Hard Wired Trilogy by DeAnna Pearce (smart books to read .TXT) 📕

Leaning forward, he kissed her, sloppy and wet. At least it was short. She had to pull back to distance herself from the uncomfortable kiss.

“See you soon, Love.” He left with a smile on his face.

Ari sagged with relief. Noticing people nearby staring, she turned and hurried to the back. Hailey’s large grin said she’d seen the whole scene.

“You may need to start going to other places to eat. People will talk,” Hailey said.

“Funny.” Ari placed a hand on the chair. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Sure. I figured you’d be back.”

“How’s that?”

“You’re greener than most. Not as well seasoned as most, so you must be full of questions.”

Ari brushed aside the menu on the table and met Hailey’s gaze. “What do you mean than most?”

She leaned forward arms out in front of her. “You know what we are.”

Nodding, Ari couldn’t deny that out loud. “Yes, and what do you do here? What do you want?”

“It’s what do you want.” Hailey pointed a finger at Ari. “Do you like being a tool? Let me guess, are they helping you? Saving you from a life of enslavement?”

“What if that was true?”

“I’m sure it is true. That’s how most of us started, but they never tell you the real cost. They never tell you there is a life out there where you are your own boss.”

“There is?” Ari asked. “If so, what are you still doing here?”

“Stopping them from taking over the world.” Hailey stood.

“How can I find you?”

“I work in the European Union. Hailey Keller. By the way, next time let’s meet at Ricco’s down the way. The food is better.”

She left Ari staring at Hailey’s empty glass of wine, wondering what the hell that all meant.

Chapter 14

Niomi was true to her word and didn’t schedule Ari for any missions in the VLEX for the rest of the week. After their two-hour morning workout, the rest of the day she had off. If that wasn’t enough, Niomi even gave her a car to use to go the community center if she wanted. A week ago, Ari would have jumped at that offer. Now, she didn’t want the crowd. She wanted to think. To decide if Hailey was for real or just trying to con her. Either way, Ari was keeping it out of her report until she knew.

The only way to know for sure would be back in VLEX and she had a few more days until then. Niomi pulled some strings to get Reed a half day at work and he surprised her with a date at the beach. They tried surfing, which they both were horrible at, and ended up just riding the waves in on their stomach. They ate sandwiches while watching the sun set. If someone could paint the perfect date, this would be it.

Except Ari’s stomach felt heavy with everything she hadn’t told him but didn’t know how. Given they were swimming, her smart suit was off but they both had HUBs. Devices she wasn’t sure she trusted. She slipped hers off and then reached for Reed’s.

“What—”

She silenced him with a finger to her lips. Nodding, he allowed her to take both bracelets. She buried them up in the pile of clothes they wore over their suits. Returning she sat next to him, his sandy shoulder brushing against hers.

For a moment, she said nothing. She wanted to enjoy the peace she felt. The contentment of being here at the beach on a perfect date with a perfect boyfriend.

He nudged her with his shoulder. “Want to tell me what that was about? If you’re thinking of getting down and dirty in this sand, Marco just might kill me.”

This took Ari by surprise. “What? You thought this was about sex?”

He looked down for a moment. “Maybe. I don’t know.”

They hadn’t talked about sex before. Many couples their age usually had sex in the VR. All the romance without any of the nasty consequences. But Ari didn’t want that. The way she read code, it felt like porn or something. But real sex… no one did that until they were older and wanted kids.

“It’s not like I haven’t thought about it, but I think we should wait until you’re older,” Reed said.

“I agree. I’m barely seventeen, and the eighteen months you have on me isn’t a lot older either.” They’d celebrated her birthday a few weeks after arriving to the island. “Did you want to try it in the VR?” The hesitation strained her voice.

“Not in a million years. I know how you feel.” His kind expression turned devious, a look that he usually only pulled around her brother. “I think I have a better plan.”

He trailed one finger down her bare arm, and a rise of goosebumps gave way.

“What’s that?”

He leaned towards her and placed a very light kiss along her collar bone. “I will continue to torture you.” Another kiss closer to her neck. “Until you’re over eighteen.” Another kiss below her jawbone. “Then you’ll have no choice but to marry me.”

Kissing her lips, he pulled her down on top of him. Shock flitted through her body. Marriage? At seventeen the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. Not that she wouldn’t want to marry Reed, one day. The more he kissed her, the more she saw that reality.

Abruptly, she pulled back. “You really think that I’m that easy? That I’ll marry someone just because he is a good kisser?”

One side of his mouth pulled up in a crocked grin, his eyes sparkling in the falling sun. “Challenge accepted.”

He quickly rolled her over in the sand and spent a considerable length of time showing her what a good kisser could accomplish.

Feeling as if she was going to burst with desire, she pushed him off. “Mercy, please.”

He laid back in the sand, arms behind his head, looking pleased. At least he was breathing as hard as Ari. His muscular chest rose and fell rapidly as she admired what she saw.

“That isn’t fair,” she told him.

“What?”

“First, you