Excitement and a little nervousness shot through Joy as she closed her eyes and Moon’s mouth lightly brushed hers. He was surprisingly tender. It was more of a tease than a kiss as he pulled back. She peeked at him to find him hovering above her. The dark intensity of his look made her feel hot all over.
“Take off your clothes. All of them.” Moon lifted up and carefully got to his feet. “Now.”
It took her a second to get her mind to work. She sat up and reached for the bottom of her shirt but hesitated. She’d fantasized about this moment for so long. Her hands shook when she tugged it up. Her cheeks warmed, knowing he watched her, and she hoped he wouldn’t be disappointed when he got what he wanted. Other unanswered questions plagued her. He was used to Species females. Their bodies were firm and toned. Hers wasn’t. Had he ever slept with a human? She wanted to ask but knew he probably couldn’t give her an answer.
Something is different. It was his first impression as he became conscious. An arousing feminine scent filled his lungs as he inhaled. His other senses awakened next. Warm flesh was pinned beneath him. Soft breasts were plastered against his chest and the female’s thighs were spread apart under him, the light weight of her legs hooked over the back of his.He opened his eyes to the sight of chestnut curls spread across a pillow and the pale column of her throat only inches from his mouth. His gaze followed the curve of her chin to her dainty face. She seemed familiar but he couldn’t understand the protective instincts that rose so strongly inside him as he studied the female while she slept.His dick was hard and buried inside her. He tried to remember how the female had entered his cell but nothing surfaced. Breeding drug. It took him seconds to associate the thought with the meaning. A foggy memory of being shot with a dart and intense pain flashed inside
Frustration and worry were two emotions Joy could live without. They seemed to be her constant companions since she’d been escorted by Jessie to the elevator. The male nurse had cleaned the bite, bandaged it, and given her an antibiotic shot. Stitches hadn’t been required.“How is Moon? Is he still lucid? It’s been four hours since Dr. Treadmont and his team went downstairs.”Paul, the nurse, frowned at her from across the desk. “We’re still waiting for word.”“Can’t you check? May I go see him?”“Ted said to keep you here.”“Of course he did.” The jerk was territorial and didn’t like her. Sex therapist! Anger burned at that insult.“I could call for an escort to take you back to your housing.”“No. I’m not leaving Medical.”“Then we wait.” The nurse opened a drawer and offered a pack of gum.
This is my fault. Joy had been the one to suggest they try to sweat the drugs out of his system. It had never crossed her mind that he’d mistake their intentions.She’d managed to get Moon’s attention again once he stopped threatening Dr. Treadmont. No recognition sparked in his dark gaze. It seemed a plus though that he hadn’t tried to shake her off. He was restrained but not totally defenseless. He could have bitten her. Her hands and face had been within reach of his mouth.She debated, not sure if he’d respond to Moon or 466, or at all. She softened her tone, hoping it would soothe him. “You can talk so I’ll assume you can understand me.”His gaze narrowed. She was sure he didn’t recognize her—again. She slowly inched her fingertips closer to his face again. He didn’t pull away. He allowed her to push back some of his hair, which had fallen into his face. Her palm caressed his cheek in the pro
Joy paced the living room of the cottage and chewed on her bottom lip. Harley watched her from the couch, his arms crossed over his chest.“Is that helping any? This exercise of yours?”She resisted the urge to flip him off. The male was annoying but she knew he was worried about what was going on with Moon at Medical. So was she. Harley had told her about the object in Moon’s arm.“You should have told me about his arm before we left Medical.”“Would you have left?”She stopped walking. “No.”“That’s why I didn’t tell you.”“Doesn’t the NSO have antimissile systems or something similar to shoot anything down if someone launches an attack?”“We have armed guards with weapons to deal with anything that is a threat. We aren’t sure why anyone associated with Mercile would put a tracker inside Moon but that’s the nastie
Joy moaned in pleasure when Moon suddenly lunged and warm, full lips wrapped around one nipple. His mouth was hot, wet, and he sucked hard, as if he was starving for a taste of her. Strong tugs shot jolts of awareness through her body.Her hand fisted in his hair to keep him in place as she spread her thighs wider to give him room to play with her pussy. Her hips rolled and she arched her back in protest when he released her breast but he only turned his head to give attention to the other one.“Moon… Don’t stop.” She’d have to kill him if he did. It would be beyond cruel if he got her hot and bothered then abruptly called a halt. Not that she’d blame him for wanting to punish her for the past. “Please.”Yes, I’ll beg, she silently admitted. I’ll do damn near anything for him. To have the male she loved that close, reveling in his touch, her fingers tangled in his silky hair, was worth any price.
Joy unlocked the front door to her condo a little after ten o’clock that night. It had been a nightmare dealing with the problem at work. She’d managed to reach the hospital within two hours but she hadn’t expected the three-ring circus she encountered there. Her boss had called in a legal team to protect their clients’ rights.The lawyer had demanded she respond to him in whispered answers to every question from the police. He’d been the one to speak to them directly after filtering what she said. It had been a slow, annoying process that had taken hours.She kicked off her shoes inside the door and locked it. She hit the switch and light filled the open-concept living space that combined the kitchen with the living room. The seven-hundred-square-foot home wasn’t big but it was affordable. A long counter she used as a dining table was the only thing that separated the rooms. The lone barstool was a reminder of her solitary life. She
Joy cursed as she sucked on her bleeding finger. “Damn it.” The small injury had everything to do with her suitcase being overstuffed. She had shoved her weight over the top of it and struggled with the zipper to get it closed all the way.She stepped back and studied the two suitcases. It had been her intention to only pack enough clothes for seven days but she hadn’t figured on how tough it would be to pick out outfits. The black cocktail dress was a little too over the top but it was sexy. The blue almost-identical gown matched her eyes. It had been too tough to pick between them so she’d packed both.Jeans had been a must since Moon might want to take her on a tour of Homeland. She hoped he’d want to spend time with her. She’d had to take long- and short-sleeved shirts to match each pair depending on whether it was a day or evening stroll. The real trouble had happened when she’d thought about inviting him over to dinner. S
Joy had a hard time opening her eyes. Her tongue seemed swollen and it was tough to wake. She tried to roll but a big hand pressed against her chest to hold her in place. She was able to finally shove away the haze and peer up at a dim light above her. A fuzzy shape blocked it suddenly. She blinked and stared into dark, beautiful eyes.She’d survived being shot by Douglas. The professional side of her wondered what had happened to him but she wasn’t naïve enough to question Moon about his fate. It had been a miracle she’d talked a Species out of killing someone who’d attacked with deadly intent. It only showed how much New Species had acclimated since their release. They’d learned to quash their tempers while using reason instead of acting on pure impulse.“Joy,” Moon rasped. “You will be fine. They said the bullet passed through your arm but you lost a lot of blood. It missed the bone.” His voice turned gruff.
Joy watched Moon closely, still reeling from hearing him say she was his mate. He sat on the edge of her bed as he took her hand. They had a lot of issues to resolve. Relationships were complicated but he loved her. They had a foundation to build upon.“You shouldn’t have gotten out of bed.”“I’m glad I did.” She wasn’t sure where to start so she went with the thing that worried her most. “Can you ever forgive me for leaving you at site four? It’s the biggest regret of my life.”“Joy—”“Please let me finish.”He nodded.“I really didn’t see a way of staying. I thought it would cause you more harm than good if we slept together. You don’t know how many times I lay awake at night wishing I had the nerve to visit you at Homeland after it opened. I was too afraid you’d either refuse to see me or worse, wonder why I even bothered to c
Moon didn’t bother to take a seat since there wasn’t any sitting room left. Two of the council members weren’t there. They had stayed at Reservation, but Jaded and Bestial were currently in residence at Homeland. He wished it were Brawn and Cedar instead. They were more easygoing.He glanced around the room, seeing that Slade, Fury, Justice, Darkness, and Jericho were among those present. Breeze’s absence was noted and grieved. She’d have at least brought a sense of humor into the grim situation. He took a position in the center of the office instead of leaning against a wall. Harley hovered close, as if he were protecting his back.Justice waited until the door closed before he spoke from the seat behind his desk, addressing Slade instead of him. “Trisha is treating the shrink?”“Yes. She spoke to the hospital and they’ve emailed all records to Medical. Joy will fully recover. The human male wasn’t a s
Joy had a hard time opening her eyes. Her tongue seemed swollen and it was tough to wake. She tried to roll but a big hand pressed against her chest to hold her in place. She was able to finally shove away the haze and peer up at a dim light above her. A fuzzy shape blocked it suddenly. She blinked and stared into dark, beautiful eyes.She’d survived being shot by Douglas. The professional side of her wondered what had happened to him but she wasn’t naïve enough to question Moon about his fate. It had been a miracle she’d talked a Species out of killing someone who’d attacked with deadly intent. It only showed how much New Species had acclimated since their release. They’d learned to quash their tempers while using reason instead of acting on pure impulse.“Joy,” Moon rasped. “You will be fine. They said the bullet passed through your arm but you lost a lot of blood. It missed the bone.” His voice turned gruff.
Joy cursed as she sucked on her bleeding finger. “Damn it.” The small injury had everything to do with her suitcase being overstuffed. She had shoved her weight over the top of it and struggled with the zipper to get it closed all the way.She stepped back and studied the two suitcases. It had been her intention to only pack enough clothes for seven days but she hadn’t figured on how tough it would be to pick out outfits. The black cocktail dress was a little too over the top but it was sexy. The blue almost-identical gown matched her eyes. It had been too tough to pick between them so she’d packed both.Jeans had been a must since Moon might want to take her on a tour of Homeland. She hoped he’d want to spend time with her. She’d had to take long- and short-sleeved shirts to match each pair depending on whether it was a day or evening stroll. The real trouble had happened when she’d thought about inviting him over to dinner. S
Joy unlocked the front door to her condo a little after ten o’clock that night. It had been a nightmare dealing with the problem at work. She’d managed to reach the hospital within two hours but she hadn’t expected the three-ring circus she encountered there. Her boss had called in a legal team to protect their clients’ rights.The lawyer had demanded she respond to him in whispered answers to every question from the police. He’d been the one to speak to them directly after filtering what she said. It had been a slow, annoying process that had taken hours.She kicked off her shoes inside the door and locked it. She hit the switch and light filled the open-concept living space that combined the kitchen with the living room. The seven-hundred-square-foot home wasn’t big but it was affordable. A long counter she used as a dining table was the only thing that separated the rooms. The lone barstool was a reminder of her solitary life. She
Joy moaned in pleasure when Moon suddenly lunged and warm, full lips wrapped around one nipple. His mouth was hot, wet, and he sucked hard, as if he was starving for a taste of her. Strong tugs shot jolts of awareness through her body.Her hand fisted in his hair to keep him in place as she spread her thighs wider to give him room to play with her pussy. Her hips rolled and she arched her back in protest when he released her breast but he only turned his head to give attention to the other one.“Moon… Don’t stop.” She’d have to kill him if he did. It would be beyond cruel if he got her hot and bothered then abruptly called a halt. Not that she’d blame him for wanting to punish her for the past. “Please.”Yes, I’ll beg, she silently admitted. I’ll do damn near anything for him. To have the male she loved that close, reveling in his touch, her fingers tangled in his silky hair, was worth any price.
Joy paced the living room of the cottage and chewed on her bottom lip. Harley watched her from the couch, his arms crossed over his chest.“Is that helping any? This exercise of yours?”She resisted the urge to flip him off. The male was annoying but she knew he was worried about what was going on with Moon at Medical. So was she. Harley had told her about the object in Moon’s arm.“You should have told me about his arm before we left Medical.”“Would you have left?”She stopped walking. “No.”“That’s why I didn’t tell you.”“Doesn’t the NSO have antimissile systems or something similar to shoot anything down if someone launches an attack?”“We have armed guards with weapons to deal with anything that is a threat. We aren’t sure why anyone associated with Mercile would put a tracker inside Moon but that’s the nastie
This is my fault. Joy had been the one to suggest they try to sweat the drugs out of his system. It had never crossed her mind that he’d mistake their intentions.She’d managed to get Moon’s attention again once he stopped threatening Dr. Treadmont. No recognition sparked in his dark gaze. It seemed a plus though that he hadn’t tried to shake her off. He was restrained but not totally defenseless. He could have bitten her. Her hands and face had been within reach of his mouth.She debated, not sure if he’d respond to Moon or 466, or at all. She softened her tone, hoping it would soothe him. “You can talk so I’ll assume you can understand me.”His gaze narrowed. She was sure he didn’t recognize her—again. She slowly inched her fingertips closer to his face again. He didn’t pull away. He allowed her to push back some of his hair, which had fallen into his face. Her palm caressed his cheek in the pro
Frustration and worry were two emotions Joy could live without. They seemed to be her constant companions since she’d been escorted by Jessie to the elevator. The male nurse had cleaned the bite, bandaged it, and given her an antibiotic shot. Stitches hadn’t been required.“How is Moon? Is he still lucid? It’s been four hours since Dr. Treadmont and his team went downstairs.”Paul, the nurse, frowned at her from across the desk. “We’re still waiting for word.”“Can’t you check? May I go see him?”“Ted said to keep you here.”“Of course he did.” The jerk was territorial and didn’t like her. Sex therapist! Anger burned at that insult.“I could call for an escort to take you back to your housing.”“No. I’m not leaving Medical.”“Then we wait.” The nurse opened a drawer and offered a pack of gum.