Evolved(11)

“Well, it’s getting late,” I said. “I might get ready for bed. I like to read before I sleep.”

Shaun nodded. “Very well.” He stood first this time and, still holding my hand, gently helped me to my feet.

But after I came out of the bathroom dressed for bed, he was still wearing his blazer and suit pants. Not that he would be uncomfortable if he lay down in them, but it wouldn’t feel right to me. “Here,” I said, helping him out of his jacket. “Let me take this for you. I’ll hang it in your wardrobe and get some pyjamas for you so you can get changed.”

I hung his blazer in his wardrobe and grabbed some sleeping boxers and an undershirt, not really thinking about what I’d said to him, how he’d interpret that as a literal instruction. But when I walked back into my room, he stood there wearing only a pair of briefs. His body was perfectly sculptured, the physique of a swimmer. He was everything I’d asked for when I designed him. He was literally my dream man, everything I wanted. And the bulge in his briefs… his balls looked tight and heavy, his cock lay snug toward his hip, permanently half-hard—only fully hardening when his sensors were aroused.

I licked my lips and my own cock stirred.

“You like what you see,” he said.

“Very much.”

“You can touch me,” Shaun said. “Anywhere you want.”

Warmth flooded my veins and my cock filled, begging for attention.

Shaun looked from my crotch to my eyes. “Do you want to touch me?”

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t speak. I wanted to touch him, every part of him. I wanted to bury myself inside him and lose myself forever.

Shaun smirked and slid his fingers underneath his briefs to remove them, and I tried to form some kind of reply.

Oh boy.





Chapter Four





“Leave them on,” I said. My voice held no conviction but he complied. I handed him the sleep shorts and T-shirt. “You might be more comfortable if you sleep in these.”

He straightened and took the clothes. “Thank you.”

I took his suit pants, which he’d neatly laid flat on the bed. “I’ll hang these up for you,” I said as I walked back to his room, allowing him to get dressed in private and giving me a little distance to clear my head. My heart was pounding and my adrenaline was high. I was turned on, which I’m sure Shaun was very aware of. But I would stay true to my word.

When I went back to my room, Shaun was changed, though he looked just as sexy in his sleepwear. Almost. “You look more comfortable,” I said, though I think he knew it was for my comfort, not his.

He smiled and turned to the bed. “I was unsure which side to turn down for you. I could assume from the book on the nightstand that this side is yours?” He gestured to the side closest to the door.

“Yes, but that’s okay.” I turned the overhead light off and went to my side of the bed, which was the closest to the door, and switched on the lamp before pulling the covers back. I sat on the mattress, took my book, and slid my legs between the sheets.

Shaun studied my movements, then mimicked them on his side. The bed dipped with his weight but didn’t jostle or jolt me. His movements were calculated and fluid; he made little or no impact on my surroundings, and I really did like that.

I also liked that he was in my bed.

His hair was natural and it flopped a little as he leaned his back against the headboard. He pulled the sheets up to the tops of his thighs and smiled when he caught me watching him.

He looked so incredibly human.

“Is this okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yes.”

“You prefer older books,” he observed.

I settled the paperback on my lap. “I do. I can appreciate electronic books, and I have many. But there’s something about these old books that I love.”

“What is it that you love?” he asked. There was a genuine interest in his eyes. Whereas past boyfriends had mocked my love of old books, Shaun showed only interest.

I picked the book up. “I love the weight of them, the smell of pages. And holding them, knowing there’s an entire world inside. That’s kind of lost in electronic books, for me at least.”

Shaun smiled. “I was unaware that books had a scent.”

Oh, of course. Although he was state of the art, androids didn’t have olfactory senses. I lifted it to my nose and smelt it. “It smells of paper and printing, and dust and memories of my childhood, and escapism and happiness.”

Shaun looked at the book, confused. “Though your description paints a lovely picture, I can only assume you speak metaphorically.”

I laughed quietly. “Yes.”

His gaze shot to mine. His sparkling blue eyes were intense, not with arousal but with something else. “The sound of your laughter appeals to me.”

“Is that so,” I said, not really asking.

He hummed, then he said, “I will refrain from disturbing you now so you can read your book.”

Oh, right. The book…

“Yes,” I said, picking it up again and making myself not look at him. And as I read, he didn’t move. He remained utterly still. There was no fidgeting, no tossing, no turning, no grumbling at me to turn the light off.

It was lovely.