She stood in front of him, appearing fragile, her emotions clear on her face. That hadn’t changed about her. Her eyes had always been too expressive and got past his defenses every time. Even now he wanted to soothe her and make that hurt look fade. The fact that she still affected him strongly only strengthened his bitterness.
“I appreciate you taking time out of your busy life to come to Homeland.” He kept his tone neutral.
Joy lowered her gaze to stare at his chest. She nodded as her shoulders stiffened.
He stifled a snarl and was grateful for once that he’d spent a lifetime hiding his feelings. After all she’d put him through, he wouldn’t allow her to step back into his life as if no time had passed. He’d changed over the years, learned to get past his obsession with her, and he’d done a good job of it. The risk of her walking away from him a second time was too high to chance. He wouldn’t allow her to creep into his heart again. Once burned, twice shy. It was a human motto he had become familiar with.
“What do you want from me?” He refused to apologize for his harsh tone but he needed answers. “Why did you really come here?”
She raised her gaze to his. The sadness in her gaze weakened some of his resolve to send her back to her world. But only for a moment. She had no right to sympathy. He’d been the injured party.
“I’m glad you’re well, Moon.”
He snarled low to show her his patience had reached its limit.
She didn’t flinch away. “I missed you.”
“A lie,” he accused. “There are always choices. You were too weak to face the tough one of sticking around to find out what was between us.”
“I don’t know how much you remember of our discussions while you were under the influence of the drug but I want to be sure you know that I’m so sorry I left. I had to.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“You’re still naïve then.” Her chin jutted out and a defiant look appeared on her face. “Do you know how much money they had invested in keeping Species protected from the press and any possible threats? I would have been considered a security risk. It was top priority to keep all the sites hidden at any cost. Even if it meant tossing me into a jail cell and dragging out the paperwork or whatever else they had to do to keep me from speaking to anyone not involved with the program. My supervisors would have removed me by force.”
His temper flared and he cupped her face before he realized his intention. His hold was gentle but he knew it was a mistake touching Joy. It wasn’t enough and he wanted more. He wrapped his other arm around her waist to keep her from withdrawing from him.
“They wouldn’t have taken you away because you allowed me to get close to you.”
She slumped a little in his hold but didn’t look away. “Yes, they would have. I wasn’t military, 466. The rules were very strict on my interaction with Species. The only physical contact allowed was in the event I was attacked and had to defend myself until one of the guards arrived.”
Use of his Mercile-assigned number was an insult but he didn’t believe she meant it as such. “Moon,” he corrected.
“I’m sorry.”
“You left before I took a name.”
She intently peered up at him. “You have to believe me. Did you know at Site Two they kept one of the therapists locked inside her room for six days as punishment for holding the hand of one of your females?”
“Why was she kept in her room? Why would she hold the hand of a female and be punished for that? Did the female protest?”
“The female had experienced a horrific trauma. The therapist held her hand to show emotional support. The client didn’t mind but the guard in the room reported the physical contact.” She blew out a breath and he identified frustration in her expression. “It was stupid but that’s how the supervisors responded to it. Barbara was suspended six days without pay and secluded, just to make an example of her. She was a really nice lady with a lot of compassion. I spoke to her often because we were both getting some grief from Geraldine, who looked down on our qualifications to treat Species.”
Moon believed Joy. Humans could overreact and he remembered her telling him that was the cause of friction between her and Geraldine.
“I wanted to touch a lot more than your hand,” she softly admitted as she leaned close enough that her breasts nearly brushed his chest. “I wanted to sit on your lap, let you do anything you wanted to me, and I knew I couldn’t keep saying ‘no’ much longer.” She wet her lips, drawing his focus there, and his dick hardened to the point of pain. He ached to have her. “You made it crystal clear that I wasn’t just a curiosity, to see what it would be like to share sex with a human. Once never would have been enough for us. Someone would have figured it out.”