Her Cyborg by Nellie C. Lind Page A

sighed. It seemed like she was losing her patience. Phoebe didn't doubt that Jade was used to this, but she also seemed tired of this behavior from the cyborgs. She probably went through this on a regular basis.
    Jade found her patience and gave Shade a serious gaze. “Listen, Shade. I have seen you naked many times. I saw you as a tiny cell, for heaven's sake, so can we just get on with this?”
    Shade obviously didn't like Jade's attitude. He approached her with one fast move and placed himself face to face with her. The cyborgs moved, but Jade raised her hand to stop them.
    “That doesn't give you the right to see me without a shirt,” he growled.
    Phoebe didn't like where this was going. Fear lingered within her that this would end like yesterday. “Shade, please do as the doctor says.”
    He shot her a shocked gaze. Pain took hold in his shining eyes. “You want me to undress in front of another woman? You want to let another woman see me without clothes?”
    Phoebe winced. His reaction was unexpected, but it made her realize how strongly bound he was to her. If she told him yes, she would break his heart and maybe even his trust for her. That was the last thing she wanted, but Jade needed to examine him. She had no idea what Jade's little box did, but there had to be another way.
    “Can I do that instead?” Phoebe pointed to the box and looked Jade in the eyes.
    “I guess we don't have another choice. It will take some more time before he will allow another person to touch him.” Jade took a step in her direction but halted and met Shade's angry gaze. “Give her the device.”
    Shade took it from Jade without touching her fingers and approached Phoebe. Phoebe took the device from him. She saw a simple black screen on one side of it along with numbered buttons and other buttons that didn't make much sense to her. On the other side was a metal plate.
    “What do I do with it?” Phoebe asked.
    “Place it against Shade's chest as near his heart as possible with the screen toward you. It has to be against his skin.”
    Phoebe nodded and met Shade's gaze. “Do you want to do it here or in the bedroom?”
    “Bedroom,” he said, grabbed her hand, and took her to the bedroom. “There's no way I'll turn my back on any of them.”
    Phoebe sighed. “We really need to work on your trust toward other people.”
    “Later.”
    The bedroom door remained open while Shade placed them near the wall. Neither Jade nor the cyborgs could see them, but they were able to talk. Shade took off his shirt and her body couldn't help but react when she saw his naked skin. She took a deep breath and wanted nothing more but to lock the door, caress him, and forget this peculiar situation. Her worry still lived inside of her, though. The last thing she wanted was to lose Shade. She comforted herself with the fact that it had only been three days. They still had a lot of time to get him to understand things, and Jade had said that if they needed more time, then they would get it.
    “Now what?” Phoebe asked Jade as she pressed the device against Shade's chest.
    “The screen should turn itself on.”
    Phoebe watched the black screen go blue before a few red, blue, green, and purple digital buttons showed up on it. “It's on.”
    “Good. Now press the digital buttons in exactly the order I tell you. Don't bother with any other buttons.”
    “Okay.”
    Jade rattled off a sequence that Phoebe followed. It took less than a minute and each time she pressed a button, the device made a sound. Shade stood still and watched her the whole time without saying anything. It almost felt too much to have him looking at her with his powerful gaze. It was as if he was making promises with it, that once they were alone, she would regret telling him Jade could touch him. It made her shiver with anticipation on the inside.
    “You can remove the device now and give it back to me.”
    Phoebe nodded even if she knew Jade couldn't see it. Shade put his