Free Programmed To Please (The Tau Cetus Chronicles) by Jenna Ives

a long moment, and then tilted his head. “Are you all right?”
    Jai relaxed a little. He was concerned about her . But not knowing whether he was asking because he felt guilty at having abused her yesterday or because of her desperate plea for him to return, she gave him her best smile and answered with a simple, “Yes.”
    The smile seemed to surprise him. He took a small step back, then turned abruptly and began to pace the room. He walked from her chair to the bed and then back to her chair again. Then back to the bed. He paused there with his back to her, and shoved a hand through his perfectly-coiffed black hair.
    Jai waited, until she started to worry that she might lose the advantage of his return. With only three days left, she couldn’t afford to blow this opportunity. “You seem to have a lot on your mind, Marque. Would you like to talk about it?”
    He let out a strangled, choked sort of sound, and then glanced at the ceiling, as if sending up a silent prayer or looking for guidance. Obviously not getting an answer there, he sighed loudly, and turned. His grey eyes were piercing, but unreadable.
    Jai’s brain registered the fact that even in this disheveled and agitated state, Marque Callex was one gorgeous man. Heaven help me, I am falling for him!
    He crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at her intently. “I thought you were here to fulfill my sexual needs.”
    “I’m here to fulfill all your needs, Marque. Even if you just need to talk.”
    He seemed to consider, then shook his head. “No talking.”
    Damn. Jai tried to keep her face impassive.
    Marque crossed back to her chair and held out his right hand, palm up. Jai stared at his long, calloused fingers for a moment, and then slipped her hand into his. With a gentle tug, he pulled her to her feet and guided her to the bed.
    Without a word, he reached behind her neck with both his hands, and worked the knot of her sarong free.
    The silk garment slid to the floor, leaving her exposed.
    He paused, and then the back of his index finger came up to slowly trace the outside curve of her naked breast. “Beautiful,” he breathed, then jerked his head. “On the bed.”
    Jai hesitated. Marque didn’t want to talk, but sex itself was a form of communication, right? The most basic kind. This could also work to start building their relationship. That is, unless he planned to take out his anger on her again today.
    But he obviously didn’t intend that. She climbed onto the mattress and lay on her back without a word of protest from Marque. In fact, as he stripped off his own clothes, he never broke eye contact with her. To Jai, his intense gaze seemed even more intimate than if he’d been exploring every inch her naked body. Selfishly, she wanted to look at his body, but didn’t feel she could break their tenuous visual bond, especially if it meant that this signaled a change in Marque’s attitude.
    He’d never looked at her quite this way before.
    Wait a minute… was that what Marque had been silently struggling with a minute ago?
    Jai’s breath caught in her throat. If Marque had decided to stop fighting his attraction for her Beautiful Doll persona, things would be so much easier.
    Please let that be it. I haven’t much time…
    When Marque was finally naked, he crawled onto the mattress and spread himself out alongside her. He reached out a hand, and his fingertips slid across the thin coating of her synthetic skin, sketching a lazy pattern on her chest.
    As usual, the sensation was dulled a little by the layer of silicone, but it felt good enough to make Jai imagine the feel of his touch on her own skin.
    “You’re so perfect,” he said, letting his fingers leisurely glide over to the base of one breast. “This artificial membrane of yours is almost like real skin. Hell, if I ignore the slight glow this stuff produces, you could almost be human.”
    Jai tried to ignore the sensual tease of Marque’s heavy fingers as they rhythmically