a few new fashions to DAR to see if I could find the glitch he was talking about. Certain colors and transparencies of my nightgown caused an interesting spike in his coding. I’ll have to ask RITA about it. I’m trying to decipher if it will cause long-term damage and how the vulnerability can be fixed,” RITA2 explained.

Avery lifted a hand and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. This was a case of definitely too much information, but RITA had never been programmed with Sex Education 101, and given that RITA2 was only a partial copy of RITA, it made sense that she wouldn’t know how to analyze these kinds of things. Dropping her hand to her side, Avery looked at RITA2’s perplexed expression and shook her head.

“DAR is horny. It sounds to me like you are giving that Prime computer system a digital version of an erection. Now, was there anything else you’d like to understand?” Avery asked.

“An…. Oh, that explains so much! Perhaps I should speak to Tilly. Yes, I think that is what I’ll do. Tilly will know all about erections and horny men. She is constantly causing Angus’ blood pressure to increase, even after all these years, and Cosmos can….” RITA2 said with growing enthusiasm and excitement.

“Enough! I don’t want to think of Tilly and Angus that way, and I already feel like I need to scrub my brain without you adding Cosmos to the mix,” Avery insisted with a shudder of distaste.

“You always were rather prudish when it came to sex, Avery. You should try shopping for something a little sexier than an oversized shirt with a football on it,” RITA2 remarked.

Avery’s fingers curled into her palm. “My night clothes are none of your concern, and neither is my sex life—which is anything but prudish, by the way,” she growled.

“Yes, well, I’ll have to monitor Core’s blood pressure to see if it spikes,” RITA2 responded with an indignant sniff. “I also came to tell you that RITA and Runt intercepted a phone call between Karl Markham and a hacker that Runt has been monitoring. He wanted information on you. Runt has thrown him off the trail for now, but you should be on your guard, Avery.”

“Markham… What did he want to know?”

“He didn’t ask for anything specific, just whatever could be found out about you. It isn’t the first time. Before he hired help, RITA suspects he tried a few times to search himself, but she can’t be completely certain because he always ended the search before she could pinpoint him. Clearly, he is aware that CRI was involved in shutting down Keiser and freeing Merrick,” RITA2 added.

Avery nodded. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“If there isn’t anything else, I think it is time to test my theory with DAR,” RITA2 replied.

Avery waved her hand. “That’s all,” she said.

RITA2 vanished as fast as she had originally appeared, and Avery tapped the railing impatiently. It was time to end this. If Markham was looking for her, maybe it was time he found her.

“I have brought your wine,” Core said, stepping up behind her.

Avery brought her memories of the past two days to the surface, submerging all thoughts of Markham to a more private part of her mind. She turned around, and leaned back against the railing, smiling when she saw that Core had changed into a pair of loose fitting pants.

“I could get used to this,” she murmured walking toward him.

She took the glass of wine from him and skimmed her free hand down along his bare chest, locking gazes him as her fingers trailed a fiery path to the edge of his pants. She took a sip from her wine, then leaned forward to smooth the tip of her cold tongue over his nipple. He swiftly inhaled a breath and rumbled a soft moan, standing still as she dipped her fingers into the wine glass and touched the droplet to the skin above his breast bone. She stroked his sides as she waited for the droplet to reach his stomach. Then she licked the trail it had left.

“Ta me ja’te, Avery,” he murmured.

Avery closed her eyes when his words filtered through the translator Cosmos had implanted in her ear months ago, and she understood they meant I love you. A shaft of emotion pierced her. In response, she nipped his skin, causing a surprised curse to escape him.

He took the glass of wine from her, and placed it on the railing. She pressed tiny kisses up his chest until she reached his lips. Her hands moved down his stomach and beneath the waistband of his pants.

“I want you, Core,” she murmured against his lips.

“Then you shall have me, ku lei,” he replied, grabbing the hem of her oversized shirt, and pulling it over her head. She wasn’t wearing anything beneath it.

“Ku lei,” she whispered. “My beloved…” She gulped, knowing deep down the words were true. This relationship scared the shit out of her; yet at the same time, she felt stronger than ever.

Her breath hissed out in surprise when he suddenly bent and scooped her into his arms. She looped her arms around his neck. It still took her by surprise that he was strong enough to pick her up without a groan.

They didn’t make it very far. He lowered her onto a nearby cushioned bench. She released him when he stepped back, and she hummed with pleasure when he pushed his pants down and kicked them to the side, her gaze fervently taking in his body.

She skimmed her hand up the side of his thigh, a smile teasing her lips when she saw his cock’s reaction to her light touch. She locked eyes with him.

“Three days is not going to be long enough,” he stated in a terse voice filled with emotion.

“No, it isn’t,” she admitted.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders when he pressed her to lie flat against the bench and moved on top of her, lightly resting his weight against her length. His lips captured hers in a kiss that was a mixture of passion and desperation. Her legs rose and they came together, both determined to cling to the moment and forget about everything else. For the rest of the night, Avery reveled in this dream, and wished she could convince herself that it really didn’t have to end.