He followed the direction of her finger. “Those are flags.”
Beauty worried that the big man would bolt. He looked ready to as he faced the door once again. Shadow was really tall and his hair was short. It was an oddity to see a Species with it cut so close to his head. His blue eyes were really pretty and she was sure he was canine, the way he growled and snarled.
“Flags?”
He sighed loudly and partially turned in her direction to stare at her calmly. “Flags. We have teams and someone thought it would be nice to put them on the benches when we play.”
“Can you hand me one?”
He slowly reached up to the folded material and pulled. She inched closer. He towered over her by almost a foot and a half. Her head didn’t even reach his broad shoulders. Shadow was careful not to touch her when he passed it over. The soft, silky material was dry and thicker than she’d hoped. She unfolded it to stare at the white fabric with an orange lion’s head printed on the center of it.“It looks as if it’s made out of flames. That’s pretty.”
“I guess.” He shifted his stance. “The other one has a wolf face. Or a dog. I’m not sure which was intended.”
“Is there a third one for the primates?”
“No. Just the two. I don’t know why but there probably should be one.” He appeared uncomfortable.
“These are big. What do you guess? Maybe four feet by two and a half?”
“I am not sure.”
“We should wear these.”
His mouth pursed into a tight line. “No.”
“You could tie it around your waist as though it’s a towel and this one will fit me if I wrap it around my body like a dress.”
“No.” His voice deepened. “I’ll go radio your location to Security and they will send out a female officer.”
The wind still battered the sides of the small building but the hail had passed. “The rain is still really coming down hard. You shouldn’t go out there.”
“I must.” He grabbed the door handle.
“Don’t!” She hated the way she almost pleaded with him but the truth was that she didn’t want him to leave. She’d never been alone with a Species man before but he wasn’t frightening to her. Curiosity got the better of her and she just wanted to spend some time with him. “Please?”
His head whipped around and his eyes narrowed. “You’re afraid to be left alone?” His expression softened. “I will radio it in and return immediately.”
Guilt ate at Beauty as she flat-out lied. It was wrong to do that but she didn’t want him to go just yet. “I’ll be terrified. Stay with me.”
He released the door. “This building is built well and it’s safe.”
“Don’t leave me.”
He relented. “I’ll stay.”
“Thank you.” She realized she’d survive guilty feelings at the deception. “I’ll put this on and you can grab that other one. We’ll be dry to wait out the storm.”
“I’m fine.” He looked away. “You change. You’re cold.”
She backed away from him and dropped the flag on the box where she’d sat. The nightgown stuck to her body as she tugged it over her head. A chill ran down her as the air touched her bare skin. It was cold. She squeezed out her hair as well as she could before touching the flag. It wasn’t much protection against the cool temperature but it was dry as she secured it around her body. It covered her from just over her breasts to her knees.
“I’m decent.” Her attention focused on him. “I’ll close my eyes. You really need to remove those wet clothes. Please? I know you’re tough but I’ll worry.”
He turned his head to stare at her. “It isn’t a good idea.”
“Why not?”
His chest expanded as he took a few deep breaths. “Never mind.”
Amusement sparked. She wasn’t dense. “Do you think I’ll be terrified if you’re mostly undressed with me? I won’t be. You’re Species.”
The glint in his eyes turned almost harsh. “I’m male.”
He slowly lowered his gaze to sweep down her body. His interest quickened Beauty’s heartbeat. He didn’t need to say more. She’d heard men were always eager to share sex with a woman. The idea of him touching her didn’t send her into a panic. The sounds her next-door neighbors made when they had company pretty much assured her that consensual sex wasn’t a bad thing.
“Please take off your wet things and wear the flag?” She purposely turned her back to give him privacy, the way he had her.
A soft growl was his answer but then his clothing rustled. He was doing it. Beauty hugged her waist to keep the silky material in place and smiled at the wall. He wasn’t leaving and it would just be the two of them together until the storm passed. She finally would be able to get to know a man.
Chapter Two
“I’m covered.”
Beauty resisted laughing at Shadow’s gruff tone. She turned to find his back still to her but he’d removed his boots, pants, shirt, and vest. They were neatly arranged in front of the door. The blue flag tied around his waist showed a wolf head covered part of his thigh on the opposite side of where he’d knotted the material at his hipbone to keep it in place.
“I really do like the flame patterns.”
“Are you warmer?”
“No.” That wasn’t a lie. “It’s so cold.”
“What were you doing out in the storm?” He glanced around the room, seeming to study everything but her. “You could have been hurt.”
“I had a nightmare and just wanted some fresh air.”
His blue gaze fixed on her immediately. “In the midst of a storm?”
“It seemed the thing to do at the time. It wasn’t smart, was it?”
His lips pressed together and he looked away to stare at the long box she’d been sitting on. He took a hesitant step closer but paused. “You’re shivering. Do not be alarmed. I could sit down and you could curl into me. I have greater body heat than you probably do.”
The idea of getting close to him didn’t alarm her but instead it was a bit exciting. “Okay.”
He moved slowly, as if he feared she’d bolt, until he inched around her and sat on the center of the box. The flag covered his lap and the top of one thigh, the other side slit up to the knot riding his hip. His gaze held hers.
“There is no reason to fear me.”
“You can use my name. It’s Beauty.”
“I remember.” His body looked hard and muscular—unyielding—as his arms parted as if to expose his entire chest to her view. “Allow me to warm you. I won’t do more than sit here. You curl into me. I won’t touch you.”
She wasn’t even sure what to do but hesitantly approached. He was so large and his bronzed skin mesmerized her. His legs closed until his thighs were clamped together and he broke eye contact.
“Sit sideways across my lap and lean against me.”
I can do this. She sat down on him the way he wanted and peered up at his face. He closed his eyes though and avoided looking at her again. Warmth seeped through the flags in seconds and she dragged her wet hair over her other shoulder to prevent it from brushing the chest she leaned against. He was solid and firm. Her hand opened and it trembled as she pressed it against the tight abs of his lower belly.He sucked in air but didn’t open his eyes as she felt the muscles bunch under her palm. “You’re very warm.”
“Good.” Shadow’s voice came out unusually deep. “What was your nightmare about? We should pass the time talking. You are safe at Homeland. There is nothing for you to fear.”
Beauty grew braver and adjusted a little on his lap. It was comfortable sitting on him and she rested her cool cheek against his chest more firmly. The smell of him filled her nose as she took a deep breath. It was a nice masculine scent mixed with hints of the storm.
“It was actually a memory of something real that happened. I wish it was just part of my imagination.”
She thought he tensed but the motion was so mild that she wasn’t sure if he just slightly adjusted or if it was a reaction to her words. He breathed and it rubbed his chest a little against her. She liked the feel of him and relaxed against his frame.
“Do you want to talk about it? We all have things that have happened to us that follow us into our dreams.”
“I did something bad when I was rescued.”
“You didn’t believe they were really there to free you? It’s a common mistake a lot of us made. You are not to blame. Who thought we could ever trust humans?”
“It was a man,” she admitted. “He asked me to be nice to him. He feared I’d attack him and I…” Her voice trailed off. She was ashamed to admit what she’d done.
A hand tentatively patted her back twice before it stopped. The touch was so soft she barely felt it. “It is understandable if you tried to harm him.”
“I did worse.”
“Humans harmed us. Nothing is your fault, Beauty.”
Her heart did funny things, hearing the raspy way he said her name. She listened to his heartbeat. It was loud in her ear and strong. Steady. It was soothing and nice. “I thought…” She bit her lip. “I don’t even want to say it.”
“That he would harm you? That’s what humans did to us.”