sex bots 04 - one night steined by Daisy Harris Read Free Book Online Page A

ear, not missing her sharp intake of breath or the way her skin puckered into goose bumps where her sweatshirt bared her nape. “You’re coming to work. With me.”
    She sniffled. “I’m not getting a reset, Frank.”
    “Shh… Maybe we don’t have to do it.” He stroked a hand down her back. Frank wove through ways to get more time, more opportunities to not let their new closeness fade to nothing. “You seem better today.”
    Kuri snuffled a watery laugh. “Yeah, I look like crap.”
    Frank wasn’t sure how to answer. She looked gorgeous to him no matter what. He hedged. “Well, you look different. That’s something. And you didn’t put on your platforms.”
    She gazed at her feet. “I guess.” Kuri’s shrug rubbed her against his body. “But I might have changed my shoes before I left for the day.”
    He skimmed a finger down her arm, over her baggy clothes. “So come with me now.” When she didn’t respond, Frank touched the back of her hand, daring her to let him lock fingers. “Give me a chance.”
    She spun around, knocking off his touch as she rotated. “I won’t let you mess with my system anymore.” She’d complained before about Frank’s reprogramming, but never flat-out told him to stop.
    It was a day of change for her apparently, and Frank didn’t want to set her back by arguing. “How about a deal?” He stepped back a few paces, giving her more room.
    Kuri cocked her head. “What kind of deal?”
    Frank crossed his arms. He didn’t want to give up the opportunity to get her on his table and her brain open for his scalpel. But he wanted something else more. “Spend the night with me.” When she opened her mouth to argue, he rushed to make the deal sweeter in case he needed to negotiate up. “Just one more chance. Maybe you’ll remember more.”
    “Frank, I can’t…”
    “I saw that you remembered something. There was that second, when you answered the door. I know that you remembered something.”
    Kuri paled, her hand fluttering to her hair to comb at a loose strand. “I don’t know if I remembered. I never see more than flashes.” She wouldn’t meet his eyes.
    “If you won’t remember anyway, just spend the night with me. It’s safer than you being alone. We don’t have to have sex.”
    She scoffed, so he grabbed her hand. “I’m serious. Stay with me. So I can keep an eye on you.”
    Kuri bit her lip. “Like I’m a little kid?”
    He laughed. “That’s the last thing I see you as.” Frank gave her a smile—trying to be seductive though he didn’t know how. “Think of it as an experiment.”
    Her shoulders dropped—the only sign she’d agreed. “Whatever, Frank.” Kuri looked up, giant eyes flashing. “But if we’re doing this, I’m not spending all my waking hours hiding indoors.”
    Frank’s nerves strung tight. He knew where she was going with this, and didn’t like it one bit.
    Her lip twisted into a challenge. “If you’re going to court me, Frank, you’re going to take me on an actual date.”
    The elevator opened on Kuri’s floor just then and Frank rushed to shuffle into Kuri’s apartment to hide. But she blocked his way, keeping Frank prisoner as a lifer passed only three feet away.
    His heart thundered in his chest. Frank ruffled his collar, flipping it up to cover his cheeks. He wished he hadn’t left his hooded sweatshirt back at the office. “You know I can’t do that.”
    Kuri lifted her eyebrows. “Oh really? You’re out now.” She pinched his chin. Her fingers were cool and soft. “And you left your man-cave to find me last night.”
    “Yeah, but that was… I was only trying to keep you safe.”
    Kuri rolled her eyes. “My ass says differently.” She surveyed Frank’s appearance—from the dress shirt he’d never taken out of his closet to the loafers that pinched his feet, and finally to his face, smooth but ripped from the razor. Kuri arched her eyebrows, her expression thoughtful, but not unkind. “It seems