Darkness (New Species #12)(25)

Her hands were soft and gentle, almost petting him. He looked down, watching them caress his flesh. His softening dick stirred and it reminded him of the spent condom. He captured her wrists and removed her touch.
“Don’t.”
Her hands fisted. “Fine. Sorry.”
He let her go and eased away. The separation of their bodies left him feeling cold. He stood and entered the bathroom, disposed of the condom. He lingered for a full minute, debating. The smart thing would be to leave. He didn’t want to go just yet. He returned to the bedroom. Kat had the bedside lamp on and was sitting against the headboard with the blanket covering her from her breasts down. She smiled.
“I like seeing you.”
He wasn’t sure how to respond. Her gaze lingered over parts of him, especially his chest and groin area. He held still, not minding her examination. She could look all she wanted but he didn’t want her to touch him. It was too personal.
“I’ll draw you another bath.” It gave him something to do.
“No.” She shook her head and lifted a hand, curving one finger. “You could come over here, though, and join me.”
He tensed. “No.”
Disappointment and a flash of pain showed in her eyes. “Okay.”
“I should go home. You have a class in the morning and I have a meeting.”
“You could sleep with me,” she offered. “I don’t snore.”
It steeled his determination to keep away from the bed. It was tempting to agree. “I can’t.”
“It’s a big bed.” She inched over a little to make more room. “I’ll even let you pick which side you want.”
“Kat,” he warned, his tone deepening. “Stop.”
“Fine.”
He dressed and retrieved the condom box then grabbed the bag from her trash. She stopped him before he could escape. It felt as if he were about to do just that.
“Why do you always do that?”
He paused, turning to face her. “Do what?”
“Take the trash with you.”
“Security does sweeps of your home while you’re gone.”
“They come in here?” She frowned. “Why?”
“It’s procedure.” He didn’t tell her they did checks on the cameras and audio devices to make certain they worked properly. “It also lets them know if you’re low on any supplies you may need. It’s not as if you can shop for new shampoo or food.”
“I guess that’s nice.”
“We like to take care of our visitors.”
“Just not sleep with them.”
“I’m sure many males would be happy to share your bed.” It pissed him off even saying it. He’d wanted to punch the feline male who’d asked to share sex with her. He might have if she’d accepted the offer. Anger boiled under his skin just thinking about someone else stripping Kat bare.
“Just not you.”
“I told you I’m different.”
“Are you sleeping with Bluebird?”
He was so surprised he didn’t think he hid the reaction but masked his features fast. “No.”
“I met her today. I also noticed she’s allowed to touch you.”
Darkness noted the way her fingers were clawed on the covers and the slight anger in her tone. “We’re friends. Are you jealous?”Her lips pressed together. “No.”
He growled. “You’re not dressed and I think that’s a lie.” Had she forgotten their agreement to be truthful when she was naked? “Do you want to try again? You’re agitated.”
“That’s a polite way to put it. I just assumed you didn’t like anyone touching you but I guess it’s just me. I’ll admit that’s not the best feeling in the world.”
Regret surfaced. He wasn’t being fair to Kat and knew it. “Bluebird doesn’t interest me.” He should have left it at that but hated the way she looked at him, as if he were hurting her. “I’m not immune to you. Good night, Kat. Sleep well.”
He left before he could change his mind. He did a sweep of the outside perimeter before going home. He showered to remove Kat’s scent but the memory wouldn’t fade. He took a seat on the bed and peered at the laptop he’d left on after taking over the security feeds.
Kat lay curled on her side facing away from the lamp. Her eyes were closed but the restless way she kept moving assured him she didn’t sleep. It was as if she couldn’t get comfortable. He lifted the laptop and set it on his lap. His finger, just an inch from the screen, traced the outline of her body. He wanted to touch her again.
“Damn,” he muttered.
Kat sat up and threw off the covers. He tensed, part of him hopeful that she’d come after him. He’d given her reason to be angry. Kat was a confrontational female. He tracked her out of the bedroom but she didn’t go near the slider. She fixed a sandwich instead and plopped down on the couch.
The morose expression on her face while she turned on the TV and ate tugged at him. She’d been sleeping peacefully before he’d woken her. She curled up on the couch eventually and drifted to sleep. He found himself rising before giving it thought.
It was easy to sneak into her home and take the comforter off her bed. He crouched down next to the couch, watching her sleep. He took care not to wake her when he tucked the material around her body.
I could just pick her up and carry her to bed.
He rejected the idea and left her cottage before he changed his mind. The protective urges he felt toward Kat were only growing stronger. It was a bad sign. He couldn’t afford to form an attachment to her. She wasn’t a female he could ever fully trust. None were though. He refused to make that mistake again. Caring meant pain. He’d had enough of that to last him a lifetime.
He sat on his bed and moved the open laptop to the night table, turning it so he could keep watch over Kat’s still form. He lay down, leaving the lights on for once as he prepared to sleep. He wanted to understand the female. A well-lit room didn’t give him a sense of security. He preferred the dark. It was just a reminder of how different they were. 
Darkness reached out and turned up the volume to the listening device in her living room. The TV had been left on, the movie she’d been watching was still playing. He could detect her light breathing though. He closed his eyes, focusing on it instead of the human voices. He should switch the feed back to Security but didn’t.
Chapter Nine

“That was a great class.” Jinx grinned. “Thanks for having lunch with the males today.”
Kat smiled at the ten males who were jammed around three tables that had been placed in a row. “Thank you for asking me.”
“We behaved,” Flirt muttered, shooting Jinx a dirty look.
The male grinned. “I threatened them with punishment if they brought up sex.” He stood. “I’m in charge of chores in the men’s dorm this week. None wanted to scrub toilets in the downstairs bathrooms. Are you ready to go on the tour I promised?”
Kat set her napkin next to the plate. “I am.” She really wanted out of there. New Species were nice but the way they’d watched her every move had been a little unsettling. They were curious, she understood that, but it made her self-conscious. She followed Jinx outside to a waiting Jeep. He motioned for her to climb inside.
“We’ll go to the training facilities first. Do you have to train to be a crime lab technician? Physically, I mean. Of course you went to school to learn all the techniques you know.”
She put on her seatbelt, noticing that he didn’t. He just started the engine and threw it in gear, only glancing behind him once to make sure he didn’t pull out in front of traffic. There wasn’t any.
“Some.” She kept it vague.
“Good. There won’t be any sessions right now but sometimes we drift in to work out our frustrations or extra energy.”
She studied the feline male. He had gorgeous blue eyes and a carefree personality. The muscular body displayed in a T-shirt and snug jeans proved he was fit. Long black hair whipped freely around his shoulders as he drove fast, barely slowing for a turn. She gripped the edges of her seat.
“Are we in a hurry?”
“Sorry.” He slowed. “Darkness put me in charge of giving you the tour and I don’t want to mess it up.”
Her interest peaked. “You’re afraid of him?”
“No.” He chuckled. “He’s definitely intimidating but he’s fair. It’s just that he never asks anything of anyone so I want to make sure I do exactly what he said. You’re to tour the training rooms and then I’m to take you to Security.”
“Is he on duty?”
“Not yet. He assigned me to you because he felt you’d be more at ease because he’s just not friendly. He asked Sunshine first but she couldn’t trade her shift today. I was his second choice.”
He parked in front of a building and turned off the engine. “This is it. It doesn’t look like much from the outside but it houses sparring rooms, weight rooms, some offices, showers, and we even have a climbing wall. That was added after we took over.”
She paused by his side as he used a card scanner to unlock the door. “I noticed all the common areas have those, except the bar.”
“It’s for security reasons. This place was built as a military base but we were given it when it was complete. Upgrades were made. It assures us that if the gates are breached we’re able to be secure inside the buildings.” He tapped the glass as he held open the door. “Weapons grade is what I think you would call it. Bullets don’t pierce the glass and metal shutters slam down in case of an emergency.” He pointed up, showing her where they were hidden above the interior doors.“Impressive.”