Of course it hadn’t gone the way he’d planned. He’d been in for a shock when more humans rushed into the room to pin him down, his reflexes slowed by the drugs in his system, and he’d awoken to discover his world changed forever. He no longer was locked inside his cell, no longer chained to a wall, and the scents around him assured him that nothing was familiar. They kept him restrained but he understood why it had been necessary. He wouldn’t have attacked them but he would have tried to flee.
Four females in uniforms had leaned against the wall of the hospital room to inform him he’d been rescued, his people freed, and they’d slowly explained he needed to calm down. They’d shown him videos on a little machine of more of his people, taped footage of the rescue, and sworn no harm would befall him. It had taken time for it to sink in that they were telling him the truth. The shock had staggered him. The females meant no harm, they didn’t work for Mercile, and that life no longer existed.
He’d been transferred from the hospital to a remote motel in the desert with dozens of his people. All female military officers had been assigned to protect them at the secured location. Humans had quickly assessed that New Species males wouldn’t attack human females and had used that as a way to assure they didn’t feel threatened. It had worked. The females hadn’t even carried guns except for the ones who patrolled the perimeters to keep humans away.
The U.S. Government had promised them a place of their own, where their people could live safely from the press and from other humans who viewed them as a threat. They’d read books, watched television, and talked to humans who answered all their questions. The months spent in the desert waiting for such a place to finish construction had calmed them, assured them that they had human rights, and his new life had begun at Homeland. He’d gone from being a test subject to a man. The doc obviously didn’t agree. To her, he’d always be 215.
It hurt. All he’d wanted was to have her view him as a sexual male, her equal, and he’d messed that up for good by insulting her by not recognizing her when he met her again. She obviously didn’t have forgiveness in her heart. The pain turned to anger quickly. Damn her. If any male deserves some leeway, it is me.
The memory of touching her, tasting her skin, and the scent of her arousal flashed. She might not think of him as a man but her body could be persuaded otherwise. Lust and desire gripped him hard. Maybe she just needed to be taught without her mind mucking up the truth. He moved before he could talk himself out of the crazy idea.
Two hands suddenly grabbed Trisha by her shoulders. Slade took her to the ground, flat on her back, and suddenly ended up on top of her. Trisha struggled but she couldn’t get him off her. He pinned her down with his body. She opened her mouth but his hand clamped over it.
“Are you going to scream and tell those murderers where we are? Sound can carry a long way.”
She had planned on yelling at him. She shook her head against his palm. The hand instantly released her. Trisha pushed at Slade.
“Get off me right now,” she hissed.
“Do you want to know why I won’t say your name, Trisha?” He spoke softly to her, almost whispered.
She swallowed, surprised that he’d finally uttered her name. “Why?”
“It gets under your skin the way you get under mine all the time. I think it’s only fair if I annoy you as much as you do me.”
“How do I annoy you? You’re the one who’s always got some smartass remark to say and who constantly makes some sexually rude comment.”
“You’re the one I want to fuck so bad you make me ache.” He growled at her. “That’s more annoying than me shooting my mouth off, Doc. Trust me. I don’t make you so hard that you worry about busting out of your pants. You do that to me.”
His words left her speechless. She’d never expected that answer from him in a million years. Out of all the things he could have said, those things wouldn’t have even made her list.
With his traumatic history she could see him hating anyone in the medical profession. She also thought he might think her a snob because people always accused her of being standoffish. She didn’t mean to be but she just didn’t know how to relate to people.“Nothing to say now, Doc?”
She didn’t know what to say.
Slade growled. “You’re one cold bitch. I wonder sometimes if you ever heat up.” He paused. “Do you ever warm up even a little?”
“I’m not cold.”
“Really? You fool me all the time.”
“That’s not fair of you to even say. You don’t really know me. We’ve barely spoken unless it’s to insult each other or say something rude.”
“Ummm.” He shifted. “Warm up for me, Doc.”
Trisha gasped when Slade arched his stomach away from her body. His hand slid between them and fisted her shirt. She tried to grab it but Slade moved faster. He yanked the material all the way up her body to her neck and pushed away her frantic hands. His finger hooked the edge of her bra cup and gave it a yank. Trisha’s breast was freed to the chilly air that hit her skin.
“Nice,” Slade growled before his mouth lowered.
Trisha pushed frantically at Slade’s broad chest until his mouth closed over her hardened nipple. She gasped at the shocking feel of hot lips and wet, rough tongue when Slade gently sucked the tip of her breast into his mouth. He growled, causing vibrations. Trisha froze, ceasing her struggles. It was an erotic feeling, something she’d never experienced before, and then Slade suckled on her with hard tugs.
Trisha’s stomach quivered and she couldn’t stop the moan that came from her parted lips. The sensation of what he did to her felt amazing. She arched her chest upward against his face to give him better access and at the same time realized she wasn’t pushing at his chest anymore. Her fingers clutched the material of his NSO uniform to keep him close instead.
Slade sucked harder and his teeth rubbed against her sensitive nipple. Trisha moaned louder. She found his hair and dug her fingers around his scalp, holding his head in place. Her heart raced and she knew her body responded in a shocking manner when desire nearly burned her alive.
Slade’s other hand shoved at her thigh when he lifted his body off her enough to put a little space between them. He pushed against it to spread her thighs wider. She gasped as his hand cupped between her spread legs under him. He pressed his thumb against the center of her slacks and rubbed firmly right over her clit. She reacted instantly as the sensation tore through her body.
“Yes,” she moaned.
Slade froze, his entire body stiffening over hers. His hand tore away from her sex at the same instant he released her breast with his mouth. Cold air hit her bare, wet nipple as he jerked away from her. Trisha’s eyes flew open and she tried to see him in the dark but he was just a dark shadow above her.
“You do warm up,” he rasped so softly she almost didn’t hear him.
“Slade?” Her voice came out shaky and breathless.
He uttered a vicious curse and rolled away from Trisha. His shadowy form stood. She pushed upward, wincing at the sudden pain that tore through her shoulder. She stared in shock at his fading outline as he backed away from her. She barely remembered her bared breast and reached down to fix her bra. She shoved down her shirt to cover it.
“I’ll be back,” he stated harshly. “I’m going to make sure no one is near us.”
“But…”
Trisha closed her mouth. She trembled and her body ached. That son of a bitch. Anger poured through her. He’d purposely turned her on and stormed away, leaving her to deal with the rejection. That’s exactly what it had been. She’d practically begged him to take her. She may not have said the words but her body had done the talking for her.
“Bastard,” she cursed.
Trisha lay back down. Her body tingled in all the wrong places. Her breasts felt unbelievably heavy and the one he’d touched had become so oversensitive that her bra cup against it nearly hurt. She clenched her teeth. She’d change her underwear if she had a spare set since hers were soaked from sexual desire. She turned on her side and drew her knees up to huddle in a tight ball.
That bastard! she silently screamed. He’d turned her on just to see if he could.
She attempted to find a comfortable position on the hard, cold ground. She should have gone through her clothes that had been spread out around the crashed SUV to find a long-sleeved shirt but it had been warm during the day. She shivered and huddled tighter. Forever seemed to pass and Slade didn’t return.
Eventually fear set in. Has he just abandoned me here? Has something happened to him? Did those men find him? Tears welled in her eyes but she fought them back, blinking rapidly to accomplish it. With my luck he’ll come back in time to find me crying.
He hated tears. She had seen him react to Bart’s pain and she had a pretty good idea that most New Species didn’t have a lot of patience with weakness. They’d had very harsh lives and it had been instilled in them over the many years of captivity they’d endured that weaknesses were bad. She’d bet her life Slade didn’t ever cry.
Chapter Five
Slade watched the camp grimly. The humans were closer than he wished but far enough away to assure him they wouldn’t catch them quickly. He’d keep moving throughout the night but Trisha wasn’t New Species. She’d need to rest with her weaker human body.