Rose felt the wall at her back, cold and unforgiving. Then, Liam's body pressed her in, trapping her between the solid surface and his immovable body.
"I... I need to get charged, Liam."
She managed to mutter between gasps from the kisses, her hands trembling as they tried to push him back, but with no real strength behind the effort. The space around her seemed to shrink, her body betraying herself with a heat that mirrored Liam's fervor.
"Really?" Liam's voice was a low rumble, his lips barely leaving hers as he spoke.
"I guess that must be why you feel so fragile in my arms right now. I was almost afraid that you're gonna break."
He chuckled softly, a sound that sent a tremor through Rose. He then buried his face into the curve of her neck, breathing her in, like she was a scent he had absolutely been addicted to.
"Liam... please," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the pounding of her heart.
"Please what?" The man murmured, his mouth so close to her ear she could feel the vibrations of his words.
"You're so tiny, it's almost hurting my back to kiss you like this. Do you know that, Rose?"
Her cheeks flushed crimson, her breath hitching as his words sank in.
Despite everything—despite the chaos of her life, the horror of her situation—Rose felt an odd sense of relief. Liam was being gentle. He treated her with tenderness, not cruelty.
Because she knew better.
Rose had seen the ugliness of it all-what people were capable of when given complete control with no consequences.
Back when she worked undercover at Lucas' industry, she had witnessed first hand the horrors that befell love bots. Hundreds of them, each as beautiful and delicate as her, sent back to repair centers in unspeakable conditions-broken limbs, severed heads, drenched in remnants of violent pleasure. Objects discarded and destroyed in a fit of human indulgence, with no boundaries to protect them.
Her stomach churned at the memory, her breath catching in her throat.
Is that my fate? Is that what I'm destined for?
But here, with Liam, it wouldn't be like that. He wasn't brutal or cruel. He wasn't like them. For now, at least, she was in the hands of someone gentle. She felt a flicker of gratitude, even though fear still gripped her heart.
"Liam... I..."
Her words faltered as Liam's lips brushed hers again, soft but insistent. Her hands, which had been pressed weakly against his chest, curled into the man's shirt, fingers trembling as they gripped the fabric.
A small sound escaped her-half gasp, half protest but it was drowned in the heat of his mouth, the way he devoured her.
Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Liam pulled back, his breath heavy, his eyes searching hers. For a moment, the intensity between them crackled in the silence, as if the air itself was holding its breath.
"I'll go take a shower," he said, his voice rough, as if he had to force himself to step away from her.
"I need to head back out soon."
He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, unbuttoning his shirt as he walked toward the bathroom. Liam smiled at her.
"Go charge yourself, sweetie."
Head out?... Where to?.... And sweetie?!
Rose felt her cheeks flushing, then blinked, her curiosity piqued, but before she could dwell on it, she snapped herself out of the trance. With a quick slap to her cheeks,Rose turned on her heel, hurrying back to Liam's bedroom where she knew her recharge pod was.
Whatever Liam's plans were for tonight, as long as it didn't involve her, that would be fine. More than fine.
She was needing her own alone time to think. Time to figure out her next move. It would be too overwhelming to have Liam around who's eyeing to devour her at any second.
Being alone would be better. For now.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Rose stepped into Liam's bedroom, her mind still spinning from their heated encounter. She pressed a hand to her flushed face as she breathed slowly to calm herself down.
Eager to recharge, she dragged her exhausted body to the softly glowing recharge pod.
Just as she reached the side of the bed, a sudden whirring noise startled her. Her eyes darted to the corner where a small, round robot, no bigger than a footstool, blinked to life.
It had a glossy light blue hue, with wide, glowing eyes that seemed too large for its tiny, circular body. Little arms protruded from its sides, one holding a vacuum attachment, the other a duster. Just as she was watching it with absolute amazement, all clueless...
"INTRUDER DETECTED!" it blared in a tinny, robotic voice. Its tiny eyes turned red.
Rose stumbled backward, "W-what?! I'm not—"
The robot's vacuum attachment revved up, and with surprising speed, it launched itself towards her. Rose's heart leapt into her throat as she jumped back, narrowly avoiding the suctioning tube aimed at her feet.
"INTRUDER! YOU WILL BE ELIMINATED!" the robot shrieked, zooming after her as it shot out a small stream of air, nearly toppling a vase on the nightstand.
Rose squealed, sprinting around the bed as the robot whirred in relentless pursuit.
"Wait, no! I'm not an intruder!"
The robot zoomed faster, its duster arm swiping at her legs as she leapt onto the bed in a desperate attempt to escape. But the bot was determined, rolling under the bed with lightning speed before popping out the other side, narrowly missing her ankle.
Rose tripped over the sheets as she ran around the room, the vacuum making a dreadful sucking sound behind her. She tried to dodge it again, but the robot was persistent.
"STOP RUNNING," it demanded, nearly tangling its duster in her legs as it shot towards her.
Rose stumbled, barely managing to stay on her feet as she bolted for the door. "I'm not an intruder!" she gasped and tried to say it again, breathless from the chase, but the robot was already on her heels, vacuum roaring like a tiny, relentless beast.
It cornered her near Liam's desk, its eyes flashing menacingly, a small buzz coming from its sensors as if it was ready to vacuum her into oblivion.
"I'm… I'm like you! A robot!"
Rose raised her hands in surrender as she panted hard to catch her breath. Her hair now a tangled, adorable mess. Her heart pounded in her chest, hands trembling, and her feet felt cold and slick with sweat.
The robot hesitated, its wide eyes flickering back to blue. "Verification required," it said flatly.
A bit afraid, Rose held up her wrist to show her identification band which was also registered with Liam's ID, hoping it would recognize her as a fellow machine of the same owner. The robot's sensors scanned the band, whirring as it analyzed the data.
"Error. Subject not registered as cleaning staff," the bot said, its voice laced with suspicion.
Rose groaned in frustration. "I'm not cleaning staff! I'm... I'm a love bot," she admitted, cringing at how ridiculous it sounded to say aloud.
The little robot hesitated, its lights blinking in confusion. "Love bot?" it repeated, its tone almost curious. "I've never seen a love bot before. What functions do you perform for our master Liam?"
Rose's cheeks flushed crimson. This was not the kind of conversation she wanted to be having with such a bot that felt to her like a kid because of its small size.
"I... I don't perform anything!" she sputtered, flustered. "It's not like that!"
The cleaning bot, apparently intrigued, rolled closer, its sensors focused on her intently.
"What is your purpose then? Do you assist with... emotional satisfaction? Physical maintenance?" Rose backed up again, horrified at the direction of this conversation.
"No! That's not—"The bot clicked its little arms back into place, seeming to finally accept her identity.
"Interesting. You must have advanced functionalities. I'm just here to clean floors and other things. Your role seems... more complex."
Rose stared at it, not knowing what or how to explain it. "Yeah, you could say that…"
" Then what can you exactly do for master Liam? I am just so curious. do you have programmable love functions? can you—"
Rose's face turned crimson once again.
"I—no! I'm not discussing this with you!"
The robot's eyes blinked innocently.
"But i am programmed to learn. Perhaps we can compare functionality. I clean; you—"
"Okay, that's enough!" Rose interrupted, waving her hands wildly. She turned on her heel and marched toward the recharge pod, leaving the curious little robot in her dust.
As she sat down to finally charge, the robot's last words echoed in her ears.
"Fascinating… I think you might be able to teach me so much."
Rose buried her face in her hands, shaking her head.
"What have I gotten myself into?"