Seth: Futuristic Spy Romance (Cyborgs: More Than Machines) by Eve Langlais Read Free Book Online Page B

compliments, even if she stored them.
    “Green for the envy all the other girls are going to feel when they realize I’m a taken man?”
    Taken? By who? Seth had a girlfriend? And yet he flirted with her? “You jerk.”
    “Why jerk? I believe in fidelity, and I should hope you do too.”
    “I’m not a cheater, but given your actions with me, apparently you are. What does your girlfriend think of you flirting with other women?”
    “I don’t know . You tell me.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Well, I wouldn’t have presumed to call you my girlfriend yet, given we haven’t even gone out on our first date, but I’m glad to see I’m not the only one feeling the instant attraction. What do you say once we pass this latest test, we go to dinner and then back to my bed in the barracks, or if you’d prefer some privacy, I know of a supply closet.”
    “ I never meant— That is I am not your—” His smile grew wider and wider the more flustered her words emerged. “No.”
    “Oh come on, gorgeous. Why not?”
    “Because.”
    “My mother always said because wasn’t an answer. You’ll have to do better than that.”
    “Fraternizing is against military rules.”
    “Yes it is, and yet soldiers marry each other all the time.”
    How had they gone from talking about dinner to marriage? “Why is it so hard for you to accept no for an answer?”
    “Determination is my middle name. You might as well give up now. We will get to know each other better , even if I have to coerce you into agreeing.” He grinned.
    Flattered, she couldn’t help a spurt of warmth, but she wasn’t about to show it. She growled. “Fine. I’ll make you a deal. We’ll go to dinner and then your place if you can choose the correct door and get us out of here, alive, and not in trouble, within the next fifteen minutes.”
    “Hmm. That doesn’t give me much time to do my hair.”
    His what?
    Seth finger combed his short locks, straightened his somewhat wrinkled uniform , and then strode to the yellow door, swinging it open. He swept her a bow. “After you.”
    “ What’s in there?”
    Seth didn’t even bother to peek. “ Our future life together.”
    How corny. Yet how true. She just hadn’t realized it at the time.
    They strode through the door to find the odd balding man standing there with a clipboard.
    “Fantastic,” he mumbled. “And so much quicker than the others too.”
    “You mean we passed the test?” she asked.
    “With flying colors. Although, in a real situation, less talk might be better. But I’m glad to see a duo emerging. We could use a close-knit pair of the opposite sex in the project.”
    “Project?” She blinked , trying to process what that could mean and still stunned that Seth had been proven right all along.
    “Yes. What did you think these batteries of tests were for other than to select candidates? You’re lucky you chose the right partner. Others in your group didn’t fare so well.”
    “What happened to them?”
    “Nothing that will cause permanent damage.”
    She swallowed hard at the nonchalant way the little man said it.
    “But who cares about the failures? You two made it through. Although, I do have to ask, Private Murray, what made you decide on the yellow door instead of the others?”
    Seth wander ed the room, peeking at the various screens flashing images on the wall. He didn’t pause in his snooping as he spoke. “Anyone who paid attention would have seen the clues.”
    Anastasia almost said “What clues?” but, not wanting to appear stupid in front of the civilian, kept her mouth zipped shut.
    “Could you elaborate?”
    “I noticed the red door bore singe marks around the edges, as if the paint had been exposed to heat. That kind of heat doesn’t usually bode well, especially for those of us who like our hair. The blue door exuded extreme cold, even while shut, and being a West Coast boy, I prefer to avoid that kind of chill. The green one smelled funny, and my mother always said to