New Species 04 Justice (26 page)

under him.

“I’m too tired and I have no motivation to move you since I like you exactly where

you are. I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night and I know it’s early but I’m tired.”

“I didn’t either. I wanted to come back but I didn’t know if you’d welcome me after

I fled to avoid detection. I’m sorry about that. I don’t want to hurt you but I have to

think about my people and everything I do reflects on them. I’ve felt so torn.”

“I understand that more than you can imagine. My father suffered if my brother or I

screwed up while growing up. Everything we do reflects on him and you represent

Species to the world. You’ve got a lot in common with him but not in a creepy, I’m-

having-sex-with-someone-like-my-dad way.”

He laughed, his body shook over hers and he grinned. “You make me happy, Jessie.

I’m so glad you came into my life. You’re a breath of sunshine in the dark stillness my

life has become.”

“You just rock my world and my headboard.”

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Justice

Amusement looked really good on him, she decided, admiring his handsome

features. She was pleased he wasn’t trying to deny that something was between them

anymore. She understood why he’d been reluctant to keep seeing her. Every concern

he’d mentioned was valid for both of them. She had become dedicated to protecting

and locating Species, not causing them more grief. They’d just keep their involvement

private. It would avoid problems and it didn’t make sense to stir a hornet’s nest until

they were sure of where their relationship was headed.

“At least we didn’t set off any alarms tonight.” He slowly withdrew from her body

and rolled onto his side, opened his arms and silently urged her closer.

Jessie didn’t hesitate to snuggle into his warm embrace. It felt amazing to be

sheltered against him and that feeling of being where she belonged, with whom she

belonged, hit her again. She didn’t allow it to freak her out since she was too tired to

worry about possible future heartbreak. He was worth the risk.

“Sleep, Jessie,” he rasped, kissing the top of her head. “I’m here and I’m not

leaving.”

“This is nice,” she admitted. “You should sleep here every night.”

Justice’s heart squeezed at Jessie’s soft invitation to share her bed on a permanent

basis. He wanted to. Longing struck hard and fast to do just that. The idea of her

belonging to him brought out emotions he’d never experienced before. He closed his

eyes, inhaled her scent and his arms tightened around her.

This happiness must be what Fury, Slade and Valiant feel when they hold their mates
. That thought jerked his eyes open and his heart raced. The idea of keeping Jessie at his side, in his bed and committing to her in every way didn’t strike fear into his heart. It left him feeling achy and his cock hardened in response, wanting to claim her.

Damn. Calm
, he silently urged his body. Jessie’s breathing had changed, she slept peacefully against him and he refused to wake her to make love to her again so soon.

He held back a snort. He had taken her in a way that wouldn’t have been considered

loving in anyone’s book. He’d been too rough, too frenzied to show her he was her male

and that only he should be the one in her bed.

The memory of storming into her house shamed him. He would have killed Night

or Sword if he’d discovered one of them trying to share sex with his Jessie. The rage

lingered, just thinking about another male putting his hands on his woman.
Mine. Yeah.

That’s how I think of her and I have it bad.
He pulled her flush with his body, held her a little tighter, making sure he didn’t crush her. She felt tiny compared to him, fragile,

and his protective instincts flared to life as never before.

It wasn’t easy to admit he would have killed one of his own males but he didn’t shy

away from the truth. For Jessie he’d have done it. He would have regretted it later but

he’d still have Species blood on his hands. It was unsettling to realize how deeply his

feelings had grown in such a short time.

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A soft
buzz
drew his attention and he carefully shifted Jessie enough to free his body, careful not to wake her, and roll away. He had to answer his phone or someone

would search his home to make sure he was well and discover he wasn’t there. It

annoyed him as he eased out of bed, grabbed his torn pants and rushed out of her

bedroom while he pulled the cell out of the intact pocket.

“Justice here.” He hadn’t glanced at the caller ID.

“Sorry. Were you eating? In the shower? It took you five rings to answer. I don’t

want to hear about it if you were in the bathroom doing other things.” Tiger chuckled.

“This couldn’t be put off.”

“I ate before I left the office. I was just away from my phone. What is it?”

“Guess who showed up at the gate demanding to see you right away? It’s your

favorite reporter and she’s waiting for a response.”

“No.” Irritation flashed. “I refuse to talk to that female again.”

“She’s being adamant. She’s threatening to headline the morning’s paper with news

of a Species getting married to a human at Reservation.”

He walked into the living room and paced. “It doesn’t matter. Tammy told her

friends and it was bound to get out that Valiant married her. They were already

photographed together when she was kidnapped and the team tracked her and rescued

her. I expected this to happen.”

“Okay. Don’t you always say it’s better to be polite to these vultures than to make

them angry enough to shred us in their newspapers?”

“I refuse to allow that female near me again.”

Tiger laughed. “She wants a piece of Justice.”

He growled in response. “She’s a menace who believes I’m too stupid to know she’s

attempting to seduce me to gain access to classified information. She’s not looking for a mate but instead a series of exclusive stories to boost her career.”

“She is cute though a bit too talkative.”

“I swore I’d never allow her another interview after the last one.”

“I wish I could have seen your face when she showed you her boobs.” Tiger

snorted. “I wouldn’t have minded seeing them. How did you get out of that mess?”

“I yelled for my secretary to come into office and chaperone the rest of the

interview. You talk to the reporter. She may show her breasts again if she believes

you’re gullible enough to believe she’s sincere in her sexual interest in you and thinks

she can sweet-talk information out of you in bed.”

“Hell no. I’m avoiding human females. I’m too smart for that.”

Justice remained silent, unable to say anything since Jessie slept down the hallway,

their mingled scent of passion still teasing his nose and keeping his dick hard from

wanting her again.

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Justice

“I’ll deal with the vulture. I’ll tell her that you aren’t here but had to fly to

Reservation for a meeting. Speaking of, Miles Eron called to remind you that you’re due

at his office at nine in the morning.”

“Great.” He refrained from snarling, tired of meetings.

“They are worried about our image and that’s why we hired him.” Tiger paused.

“They’ll ask you to dye your hair again. It’s getting dark. You know how our media

consultants are.”

“It’s torture when they mess with me. That shit stinks.”

“That’s why I’m glad I’m not you. I’ll deal with the booby flasher and you get back

to whatever you were doing.”

Justice hesitated. “Can I ask you a favor?”

“Of course.”

“I’m tired, Tiger. I’d like one night of uninterrupted sleep. Can you just handle

anything that arises and make sure I’m not disturbed?”

Sympathy welled in the other male’s tone. “Of course. You deserve that and so

much more. I’ll take care of anything that comes up. Sleep and rest. That meeting in the

morning is going to be hell and we both know they are going to have that woman at the

office waiting to dye your hair. I’ll stay at the office and route all calls here for that reason alone.”

“Thank you.”

“Get some sleep and don’t worry. I’ve got everything handled and I’ll call the

officers to make sure they steer clear of your house. I don’t want them patrolling too

close and waking you.”

“That isn’t necessary. I already told them to avoid my home.”

“They worry about you and want to make certain you are safe. We can’t allow

anything to happen to you.” Tiger laughed. “Nobody else wants your job. Everyone

needs you too badly because there’s not one of us who could keep so calm regardless of

what the humans say or do. You’re the most tolerant, well mannered of us all. We’d be

in a world of shit if you were killed because no one else could hold it all together.”

Justice’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t think that’s true.”

“It is.” All humor left Tiger’s voice. “That’s why I’m going to make damn sure you

get some sleep. We’re screwed without you. Sleep deep, my man.” He hung up.

Justice closed his phone, gripped it in his fist and barely avoided crushing the thing.

He stared down the hallway toward where Jessie slept. He’d never imagined wanting

anything more than caring for his people and making sure they succeeded in merging

with the world outside the testing facilities. One sexy, fiery redhead had changed his

life. He wanted her but he doubted he could have both.

He left his phone on the table in the hallway, closed her bedroom door and glanced

at the clock. It was early to go to bed but he was tired of his life, exhausted from

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shouldering so much responsibility and heartsick that one day soon he’d have to give

up Jessie for the good of his people.

He crawled into her bed, inhaled her scent and pulled her into his arms. She

murmured his name in her sleep, brushed a kiss on his chest when her face nuzzled

against him and he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

Being Justice North sucked but for now he was going to have the one thing he

wanted most. He closed his eyes, determined to enjoy every second he could spend

with Jessie.

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Justice

“So when do we get to sleep in your bed?”

Jessie put the last dish in the dishwasher and turned. Justice sat at the table with his

laptop open. He’d slept every night at her house for the past four days but in the

evenings he still had hours of work to complete. In the mornings he was gone before

she woke and stayed gone all day. He left the office in time to share dinner with her and she appreciated it, knowing he was a workaholic. Her father hadn’t ever been that

considerate when she’d lived with him and Justice obviously made the effort to spend

time with her.

He didn’t look up. “We can’t.”

She frowned. “I haven’t seen your house yet and I’d like to.”

He finally glanced up from his screen. “Jessie, I have too many people visiting my

house. They are always dropping by for one reason or another and I have a Species

male who cleans my home. You can’t go visit or sleep there.”

“Why not?”

“Anyone who entered my house would scent you and know you’d been there. The

male who cleans my bedroom would definitely know we were sharing sex when he

changed my bedding or grow suspicious if I began washing them myself.” He gave her

an apologetic look before dropping his attention back to his computer. “No one has any

reason to come here and it’s safe.”

She watched him type until his cell phone rang. He blindly reached for it and

answered. He spoke softly to someone about a banquet dinner and the security

arrangements for about ten minutes. The phone rang a few minutes later—someone

trying to set an appointment with Justice for an interview from what she could

determine from his part of the conversations.

Jessie left the kitchen while he dealt with them and sank onto her couch. She tried

not to feel a little self pity. He’d be on the phone and his computer until at least ten

o’clock the last few nights. He used her dining room table for his home office and she

sighed when memories of her childhood surfaced. She’d sworn she’d never fall in love

with a man who was obsessed with his work the way her father was but Justice made

all other workaholics pale in comparison. It was ironic as hell and she hated irony.

She smirked. At least workaholics who had girlfriends could give valid reasons for

taking a night off. Justice couldn’t allow anyone to find out about Jessie. She couldn’t

see his house or spend one night in his bed. It had been her brain child to stealth date

but the reality of it sucked.

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Laurann Dohner

It will get better
, she consoled herself.
He’s used to living alone, maybe he’s catching up
on some of his workload to take a full night off again…and you’re so full of shit. He’s not going
to change and if anyone knows it, it should be me.

She stood, stretched and strolled to the sliding-glass door. There was a slight breeze

as she slid it open and stepped into the backyard. Her gaze lifted to the starry sky, the nearly full moon and she crossed her arms over her chest.

Relationships were hard, she knew that, and she’d fallen for a guy with a lot of

responsibilities. It was part of the reason she loved him and it made him who he was.