He’d filled out more, judging by his arms and chest, which were displayed in the red tank top that also accented his tanner skin. He ran across the grass barefoot, kicked the ball and it made it past the goalie. He turned—she was sure he smiled and high-fived another male wearing the same-colored shirt.
“He’s healthier and stronger,” Breeze agreed. “He’s not as lean as when you last saw him. I told you all this when you arrived. Do you believe me now? Why are we hiding inside Smiley’s room spying on your male?”
That was the problem. Is he still mine? Fear wrapped its icy tentacles around her heart. She’d been a mess since she’d received the call three hours before from Homeland. They’d offered her the option to visit Obsidian. It had been a dream come true but at the same time, worry had nearly given her an ulcer.
Sixteen weeks and three days had passed since she’d been escorted by a few members of the NSO task force to one of their vans. Fuller Prison was less than an hour’s drive from Homeland. The new boss had been an asshole with a Napoleon complex—she’d barely tolerated him. The entire facility had been contained by high walls similar to Homeland but it was a lot smaller. The job sucked but she’d endured treating the prisoners, hoping to get “the call” saying she could see Obsidian.
“Allison?”
She refused to look away from the man she loved as he ran the length of the yard. “Yeah?”
“Are you well? Was it bad at Fuller?”
“I thought about him every day. It helped battle the loneliness.”
“You didn’t make new friends?” Breeze’s voice drew closer.
“No.” She pushed back unpleasant memories of the time she’d spent away. “It was a coin toss whether the prisoners or the guards were more offensive.”
“Did they offer to share sex with you?”
Too many times to count. The question did make her curious enough to turn her head and stare at her friend. “I was the only woman working there. What do you think?”
Breeze sniffed loudly. “I don’t smell a male on you. Is that it? Did you form a bond with someone else?”
“Hell no.” She took a calming breath, the sharp retort revealing too much of her anger. “Sorry. Let’s just say it isn’t the best job in the world. I’d be a billionaire if I got a dollar for every time one of them hit on me.” She gazed back out the window of the third-floor apartment to locate Obsidian. “Has he missed me?” Hope flared while she watched him kick the ball.
“He doesn’t speak of you at all.”
Ouch. The jab to her heart felt as though a knife had been shoved into it.
“He did at first, maybe two weeks. After that he stopped.”
“Oh.”
“I think it made him too angry.”
Alli glanced back. “At me?”
“At you being gone. He knows you didn’t abandon him. I left no doubt in his mind that you had no choice. Moon and I were very blunt with him.” She lowered her voice. “Although I wanted to break it to him more gently.”
“What does that mean?”
Breeze moved close enough to peer outside. “Moon and I had different ideas of the best way to handle Obsidian. It worked out well though. He’s made friends and has a job.”
“Really?” That was good news.
“Lots of friends. Moon taught him how to drive and guessed right when he believed he’d take well to delivering things around Homeland.”
She wanted to ask about women but couldn’t stand to hear the answer. It might very well shatter her heart if Breeze named off the ones Obsidian had slept with. She turned, spotting him again. It wasn’t hard to do since her eye was naturally drawn to his tall frame. It was torture being so close yet so far away from him.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“About what?”
“If he bonded with another female.”
The knife in her heart turned into a javelin. She said nothing, didn’t even look back, unable to face that possibility yet. In her mind, she liked to imagine he pined for her as much as she did for him. The bad thing about daydreams was reality had to come crashing in at some point.
“Allison?”
“Don’t,” she whispered. “I don’t want to know.” I couldn’t take it.
“You no longer care about Obsidian? I am surprised.”
Her head whipped around, gaping at Breeze. “I still love him. Not a day has gone by when I didn’t worry that he’d meet someone else and forget all about me. I just…” emotion choked her.
A smile played at the Species’ lips. “There were none. He refused all offers to share sex.”