Darkness flashed in her mind. He’d implied he liked rough sex. “How rough?”
“Our males are strong. I haven’t shared sex with one of yours but I’ve seen porn videos on the internet.” She hissed. “I don’t want to share sex with one of your males. I’d break his jaw if he called me some of the things I’ve heard them say to their partners and they seem very selfish.” She snorted. “Ever see the massage videos? They play with the female but don’t get her off, then shove their dicks at them. How is that mutual pleasure? They find it but the female gets the shaft. Did you notice my innuendo there?”
Kat laughed.
“Most of them don’t know what to do when they go down on a female either. How is it satisfying to have them lick around your clit? It looks annoying.”
“Those videos are pretty sad.”
Sunshine peered at her curiously. “How are human males in reality?”
“Not like those videos or they wouldn’t have sex often. I’d never have sex if even half of that shit is what really goes on in a bedroom. Those things turn my stomach.”
“Do you have a mate? I don’t smell a male on you but you’ve recently showered.”
“No. I’m single.”
“You’re an attractive female. I thought all of you wanted mates. I assume you chose not to have one.”
Kat shifted in her seat, reminded of her last conversation with her mother. It had been more of a lecture. She wasn’t giving the woman grandkids and that apparently was a disappointment. “I work a lot. Some men are intimidated by my job and don’t appreciate knowing they come second on my list of priorities.”
“You solve crimes. That’s important. They should be proud.”
“I think they mostly feel irritated or neglected because I love what I do. I admit my last relationship ended because of a case I worked. I missed his birthday party and then stood him up a week later at his best friend’s wedding because of work. He gave me an ultimatum and didn’t like my answer.”
“What was the ultimatum?”
“Him or my job.”
“Oh. That’s sad.” Sunshine took a bite.
That summed up Kat’s life. The job came first and everything else second.
“I have recently considered taking a mate.”Sunshine’s announcement brought her out of her thoughts. “Really? What is he like?”
“I haven’t chosen one yet. It would be difficult. The males I share sex with all have their good qualities and flaws.”
“How many are you sleeping with?”
“I don’t allow them to sleep in my bed. That would imply a commitment I’m not willing to make yet. Our males tend to get possessive fast if you don’t set boundaries. They respect those. Your world is different from mine. Sharing sex with many males is considered bad where you come from. Here?” Sunshine smiled. “Have you seen our males? I am a female with a healthy sex drive. We don’t have to worry about sexual diseases or pregnancies. It would be strange not to share sex often with different males unless we wanted a mate.”
Kat wasn’t one to judge. “I was just curious. I don’t know much about New Species.”
“To allow a male to spend the night in your bed would give him the idea that he could just sleep there every night. There’s a saying you’d know. Give them an inch and they will take a mile. They are aggressive so you have to be just as aggressive. Remember that while you’re here because some of the males will come after you. They view humans as more submissive and easier to dominate.”
“Okay. I’ll remember that.”
“Kick the male out of your bed if you allow one to share sex with you. Tell him to leave afterward. Don’t cuddle with him. Well, unless he’s a primate. They tend to need that or their feelings get hurt but cut it off after about five minutes. Otherwise they’ll try to press you to stay. They can be persuasive.”
Persuasive was an understatement. She would have begged Darkness to fuck her if he hadn’t been called away from that interrogation room. She’d come dangerously close to breaking a few times. He had been that good at tormenting her body until she’d been physically hurting to come.
“They see the mated pairs and wish to have someone depend on them that way.”
Mason’s accusation popped up. He thought the women were addicted to the men. “How are they dependant?”
Sunshine finished her half of the steak and frowned. “Your females enjoy the constant cuddling and the way the males are protective of them. We call it annoying but your females seem to think it’s endearing when they snarl at other males who get too close to them. The males really seem to crave a female to love them.” She paused. “We never had that. They also enjoy feeling needed by a female. Does that make sense? To be the most important person to another after we were just numbers is a remarkable thing.”
It broke Kat’s heart a little. “I see.”
Sunshine’s mood brightened. “Your females also seem to appreciate the sex and I don’t blame them. Our males are not anything like your males in those porn videos. No Species would ever call a female bad names or strike them. Our males have a high sex drive but aren’t selfish. They will do whatever it takes to give pleasure over and over.”
Not Darkness. He’d tormented the hell out of her. She’d never gotten turned-on so fast or experienced sexual frustration at that level before. Sunshine’s words did blow Mason’s theory out of the water. Great sex and a guy who paid them a lot of attention would be reasons enough for women to want to live with a New Species. As for the men, it probably would be desirable to have someone to share their lives with after all the hell they’d survived.
“I should go. I’m assigned to a shift tonight. We’ve doubled our patrols and increased security to handle the human workers coming in. I’ll see you at the bar tomorrow. I’m really looking forward to learning.” Sunshine offered her hand. “It was good to meet you and thank you for sharing your meal.”
Kat shook her hand. “Thanks for bringing it to me and for the talk.”
“Thank Darkness. You never answered my question. What did he do to you?”
She wasn’t going to answer that. “We just got off on the wrong foot when I entered Homeland. It’s nothing worth talking about.” Fat liar. She forced a smile. “Have a good night. I hope nothing else happens.”
“I do as well. We’ve had enough trouble to last us a month.”
Kat led her to the door and waved goodbye. She spotted the Jeep parked down the street with a guard inside. He was probably there to keep an eye on her. She closed and locked the door.
She wasn’t used to down time. Her job kept her busy and when she was home she and Missy were working on the house. They were about to start their remodel on the outdated kitchen. She longed to call her friend but couldn’t risk it. The NSO had access to her new cell phone when she’d been in that interrogation room and might keep tabs on any calls she made. It would lead them to her true identity.
She walked around the house, admiring it. She hand-washed the few dishes, bypassing the dishwasher. Adding one to her house was a dream but she wasn’t going to waste it on a few plates and silverware. She walked to the slider, unlocked it and stepped out onto the small patio.
It was a cool evening and she stared up at the sky. It was beautiful seeing so many stars, something she missed in the city. She was about to turn when the flare of a small light caught her eye and drew her attention to the house next door. A big figure stepped out of the shadows and Darkness met her stare.
He held a cigarette in his hand and seemed to be watching her as he lifted it to his lips, took a drag and blew it out. She was surprised he smoked since she hadn’t seen any Species do it. It was also a reminder that her cigarettes and lighter hadn’t been returned. She had a few packs stashed in her suitcase though.
He moved closer and stepped over the three-foot wall divider between their patios, entering hers. He looked really tall and was dressed in silky black pajama pants with no shirt. She tried to keep her eyes up and not admire his chest. She said nothing as he approached until he was close enough to touch. She tilted her head up to keep eye contact.
He turned his wrist and offered her his cigarette. She didn’t hesitate. Smoking was her one bad habit. She accepted it and took a long drag. Her eyes closed and she held it in her lungs before slowly blowing it out. She looked at him and offered it back.
“Keep it. It’s yours.” He reached inside his pants pocket.
She followed the movement and admitted to staring a little too long at his abs. He had great ones, every muscle displayed beneath his firm skin. He withdrew her pack and lighter. He held them in his palm.“I wondered where those got to.”
He removed a second cigarette from the pack and lit it then leaned over and placed the pack and lighter on the patio table. “It’s not healthy.”
She’d heard that a million times. “Everyone has a vice. This is mine. I don’t smoke all the time but I do when I’m stressed. It’s been a tough week for me. I didn’t know you smoked.”
He took a drag and blew it out. “I don’t.”
She cocked an eyebrow and took another drag on hers. “It sure looks like you are.”