B Clones Read online

  She lifted one hand to study it. “I see. I’m young again. No wrinkles or age spots. Who doesn’t dream that?”

  “I’m a clone. So are you. We were each created for different purposes. I’m still a living person, with emotions and feelings. I’m as real as anyone born to a mother and a father. I debated on allowing you to come to terms with your new reality on your own, but I want to be with you when it happens. I’m afraid you’ll hurt yourself if I’m not at your side.”

  She frowned. “This conversation is getting too heavy. I’m not happy about dying, but I’m a realist. Everyone goes at some point. We can’t live forever. I just wish I had more time. Then again, I’ve lost some people before they’d even reached my age. I just wanted to survive long enough to see my sons marry and hold a grandbaby or two.”

  He took her arm and turned her toward the large TV wall. He reached up with his other hand and touched part of it. A small blue keyboard appeared and he tapped commands into it. The beach view disappeared, and it became a giant mirror. He stepped closer to her and met her gaze in the glass.

  She studied her face. It looked like her old pictures of herself. Her hair had been pulled back into a bun, something she really hadn’t noticed until then. It had been too distracting waking in what she thought was a coffin, then immediately dealing with the annoying robot, and finally the pirate taking her onto his ship.

  She leaned in, almost pressing her nose to the glass. Her skin appeared flawless and healthy. The scar on her forehead wasn’t there anymore. She’d fallen off her bike as a kid and needed six stitches. She backed up a little, checking out her body.

  “This is amazing. Look how thin and in shape I am!” She tugged out of his hold and flattened a hand over her stomach.

  “There’s your proof.”

  She grinned and met his gaze in the mirror. “Honey, I don’t think I ever looked this good in real life. I was always chubby when I was younger.” She turned sideways. “I always wanted to be skinny. Now I am.”

  “Some of your genetics would have been enhanced. That’s standard for a clone.”

  “Enhanced?” She was still admiring her body in the mirror.

  “The company screens out genetic defects. All illnesses are removed and you have an improved immune system. You were altered on a cellular level to avoid aging the way normal people do. Every three months, you need a plasma transfer to feed those cells that work to keep us in great health. We also need plasma if we’re seriously injured. It’s one of the reasons I targeted that transport. They were carrying clone plasma to resupply Clone World. I’m stockpiling a vast supply. What I just stole is enough to last six clones for approximately five years.”

  “Blood?” She scowled at him. “Now we’re vampires?”

  “It’s not blood as you know it. It’s plasma cells that were created by JDJ Cryo Corp to replenish dying ones in clones, and they keep us in peak condition. Without new plasma, we don’t begin to age, but our bodies will start to break down. We’ll grow weak and die in a matter of months. It was a way for the company to keep control of us, while also making more money off the clients we’re sold to.”

  “This is getting too weird for me.” She faced him. “As kickin’ as this body is, I’d like to see the beach again.”

  He reached up and tapped the panel, changing the screen back to the cove. “You don’t believe me…but you will.”

  She sighed, growing tired of the dream. “This can’t be real. It’s too crazy.”

  “I understand. You’re from a time period where none of this was possible. It’s true, though. You died, and I believe your body was mistakenly stolen by JDJ Cryo Corp to get tissue and the brain of the singer who shared your name. They began doing that in the early two thousands, from what I remember of the information I’ve read. They just couldn’t perfect the technology until much later. You were ordered to be created by the owner of Clone World, and were being shipped to him. You’re a clone with the memories of someone who died.” He paused. “Look at it this way. You are the same person, but you have a new and much-improved body.”

  “Cool concept. Who wouldn’t want to be given a second chance at life in a young body? Not me, said no one ever. It’s the thing fantasies are made of. One problem, Big.”

  “What’s that?”

  “How did they rip my brain out of my body and put it into another? It’s one thing to donate a kidney or something. It’s entirely another to pass memories and emotions to someone the way they can with a transplant.”

  “Your brain is also cloned. The original one will be kept in storage in case someone else orders a Gemma Grady clone.”

  That was a disturbing concept. “There could be more versions of me out there?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “Who wake up in the future?”

  “Yes.”

  “With all my memories intact?”

  “Yes, if the buyer wants the clone to retain the memories and personality of the source material. It’s a law that clones must be blanked of any memories, until they’re programed for their purpose right before being awoken. JDJ Cryo Corp is willing to break that law. The company has sold illegal clones before.”

  She refused to consider any of that. “I’m me. I don’t care what you say. I remember my parents. I still ache over their loss. I’m replaying my life inside my head and there are no gaps. I can even remember how furious and hurt I felt when my ex-husband came home from work one day and informed me that he’d been having an affair with his law partner, and she’d gotten pregnant. Our boys were ten and thirteen. I had to go through pure hell trying to piece my life back together after he walked out, and struggled to make certain our sons were okay. Then the bastard tried to fuck me blind in the divorce settlement. That happened to me, not someone else.”

  “The source mind’s memories have been copied precisely, Gemma. You saw your new body. It’s much younger than the one you remember, and it’s been enhanced.”

  “That’s because I’m drugged up in a hospital and having this dream! I’m as high as a kite.”

  He sighed. “You just woke inside a shipping container. How do you feel? A trained clone medic should be attending to you and checking you over. Are you tired or hungry? Dizzy?”

  “No. I’m just frustrated.” She pressed her finger to the glass. “I want to be there, on that beach instead, of out here. No offense.”

  He tapped on the wall and the keypad returned. Big punched in something. She startled when the faint sound of waves came from all directions. They crashed onto the beach as balmy air blew across her skin. The temperature inside the room even seemed to grow warmer.

  “This is the best I can do. Welcome to the comforts of modern technology.”

  She inhaled and swore the smell of the ocean filled her nose. “That’s cool. Finally, something awesome.”

  Chapter Four

  Big dropped his hand and the control pad disappeared, merging with the ocean view. “I’m not leaving you alone at any time, until I make certain you adjust to your new life in a positive way.”

  Gemma was amazed by the things happening in her dream. “How is that your problem?” She faced him.

  He put his hands on his hips. “I don’t want to lose you, Gemma. I’ve been alone for far too long, and…I need you. I’m going to change my clothing. Just look at your beach while I get into something more comfortable to wear.”

  She glanced down at his black outfit. It hugged every muscled, big-bodied inch of him. “It does look a little tight.”

  “It’s protective gear.” He spread his hand on his broad chest. “Grade ten. It can withstand laser blasts without them penetrating, but the material feels scratchy. Some of those transports have automated defenses that activate when they’re being boarded without a security code. I apologize for carrying a weapon when we first met, but it was possible that I’d run into a security android, trained to kill. They occasionally have one onboard. It’s rare but it happens.”

 
“Sherlock wasn’t a security android?”

  “No. It was a repair model without weapons.”

  He began to strip. Gemma didn’t turn her back on him, instead watching his every move.

  He removed the shirt from his body, wiggling quite a bit since the material wanted to cling to every muscle. His taut, ripped stomach and firm skin looked spectacular. He was damn near perfect.

  The shirt was momentarily stuck over his head as he struggled to pull it over his huge biceps. Gemma appreciated the sight of those, too, as his arms were exposed. He finally got it off and tossed it to the floor. He reached for his pants—then stilled, his gaze fixing on her.

  “Go right ahead,” she urged. “I’m not missing out if you feel the need to get naked.”

  He arched both of his black eyebrows.

  “Are you shy?”

  He hooked two fingers into the front seam, and it parted slightly. He walked to the end of the bed and sat, bending down to grip his boots. They came off quickly and he threw them toward the far wall. He stood again, then took a few steps closer to her.

  “Not at all. You may watch me.” A wicked smile curved his lips, making him appear even more handsome.

  Big was definitely hot, she decided. Her sons would be horrified if they knew where her dream had traveled. Then again, she’d told them before that she was old, not dead. Just because she was in her fifties didn’t mean she didn’t have a sex drive. As a matter of fact, in the years since the divorce, she’d missed sex a lot. She just hadn’t done much about it, since it had been her job to raise her boys and get them through college. The occasional hook-up was about the extent of the sex she’d had throughout the long years. And those had been few and very far in-between.

  It hadn’t helped that her sons were very protective of her, always chasing off men who asked her out. On the bright side, she’d gotten to spend a lot of time with them both. She’d picked up all their kid slang, which made her friends laugh. She was also more aware of the bands they played in her car than the ones she’d grown up with.

  She’d been a cool mom, or tried her best to be. Their father had basically abandoned them after starting his second family. It meant she’d worked twice as hard to make up for his inattention.

  Sadness tugged at Gemma, thinking about her boys and what they’d face once she died…but Big quickly distracted her from her thoughts.

  He dug his fingers into the seam of his pants again and they parted completely at the top, revealing a line of skin and black material under the pants. He gripped both sides of the waist, wiggling his hips as he worked the clingy material downward, revealing a pair of tight briefs. He bent, stripping out of each leg, and left the pants on the floor when he stepped back.

  Finally, he straightened…and hooked his thumbs into the waist of his briefs.

  “I’m taking it all off. These are protective wear, also.”

  She leaned back against the glass. He had an almost perfect body, and she was glad to focus all her attention on him. Only a few scars marred his skin. One on his chest near his left nipple. It was a jagged mark about two inches in length. There was also a rounded scar on his left thigh, a few inches above his knee. She liked the fact that he wasn’t overly hairy, but there was some on his chest. He was man candy all the way.

  “Go right ahead,” she encouraged.

  He pulled the shorts down a few inches, and she realized she was holding her breath. He paused, and she looked up at his face to find him watching her with narrowed eyes.

  “What?”

  “Your interest is making me hard. Fair warning.”

  She glanced down, not seeing a bulge. With her luck, her space pirate from the future would have a tiny dick. So far the drug-induced dream she’d been subjected to hadn’t been very fun. It figures.

  When she said nothing, merely waited, he shrugged and shoved the briefs down to his thighs.

  Gemma’s mouth parted in surprise when his cock sprang free. Where was he hiding that? It didn’t seem possible, since those shorts were small—but he sure wasn’t.

  Her gaze lowed to the tight shorts as he removed them, seeing a cup-like thing inside them. It was formed in a way that would have curved over his groin. Dream. Right. The impossible is possible. He goes from no bulge, to oh my goodness, that thing is huge.

  He bent forward, stepping out of the shorts, then straightened. Gemma was focused on the part of him that was pointing at her. He stepped closer, and she finally tore her gaze away from his cock. A small tattoo on the side of his hip caught her attention.

  “Of course. What kind of pirate wouldn’t have one?”

  He cleared his throat. “What?”

  “The tattoo. What is it?” It looked round, but she was too far away to see what filled the inked space.

  “All clones have them. It’s the equivalent of a belly button for a birthed person. They stamp us with the company logo to hide the scar of where we were attached to the artificial womb we were grown inside.”

  Her gaze darted to his stomach. “You have a belly button. So do I.”

  “It’s for appearances only. All clones have tattoos on our hips. Look. You’ll have one.”

  She frowned, looking down her body, then tugged on the left side of her strange underwear. She didn’t see anything.

  The right hip, though, had a round stamp.

  She fingered it, feeling light scars under the surface. Her gaze lifted to Big’s.

  Maybe she’d watched too many science fiction movies.

  Big approached her slowly. “Do you still want to try gravity-free sex?” He paused so close that they nearly touched, and he reached up toward the panel of glass. “Hang on to me, Gemma.”

  The lightheaded sensation returned, and she could feel the weight of her body changing as her toes lifted from the floor. She gasped and clutched at his arm. He wrapped the other around her waist, jerked her against his body, then lifted her slightly, until their faces were level. She let go of his arm and clutched at his broad shoulders. His skin was firm and warm under her fingers.

  “You have no idea how lonely I’ve been,” he rasped.

  Gemma stared into his blue eyes. They were truly beautiful. She’s always been attracted to men with brown eyes, but Big changed her mind.

  He tilted his head slightly—then went for her mouth without warning.

  Gemma closed her eyes when his lips brushed against hers, tender and surprisingly soft.

  He kept her locked against his body, using his other hand to grip her ass, giving it a squeeze. He groaned and deepened the kiss, and she parted her lips to his tongue. This was more like it. He was a great kisser, and she was all for getting caught up in an erotic dream. They were a rarity for her. And thinking was overrated when she could feel instead. The hunger and passion he dished out was something she eagerly met.

  It had been a long time since she’d had sex, even in a dream. She planned to make the best of it as she slid one hand along his shoulder to the back of his neck, then fisted a handful of his silky hair. She didn’t pull it; didn’t want him to stop kissing her.

  His hand on her ass slid lower, between her thighs. She spread them, wrapping her legs around his waist. He rubbed her pussy, but pulled away too quickly, instead finding the top of her white shorts. His fingers dug into the waistband and he tore them down, baring part of her ass. Material ripped, but she didn’t care. It just proved it was a dream. In real life, he couldn’t have done that.

  He pulled his mouth away from her, and she regretted the loss of his hot kiss. She opened her eyes and stared into those blue depths. “Forgive me, but it’s been too damn long, baby. I want inside you. Unwrap your legs now.”

  He let her waist go, and it took effort to follow his command. She released her grip on his hips with her thighs and sucked in a sharp breath of air when he lifted her higher, the fast motion making her a little disorientated. She floated above his head, and Big ripped her shorts off completely. They came off in two pieces that floated
away.

  He grabbed her thighs and spread them, then yanked her close to his face.

  “Fuck,” Gemma gasped when his mouth was suddenly on her pussy. Her thighs tried to slam closed but his hands kept that from happening. She tried to wiggle away, but the lack of gravity worked against her.

  The hungry kisses were now focused between her legs. Sensations assaulted her as his tongue and mouth fastened onto her clit. He licked and sucked aggressively, almost to the point of pain. It didn’t hurt though. Raw pleasure jolted through her. All desire to get away from him ended.

  “Yes!” She frantically twisted her head, looking for something to grab hold of. She wasn’t near anything. She closed her eyes and fisted her hands.

  Big was merciless with his mouth. He sucked on her clit, even lightly raking his lower teeth over the sensitive nub. Her nipples beaded and an ache began in her center. She wiggled her hips, unable to hold still. He just tightened his grip and kept her tight to his mouth.

  Her muscles tensed and she moaned loudly. Thought became impossible—and then she was shouting, climaxing hard. Blinding ecstasy almost tore her apart from the inside out. Big’s mouth left her clit and he released her thighs, grabbing her ass before dragging her pussy along his body, down his chest and abdomen, as she lie back as if reclining on air. She opened her eyes when his harsh voice startled her.

  “Wrap around me.”

  He let go of her ass with one hand and she looked down, watching him grip the shaft of his thick cock. He used his hold on her ass to bring her forward, maneuvering her body until the crown of his shaft brushed her pussy—then he pulled her down, entering her.

  Gemma threw her head back and cried out as he filled her. He must have released his cock, because suddenly both hands cupped her ass and he began moving her weightless body back and forth, fucking her hard. She was really wet from coming already, and Big felt amazing moving inside her.

  He groaned loudly. “So damn hot and perfect.”