Free Essentially Human by Maureen O. Betita Page B

trying to relax while his body refused to ignore the simple fact that he held a naked woman, on a bed.
    He wouldn’t take advantage of her. Ironic, considering she was technically over a century old, it would be like seducing a child. He argued with himself, convincing his hyper alert lower regions to get rid of the idea that sliding along this supple skin was necessary to life. Yes, she felt good, but no, he wasn’t going there!
    For all he knew, Ria wasn’t her name and all of this would amount to nothing more than an elaborate attempt to trick him into revealing security codes.
    He sighed at the idea. He didn’t know any security codes, at least nothing that would make this intricate charade worth staging. He trusted what he could see, taste and feel. The Aleena were real, this woman had substance and that bastard, Hammer kept back the antidote that would have saved his only family.
    His fingers stroked Ria’s hair as he thought about his sisters. When sleep came again, he dreamt of Texas, walking good memories.
     
    She woke with muddled senses. Someone held her, she could feel an arm draped over her back and was that a shoulder her head rested on? She swallowed and opened her eyes to see nothing but the curtain of her own hair blocking her view.
    “N’sila, I need to speak to Agent Montgomery.”
    T’talin? This wasn’t the Aleena she cuddled next to.
    “Ria?” The arm shifted, allowing her to slowly pull herself away. It took some maneuvering, as her hair tangled about his arm or anchored under him.
    “What happened?” She sat up, gathering her tousled mop and setting it in her lap. She’d never found it annoying, until right then, to have so much hair. “Sam, why are you in my bed? Did we…?” She’d remember, wouldn’t she?
    “No, we didn’t. You had a nightmare and I ended up here calming you down. I guess I fell asleep.” Sam rubbed at his face, turning to focus on T’talin, standing patiently to one side.
    “A nightmare?” She tried to remember what had disturbed her so greatly. Of course, she’d been upset about Hammer lying to them and destroying her vision of a the country flourishing with unlimited energy supplies. But the outrage remained distant, when she tried to recall it.
    “Our sensors registered you were disturbed, but then you settled down.” T’talin stated. “Would you like to see Milaar?”
    “No. I’m fine now. It’s gone. I am hungry and would like to go eat.” She took a deep breath. “Thank you, Sam. I hope I didn’t interrupt your sleep too much.”
    “We need to talk, Ria.” His voice held a formal tone to it.
    “Aren’t we talking now?” She began to braid her hair, then stopped. He’d asked her to keep it lose so her nudity wouldn’t distract him. A flush rose up her body as she realized she’d been tight against him while sleeping. He’d touched her. The idea caused a pleasant sensation. She knew about sex and remembered enjoying it. Biology held a drive she wasn’t immune to. At least she used to find sex attractive, now, she wasn’t certain. His next words snapped her back to the present.
    “I mean a real conversation.” He turned his gaze to the side of the bed. “What do you need, T’talin?”
    “I will be speaking to Hammer in less than an hour and seek your guidance in regards to strategy.”
    Sam slid free from the bed and pulled a new pair of loose shorts up past his hips. She focused on them a moment, they were too big for him. Where did he get them?
    “She needs clothing and I’m also hungry. How long did I sleep?”
    He certainly took control of a room. Why did she need clothing?
    T’talin pointed to a length of fabric draped over her table. “One of the recyclers kept that, wanting to examine the color further. Ria, do you wish to be clothed?”
    She stood and walked to the garment. “I have no objections, T’talin and I understand Agent Montgomery’s concerns.” Her fingers slid along the lovely fabric. It might be silk,