Numbers (29 page)

“Take me like this.”

He followed her up onto the bed. “I take you facing me so I
can be more gentle.”

“Mount me. I learned all kinds of things today from the
females. This is supposed to feel incredible.”

It seemed that Candi planned to kill him, but it was a hell
of a way to go. He positioned himself over her and gently entered her from
behind. He groaned. She was hot and wet and tight, her body so welcoming. Her
answering moan as he sank into her helped reassure him that she was okay with
the position. He lowered his body over her back, and braced his arms beside her
shoulders to keep her secured under him. He rocked his hips slowly at first,
allowing her time to adjust to him. Candi turned her head and rested it against
his arm.

“You feel so good. I love you.”

He loved her, and everything about them being together.
“You’re my everything, Candi.”

“Stop holding back. Give me the canine experience.”

He chuckled and stopped moving. “The what?”

“It’s what the females call it. Do that thing you canines
do. Hold me tight and go really fast.”

He lowered his head and nipped her shoulder. He pinned her
tighter under him. “Tell me to stop if I hurt you. I worry.”

“I promise.”

He adjusted his legs on the outside of hers to pin her
thighs together and placed his calves just under her feet to keep her from
being able to move much. His fangs lightly raked her skin to brush kisses along
her shoulder. He closed his eyes, focusing on his mate. It felt amazing to
slowly fuck her. He’d found the position that she liked best, judging from her
response. It only took a few moments for him to be certain he'd learned how to
please her. He paused.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

Hero pounded into her. Fast, hard, merciless. Candi cried
out and he froze.

“Am I hurting you?”

“It’s intense but not painful.”

“That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

“Do it again.”

He fucked her hard, deep and fast. Her vaginal muscles
squeezed around him and her broken moans grew louder. One of her hands clawed
at his, braced on the bed beside her, but he ignored the slight sting of pain.
She wasn’t trying to get away from him. He clenched his teeth, wanting to come
bad. The tighter her vaginal muscles clamped around him, the more difficult it
became for him to hold his seed.

Candi screamed his name and he could feel her climax. He
threw his head back and allowed his release to come. The howl that tore from
his parted lips was unexpected, but he didn’t care if others heard him. She
felt that good and he couldn’t mute his reaction.

Candi stretched, loving that she woke while lying mostly on
top of Hero’s warm, naked body. He’d removed his shirt at some point since he
no longer wore it. She lifted her head to stare at his face. Her male opened
his eyes and his cock twitched against her thigh, which was curved over his.

“How are you feeling?”

“I loved the canine experience.”

He chuckled. “Are you sore at all? I was a bit rough.”

“I don’t have a single complaint.” She loved touching him,
running her hands across his chest and stomach.

“Stop that, or we’ll share sex again. You haven’t had
dinner.”

“The females fed me so much today that I’m still full. It’s
not even dark yet. We can wait a bit on that unless you’re hungry. I don’t even
remember falling asleep. We were cuddling.”

“You passed out on me after I turned us to our sides.”

She grinned. “Did it worry you?”

“No. I did put a note on the door to leave dinner in the
kitchen, and told them we’d be sleeping. Then I climbed into bed with you.”

“I forgot that the females were planning to bring us food.”

“They did that about twenty minutes ago.”

She turned her head, noticing for the first time that the
bedroom door was closed. “I didn’t hear them.”

“You were sleeping soundly. They tried to be quiet.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

She rolled away from him and started to climb off the bed.
“I’ll get you food.”

He lunged up and gripped her ankle. “You stay put. I’ll get
it.”

She laughed, rolling over to sit. “I’m really not hungry
yet.”

“I’ll hurry and eat. There’s something I’d like to do
tonight with you.”

“Give me the canine experience again?”

He chuckled. “Perhaps in a bit. No. We’re going out.”

“Where?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“What kind of surprise?”

He got out of bed and strolled into the bathroom, coming out
a few seconds later with a towel wrapped around his waist. “A good one. Trust
me.”

“I do.”

“I’ll bring you a drink.”

She watched him leave and got up to use the bathroom. He was
seated on the bed when she came out. He had brought a plate of food and used
the top of the bed as a table. The towel remained around his waist. She wished
he had removed it. She climbed back on the bed.

He held out a bite to her. “Try this.”

“What is it?” She leaned forward, opening her mouth.

“Chicken ravioli in an alfredo sauce.”

She chewed and nodded. It was good, but she wasn’t tempted
to eat more. The females had fed her a big lunch, and she’d eaten quite a few
cookies. Some of the females had helped her finish the plate when Kat wasn’t
looking. There had been no way she could eat that many.

She loved to watch her male eat. He finished an entire plate
and they shared his soda, not touching the one he’d brought her. “What is the
surprise?”

He set the plate on the nightstand and stood, holding out
his hand. “Let’s get dressed. The females left clothes for you in the living
room. You won’t have to wear any more of my clothing.”

“They said they would. I forgot.” She let him help her up
and followed him into the bathroom. He turned on the shower. “We did a little
online shopping today. You go to a website and pick things, and then they ship
them to the gates of Homeland. That way we don’t have to go outside to shop
with humans.”

“I’m aware.”

“I worried that you might have to pay for the clothing, but
Kat said it was going on the NSO account and not to worry about it. Money
confuses me.”

“The NSO sued Mercile Industries and their employees that
were captured. We also make money selling things to humans now. We no longer
have to depend on the government to fund us. Don’t worry about money. Clothing
and food are supplied to us. We all work together to run Homeland and
Reservation smoothly.”

“It’s scary in the out world.”

He stepped into the stall and pulled her in, closing the
glass door. “I hate thinking about all the bad things that could have happened
to you out there.”

“They had no idea I wasn’t one of them. I looked into the
eyes of the ones I dealt with. I got away from the ones who made me nervous and
refused to accept rides if they looked at my body more than my face. I also
spoke to female waitresses who worked at the truck stops where they would drop
me off. They helped me find males who were trustworthy. They said they were
regular customers and had families.”

He turned her under the water and she relaxed as he placed
soapy hands on her body, massaging as he washed her. “I like this.”

“I love touching you.”

“I’ll wash you when you’re done.”

He laughed. “No, you won’t. Otherwise we’ll never get out of
here, and it’s almost dusk. I told you. I have a surprise for you.”

He washed her hair next, and she finally turned around when
he was done. She lowered her chin. “You’re hard.”

“I’m always going to be hard when I touch you and you’re
naked in front of me. Ignore that. I am.”

“I can’t.”

He laughed again and reached out, pushing open the shower
door. “Out. Dry off and go get dressed. They stacked the clothing on the coffee
table. Find something comfortable. Perhaps thin, soft pants and a short-sleeved
shirt. It is warm outside today.”

She protested but he gently maneuvered her out of the stall.
He closed the door between them and turned his back to wash his own body.

Candi pouted but grabbed a towel off the wall rack, and
followed his instructions. She left him and located the clothing the females
had brought. Some of the Gifts had gone through their things to donate a few
outfits to her. She chose a light-gray pair of pants and a dark-blue shirt to
wear. They’d also left a few pairs of shoes for her to try on. A black pair of
canvas slip-ons fit. She carried the other clothes into the bedroom and set
them on top of the dresser.

Hero exited the bathroom and stopped rubbing his hair with a
towel. He smiled. “You look perfect.”

Her gaze traveled down his body. “So do you.”

“Stop looking at me like that. We are going out.”

“We don’t have to.”

“We do. I thought about something today and I made
arrangements. Now wait in the other room.”

“You’re so bossy.”

“I always have been.”

“I know.” She left the bedroom and waited.

He came out wearing faded jeans, a gray tank top and a pair
of shoes much like hers. He held out his hand. “Come on.”

She was excited. They walked hand in hand out of their
apartment, and took the elevator to the ground floor. He waved at the males
they passed in the living room, and she smiled at them. He took her outside.
The sun was low in the sky. He bypassed the carts and just walked down the
sidewalk.

Hero led her inside one of the buildings. A lot of Species
were inside and music was playing. She grinned. “What is this place?”

“The bar.” He had to raise his voice. “We hang out here,
eat, dance and socialize.”

“Are you going to dance?”

He grinned. “Perhaps, but first we’re going to have birthday
cake. I called today and made sure they would get a carrot cake just for you.
It’s for all the birthdays you missed.”

She threw her arms around him and hot tears blinded her. It
didn’t matter, because no one could see her with her face pressed against his
shirt. He remembered.

He held her tightly, leaned his head down and put his lips
against her ear. “It’s not exactly the party you missed out on before you were
taken, but it’s the best I could do, Candi.”

She tried to pull herself together but it was tough to do.
Her sixth birthday had been approaching before that horrible night her mother
had been killed, and her world had changed forever. She’d told him all about
how she’d looked forward to playing with her friends and having carrot cake. It
had been her favorite. They never celebrated birthdays at Mercile or at the
asylum.

“I love you.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I love you too. Come on. You
have friends here and there are even presents.”

She finally pulled herself together and peered up at him.
“The females knew?”

“I got them involved.”

“They didn’t say a word.”

“It was a surprise.”

He kept his arm around her and turned them, leading her to a
big table at the back. At least ten females and six males waited. They’d even
decorated the table for her and there were colorful balloons. She was touched
that Jinx and Torrent were there. Kat and the male who had to be her mate were
there as well. Pretty, wrapped presents were stacked next to a big cake. Hero
pulled out her chair and she sat, glancing at all the happy faces around the
table.

“Thank you.”

“It’s was all Hero’s idea.” Sunshine pointed at him. “He
plotted it out with Darkness, and he called Kat, and then she whispered it to
us while you were busy. Happy birthday, Candi. More of us would have come but
they were on duty this evening.”

“It’s not really my birthday. At least I don’t think it is.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Hero took a seat next to her and
scooted closer until they touched. “We’re celebrating you being home and us
being mated.”

“This is wonderful.” She reached up and wiped at tears. She
glanced around again and saw a few alarmed looks. “I’m happy. Right before my
mom was killed, we’d been planning my birthday party. I told Hero all about it
when we were young. Sometimes when I’d eat carrots at Mercile, I’d try to
describe to him how my favorite cake was made of them.” She held his gaze. “You
are so wonderful to do this for me.”

“We have a lot of time to make up. This is one of the good
memories we’ll share.” He looked away from her to frown at the white cake. “I
still don’t believe a cake made of carrots will be good.”

She laughed. “You never did like them, but cake is sweet.”

“Will it be crunchy?” He wrinkled his nose.

“Let’s find out!” Sunshine stood and started slicing the
cake, putting pieces of it on colorful paper plates. She gave the first one to
Candi.

Two males arrived at the table, carrying trays laden with
glasses of milk, and passed them out. Candi smiled at them. “Thank you. Are you
joining us?”

“We’re on duty, but thank you for asking.” One of the males
winked. “Happy birthday, Hero’s mate.”

She waited until everyone had cake in front of them and cut
a piece with her fork. It looked delicious, and smelled even better. It stirred
a few childhood memories and a flash of her mother’s smiling face filled her
mind.

“Candi?”

She focused on Hero and offered him her bite. “Try it.”

He lowered his head, but paused. “I just hope it tastes as
you remember it. The most important part is that you enjoy it.” He opened his
mouth and accepted the small bite. He chewed and smiled. “Ummm.”

She cut another piece and popped it into her mouth. It
tasted as delicious as she remembered. They stared at each other, forgetting
the people around them.

Darkness leaned back in his chair and put his arm along the
back of Kat’s seat. He looked at her and she drew close. “What’s up?”

“Did you call your contacts at the FBI?”

“I still have a few friends there. They assigned the case to
Mona Garza. She’s tough but good. I never worked directly with her, but she has
a ball-buster reputation. It’s tough being a woman in a man’s career field.”

“That doesn’t bode well.”

“No. That’s great news.”

“A ball buster is good?”

“You bet your ass. She’s not out to kiss ass. She won’t mind
making waves, regardless of how deep she has to dig for information. I also
learned she’s got two dogs.”

“So?”

“She loves animals.”

He scowled, narrowing his eyes at her. “Is that supposed to
be a joke?”

“It means, if any of those good ole boys don’t like Species,
she’s going to get highly offended if they say anything to her like my boss did
to me. He thought women might as well bend over and take it from their dogs if
they were willing to fuck a Species. Imagine how well that went over with me.
She’s going to want to fuck up their day as much as I did Mason’s. That means
she won’t leave any rock unturned to look for evidence that supports everything
Candi has said.”

He grinned. “You’re a feline lover now.”

“You got that right.”

He sobered. “Any word on how the investigation is going?”

She shook her head, watching Candi and Hero eat their cake
and flirt with each other. Her heart went out to the couple. They’d endured a
hell of a lot and they deserved pure happiness. “Garza isn’t chatty and hasn’t
shared anything that hit the rumor mill. I know she’s been putting in some
heavy hours and pissing people off by sending agents out to places they didn’t
want to go. I’m sure that mental hospital was a riot for the agents.”

“Sarcasm?”

“Their security is usually anal, and the doctors are pricks
in most cases. You’re sitting across from their desks while they are sizing you
up like you’re one of their patients. They hate to be wrong. I had to interview
one once who accused me of wanting to be a man. Why, you ask?”

“I didn’t. There’s nothing male about you. He was an idiot.”

“It was a she, and I agree. It’s because I started playing
hardball with her. The bitch cried.”

“You sound so proud.”

“She was saying my perp was nuts, but he was faking it. I
knew, and she should have too. She cracked like an egg. He was a good-looking
rich boy who flirted with her, and she fell for it hook, line and sinker. I
spelled out exactly what he’d done to other women he’d conned with his bullshit
charm, and showed her pictures of the victims. I told her, if he’d scam a
lingerie model, what were her chances of him being serious with her? I have
confidence, but come on. That model was as hot as they come. I banked on her
thinking the same way. She caved.”