3

Jessie cleaned up their dinner dishes and put them on the bottom empty shelf of the

cart. She lifted the lids on the four smaller dishes to identify the desserts when she

pulled them out and set them on top. She knew a lot of the Species weren’t fond of

chocolate and ignored the fudge cake to study the other dishes. One was a mixed-fruit

concoction piled on what appeared to be angel food cake. The other two were pieces of

apple and pumpkin pie. She glanced at Justice for a moment, trying to decide which one

he’d enjoy more. She picked up the fruit and the apple pie and grabbed a spoon before

approaching him.

He must have sensed her behind him. He turned and cupped the bottom of the

phone to mute his voice. “I’m sorry.”

“Which one?” She held them out.

He smiled and accepted the fruit. She had guessed right. She held out the spoon but

he didn’t have a hand free to take it. She grinned as she dipped it into the dish he held and lifted it toward his lips. He grinned in response and opened his mouth.

She took notice of his fangs as she gently slipped the spoon against his tongue,

avoiding the sharp points of his teeth. He sealed his mouth around the spoon and Jessie

suddenly became as jealous as hell of that bit of silver with his lips wrapped around it.

She pulled it slowly out.

He closed his eyes as he savored the taste, his expression showed the pure pleasure

he experienced and he softly groaned. Jessie put the other dish on the table far from his papers and took the dish he held. His eyes opened to stare at her and she kept her smile

in place despite the attraction she felt toward him. She dipped the spoon again to offer

him another bite.

“You need both hands,” she explained softly.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

He took another bite, just as seductively as the last, only the second time he kept his

gaze on her face. The blue of his eyes showed more and it fascinated her how the color

seemed to change with his emotions. The oval-shaped pupils had shrunk a bit,

narrowed and more blue spread through his exotically patterned irises. Justice

suddenly broke eye contact to search for something. He grabbed a paper and read it.

She felt the loss of his attention and disappointment filled her for some odd reason.

She’d enjoyed being the sole focus of his attention for those brief moments.

“I see that. It’s right in front of me. Tell them that’s fine but make them go lower on

the price. Just because we won that lawsuit doesn’t mean we’re stupid enough to spend

all of it on high bids.” Justice cleared his throat. “Tell them you are calling others to 24

Justice

acquire bids on the job. That should make them lower their price. Go with the number

we spoke of and if they don’t accept it, call others and reopen the bidding. We’re set on a budget.”

Jessie fed him another bite when the other person on the phone kept talking. She

hadn’t fed a man…ever. She enjoyed it. He flashed another grateful look, smiling at her.

She wondered if a woman had ever fed him, hoped not and wanted him to remember

her. She fed him all of the fruit and cake until the plate was empty. She returned the

dish to the tray and picked up a few sodas for them to drink. He pointed at the table

next to him, grinned his thanks and reached for something in his briefcase. Jessie

opened the soda for him and set it down. She went to the couch and ate the apple pie.

“I’m so sorry about that.” Justice collapsed on the couch next to her a few minutes

later after ending the conversation. Three feet separated them. “Thanks for the fruit. It was really good.”

She turned to face him. “I understand.”

His phone rang again and his smile faded to a grimace. “I’m not going to look. For a

dime I’d toss that thing into a wall and break it.”

She touched her front pockets. “Sorry but I don’t have any change.”

He laughed. “I wish you did.”

“Does your phone always ring nonstop?”

“Only when it’s on and that’s always.”

“You should get someone to help you. One man can’t possibly do everything.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know who would do everything that I do.”

“I’d train a dozen of them and disappear for a month of vacation. I bet you dream

of hiding from cell phones and other people.”

“Don’t tempt me.” A look of longing crossed his features. “Do you think they’d hire

me if I ran away to the circus?”

Jessie laughed. “I’m sure they would. I don’t think you’d enjoy that job any better

though. You wouldn’t have calls to deal with but the people factor would be a hell of a

lot worse.”

He adjusted his big body on the couch, bringing up his foot to rest on the edge of

the coffee table. “What did you want to talk about? I would really be interested in

hearing your ideas.”

Jessie hesitated. “You get this all the time, don’t you? People wanting your attention

for something?” She felt bad for him. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll write you a letter, send it to your office and you can look it over when you find some free time. You shouldn’t have

to deal with work right now. You really need some time to relax.”

“You want to leave?” He tensed. “I understand. I’m sorry about dinner getting

interrupted. It was rude of me but I really had to take those calls. I swear I will read

them if you want to send your ideas by mail. Just put your name in bold black print on

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Laurann Dohner

the back of the envelope and I’ll tell my secretary to bring it to me as soon as it comes in. It will get my full attention.”

Jessie stood. “I don’t want to leave. You’re so stressed out.” She peered down at

him. “You work more than anyone I’ve ever met. My father is a workaholic but you

make him pale in comparison. Don’t worry about dinner or the calls. Do you know

what you need?”

He shook his head but curiosity sparked his pretty eyes. Jessie hesitated. Oh hell,

who cares if it is unprofessional?  He’s stressed out, I want to help him and I’m doing it. It’s such a bad, horrible idea but screw it.  

“You need a massage.”

His eyebrows lifted. “What?”

His baffled expression was adorable and drew a chuckle from her as she repeated

her words. “You need a massage. I can rub your shoulders if you have some lotion

around here. I used to do it for my father when he got stressed out. It made him feel

better and it will feel nice on top of it.”

Justice swallowed hard. “There’s some in the bathroom. All the rooms come with

those things.”

“That way?” She pointed at the hallway.

“Yes.”

“I’ll go. You relax. Put both of your feet up, get comfortable and don’t you dare

touch that phone. Let it ring.”

Jessie realized she’d lost her mind. Justice could order her boss to fire her ass and

Tim would. Justice was the leader of the NSO and she planned to rub the tension out of

his thick, broad shoulders. Oh hell, she thought as she looked around the bedroom and walked into the bathroom. Justice was a stress case and he needed to unwind. A

massage would do him a world of good. She located the lotion and returned to the

living room.

Justice had followed her orders by resting his big feet on top of the coffee table.

Jessie smiled as she bent, took off her own shoes and met his unsure gaze. He watched

her cautiously as if he had no idea what she’d do. She fought back a laugh over his

bewilderment. She figured he was probably wondering if she was insane or not.

“I’m going to climb on the back of the couch and sit behind you. Can you take off

your shirt?”

He only hesitated for a second before reaching for his waist, leaned forward a little

and tugged the tank top higher up his chest to reveal those amazing muscles on his flat

stomach again. Jessie stepped onto the couch, sat behind him and planted her feet next

to his hips. She flipped open the lotion cap, studying his massive shoulders,

understanding how much responsibility rested on them. They were impressive enough

that she guessed he was the one man who could handle being the face of Species before

the world.

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Justice

His hair fell in the way and she set the lotion down and reached to her ponytail,

pulling out the thong holding it in place. Her fingers dangled it out in front of Justice’s face.

“Could you put your hair up on the top of your head to get it out of the way,

please?”

He hesitated before accepting it, pulled all his hair up on top and secured the

strands. She figured she’d laugh if she saw him from the front. She concentrated on his

tempting back instead, longed to touch him and poured lotion into one palm. She set

the bottle down and warmed the creamy substance between her hands.

“The trick to relaxing is closing your eyes and letting everything go.” She spread

the lotion over his shoulders, her fingers gripping the muscle. The tension in him

couldn’t be denied. His shoulders felt like stone under her fingers and palms. She let

her hands glide over his heated skin until the lotion coated the area she intended to

massage. “Do you think you can do that?”

“I’ll try.” His voice came out deep and raspy.

“Good. You just close your eyes and relax.”

Jessie dug her fingers into tense muscle. She used her palms to push into his skin to

massage deep, knowing she wouldn’t hurt him. Her hands weren’t strong enough to do

that. Enjoyment filled her at touching him, her gaze locked on the tan skin she

manipulated and hoped it would work. Justice needed to unwind. He worked way too

hard.

He groaned, drawing a grin from Jessie—she hadn’t lost her touch. Her hands

worked up his neck to knead his muscles before slowly lowering to the tops of his

shoulders then back. He groaned and made soft sounds occasionally.

The phone rang a few times but he ignored it. He didn’t tense at the disruptions or

move under her hands. Jessie’s hands started to hurt eventually from the strength she’d

used. She stopped.

“Is that better?”

He groaned. “Yes.”

“Are you feeling stress free?”

“Yes.”

“My mission of relaxation is now complete.”

She released his shoulders with regret. It had been a pleasure to have her hands on

the tall Species leader. She tried not to allow her thoughts to linger there and knew it

was a really bad thing that she was so attracted to him. Her fingers slid the thong free

from his hair and she shoved it into her pocket. Talk about barking up the wrong tree. He’s way out of my reach and Tim would kick my ass if he knew I was here.

Jessie climbed off the back of the couch and studied Justice’s handsome features.

His dark, sexy gaze met hers. She had to swallow hard over the intense look he

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Laurann Dohner

concentrated on her, not sure what it meant with him so serious. He was really good at

keeping her off balance.

“Is anything wrong? You’re staring at me as though you might want to say

something.”

He slowly rose to his feet and he was so tall her chin had to lift to keep her gaze on

his. She held still. He stood nearly a foot taller than her and he was really impressive in size. Too big. She let that thought slide. It didn’t matter because she didn’t feel threatened by him. He continued to watch her intently until he finally spoke.

“Thank you,” he rasped.

“You’re welcome.”

He blinked. “You should probably leave before I do something I’ll regret. Thank

you for sharing dinner with me and…feeding me the dessert. I especially want to thank

you for the massage. It was wonderful and needed.”

Jessie’s heart rate accelerated a little and curiosity wouldn’t be denied. “What are

you thinking about doing that you’ll regret?”

His gaze searched hers and a long moment passed while he seemed to debate

answering. “Touching you.”

Her heart did a flip. She identified the look in his eyes now that she had a hint.

Desire.  Justice wanted her as a man wanted a woman. His nostrils flared and he made that soft sound in his throat that did wonderful things to her libido.

“You do purr,” she whispered.

Justice ordered his hands not to fist at his sides, worried Jessie might take it as a

threat but he longed to touch her so desperately that it became a nearly impossible urge.

Having her hands on him, inhaling her feminine scent so close to him while she’d

massaged his shoulders, had driven him a little insane.

She was human, worked for the task force assigned under his command and he’d

read up on proper human etiquette in the workplace. Sexual harassment. Those two

words repeated in his head. She wasn’t Species, her society’s rules were totally different than those in the world he lived in and it wasn’t a simple solution of asking her if she

wanted to share sex with him. That’s what he’d do if she were one of his women. They

knew they could freely deny him and he’d respect it. She might be afraid or insulted if

he dared utter that question.

He tried to reason with his turned-on body. He couldn’t possibly share sex with

Jessie Dupree. She wouldn’t want him. Her actions were based on kindness and not an

invitation to put his hands on her in return. She’d come to discuss work, not end up in

his bed.

The image of sweeping her into his arms and carrying her down the hallway to his

room filled his head. He’d tear her clothes off, explore her pale skin and run his hands

over every inch of her body. His cock responded full force as blood rushed to his groin

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Justice

and the uncomfortable heaviness of the hard-on made him want to adjust his stance

since it pressed against the confining denim of his jeans.

Breathe through it, he ordered his body. Resist. You can’t offer her sex. She’s human and you’re not allowed to have her regardless of how much you want her.  Those thoughts helped him regain some control on his raging need to take her. He’d growl at her if she were

Species, show his dominance and offer her his body. He’d strip her in under a minute if

she agreed to share sex with him and show her his skill as a lover.

A small trace of uncertainty struck and kept that growl of intent locked within his

throat since she wasn’t Species. He had no idea if anything he’d learned about humans

would apply to her. He swallowed hard, kept silent and hoped he appeared

nonthreatening. She was much smaller and weaker than Species women. That was

another thing that cooled his heated blood. Jessie appeared frail in comparison and he

feared he’d cause her harm in some way if he followed through with his instinct to

attempt to get her into his bed.

Jessie stared back into Justice’s beautiful gaze while he remained absolutely silent. I want him, she silently admitted. Tim will have my ass, fire me, but oh hell, he’s worth the risk.  

He wants to touch me and I really want him to. Tim doesn’t have to know, right? Who would tell?  Her gaze broke contact to sweep around the room. No witnesses, no one to judge and we’re both adults.  She peered up at him again, met his intense stare as he continued to regard her, almost as if he waited for unspoken consent.

It could lead to sex if they put their hands on each other. Justice was a big guy,

really strong and a Species. She wondered how that would work out between them in

bed. She knew that some women had hooked up with them. She had gone to Tammy

and Valiant’s wedding and Tammy had sure seemed more than happy despite their

drastic size difference.

“Have you ever slept with a human?” Those words popped out and couldn’t

believe she’d said the thought aloud.

“No.”

Their gazes remained locked and it encouraged her to keep talking. “I’ve never

been attracted to your kind before but I’m drawn to you in the worst way. Am I being

too blunt? I know total honesty is supposed to be normal for Species. Just tell me to shut up if I’m wrong.”

“You want me too?” His voice lowered to a raspy growl.

Kinda scary but hot, she decided. His voice change made her heart race faster. Justice moved slowly, leaned his body closer and his hand lifted to cup her face with his big

palm. His other hand slid loosely around her waist while he studied her eyes. Answer

him.

“Yes,” she breathed.

“You’re so small and I’m afraid I’ll bruise or accidentally hurt you.”

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Laurann Dohner

She grinned, finding his nervousness reassuring. It proved she wasn’t the only one

on shaky ground and all her doubts about getting involved with him disappeared. “I’m

tough and willing to risk it.”

“I saw that you were strong in the lobby when you were attacked.” He nudged her

closer with his hand at her hip until their bodies pressed together. “You turned me on.

You were small yet fierce. You fought incredibly well.”

“I did?”

“Mmmm,” he growled as his face lowered. “Pull your hair back, please. I want

access to your neck.”

She gripped her long hair without hesitation and shoved it back over her shoulder.

She tilted her head to the side to give him open access to her shoulder and throat. He

leaned in more and Jessie shivered in anticipation when she felt his hot breath tease her skin below her ear. Justice inhaled slowly and ran his nose from that area, as gently as

the caress of a breeze, downward to where her shirt started at her bra strap.

“I won’t touch you with my teeth. Don’t be afraid. I’m aware that sharp canines

scare humans.”

“I’m not worried about it and you can touch me with your teeth as much as you

want.” The concept excited her but she did have one exception. “Just try not to break

the skin. I’m not into love bites. I’m not a fan of pain.”

He purred deeply, a sexy rumble coming from him. Her hand pressed against his

chest and she drew closer until her breasts flattened against his big frame. She could

feel vibrations when he purred that way. Jessie gasped softly from surprise when his

tongue suddenly traced her skin. Jessie turned her head, found her mouth pressed to

skin and opened it to lick his nipple. She latched onto it and nipped him gently with her teeth while sucking. The body against hers tensed and he growled, vibrating again.

The annoying shrill of his cell phone interrupted them. The mouth on her neck

stopped kissing and Justice uttered a snarled curse. She released his nipple, lifted her

chin and met his passion-filled gaze.

“Don’t get it. Let it ring.” She held her breath, hoping he’d choose her instead of

whoever called.

“Let’s go into the bedroom away from it.”

She pulled air into her lungs, the tension eased from her body and she smiled. That

was one way to get her into his room. Of course, she wanted to follow him anywhere at

that moment.

He pulled away to put space between their bodies and his eye color appeared

noticeably darker. She didn’t usually move this fast with someone but she wanted him,

he wanted her and she refused to think too deeply about it. He held out his hand and

she eagerly placed her smaller one in his. He turned, his focus remaining on her and led

her out of the living room.

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Justice

Justice released her hand when they entered the large master bedroom, reached

back and pushed the door closed. A lock clicked into place, the sound easy to identify.

“It’s not to keep you in but to keep anyone from interrupting us. Sometimes the males

assigned to guard me enter my suite and the locked door will keep them from just

opening it.”

“Okay.”

Jessie reached for the front of his jeans and unfastened the top button. She watched

his face as she pulled the zipper down, looking for any signs of protest. Passion blazed

in his heated stare and she lowered her attention down his body to watch her fingers

hook the opening to spread them apart. He wore red flannel boxers.

They looked expensive and were amazingly soft when she brushed her knuckles

against them. He hadn’t been kidding about liking comfort between his skin and jeans.

She shoved the pants down his muscular legs before going for his boxers to remove

them too. His hands suddenly gripped hers and Jessie’s gaze jerked to meet his.

“Am I going too fast? Do you want to slow down?” She resisted smiling over how

amused she was at the thought that a man might resist getting naked as quickly as

possible with a willing woman in his bedroom. He isn’t like other guys, she remembered.

“There are some things you should know first.”

Uh-oh.  “You have the same parts, right? Male parts?”

He flashed a grin. “Yes.”

“Then what else is there to know?”

He hesitated. “We’ve been told we’re larger than typical males.”

Larger. She swallowed. “I can deal with that. Larger as in ‘just a bit bigger’ or as in

‘that is never, ever going to fit inside me’?”

A laugh escaped his lips. “Your kind and my kind have shared sex. They didn’t

seem to have any problems with that.”

“That’s good to know.”

“There’s more.”

She bit her lip, unsure if she really wanted to know. Some things were best left

unsaid but she appreciated him wanting to be totally up front with her. “More than

large?”

“I just want you to be aware. Some Species swell even larger at the end of sex. I

don’t.”

She was a little shocked, hearing that Species fact.

“Tammy told Valiant that at the end, his seed is noticeably hot. It doesn’t hurt her

but she feels warm heat filling her when he spills his seed. I don’t have condoms and

can’t contain my seed if we do this. You will feel it if I come inside you.” He took a

sharp breath. “I don’t have to. I just wanted to give you the option of having me pull

out.”

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Laurann Dohner

“It doesn’t hurt her?”

He shook his head. “She seems to enjoy it from what I was told by him. I just

wanted to warn you.”

“I’m warned. I think I can live with that.” Jessie was glad it wasn’t something

worse. Semen that was warmer than normal wasn’t a deal breaker in the bedroom.

He hesitated. “Can you get pregnant? Are you on something to prevent that?”

“I’m on the shot but I know that’s not a worry since you can’t have children. That’s

true, right?”

He hesitated. “It is better to be safe. We are all different and therefore it is always

within the realm of possibility. I prefer to be safe rather than take a risk.”

“I go to the doctor regularly, I’m on the shot and haven’t taken anything that will

mess with it, so we’re good. I don’t have any diseases either. They do regular testing at my doctor’s office and I haven’t had a sexual partner in about a year. I’m sure I’m

completely healthy.”

Surprise widened his eyes. “A year?”

She shrugged. “What about you?”

“It’s been a few months since I shared sex with a female. She was Species and we

don’t carry your sexually transmitted diseases. I’ve never been with a human, as I

stated.”

“So we’re good to go. We had the responsible conversation, we’re covered on

pregnancy and are both disease free.” She smiled and gripped the waist of his boxers to

push them down his muscular thighs. She couldn’t help but look down at the body she

revealed and as soon as she freed his cock, she froze. Her fingers clenched around the

soft material.

“Jessie?”

She forced her focus off his lower half to meet his concerned gaze. “You weren’t

kidding about being larger.”

“Do you want to stop?” His pretty catlike eyes narrowed, he frowned slightly and

worry tensed his features.

She stared at his cock, studied it. He wasn’t freakishly endowed but she’d never

been with a man his size. “I haven’t changed my mind. Just go slow because otherwise

that’s going to hurt.” She released his boxers, allowing them to fall to the floor. Her

attention returned to his face. “I still want you.”

“I don’t have to enter you. We could do other things. I won’t hurt you.”

Jessie stepped back as Justice kicked free from his clothes. She gripped the waist of

her tank top, pulled it over her head and dropped it to the floor. Justice silently watched her as she removed her jeans.

“I’m pretty sure I’m the same as your women. No surprises on body parts.”

He purred again. “Your skin is so pale. It’s beautiful.”

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Justice

She glanced at her breasts. “I’m glad you think so. Your women are a lot tanner

naturally.”

“Your skin reminds me of milk. I love milk. The texture and the taste of it when it’s

warm is my favorite.”

He’s good. Jessie smiled at his compliment. The best part was she didn’t believe it was a guy line that he practiced to use with potential sexual partners. Justice wasn’t the average guy who’d grown up dating and learning what worked to pick up chicks. If he

said her skin looked like milk that he loved, that’s what it looked like. She removed her panties and matching bra, grateful they were nice.

“You’re beautiful,” Justice growled, staring at her breasts. “And bigger than our

women.”

She chuckled. “I’m glad something on me is. Your women are pretty impressive.”

He moved forward until they nearly touched and his warm hands gently gripped

her hips. He just dropped to his knees to kneel in front of her, his face now level with

her breasts. Hot breath fanned them and her nipples responded by growing taut. She

got to look down at his face for once as their gazes held.

“The last thing I should warn you about is that we’re naturally dominating and

aggressive. I’d never hurt you during sex but I might make noises you aren’t familiar

with. I don’t want you to be frightened if they sound scary. It’s not my intention to be

threatening.”

“I like it when you purr. You vibrate and it turns me on.”

“You are about to become really aroused if you are being honest with me. You have

no idea how much I want you, Jessie. I’m battling my urges to come at you full force.”

She wondered what kind of urges he resisted. “I’m not fragile or easily frightened,

Justice.” She lifted her hands and cupped his face, staring into his exotic gaze and the

urge to kiss him gripped her. She knew all about keeping in control at that moment.

“Don’t hold anything back. Be yourself. I want to know you.”

He softly growled at her, a deep rumble that had to be the sexiest thing ever. The

blue of his eyes really showed at that moment, leaving no doubt the color lurked in

those dark depths and she watched something change in his expression.

“You’re going to get me.”

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