Choosing Chuckles Read online

And he saw what he’d done to his female.

  Tears flowed down her cheeks. Her lips quivered. She shook. Hard. Cum soaked her flight suit.

  His baby, his trusting little human was damaging herself, trying to obey his command. She took his reprimand without complaint, not swallowing.

  He cupped her chin. Her skin was wet and sticky. “You can swallow, baby.”

  He pulled out of her and closed her mouth, trapping his essence inside her.

  She tilted her head back. Her throat convulsed.

  His female screamed, arching her back. He dropped to his knees and clasped her to him as she gyrated, her release formidable to view.

  “You’re a good female, a good baby.” He petted her hair, cooing his approval, seeking to comfort her, soothe her.

  Her tremors eased. She sagged against him, her lush body limp.

  “I did it, sir.” Her voice was hoarse.

  “You did it.” He kissed her forehead.

  His female had sacrificed her own pleasure, had endured damage, to follow his order. She had given him her complete loyalty.

  It was the most valuable gift he had ever received.

  Chuckles touched the crystal. He had been 100.0000 percent certain nothing could ever top that.

  Yet she had.

  He shook his head. His fraggin’ female would kill him

  And, fool that he was, he’d embrace that death.

  * * *

  Moments later, Chuckles donned his body armor and trekked to the escape pod to retrieve supplies. He had given his female two more guns and left her by the tree. She remained within his scanning range there, would be safe.

  Five-legged creatures were jumping on top of the escape pod when he arrived at the landing site. They chattered at him, mocking his smooth skin, his lack of a fifth leg. The beings spoke a primitive Simian dialect he easily translated.

  “Blue Eyes is correct,” the largest one said, looking at him with wide brown eyes. “These furless beings have eyes like hers.”

  “Perhaps she will find her mate with them,” another one of the bright pink beings replied. “They will not mind her blue eyes.”

  “I do not trust the furless beings.” The biggest creature drew back his lips, revealing sharp teeth. “I greeted a group of them, welcoming them to our terrain.” He touched a long straight scar on his furry face. “They pointed shiny sticks at me. Small rocks flew all around me. One caused this hurt.”

  The leader had one bad experience with a group of either humans or humanoids and now judged them all based on that one group.

  As Chuckles had once deemed all humans unworthy of trust based on one human’s betrayal. His lips twisted.

  That had almost cost him his female, the being who now meant the most to him, the keeper of his happiness, the heart in his chest.

  The leader’s prejudice also put his female in danger. The other little beings murmured their unhappiness with the male’s communication, shifting their weights, gazing at Chuckles with unease.

  They were small but they were many, and he didn’t want to fight the locals while he waited for a ship to arrive.

  “This furless being will only cause hurt to you if you cause hurt to my female.” He translated into their language. “We will be leaving soon.”

  “You speak.” The largest creature gaped at him. “The other furless beings could only make random noises.”

  “Kill.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Guns.” The creatures said various words in the universal language and laughed, mocking the intelligence of the other beings they’d encountered.

  “We do not cause hurt to beings who do not cause hurt to us.” Their leader told him, his tone haughty. “That would be uncivilized.”

  Most of the universe was uncivilized. They might be the only exceptions.

  Chuckles grunted and opened the escape pod. The furry beings followed him inside the small space, commenting on the false sky and colorless ground.

  He hadn’t time for excess chatter. His female was alone and unprotected.

  He grabbed a pack, filled it with cleaning cloths, containers of beverage, and nourishment bars. A furry being removed a tile, revealing wires.

  The escape pod would be left on the planet when Truth arrived. It wasn’t any use to them now except for a storage chamber.

  And his female could fabricate a decoration with that wire. Chuckles pulled a stretch of it loose, cut it with a dagger, placed that in the pack also.

  “Here.” He unwrapped one of the nourishment bars and handed it to the biggest furry being, the one who first communicated with him, a male others referred to simply as Leader. “This is what we eat.”

  Leader sniffed at it. “It smells bad, furless being.”

  “Then don’t eat it, furry being.” Chuckles ushered them out of the escape pod and closed the doors.

  Leader bit into it and immediately spat it back out. “It tastes like dirt.” He gave the nourishment bar to one of his brethren.

  That creature bit into it and spat it out also. That routine was repeated with all of the five-legged beings.

  They might be civilized, but they were as illogical as humans. Chuckles shook his head and gazed at his female.

  She stood in the distance, guns in her hands, her form visible through the light mist. A furry being sat beside her, gazing up at her with wonder.

  His female seemed unaware of her companion. She looked in Chuckles’ direction. Her forehead was furrowed with thought lines. She was human, had an inferior vision system and couldn’t see him.

  He could see her. She was safe. The tension in his shoulders eased.

  “We will bring you tasty fruit, furless being.” Leader gestured to his brethren. The little creatures scurried away, chattering.

  Chuckles had no need for fruit, tasty or not. The nourishment bars would supply them with the required inputs.

  He slung the pack over one shoulder and walked back to his female. His defective knee ached, the pain exasperated by his inability to drag his foot. The terrain was too uneven, too strewn with obstacles.

  His speed slowed as he navigated the expanse of slick rock between the escape pod and his little human. No trees grew on its unbroken surface. The absence of the huge type of vegetation caused a break in the canopy.

  Vega R’s single sun was visible. Its rays peeked between the moisture-laden clouds. The light reflected off an object on the ground, attracted his attention.

  It was a bright blue stone, small, perfect for his female’s decorations. Chuckles extracted a dagger, pried that discovery out of the rock, placed the blue stone in a holster.

  The next find was too large. The third stone, a bright orange one, was the ideal size. He picked that one up also.

  When he reached the tree, he had five suitable stones. He laid them on the ground for his female to inspect, arranging them by size and color.

  “You got these for me, sir?” She clasped her hands together and bounced on the balls of her booted feet.

  All of her jiggled with that movement. His cock hardened, pressing against his body armor. His systems rerouted processes to the lust function.

  Unable to find words in his databases, he forced himself to nod.

  “Ohhhh…they’re beautiful, sir.” She kneeled beside his finds. Her pale fingers skimmed over each stone. “This one is almost as bright as your eyes.” She held up the first stone he’d found.

  His female liked his gift. His chest heated.

  “There’s wire.” He dropped it on the ground also, his voice gruff with emotion. “Tell me the lengths you need and I’ll cut it.”

  It would be a struggle for his weaker human to sever the wire.

  “What will I fabricate first?” She picked up and discarded each stone, her forehead furrowing with thought lines. “I lost the armlet I was crafting for your Captain’s female, sir.”

  “You’ll fabricate another one for her.” He attempted to repair her damage.

  “I will do
that.” She smiled up at him. “And this new armlet will be even better than the previous one.”

  “It will be better.” But it wouldn’t rival his pendant for beauty. Chuckles sat beside his female, her happiness pleasing him. “Let me clean you before you start fabricating.” He pulled her to him until she straddled his waist.

  Dried cum flaked on her chin and neck. His essence also stained her flight suit. She smelled like him and that pleased him.

  “I must look a mess, sir.” Her joy dimmed, clouds of worry hiding her smile from him. “I have no pigment for my lips or eyelids.” She ran her hands over her gorgeous face. “My sparkle is all gone. My hair…” She made a high-pitched hurting sound. “I don’t want to think about my hair.”

  He thought about her hair. Often. It was soft and bright and as full of personality as she was.

  “I’m no longer the female you first saw, the female you risked everything to meet.” Her bottom lip trembled. “How can you look at me, sir?”

  “I look at you with my vision system.” He frowned at her. “It’s fully functional.” He hadn’t been damaged during his trek to the escape pod.

  “You sought to rescue me because I was pretty.” She wiped her hands on her flight suit. “And now…I’m not.” Her eyes glistened.

  Fraggin’ hole. Panic swelled within him. His female looked like she was going to cry.

  “You’re illogical, baby.” Chuckles gripped her chin, raising her gaze to meet his. “You’re the most beautiful being in the universe.” He swept the cleaning cloth over her cheeks. “I sought to rescue you, not your pigment or your sparkle.”

  Her shoulders drooped. “But—”

  “Are you questioning your sir?” He whipped her with his voice. Gentle handling wouldn’t repair his female’s damage. She required certainty and dominance to offset her doubt and insecurities.

  “No, sir.” She straightened. “I’d never question you, sir.”

  She relayed those lies with sincerity. His female was a menace.

  “I’m a cyborg.” He snapped the cleaning cloth in the air, refreshing it. “Cyborgs don’t lie. If I say you’re the most beautiful being in the universe, you are the most beautiful being in the universe.”

  “Yes, sir.” The light in her big blue eyes returned.

  “You’ve earned two reprimands, one for doubting your appeal and one for doubting your sir’s words.” He tidied her neck.

  Silence stretched. He cleaned all of her—her flight suit, her fingers, the tip of her nose, the curve of her ears, every strand of her hair.

  “I like wearing sparkle and pigment and doing my hair for you, sir.” She whispered that confession.

  “I like that you want to do that for me, baby.” He kissed her forehead. “But I also desire you with no adornment.”

  He would desire her always. She was stunning and unique and his. The mere curve of her lips blasted him with lust. The husky tones of her voice caused him to harden. Passion was infused in everything she did.

  She would taunt and torment him all of their endless lifespan.

  That was his reprimand to endure.

  Three five-legged creatures dropped out of the tree, landing soundlessly around them. His little human jumped. She must not have sensed their approach.

  “They are annoying but harmless.” He frowned at the largest creature.

  “Are you finished grooming your female, furless being?” Leader asked in the beings’ language. “We have brought you tasty fruit.” He held out one of the orange-colored fruits from the tree.

  “Thank you.” Chuckles took the fruit, stuck his finger into its flesh, analyzing the offering.

  “Are you eating it with your toes?” The creature wrinkled its flat nose.

  “I’m testing the fruit, ensuring it won’t damage my fragile female.” He extracted a dagger, cut off a piece the fruit. It should be safe to consume.

  He tried it himself first. It was sweet and set off none of his system alarms.

  He sliced a smaller piece for his female. “Consume this.”

  She clasped it. “You can speak their language, sir?” She gazed at him with wide eyes as she nibbled on the fruit.

  He dipped his head. Cyborgs had millions of languages loaded into their databases. He’d only heard humans speak the universal language.

  “How do I say ‘this is good’ in their language, sir?” His female, however, wasn’t like many of her kind. She sought to communicate with the beings.

  He pronounced the words slowly.

  She met Leader’s gaze and repeated the sounds.

  The male creature snorted. “We know it is good, furless female.” He jumped upward, disappearing once more into the branches.

  His brethren followed him. They mocked Chuckles’ female and laughed.

  He was glad she couldn’t understand them.

  “Did I say it wrong, sir?” She looked at him.

  “They said ‘they know it’s good.’” He didn’t relay the other comments. “They are arrogant little beings.”

  Another fruit fell from the tree. Chuckles caught it before it hit the ground.

  “But both they and your dad’s friend, Duggar, are correct.” His honesty forced him to admit that. “If this fruit is indicative of other nourishment, the bars do lack flavor.”

  His female stared up at him. “You’ve never eaten anything other than nourishment bars, sir?”

  He shook his head. “The Humanoid Alliance viewed us as machines. Providing us with tasty nourishment wasn’t a consideration for them.” And his cyborg brethren didn’t know tasty nourishment was an option.

  “That’s sad.” She shook her head. “But you’ll have a blank palate for Duggar to wow and new rocks for my dad to identify.” His female found the opportunity in the situation. “They are going to love you, sir.”

  Would she also love him?

  He wanted her to love him. Chuckles popped another piece of fruit into his mouth and chewed.

  He wanted that very much.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The furry beings, as Chuckles referred to them, returned with different types of fruit. They gathered around Bettina, curious about her decoration fabrication.

  Her cyborg drew her protectively onto his lap, wrapping one of his arms around her waist. The little beings didn’t scare her. She saw no malice, only inquisitiveness in their eyes.

  She crafted a pendant for their leader, hanging it from braided vine, and presented it to him. That made the beings very excited. Some collected stones for her. Others copied her movements, crafting pendants for themselves.

  Blue Eyes, the only little being with that color eyes, was especially attentive, sitting directly in front of her, chattering faster than she could translate. She had deemed herself to be Bettina’s helper and would distribute the pendants she made to the gray-furred slow-moving Old Mother, to nursing females, and to others who didn’t have the courage or ability to approach her.

  Her cyborg tolerated all of the commotion, feeding Bettina samples of the assorted fruits and teaching her additional words in the furry beings’ language. That earned her more respect from the tiny beings.

  “We could stay here, sir.” She was enjoying herself.

  “We’d run out of beverage.” Her cyborg was much more practical. “I tested the water. It contains organisms that would damage your fragile human form.”

  Her fragile human form was damp. The mist hadn’t dispersed. It swirled around them, impairing visibility and exacerbating the pain in her male’s knee.

  “You must also miss your brethren, sir.” That was another reason they couldn’t stay on Vega R forever.

  He shrugged. “The freighter hasn’t yet reappeared.” Her cyborg had told her about the mysterious ship, about his brethren, about the captain he served and the Homeland and the darker times in his past, entrusting her with all of his secrets, much to her wonder and delight. “They don’t require my skills.”

  Her cyborg had skills to offer his
brethren. “Will they allow me to join them? I don’t have any skills…other than fabricating decorations.” She held up a pendant.

  Blue Eyes snatched it from her and scurried away to happily redistribute it. The young beings held out their hands. Old Mother pointed at a female with a twisted back leg, directing Blue Eyes to her.

  “Decorations are pretty.” And they seemed to be appreciated by the furry beings. “But they aren’t needed by anyone.”

  “I value mine.” Chuckles patted the spot on his chest where his pendant was hidden under his body armor. “You’re skilled in meeting other beings, baby.”

  As though to emphasize that point, Blue Eyes returned to them, crawling brazenly onto her lap. She carried a bright blue stone and some tangled vines, gestured at her own chest.

  “For you?” Bettina hoped she said that correctly.

  The little being nodded and chattered.

  Bettina understood approximately every fifth word. She grasped the materials, separated the vines, braiding them.

  “Cyborgs aren’t skilled at meeting other beings.” Her cyborg shifted under her. “While we were controlled by the Humanoid Alliance, we were ordered to kill beings, not communicate with them.”

  “You didn’t kill these beings, sir.” She pointed that indisputable fact out to him. He didn’t end lifespans indiscriminately. He had restraint. “You’ve made friends with them.”

  She crafted a pendant for Blue Eyes, using the interlaced branches above her for inspiration. The color combinations and shapes on Vega R had given her many new ideas. The stones her cyborg had found for her on the planet were gorgeous.

  She completed the decoration and held it out to her little friend. The female bowed her head. Bettina placed it around her neck.

  “For friend.” She told Blue Eyes.

  “Friend.” The female touched the pendant and beamed.

  “I’ll miss the furry beings when we leave.” Bettina shared that concern with her cyborg. “I—”

  “Silence.” He placed his right index finger on her lips.

  His head tilted. She did the same and listened hard.

  Wind whistled through the trees. Moisture dripped. Insects hummed.

  She heard nothing that alarmed her.