When he began to pull the fabric of my jumpsuit down, he paused. “Shower?”
A big step, but my heart beat its approval. And the desire to see him na**d and soapy overrode all logic. I imagined cold reason melting and steaming away in a puffy cloud.
We left a trail of clothes to the washroom. Warm water, the scent of soap and slippery skin made for an exhilarating combination. I worried about the ugly scars crisscrossing my torso, arms and legs, but no hint of disgust or pity darkened his expression.
He wiped the water from my eyes. “You’re beautiful. I—”
I covered his mouth with mine, afraid to hear him utter words I couldn’t repeat back to him. Grabbing the soap, I worked it into a frothy lather. I explored the hard ridges of his stomach, the smooth lines of his back and his nice grab-able butt as we kissed under the spray of hot water.
His hands were equally busy and quite distracting. And when his lips moved to my neck, I lost all track of time and location. However, Riley kept an eye on the clock in the washroom, and he stopped way too soon with a sigh.
“Dad’s due in a few minutes. Although…” He trailed a finger along my ribs. “He wouldn’t just barge in here. He’d think I was alone in the shower so we could continue.”
“And what happens when we both come out?”
“He would grin like an idiot, beaming with happiness.”
I pushed Riley’s hand away before it could move any lower. “No. I’m not ready for your father to get any ideas.”
“Too late. He’s been full of ideas ever since I started talking about an intern named Ella.” Riley pulled me close. “The rebellion distracted him, but he’s back to being way too nosy about our relationship.”
“He needs one of his own.”
Riley dropped his arms and turned off the water. “It would be nice, but he says my mother was the only one for him, and he hasn’t met anyone who drove him as crazy as she did.” He grabbed a couple of towels and handed one to me.
“Drove him crazy in a good way or bad?” I dried my body and wrapped the towel around my torso.
He paused as if struck by an amazing notion. “He always said both good and bad, but I never really understood how it was possible…” He met my gaze. “Until now.”
I looked away and rummaged for a comb. My question had almost been in jest, and I didn’t want to start a serious discussion. The knots in my hair resisted the comb’s efforts, but I managed to smooth them out. I braided my hair without drying it. A certain amount of patience was required to dry it first. Patience I didn’t have. Never did.
Glancing at Riley, I watched him run his fingers through his wet mop before he dressed. I never cared about my appearance prior to meeting Riley, and he’d seen me at my worst. So why would I waste precious time to fuss over my hair? I studied my reflection in the washroom’s mirror. A stranger stared back. Even after fourteen weeks, my blue-colored eyes still seemed like they belonged in another face. The blue had been my original color; otherwise, the reversal drops wouldn’t have worked.
According to Domotor and a few others, I had my father’s eyes. They also claimed my father was Nolan Garrard. Unlike Lamont’s name, his didn’t make me cringe. In fact, I would be proud to be his daughter. Even though the Force of Ten’s attempt to change our world failed, his final defiance by saving those ten files had been vital. Without them, we wouldn’t have found Gateway. And their existence impressed Logan—hard to do when it came to technology.
Perhaps settling the matter of my birth parents wouldn’t be so bad. So what if Lamont’s my mother? It’s not like I’d be forced to live with her or to forgive her. Nothing would change.
I hurried to dress before Riley’s dad returned. Riley already sat at the computer in the living area. The apartment had one bedroom, a washroom, a small space for the computer, a table and couch. Posh accommodations from a scrub’s point of view, but still not the huge suite of rooms I had imagined when the Pop Cops kept us from going above level two.
Riley typed for a few minutes before relinquishing the chair. “I logged you on. You’ll need to pull up the population records to search for those names.”
Reluctance kept me from claiming the seat. “Can’t you look them up for me?”
“Sit.” He pointed. “You need to learn how to access the computer files.”
Not happy, I plopped in front of the screen. He leaned over me as he explained how to navigate the network. I might look like Nolan Garrard, but I didn’t have his knack with computers.
After more than a few frustrating minutes, Riley almost growled at me. “Think of the network as a map of Inside and the files are stored in different Sectors and Quadrants. In order to find the right file, you need to know the location.”
“But what if it isn’t there? Logan said—”
“That the files had been jumbled, but I’m used to them that way. If I can’t find what I’m looking for, I request a search.”
“From who?”
“The computer.”
“Oh. Like from the Controllers in the network?”
“No. Yes.”
I turned my head to see him. He squinted at the screen as if in pain.
“Which one is it?”
Riley ran a hand over his face. “We learned that the Controllers are really just an operating system. It connects all the information in the network, lets you know if you can do something or not. It protects certain areas. And it will search for files and tell you where they are.” He swept his arm out. “Everything in Inside is all connected to the network. Technically, I could run all the systems from one computer.”