New Species 08 Obsidian (8 page)

Anger stirred inside her. “I’m sorry but his emotional well-being is more important than the amount of paperwork on your desk.”

That drew a glare from him. “I have a mate and I enjoy spending time with her instead of wasting it with extra work. You want to help? Talk him into taking a name.” Tiger spun and strode away.

Alli stood there watching him go until he reached Destiny. The nurse tried to step around him to come toward her but Tiger gripped his arm, forcibly turned him around and nearly dragged him in the direction of the elevator. She could hear them hissing at each other but couldn’t make out any of their conversation. A large hand clamping down on her shoulder firmly made her jump. She twisted her head to stare up at 880. He’d sneaked up on her.

“In my room now.”

“You could say please.”

He looked away from her to glance down the hallway and suddenly hooked an arm around her waist. She gasped when he just jerked her off her feet and spun, stomping back inside his room with her held against his chest. He paused by the bed and lowered her back to her feet.

“Take off your shoes and climb on my bed.” His arm withdrew.

Alli looked up at him. “That was rude. You can’t just go around picking people up and making demands.”

He regarded her silently.

“Just because you’re bigger doesn’t mean you should manhandle me. That’s what you just did.”

He blinked.

“I don’t want to be on your bed. We should talk and get to know each other. I think that you—”

His palm lifted and he pressed it against her chest and pushed her back. She lost her balance and landed on his bed. It shocked her that he’d done it. It hadn’t hurt but that was beside the point. He bent, grabbed her ankle, and just tore off her shoe. She tried to roll away after her stunned brain began to work but he was faster. He removed the other shoe.

“Stop that!” She struggled to sit while crawling backward to put space between them. He blocked her way off the bed. “You’re being rude!”

Broad shoulders shrugged as he bent over and his hands flattened on the bed. He stared at her and inched closer as she continued to put space between them until the back of her head bumped the wall. She was trapped. The mattress dipped from his weight as he lay down along the outer side of the bed and stretched out fully on his back. One hand swept behind his neck to grab his long hair and he piled above his head as he stared at her.

“Lie down next to me and stroke my chest.”

“No.”

A soft growl rumbled from him as his angry gaze fixed on her. “Alli.” He said her name in a way that gave her chills. “Come to me now and don’t force me to make you.”

Shit.
She wasn’t exactly afraid but was leery of him for sure. The bed wasn’t big enough to get away and she was within his reach if he just shot a hand out to grab her. He watched her, not moving until he took a deep breath.

“Please.”

That one word softened her resolve to refuse his demand. She inched closer to him, not sure what he’d do, but he just held still until she stretched out on her side after adjusting her skirt. Her hand trembled when she lifted it and touched his chest. His eyes closed as she stroked him softly.

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

Chapter Seven

The bed shifting violently jerked Alli awake and she realized she’d drifted to sleep. The room had grown noticeably darker and she stared at 880. He wasn’t on the bed any longer but instead stood next to it with his back to her. His attention focused on the open door. Her gaze followed his.

Tiger stepped into sight as he reached the doorway and paused. “Hello. I brought her things.” He held out her gym bag. “Here.” Tiger studied her. “Are you well?”

She sat up and checked her skirt, it was still below her knees. “I’m fine. We took a nap.”

880 stalked forward and took the bag by the strap. “Thank you. Leave now.”

Tiger’s mouth opened but he backed up. “Fine. Trisha and Justice aren’t sure what you’re up to but as long as Dr. Alli agrees to be here, she can stay. Just know there is an officer down the hall.”

Alli wasn’t sure if Tiger meant it as a warning to 880 or a reminder to her that help wasn’t far away.

“Leave,” 880 demanded.

“You really need to learn manners. You’re welcome.”

Tiger spun on his heel and left. 880 turned to face her and approached the bed. He dropped her bag and bent, unzipping it. His hands delved inside to scoop out her belongings.

“What are you doing?”

He shot her a glare and held up a pair of her sweatpants. He studied them before letting them fall on the bed. The nightshirt she’d asked for was inspected next. He read the words and frowned over the picture on it.

“Why do you have a shirt that says ‘bite me’? Who has red canines?”

Embarrassment hit. “It is a shirt from a popular vampire show. Please put it down and stop going through my stuff.”

“Who is vampire and why do you want him to bite you?” Anger flashed in his eyes as he stared at her. “You said you didn’t have a male.”

“It’s not a who. It’s a…oh hell. They aren’t real. It’s a show on television.”

He dropped the nightshirt shirt and he held up her panties next. They looked small pinched between his thumb and index finger while he studied them. Alli launched to her knees and tried to grab them out of his hold but his reflexes were better as he jerked them higher, out of reach.

“Give those to me!”

“Behave,” he ordered as he grabbed the other side of them and used his fingers to open the waist as if she were inside them. His gaze left them to stare at her skirt. “These do not resemble the underwear they tried to give me. Where is the rest of the material? The slit in the front? Where is the back of them? I don’t understand why we now must wear something under our pants.”

“Those are bikini cut and women’s panties don’t have slits.” She inched closer. “I know you didn’t wear undergarments at Mercile but it’s just polite to wear them at Homeland. They gave you men’s underwear in the standard clothes package they put together for New Species. I brought my own clothes from my home when I moved here. Give them back!”

“Are you wearing this under your skirt?” He stared at her waist.

“Of course. I’m not going to wear one without them.” Her open palm waited but he refused to hand them over, instead fingering the silky material. He shocked her more by rubbing it against his cheek.

“Soft. Show me what they look like on you. Lift your skirt.”

“No way.” She forgot about her outrage that he was touching her panties and made a hasty retreat to the far corner of the mattress.

He dropped them on the bed. She was afraid he’d insist on seeing the ones she wore but he reached back inside her bag to pull out her bra. He held it by the straps and frowned before he looked at her.

“Put it down. Please?” She knew she blushed.

“What is it?” He turned it in his hands and studied the cups. “These cover your breasts, don’t they? The form is the same.” He stared at her chest.

“Yes. It’s a bra.”

He growled and threw it over his shoulder. It sailed through the air and hit the opposite wall across the room next to the door. “You won’t wear that.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. There is no reason to restrain your body. It’s unnatural.”

She had no words. He went through the rest of her bag, sniffed at her shampoo, conditioner, and even the toothpaste. Alli seethed as she sat and crossed her arms over her chest. 880 was nosy and bad-mannered. He shoved things back inside the bag and walked it over to the bathroom, just dumping it inside the other room. He faced her.

“It will stay there until we shower.”

“We?”

He nodded. “We.”

“
We
are not showering together.”

His eyebrows lifted.

“You heard me. Don’t glare at me with that mean look. I’ve let you bully me this far but you just crossed the line—the Grand Canyon of them.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m not taking a shower with you.”

He turned his head to stare at the door and sniffed. “He brings our food.”

Field appeared in the doorway, carrying two large covered trays. He met Alli’s gaze and smiled. The look of relief on his face obvious. “I’m glad all is well.” He addressed 880. “Here are your dinners.” He held out one toward him. “Make sure you take your medicines. They are inside.”

880 prowled across the room and accepted the food. “Thank you. Leave.”

The smile disappeared as Field backed away. “You really need to work on your social skills but I appreciate you remembering to say thank you. That’s a big improvement.”

880 growled a warning and the other New Species fled. “They try to train me to say words with every action.” He brought the food to the bed and placed the trays at the end of the mattress. “Eat.”

“It’s called being polite.”

“It’s annoying. I’d get my own food if they’d allow me to leave here.”

Alli opened the lid over the plate and her stomach rumbled. She’d missed lunch. 880 turned his head to glance at her belly before his gaze met hers. She blushed. He had a keen sense of smell and hearing.

“You need to eat more. You’re too small. Do my people starve you as punishment for being human?”

“No!” It astonished her that his mind would go there. “I just came here before lunch was delivered. I eat three meals a day but I’ve been watching my weight.”

“What does that mean?”

“I am on a diet.”

He blinked, frowning.

“I have put on excess weight and want to lose it. My clothes are getting too tight.”

“Wear bigger ones.”

She wished things were that simple. He removed the covers and her attention fixed on her dinner. She knew her calorie counting had just gone out the window. They’d sent her chicken-fried steak with a river of country gravy and mashed potatoes. Her gaze skirted to his meal. Nearly raw strips of beef were piled high on a plate with uncooked carrots and cauliflower surrounding them.

“You like those?”

He lifted a carrot and it crunched as he bit down. “Yes.”

“You don’t want them cooked at all?”

The disgusted look on his face was almost comical but she didn’t dare laugh.

“Why would they do that?”

“They are good when steamed with butter and cheese. It’s a way they cook them in hot water.”

She noticed he avoided his pills. “You need to take those with your food.”

A soft rumble came from his throat. She wasn’t sure if he’d just growled or it was a sound of dislike. His gaze lifted to hers. She started to speak but he pinched one of the pills between his thumb and finger. “I will take them.”

“Thank you.”

He looked away and just popped them into his mouth. She shuddered a little when he didn’t swallow them down with water but instead chewed. It had to taste horrible.

“You don’t have to—”

His head jerked her way and he growled. “I took them because you’re a doctor. I understand that it’s important to you. How I take them is up to me.”

“Fine.” She lifted her fork and knife to cut her meat. “It’s just that it’s easier if you drink them down.”

His gaze narrowed. “Be silent and eat.”

His hand shot out to the nightstand table and he grabbed the remote control for the television. It came on a second later and she concentrated on her food. He might be a New Species but she decided he had one human trait. He thought it was going to end a conversation just because he turned on a hockey game. Her gaze darted to the sports channel he watched.

The fact he didn’t turn up the volume made her ponder why it was even on. He ate quickly, putting away everything on his plate. She could see why he was gaining weight so quickly. He turned when he was done and watched her. She tried to ignore his intent stare until she’d eaten her fill.

“I’m done.”

“Eat it all.”

She glared back at him. “Listen, 880, you’re being a bully again. I’m stuffed. I ate most of it and that was a huge plate of food. I can’t consume the amount that you do.”

He stood and carried both of their trays out into the hallway and closed the door when he returned, sealing them inside the room together. Dread pitted her stomach as his gaze held hers.

“You’re supposed to leave that open.”

“I don’t take orders.”

“I’d feel better if it weren’t closed.”

“I want to talk to you without the male down the hall listening to us.”

Some of her trepidation faded. “About what?”

He stalked forward and the way he moved was almost predatory and put her on edge. Her heart rate increased and she tensed when he paused near the side of the bed to tower over her.

“Why did you try so hard to save me?”

“We discussed this already. I’m a doctor and you were my patient.”

His head tilted slightly as he watched her face. “Why don’t human males investigate your scents and mate you?”

“What?” She hadn’t expected him to say that and tried to make sense of his words.

“You smell of food to tempt them into being hungry for you.”

“What?”

He sniffed and bent forward a little. “I smell fruit. Strawberries.”

“It’s my shampoo. It’s a common scent people use.”

He sniffed again. “They fed me French toast and you smell of it too.”

“That’s the vanilla from my deodorant. It’s another common scent people use.”

“You remind me of dessert and breakfast. You are urging a male to think of those things and what happens between those times—they go to bed. You wish one to take you there with him.”

Her mouth fell open in stunned surprise.

“Now you are showing me your teeth. They are smooth.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You wouldn’t be good at using them to nip a male’s skin to bring him greater arousal.” He frowned. “It is your small size. That’s why they avoid you. You’d break, sharing sex with a male. We prefer a sturdier female.”

She gaped at him, not sure if she should feel insulted or not.

“You should bare your body to males. Show them those tiny scraps of material you use to hide your sex and stop restraining your breasts. They should be free at all times. That would tempt a male more into taking you for a mate. He’d want to put his hands on them and test how soft they are.”

“I don’t want a mate,” she sputtered, feeling offended. “You think I couldn’t get a guy? I totally could. I don’t smell like food either. I just don’t wear that stuff New Species prefer that doesn’t seem to be scented at all. All shampoos, conditioners, and body washes that we buy in stores are aromatic. That’s just how it is.”

“Humans are strange and weak. They need food scents to lure the opposite sex.” He sat down on the bed next to her. “Stroke my hair.”

“Play with your own hair!” She was angry.

He glared at her.

She glared back.

“Touch me. I like it.”

She tried to scoot off the bed and got one foot on the floor before his arm hooked around her waist. A gasp left her mouth as she ended up flattened under his heavy body when he pinned her down. Her anger morphed into fear.

“I said stroke my hair.” His face hovered over hers and his bare chest pressed tightly against her. His body heat penetrated her thin shirt.

“Get off me.”

“You are irritable.”

“You just insulted me and who are you to make those kinds of assumptions? What do you know about the world? I’m not your personal nurse and even those wouldn’t play with your hair. You’re acting like a bully and a baby!”

He viciously snarled at her and she responded, a gut reaction. Her palm stung from striking him and they both froze.
Oh shit! I just slapped him.
She felt the blood drain from her face. Anger glinted in his narrowed eyes. Her handprint showed red on his cheek.

The guy was huge and had her pinned under him. He could kill her for hitting him. She too made a sound but it was a soft whimper. Time seemed to freeze while she waited to see what he’d do. The urge to scream for help was strong.