Free Deadly Betrayal by Maria Hammarblad Page B

don’t know how to do that.”
    I glanced back to meet his eyes. He didn’t look like he was joking.
    “You know how to fly a spaceship and you were able to track us across the galaxy, but you don’t how to open a zipper?”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “There’s no need to apologize or be sorry. I’m just surprised.”
    I squiggled and managed to reach to pull it down. I got the dress on, so getting it off wasn’t impossible, just tricky. When I pulled it over my head, Adam stared at my underwear. Or maybe at the skin surrounding the underwear.
    Flattering, but a bit unnerving.
    “You’ve seen this before. Many times.”
    “Sure.” He didn’t sound convinced.
    “Adam, focus. Look here.”
    My skin and underwear were soon forgotten for the miracle of a zipper. He pulled it up and down with an intrigued look on his face.
    Great.
    The smartest man I ever met had become easier to amuse than a toddler.
    If anything, his mental faculties seemed to decline now when he no longer had a goal to focus on. I didn’t have to be a math genius to know that twenty-six percent functionality was less than twenty-eight.
    I pulled on my favorite nightie, took the dress away from him and tossed it over a chair, and stretched out next to him.
    “This is weird.”
    Adam sighed. “I know. You’re used to sleeping with him. ”
    It was a statement of a fact. How did he know?
    “Well, sleeping with him, not sleeping with him. He saved my life.”
    “I know.”
    “You were dead. For a long time”
    “I know.”
    He stared up at the ceiling. What could I say? Nothing would make things better.
    “Can I… Would it be okay if…”
    “Of course.” The time of miracles wasn’t over; he understood my incoherent attempts at forming a sentence, stretched out his arm, and invited me to come closer. I hurried to curl up with my head on his shoulder before he could change his mind.
    “This is nice. I’ve missed this.”
    He ran his free hand over my hair. “I did too.”
    I nudged myself as close as I could possibly come and draped my arm over his chest. In a way, this was the first time I truly relaxed for almost a year.
    Adam’s voice whispering, “I love you” wooed me to sleep.
     
    *****
     
    A bad dream woke me in the middle of the night and for a moment imagined horrors lingered with me. I needed several seconds to recognize Adam’s shoulder under my head and his arms holding me.
    I whispered his name and nudged myself closer.
    “Nightmare?”
    “M-hm.”
    He ran a hand over my hair and the gentle touch scattered the last echoes of the dream.
    “I didn’t think you’d still be here.” I could count the times he spent a full night with me.
    “I’m here.”
    I pressed myself closer to him and he kissed my forehead. “I know bad dreams have traditionally been more on John’s work description than mine, but I really want the job if you’d be willing to consider me for the position.”
    It was true, John had stayed with me many times Adam couldn’t or wouldn’t, but his words were still funny enough to make me chuckle.
    “You got it. You don’t even have to interview.”
    With his arms around me it was a matter of seconds before I went back to sleep. He was there. We might not be perfectly alright, but we were safe.
    The next time I woke it was from Adam freeing himself from me.
    “Where are you going?” My mumble barely even made sense to myself.
    “To make you breakfast.”
    Why? I wasn’t even awake. Was this some form of android joke?
    “Can it wait? It feels really early.”
    An uncertain expression flew over his face. “I don’t know. I think I always do it at this time, but I don’t know why.”
    Oh. It must be 6:02 AM.
    “Lie down again and I’ll tell you.”
    He obeyed.
    I said, “What do you remember from the Bell?”
    “It’s a spaceship. We live there, and I’m fairly sure I work there.”
    Fairly sure? He knew about it when he arrived.
    Not good.
    Where were we now? Twenty-four percent?