City Of Tears Read Online Free PDF

her neck. She started violently when his fingers skimmed the ring implanted in her flesh. “I won’t hurt you.”
    “Stop touching me.” She shivered and grabbed his wrists.
    A smaller connector marred the upper curve of her left breast, and he’d glimpsed several others scattered along her spine. This must be how her armor interfaced with her implants.
    “I want to make sure you got the gash nice and clean. You don’t want it to get infected, do you?” He stepped closer, until her shower ran over them both. Teasing her temple with his fingertips, he slid his other hand down to her wrist. He held her right hand against her thigh and pulled her against him. Her warm, soft breasts pressed against his chest, and he sighed. “Oh, that’s nice.”
    “What are you doing?” Her tone hitched, and she pushed against his shoulder with her free hand.
    Without her suit were her implants able to calm her physical responses? Interesting question. “Say your name, or I’ll kiss you.”
    Her eyes widened. “That is irrational.”
    “We already established that I’m irrational. Now say your name, or I’m going to kiss you.”
    “My distinction is —”
    He cut her off with his mouth. She wiggled against him, her stiff nipples teasing his chest. After brushing his lips against hers, he nipped the corner of her mouth.
    “You’re a woman, Saebin, not a machine. You’re naked, in the arms of a man who wants you. How does that make you feel?”
    She turned her face away, panting harshly. “Do you expect me to spread my thighs because you came after me?”
    “You’d definitely come first, and then we’d come together, but you’re jumping way ahead of the conversation. How does it make you feel? Is your heart racing?” He eased away and covered the upper curve of her breast with his hand, the sensor ring a cool reminder of all she’d suffered. “That’s a pretty powerful heartbeat, and you seem more emotional than you’ve been since we met.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Your body armor works in tandem with the neurostimulators. Doesn’t it? One without the other isn’t nearly as effective.”
    “You had to paw me to figure that out?”
    “I’m not pawing you. Now this —” He cupped her breast, stroking her nipple with his thumb. “— is pawing you.”
    She shoved him backward and hurried to the lockers, shaking the water off her body as she went. After drying off with a towel, she jerked on a uniform. He stepped away from the showerheads, squeezing the excess water out of his hair. A towel flew in his direction, followed in quick succession by a uniform top and bottom. He managed to snatch them out of the air before any of the items landed on the wet floor.
    Could he elicit anything other than anger from her? He considered the possibilities as he pulled on the simple pants. How far should he push her emotional responses? As much as he’d enjoyed having her in his arms, she was ultimately his responsibility.
    “Our suits need to be decontaminated. Open the large door next to the lockers.” Pausing with one hand on the locker door, she looked longingly at her body armor. He understood the look. The damn suit made her feel safe, protected — lobotomized! How could he blame her for liking the cage when she’d never known life without one? “I want to do this quickly so I don’t scatter the dust all over the room.”
    She moved beyond the lockers and opened the door to the decontamination unit. He picked up both suits, amazed at the weight of her body armor. No wonder she was toned if she wore this thing on a regular basis. He stuffed both in the unit and activated the longest cycle.
    “Do you have dust on your arms now?”
    “That’s why I didn’t put on my shirt. We probably should have done the suits before we showered, but I’d already taken time to seal your wound. I didn’t want to risk another delay.” Crossing to one of the sinks, he scrubbed his arms and chest. “How’s