SexedUp by Sally Painter

opened her
mouth as he plunged his tongue inside. Randi moaned, looping her arms around
his neck. She molded into him, loving the way it felt being pressed up against
him. There was no other sensation to which she could compare it. It was so
uniquely male. She’d missed making love to him that morning, yet it wasn’t
until that very moment she realized just how much. He felt like he had before
the last download, but there was a difference. His suggestion to go out onto
the deck and enjoy the hot tub was definitely due to the new programming…or was
it? The line between technology and human was becoming blurred by the second.
    His tongue captured hers in a frenetic
twisting. The glasses clinked behind her and Randi remembered he still held the
bottle of wine. She pulled from his kiss and stepped back, panting.
    “Let’s have some wine,” she suggested,
shaking under the remnants of his touch. She moved her hand over her lips,
still stinging from his hard kiss. She wanted to make love to him right then,
but must first test the romance program.
    “Here, it’s perfect room temperature. I, on
the other hand, am way past the boiling stage. You’re so gorgeous tonight,
Randi,” he said and handed her an empty goblet. Her heart palpitated. She loved
the way he said her name. He tilted the bottle and the red liquid filled her
goblet. He stopped it halfway and poured himself a glass.
    “All I want to do is kiss you. I could kiss
you forever,” he said, staring down at her, his dark eyes shining in the
moonlight.
    She flushed hot under his regard. Oh yeah,
the new program was definitely working.
    “You breathed life into me when you made
love to me. Did you know that?”
    “That’s not possible. Granted, you’re a
composite of human DNA and technology, but what you’re implying is you have
soul and—”
    “After tonight you won’t have any doubts. I
promise.” He lifted his goblet to hers in a toast.
    She clinked the glass to his, curious about
what he had planned.
    The corner of his smile lifted and he took
a sip of wine.
    “This is really wonderful.” He smacked his
lips together and took another sip, only this time it was a big gulp.
    “Easy there, lover, wine is supposed to be
sipped so you can savor its bouquet.”
    “Bouquet? Oh yeah, that’s the flavor of the
wine…I remember.” He nodded.
    Another glass of wine later, he took the
goblet from her and set it on the edge of the tub. He turned to her. The heat
of his stare seared a path down her neck to her breasts. The dress bodice
tugged tight with each breath she took. Urgent heat radiated along the path of
his stare and traveled to her waist and past her abdomen. Anticipation captured
her and Randi moved her tongue over wine-drenched lips, longing to taste his
kiss once more.
    He stepped from her and took her by
surprise when he began to undress. Randi watched him unbutton the white shirt.
His fingers were nimble against the old-fashioned buttons. As the first one
released, so did the catch in her breath. Each opened button allowed the shirt
to gape a little wider, teasing her as more of his broad chest was exposed. He
bowed his head and tugged the shirttail free from beneath the waistband and
unbuttoned the last one. The shirt fell open and draped from his wide shoulders
until the wind caught the material and it billowed from him.
    She swallowed against the building heat.
Toned muscles were defined in light and shadow. He lifted his head and met her
stare. It was clear by the look in his eyes that William knew the image he cut
standing there barefoot and partially undressed. Her pulse throbbed in her
ears.
    She watched as he shrugged the material
down his arms. She touched the tip of her tongue to her upper lip when he let
the wind carry the cotton shirt away. It blew against the hot tub and fluttered
to the deck floor.
    Randi moved her eyes over his torso,
dipping past tight abdominal muscles. She watched his fingers work the trouser
clasp and when