* * * * *
Slade pressed his forehead against the door, his eyes closed, and listened to the doctor move away. Shock still gripped him that the woman he’d just insulted and angered was the same woman who haunted him on a nightly basis since he’d been freed.
Dr. Trisha Norbit had changed her hair color, had grown it longer. He’d been pretty drugged when he’d awoken inside the human hospital but he should have recognized her scent or placed those beautiful blue eyes of hers when he’d seen them again. The memory of them made him want to kick his own ass for not making the connection. Had their drugs really affected him that badly?
In his defense, he’d never learned the name of the woman he’d pinned under him on the small hospital bed but everything else about her remained intact. Her plush body pinned under his, the taste of her skin on this tongue, and the scent of her arousal tormenting him. He’d been sure no one would save her, that she’d be his for the taking, and he’d relished the idea of making her want him as much as he wanted her. Then it had turned to hell. Humans had rushed inside the room, drugged him, and taken her away.
He bit back a snarl. He’d royally screwed up. Late in the night before he drifted to sleep, he always thought of her, his sexy redhead. He pushed away from the cool wood, snapped open his eyes, and glared at the house she hid inside. He’d fantasized about finding her, getting her under him again, and finishing what they’d started. He’d planned out how he’d charm her, had studied human romantic tactics, in hopes of winning her over if that day ever came.
Dr. Trisha Norbit hated him. He couldn’t blame her either. He’d purposely been an ass to her for the most part. It had irritated him that he was drawn to her despite having a fantasy woman stuck inside his head. It had almost seemed as if he’d been cheating on the memory of his redheaded fantasy woman every time his body responded to Doc Norbit.
The cosmic joke was on him since they were one and the same. He stomped off into the darkness. He’d just lost all hope of ever having her in his bed.
He paused to glance back at her house. His anger faded into sadness. Fantasies are for fools. Learn a lesson and stay the hell away from her.
Chapter Two
Tense. That’s how Trisha would describe her new relationship with the NSO officer. Slade patrolled the human section of Homeland, the area she lived and worked in, and she had to deal with him. Since that night they’d hardly spoken. When they did, both of them seemed to come to the mutual agreement not to mention anything personal. Two months had passed that way.
The guy was likable but she wished he weren’t. Slade had a quick smile, a keen sense of humor, and every time she’d had to deal with him, he’d gotten her to smile. He’d made certain they were never alone since the night she’d told him just who she was. She was mostly grateful for that fact.
Sometimes when she walked home at night she would catch a glimpse of him on the dark street. She could sense his stare and knew he shadowed her to make sure she arrived safely. It is his job, she reminded herself. She regretted what she’d blurted to him but she’d lost her temper.
There was something wrong with her. She mentally kicked herself over being angry with a guy for the reasons that she was, knowing it just wasn’t right. She’d felt insulted that he’d forgotten her. Just over a year before he’d wanted to keep her for days, he’d called her beauty, and now… She sighed. He just thought she was pretty and offered her some cheesy one-night stand. Not even a night. He only wants me for a few hours.
“Stupid,” she muttered.
“What is?” A deep voice spoke softly from behind her.
Trisha started and spun in her seat to gawk at Slade. She grabbed her heart. “Don’t sneak up on me that way again. Would it kill you to make some noise when you move?”
His eyebrows arched as a smile curved his full lips. “Then I wouldn’t get to watch you react that way.”
She sighed. “I’m glad you at least find it amusing. I sure don’t.”
She glanced around the room, realized no one else was there, and instantly tensed. Uh-oh. This was the first time she could remember them being totally alone since that night he’d walked her home. They’d had some interaction when there’d been some problems between the human, Ellie Brower, and her New Species husband. Fury had been shot during a press conference that had been infiltrated by a few members of a hate group and during his recovery a nurse had drugged him, trying to drive him insane. They’d seen each other during that time but had kept it professional.
“What do you need?”
“Good thing you didn’t ask what I want.” He smirked at her, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Justice has to go on a road trip and wants you to go with him.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “He said to tell you to pack for two days. I had no idea you and Justice were sleeping together.”
Trisha glared at him. “You know Mr. North and I…that nothing is going on between us. He’s my boss and he’s your leader. My only dealings with Justice are purely professional.”
His tongue ran along his bottom lip. Trisha watched it. She looked up slightly into his blue eyes, which were staring back into hers. “I know but I love to see you turn all pink when you grow angry.” He suddenly smiled. “Justice wants you ready to roll in an hour.”
“But—”
“An hour. Don’t argue with me. I’m just the messenger.”
“But where are we going? I’m on duty right now and tomorrow. What does Justice want with me?”
He shrugged, still smiling. “I just deliver the messages. See you in an hour, Doc. I’ll pick you up in front of your house.”
She watched him leave the clinic. A curse passed her lips before she could refrain. He loved to annoy her and he had a real talent for it. She picked up the phone to call Dr. Ted Treadmont, the second doctor they’d hired part-time, to cover some of her shifts.
They really needed more medical staff. Two doctors and nurses weren’t enough. She made a mental note to bring that up again with Justice when she spoke to him. He headed the New Species, was their appointed leader, and made most of the decisions at Homeland.
She glanced at the phone, half tempted to call him to say she wasn’t going wherever he wanted her to go but then changed her mind. She respected Justice and for whatever reason, he needed her to go somewhere that required packing. She might not want to go but she would.
Trisha had no idea what to pack. She cursed and decided to just take a bit of everything. She grabbed a few pairs of jeans, a few pairs of slacks, and some nice shirts along with a universal black dress, just in case. Underwear followed. She took one pair of high heels, a pair of slip-ons, and decided to wear the comfortable running shoes she had on. She also packed up a few sets of sweats to sleep in.
She walked into her bathroom to pack her overnight bag. Makeup and personal items went inside it. She remembered her shampoo and conditioner in case they were heading for a hotel. She hated samples. Her hair was too long for them to be of any use.
A black SUV pulled up and honked in front of her house. Trisha glanced at her watch to see he’d arrived fifteen minutes early. She clenched her teeth. Slade did enjoy aggravating her. She grabbed her purse, her suitcase, and slung her overnight bag across her shoulder. The weight of all her luggage made her struggle to get out the front door.
No one came to help her. She stared pointedly at the security guard driving the SUV but he just watched her as she closed her front door and fought with the keys to lock the deadbolt. Some of her irritation eased since the driver wasn’t Slade. She relaxed, took a deep breath, and turned. She tried not to groan as she moved down the sidewalk. Her suitcase was heavy and the bag dug painfully into her shoulder.
The back door opened on the vehicle and Slade jumped out. He smiled at her, glancing at her bags. With a shake of his head he walked to the back of the vehicle to open up the hatchback. He stepped out of her way, chuckled, and waved her to put her things inside.
“Gee, thanks for the help.”
She shot him a nasty look.
“I said we were going to be gone two days, not two weeks, Doc. I guess you can stow your own gear if you think you can wear all that crap you have jammed into those bags.”
She did groan when she hefted the suitcase up to dump it into the back of the SUV. “I didn’t know what to pack and I had to bring different kinds of clothes. It would have saved a lot packing if someone,” she glared at him as she tossed in her overnight bag, “told me where I was going and what this is about.”
He closed the hatchback. “Let’s go, Doc. We don’t have all day to stand here chatting.”
Trisha was pissed. She gripped her purse in a stranglehold. The door to the back of the SUV still stood open, she moved before Slade could and climbed inside, knowing he’d been sitting there. She shot him a mean smile while getting comfortable in the still-warm-from-his-butt seat. She slammed the door and turned to ask Justice what was going on. The vehicle was empty except for the driver and Slade, who opened the other door across from her and climbed inside. The door closed.
“We’re picking up Justice last?”She hated the hopeful tone in her voice.
Slade put on his seat belt. “Buckle up, Doc. Nope. Justice already left. We’re meeting him in a few hours.”
She sighed, securing her belt. “Where are we going?” She gave her attention to the security guard behind the wheel in front of her. “I’m Dr. Trisha Norbit. What’s your name, driver?”
“Bart,” he shared cheerfully. He met Trisha’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “We’re heading up north to a private resort.”
Trisha frowned uneasily. “Why?”
“Oh,” Bart started the SUV, “Mr. North has set a bunch of meetings up there. They figured it would be remote enough to make the press really uncomfortable if they wanted to attempt to follow him there and camp out to see what he’s doing. We’re hoping they don’t find out about it until after the fact.”
Trisha ignored Slade. “What kind of meetings? Do you know?”
“Oh sure.” The young guy was really talkative, which suited Trisha. “Mr. North wants to buy some land up there for New Species. He’s set meetings with all the officials out there and the guy who wants to sell the land. I heard he wanted you present in case someone has any questions about medical crap.” He took a breath. “You heard those stupid rumors about how people can catch parvo and stuff from New Species, right? I was kind of worried but Tiger swore it was bullshit. Do you know Tiger, Dr. Norbit? It’s not true, is it? I can’t catch any animal diseases from working with New Species, can I? Because that’s something I would really hate. I think they should give us hazard pay if that’s true. My mom says I should go to a vet and get vaccine shots just in case bec—”
“Shut up,” Slade snarled.
Trisha jumped at the tone of Slade’s voice and Bart closed his mouth. She swung her head to glare at Slade. He shrugged.
“He talks too much. It annoys me.”
Trisha tried to hide her disgust. “I promise you can’t catch parvo from New Species, Bart. Thank you,” she stressed those words, “for telling me where we are going and why.” She shot Slade another nasty look. “Some people don’t appreciate someone who is polite but I certainly do.”
Slade turned a little, faced her more from his position on the seat, and smiled as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. He openly stared at her breasts and kept his focus there. “I can be really nice when I want to be. I know how to stimulate conversation.” His gaze rose and he winked at her. “I’m pretty good with my oral skills when I’m motivated.” He glanced down to her lap and his grin widened. “I’m very good with my oral skills.”
You son of a bitch. Trisha ground her teeth, refusing to say it aloud. He wasn’t talking about conversation and she knew it. Why did he always try to annoy her? Maybe he thought he could embarrass her by his blatant sexual innuendos but she was a doctor. She took a deep breath and forced a smile. She’d been harassed by drunk men in the emergency rooms far too often to allow him get the best of her.
“Oral skills are always a wonderful thing to have, Mr. Slade.” Her gaze lowered to the crotch of his black pants, lingered there. She slowly allowed her gaze to travel up his body to examine every inch of him until they were staring into each other’s eyes. She saw his smile had faded, knowing her actions had wiped the amused look from his face. “I guess you could say I have a real oral fixation myself.”
She smiled wider at him, licked her lips, letting her tongue glide slowly over the surface. His jaw clenched as he adjusted his weight. She noticed his interest.
“Good conversation is very important, don’t you think? It’s so stimulating and pleasurable if done right. As a doctor it may surprise you how much I’ve learned on the subject. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a really good conversation and sometimes I nearly ache from wishing someone could stimulate me.” Her eyes narrowed. “But unfortunately I haven’t met anyone yet who I want to really talk to. I just keep meeting jerks who have no finesse.”
He growled at her. She chuckled and turned away from him to stare out the window to watch as they left Homeland. The guards at the gate just waved the SUV past. Trisha didn’t bother to look at Slade. She was afraid he’d be staring at her still. She turned toward the window and shifted until she found a comfortable position.
“I hope you both don’t mind but I’m going to take a nap.” She couldn’t resist. She turned her head to meet Slade’s gaze. He still watched her and his amazing blue eyes looked at her without amusement. He actually appeared angry.
“Have a nice nap, Dr. Norbit. I’ll wake you when we get there,” Bart offered. “Mind if I listen to the radio?”
“Not at all.” Trisha turned back to the window, realizing how tired she really was.
* * * * *
“Hurry,” a male roared. “Drive faster. He’s right on our ass.”
Trisha jerked awake as she slammed against the window. She groaned as pain exploded at the top of her forehead. She was half asleep, disoriented, as she jerked her head to glance around the SUV to see what was going on.
Slade leaned forward between the seats and Bart still drove the SUV. Trisha studied their surroundings, seeing they were in a wooded area on a two-lane highway with dense trees on each side of the road. The sun had lowered in the sky and it would be night soon. She held her forehead where it still hurt but then pulled her hand back to look for blood. There wasn’t any.
“Step on the gas harder,” Slade growled. “They are going to hit us again.”
Who will hit us? Trisha turned her head to peer out the back of the SUV. She saw a red truck with a metal grill coming fast at the back of the vehicle. She knew her mouth opened as the truck moved closer, realizing it would ram them. She softly gasped as it plowed into the back of the SUV.
The SUV swerved, fishtailing on the narrow road. Trisha’s head was thrown forward against the back of the cushioned driver’s seat. Her seat belt dug painfully into her lap as she realized she had pushed down the shoulder belt while sleeping.
“Oh my god,” Bart sounded as though he were sobbing. “They are trying to kill us.”
“Punch the gas,” Slade roared. “Our engine is bigger. They wouldn’t be able to catch us to ram us if you’d find your balls and put on some speed.”
“I can’t,” Bart yelled. “I’ll lose control. The turns are too sharp.”
“Next time, I’m driving,” Slade snarled.
Trisha experienced fear as she watched the edges of the road. There were trees everywhere and one side of the narrow road rose uphill while the on the other side, the one she sat closest to, dropped off into a vast space of trees. She stared downward. They were on some winding mountain road heading up.
“Call for help,” Trisha got out, confused and terrified at waking in a hellish situation.
“There’s no cell signal.” Slade snarled his words, obviously furious.
He turned his head, looking back. He cursed, throwing himself
into the seat next to Trisha. She was shocked by the sight of the weapon he withdrew from his back from under his waistband. It was a black handgun.
“Oh crap,” she gasped.
The truck rammed them again. Trisha was thrown against the door next to her but this time she managed not to hit her head. Her hand got smashed instead between the door she gripped and her body. Slade was thrown into the back of the passenger seat before he moved onto his knees and bent into the back section of the SUV. He pointed the weapon.
“Cover your ears, Doc.”
She did that just as Slade opened fire. Glass exploded. The sound of the gun going off was earsplitting. The SUV fishtailed wildly as it nearly tipped on two wheels. Bart cursed a blue streak, taking a turn too fast.
Trisha twisted around to face the back. She saw white steam pour out from under the hood of the red truck, not needing to be told that Slade had shot into the engine. He had to have hit the radiator or something else. The red truck slowed and the SUV pulled away. Slade stopped firing. He cursed as he dropped the empty clip and shoved in another full one from his side pocket. They took a turn and the red truck wasn’t behind them anymore.
Trisha gaped at Slade. His blue gaze flashed to hers. “Are you okay, Doc?”
She managed to nod. “Who was that?”
Slade shrugged. “My guess is they weren’t friends of ours.” He threw himself down on the seat sideways, placing the gun down between them. He tore his focus from her to watch out the damaged back window. Wind rushed into the SUV from the gaping hole. He yanked his cell phone out of his pocket. He flipped it open, stared at it for a few seconds, and viciously cursed.
“There’s still no signal.” His gaze met hers. “Where’s your cell, Doc?”