He dropped the nightshirt shirt and he held up her panties next. They looked small pinched between his thumb and index finger while he studied them. Alli launched to her knees and tried to grab them out of his hold but his reflexes were better as he jerked them higher, out of reach.
“Give those to me!”
“Behave,” he ordered as he grabbed the other side of them and used his fingers to open the waist as if she were inside them. His gaze left them to stare at her skirt. “These do not resemble the underwear they tried to give me. Where is the rest of the material? The slit in the front? Where is the back of them? I don’t understand why we now must wear something under our pants.”
“Those are bikini cut and women’s panties don’t have slits.” She inched closer. “I know you didn’t wear undergarments at Mercile but it’s just polite to wear them at Homeland. They gave you men’s underwear in the standard clothes package they put together for New Species. I brought my own clothes from my home when I moved here. Give them back!”
“Are you wearing this under your skirt?” He stared at her waist.
“Of course. I’m not going to wear one without them.” Her open palm waited but he refused to hand them over, instead fingering the silky material. He shocked her more by rubbing it against his cheek.
“Soft. Show me what they look like on you. Lift your skirt.”
“No way.” She forgot about her outrage that he was touching her panties and made a hasty retreat to the far corner of the mattress.
He dropped them on the bed. She was afraid he’d insist on seeing the ones she wore but he reached back inside her bag to pull out her bra. He held it by the straps and frowned before he looked at her.
“Put it down. Please?” She knew she blushed.
“What is it?” He turned it in his hands and studied the cups. “These cover your breasts, don’t they? The form is the same.” He stared at her chest.
“Yes. It’s a bra.”
He growled and threw it over his shoulder. It sailed through the air and hit the opposite wall across the room next to the door. “You won’t wear that.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. There is no reason to restrain your body. It’s unnatural.”
She had no words. He went through the rest of her bag, sniffed at her shampoo, conditioner, and even the toothpaste. Alli seethed as she sat and crossed her arms over her chest. 880 was nosy and bad-mannered. He shoved things back inside the bag and walked it over to the bathroom, just dumping it inside the other room. He faced her.
“It will stay there until we shower.”
“We?”
He nodded. “We.”
“We are not showering together.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“You heard me. Don’t glare at me with that mean look. I’ve let you bully me this far but you just crossed the line—the Grand Canyon of them.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m not taking a shower with you.”
He turned his head to stare at the door and sniffed. “He brings our food.”
Field appeared in the doorway, carrying two large covered trays. He met Alli’s gaze and smiled. The look of relief on his face obvious. “I’m glad all is well.” He addressed 880. “Here are your dinners.” He held out one toward him. “Make sure you take your medicines. They are inside.”
880 prowled across the room and accepted the food. “Thank you. Leave.”
The smile disappeared as Field backed away. “You really need to work on your social skills but I appreciate you remembering to say thank you. That’s a big improvement.”
880 growled a warning and the other New Species fled. “They try to train me to say words with every action.” He brought the food to the bed and placed the trays at the end of the mattress. “Eat.”
“It’s called being polite.”
“It’s annoying. I’d get my own food if they’d allow me to leave here.”
Alli opened the lid over the plate and her stomach rumbled. She’d missed lunch. 880 turned his head to glance at her belly before his gaze met hers. She blushed. He had a keen sense of smell and hearing.
“You need to eat more. You’re too small. Do my people starve you as punishment for being human?”
“No!” It astonished her that his mind would go there. “I just came here before lunch was delivered. I eat three meals a day but I’ve been watching my weight.”
“What does that mean?”
“I am on a diet.”
He blinked, frowning.
“I have put on excess weight and want to lose it. My clothes are getting too tight.”
“Wear bigger ones.”
She wished things were that simple. He removed the covers and her attention fixed on her dinner. She knew her calorie counting had just gone out the window. They’d sent her chicken-fried steak with a river of country gravy and mashed potatoes. Her gaze skirted to his meal. Nearly raw strips of beef were piled high on a plate with uncooked carrots and cauliflower surrounding them.
“You like those?”
He lifted a carrot and it crunched as he bit down. “Yes.”
“You don’t want them cooked at all?”
The disgusted look on his face was almost comical but she didn’t dare laugh.
“Why would they do that?”
“They are good when steamed with butter and cheese. It’s a way they cook them in hot water.”
She noticed he avoided his pills. “You need to take those with your food.”
A soft rumble came from his throat. She wasn’t sure if he’d just growled or it was a sound of dislike. His gaze lifted to hers. She started to speak but he pinched one of the pills between his thumb and finger. “I will take them.”
“Thank you.”
He looked away and just popped them into his mouth. She shuddered a little when he didn’t swallow them down with water but instead chewed. It had to taste horrible.
“You don’t have to—”
His head jerked her way and he growled. “I took them because you’re a doctor. I understand that it’s important to you. How I take them is up to me.”
“Fine.” She lifted her fork and knife to cut her meat. “It’s just that it’s easier if you drink them down.”
His gaze narrowed. “Be silent and eat.”
His hand shot out to the nightstand table and he grabbed the remote control for the television. It came on a second later and she concentrated on her food. He might be a New Species but she decided he had one human trait. He thought it was going to end a conversation just because he turned on a hockey game. Her gaze darted to the sports channel he watched.
The fact he didn’t turn up the volume made her ponder why it was even on. He ate quickly, putting away everything on his plate. She could see why he was gaining weight so quickly. He turned when he was done and watched her. She tried to ignore his intent stare until she’d eaten her fill.
“I’m done.”
“Eat it all.”
She glared back at him. “Listen, 880, you’re being a bully again. I’m stuffed. I ate most of it and that was a huge plate of food. I can’t consume the amount that you do.”
He stood and carried both of their trays out into the hallway and closed the door when he returned, sealing them inside the room together. Dread pitted her stomach as his gaze held hers.
“You’re supposed to leave that open.”
“I don’t take orders.”
“I’d feel better if it weren’t closed.”
“I want to talk to you without the male down the hall listening to us.”
Some of her trepidation faded. “About what?”
He stalked forward and the way he moved was almost predatory and put her on edge. Her heart rate increased and she tensed when he paused near the side of the bed to tower over her.
“Why did you try so hard to save me?”
“We discussed this already. I’m a doctor and you were m
y patient.”
His head tilted slightly as he watched her face. “Why don’t human males investigate your scents and mate you?”
“What?” She hadn’t expected him to say that and tried to make sense of his words.
“You smell of food to tempt them into being hungry for you.”
“What?”
He sniffed and bent forward a little. “I smell fruit. Strawberries.”
“It’s my shampoo. It’s a common scent people use.”
He sniffed again. “They fed me French toast and you smell of it too.”
“That’s the vanilla from my deodorant. It’s another common scent people use.”
“You remind me of dessert and breakfast. You are urging a male to think of those things and what happens between those times—they go to bed. You wish one to take you there with him.”
Her mouth fell open in stunned surprise.
“Now you are showing me your teeth. They are smooth.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You wouldn’t be good at using them to nip a male’s skin to bring him greater arousal.” He frowned. “It is your small size. That’s why they avoid you. You’d break, sharing sex with a male. We prefer a sturdier female.”
She gaped at him, not sure if she should feel insulted or not.
“You should bare your body to males. Show them those tiny scraps of material you use to hide your sex and stop restraining your breasts. They should be free at all times. That would tempt a male more into taking you for a mate. He’d want to put his hands on them and test how soft they are.”
“I don’t want a mate,” she sputtered, feeling offended. “You think I couldn’t get a guy? I totally could. I don’t smell like food either. I just don’t wear that stuff New Species prefer that doesn’t seem to be scented at all. All shampoos, conditioners, and body washes that we buy in stores are aromatic. That’s just how it is.”
“Humans are strange and weak. They need food scents to lure the opposite sex.” He sat down on the bed next to her. “Stroke my hair.”
“Play with your own hair!” She was angry.
He glared at her.
She glared back.
“Touch me. I like it.”
She tried to scoot off the bed and got one foot on the floor before his arm hooked around her waist. A gasp left her mouth as she ended up flattened under his heavy body when he pinned her down. Her anger morphed into fear.
“I said stroke my hair.” His face hovered over hers and his bare chest pressed tightly against her. His body heat penetrated her thin shirt.
“Get off me.”
“You are irritable.”
“You just insulted me and who are you to make those kinds of assumptions? What do you know about the world? I’m not your personal nurse and even those wouldn’t play with your hair. You’re acting like a bully and a baby!”
He viciously snarled at her and she responded, a gut reaction. Her palm stung from striking him and they both froze. Oh shit! I just slapped him. She felt the blood drain from her face. Anger glinted in his narrowed eyes. Her handprint showed red on his cheek.
The guy was huge and had her pinned under him. He could kill her for hitting him. She too made a sound but it was a soft whimper. Time seemed to freeze while she waited to see what he’d do. The urge to scream for help was strong.
His nostrils flared as he sucked in air through his nose and shifted his body over her, pressing more weight to pin her. One leg slid over the tops of her thighs to hold them down too. “You hit me.”
Her mouth opened but nothing came out. She was able to draw a breath though when her starving lungs wouldn’t be denied. His face lowered until his nose touched hers as he studied her eyes.
Alli was afraid to move. He’d just stated the obvious but he wasn’t attacking her. She counted that as a blessing while she tried to figure out how to get out of her current messy situation. He turned his head a little and broke eye contact with her to look at her throat.
Oh god. Is he going to tear it out with his sharp teeth? He wasn’t like any of the New Species she knew. 880 was as dangerous as Destiny had warned.
“Please…” she whispered.
He softly growled and lowered his face into the crook of her neck as his nose brushed her throat. Hot breath fanned her skin and her eyes closed as she held very still.
“880? I’m sorry. You made me angry and scared at the same time. I just reacted.”
His nose traced up to her ear and she jerked under him when a hot, wet tongue licked her. He sniffed at her and nuzzled his face against her cheek to force her to turn away more. His long hair tickled where it had fallen across her arm. She flattened her palms on his muscular chest and tried to push him away but it was like trying to move a wall. She couldn’t budge him.
“880?” Her voice quivered. “Please let me up. You’re heavy and I said I was sorry. I shouldn’t have struck you.”
The tip of his tongue outlined the shell of her earlobe. It was an odd sensation but not unpleasant. He stopped and paused. “You are not the first female to strike me,” he rasped in a gruff voice. “My mate did it often.”
Alli could understand that. 880 could be a brute and a bully.
“She grew testy at times.”
Like perhaps when you opened your mouth and made unreasonable demands, Alli thought silently, unwilling to state that aloud.
His leg moved and his toes wiggled under her ankle between it and the bed. She gasped when he shoved her thighs apart and gripped the bottom of her skirt. He just shoved it up and a big hand cupped the front of her panties. She was so shocked that it took her a moment to react. 880 didn’t have the same problem. Material ripped when his fingers slid between her panties and her skin, fisted the center panel and just yanked.
“Quiet,” his deep voice demanded and his sharp teeth very gently caught her earlobe for a split second before releasing it. “I’ll stroke and calm you.”
Her eyes flew open wide and she tried to turn her head to shove his face away but he warned her when he bit down again enough to make her gasp. His big hand cupped the curve of her pussy and rubbed. She shoved frantically at his chest but couldn’t move him.
“What are you doing?” Her voice came out as shaky as she felt.
She had a good guess though. She’d been warned by Tiger and Destiny. 880 was an adult New Species male. They were highly sexual. A part of her knew the second she’d agreed to stay with him that it was a real possibility that they’d end up doing more than just sleeping on his bed. The fact that he’d already explored her body with his hands, obviously curious about her, only cemented that theory. She’d stayed despite it.
He released her earlobe. “Relax.” His hand moved, petting her. “You’re stressed and there’s no need. I won’t mount you. You’re too fragile.”
His hand moved back and forth, pressing just hard enough to massage her clit. Her rigid body only made it more intense as it sank into her frazzled mind that he wasn’t hurting her. His mouth returned to her neck and opened enough to lick her. Teeth scraped down the column of her throat. It didn’t hurt either. She almost wished it did as she shivered. It wasn’t from being cold since his big body was so warm.
Months of watching and worrying about 880 had made her obsess over him. He wasn’t a stranger. The fact that he was on top of her, looking incredibly sexy with that long hair while his mouth did wonderful things to her throat, was too much for her to resist. She’d had wildly inappropriate dreams about him touching her and now it was happening.
She could scream for help and draw attention from the officer stationed down the hallway. Instead she closed her mouth and tried to relax. 880 was seducing her. Curiosity and longing got the best of her. She stopped pushing at his chest and instead just clung to him. He was really warm and firm. Smooth skin tempted her to explore more of it and she gave in to the urge.
880 fought to control his desires as he carefully touched Alli. She was so small under
him and felt delicate. He’d pushed the female too far until her temper had flared to life. Her slap still stung his cheek as his mouth tasted her skin. The urge to see what his hand touched grew stronger but he needed to keep her pinned down.
She pushed on his chest but her nails didn’t tear into his flesh. It meant she couldn’t be too irate. He closed his eyes, listening to the rhythm of her breathing and knew she was distracted from her anger when it increased. She had a little bit of hair where her underwear had covered her sex and it was soft. His mate hadn’t had any. His thumb found the bundle of nerves and stroked to calm her more.
46 always needed to be soothed when he made her angry enough to attack him. He didn’t want to argue with Alli. It was best to stop it before she got really worked up and forced him to fight the New Species down the hall if she decided to involve someone else. His tongue soothed her too, going for the places his mate had enjoyed best along the column of her throat.
Soon her body responded and he used the slickness of her desire to spread across her clit, making his touch easier. Her fingers dug into his chest wall but she didn’t score him with her fingernails. Her back arched and a soft pleasant sound of pleasure made his dick harder. Curiosity got the better of him as he shifted his hand just enough to carefully insert a finger inside the seam of her sex. She was very wet and the tightness of her pussy made him nearly lose his mind as he slid the digit inside her to the first knuckle.
“Oh god,” she whispered.
He growled softly in response and pressed his finger into her deeper. She was hot, tight, and felt as small as he had feared. She’d never be able to withstand being mounted. Frustration rose but he remembered it wasn’t about him. Alli needed to be soothed.
He withdrew his finger but pushed back in. Her body jerked under his and her hands slid up to his shoulders, clutching them. He noticed she wasn’t very strong and it reminded him she was human. He curled his finger inside the small confines of her pussy, feeling for the right spot, and knew when he found it. She sucked in air sharply. He rubbed from the inside as his thumb did the same motion on her clit.
Her small hands kneading his shoulders felt good. Soft moans from her mouth next to his ear tormented him and his dick painfully throbbed. He rolled his hips against her thigh back and forth, even that slight stroking of his shaft trapped inside his pants relieved some of the agony. He longed to flip her over and jerk her up to her knees and mount her from behind.