Her time with him at site four was fresh in her memory as she longingly gazed at Moon. Excitement had made the days drag until those evening sessions when he’d been escorted into her office. She’d missed the sound of his husky voice. He’d slowly opened up about some of the abuse he’d suffered at Mercile. It had torn her to shreds listening to each horrific detail but he had needed to get it out. It was part of the healing process.
She’d managed to hide her rage while learning that he’d been beaten just to test some miracle drug that improved healing ability. Those sons of bitches had ganged up on him while he’d been chained, sometimes breaking bones as well as skin, just to see how long it would take for his body to mend. She’d silently wished she could go back in time and spare him all the pain. She was a strident advocate against violence but she’d had plenty of thoughts about performing some gruesome acts on the men and women responsible for his torture.
A few times he’d lifted his shirt to show her scars on his stomach or back. The urge to kiss them in an attempt to soothe some of his residual emotional pain had been almost irresistible. She’d been attracted to Moon in every way and wasn’t able to see those flashes of skin without having unethical thoughts. It had grown harder with every session to restrain the urge to reach out to him. Guilt had surfaced many times as well because of her fascination with his muscular, tempting body.
He’d always turned the topic to sex. It might have been a defensive gesture, a way to distract her from his real issues. Whatever the reason, listening to him speak of the sexual things he wanted to do to her had a strong effect. She’d wanted him too. It had grown harder to keep reminding him of their professional limits.
Half of her had wanted to believe him when he said sex would cure all that ailed him, despite the fact that she knew better. The line between what was best for him and what her heart demanded had blurred with each passing day. Meg had been right to tell her to quit her job but it had broken her heart to leave. Site four had severe rules when it came to contact between Species and humans. Had she stayed, it might have destroyed both of them.
Only minutes passed before footsteps sounded in the hallway. The tall Species female who appeared wasn’t one she’d counseled, and she was happy for that since she had no ready explanation for why she’d suddenly quit on them. Joy forced a smile.
“You’re the shrink?” The Species scowled when she stopped five feet away.
“Yes. I am.”
“Come with me. I’m escorting you to your living quarters and then we’ll go over what you’ll need that you didn’t bring. You don’t seem to have any luggage. You’ll need more clothes and personal items.” Her gaze flicked to where Moon slept. “I hope you can fix his head.”
“Me too,” Joy admitted honestly. “I wasn’t aware this was going to be a long stay. I have one spare set of clothes in my car if you can get someone to retrieve them.”
“We can do that and we can order whatever else you need through Homeland.” The woman evaluated her. “It may take a day or two to get clothes that fit. I apologize.”
“That’s fine.” Joy wasn’t worried about how she looked. Her gaze lingered on Moon. He was all that mattered.
* * * * *
“You will not leave your home unescorted,” Rusty informed her sternly. The Species woman growled and glared to make her point. “All your meals will be brought to you.” She studied Joy critically from head to foot. “When is your cycle?”
“My what?”
“When you bleed.”
“I don’t have regular periods.” Joy shifted her weight, glanced around the house she’d been assigned, and wished Rusty would finish her lecture. The Species seemed determined to go over every rule ever made by the NSO concerning human guests. “I take a birth control shot and have for some time.”
“Good. I will spare you the regulations and procedures then.”
“I have a good idea that I already know them.”
That drew a curious look from Rusty. “Really? I checked your history and you have never visited Homeland or Reservation before today.”
“I helped write the handbook they probably based your regulations and rules on. I was there after your people were freed from Mercile Industries. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that your males have a hypersensitive sense of smell and I’m aware of their reactions to an ovulating or menstruating woman. Also, you should keep breastfeeding women away from them.” She shrugged. “Some of your males love milk and harassed a few nursing mothers when the employees returned to work after maternity leave. I’ve talked a lot of your guys out of cornering women for many reasons. I’m the one who made it standard procedure for all female employees dealing with the males to take the shot if they weren’t already pregnant. Nursing mothers were reassigned to duties that didn’t include interaction with your males.”