Justice pulled out his cell phone and froze. What would he do? Call the head of the task force and complain that he’d ordered Jessie to work when Justice wanted to climb back into bed with her? He cursed and lowered his cell. Jessie would never forgive him if he did that. Human women were private about their sex lives and independent. He doubted she would want the task force and the people she worked for to know she’d been in his bed. She’d also possibly resent him interfering with her job.

What pissed him off the most were her written words. She’d had fun and had thanked him. Worse, she’d told him to relax more and to attempt to work less. A growl of frustration burst forth again, his instincts at odds with his reasoning. She should have promised to come back or given him her number with an invitation to call. She didn’t.

She thanked me for a good time. He clenched his teeth. She said it was fun. FUN! Another snarl tore from his throat with his rising anger. It was more than fun!

Justice stared at the bed and his temper finally snapped. Jessie should be there waiting for him to touch her again and hold her in his arms while they slept. She made him laugh, the sex had been incredible and he’d been happy for once. His rage at the loss took hold and he lunged forward, his instincts refusing to be denied.

He attacked the mattress with gusto. His nails dug into the material and he ripped it up. When that didn’t make him feel better, he lifted the entire mattress and tore it apart. He attacked the box springs next, snapping the wood with his feet and broke the frame apart. The headboard succumbed to his temper tantrum last while he destroyed it. He stood in the middle of his room panting with a mess surrounding him.

He assessed the damage and cursed, half embarrassed at the destruction he’d created. He hadn’t allowed his temper to get the best of him once since he’d been freed despite the many times he’d been really angry. He’d lost it now for sure. He studied the damage grimly before storming out of the bedroom. He threw himself onto the couch, taking deep breaths but her faint scent filled his nose. He turned, buried his face against the cushions and inhaled deeply. It helped him remember every detail of them touching, his sense of smell keenly connected to his memories and he groaned. He wanted the real thing, not just sniffing at what he’d had.

What am I doing? He lifted his head with disgust. He was sniffing the couch just to smell Jessie Dupree. He uttered a vicious curse and stood to pace out his frustration. He finally calmed down enough to place a call downstairs. In minutes he’d ordered a new bed and bedding to be brought up. He hung up and closed his eyes. Jessie Dupree had driven him crazy. He was Justice North. He didn’t have time to lose his mind or reasoning over a female, not even a hot, little sexy one who made him happy when he wasn’t furious that she’d left.

The two Species males who brought up the new bed frowned at Justice when they cleaned up the destroyed bed and headboard. He glared at them, daring them to say a word about the floral stench in his suite. He’d walked into the bathroom and found a can of air freshener under the sink to mask Jessie’s scent before they’d arrived. No one would know she’d been in his bed and her female pride would be intact since they were so private.

The men left and Justice opened his phone. He always had work to distract him and he welcomed it suddenly. He dialed his nighttime staff, knew they’d be awake in their suites down the hall from him and ordered coffee. He liked the sweet, hot drink. He avoided the couch by setting up his computer at the bar instead. Half an hour later he was connected to his staff via the interface and immersed in work. He had coffee in front of him and his staff was busy updating him on projects currently underway.

The doorbell rang and hope gripped him for a second that it might be Jessie but Tiger stood there when he yanked open the door. He silently invited him inside by stepping out of the way.

“Are you all right?” Tiger frowned. “As head of security I’m informed of everything. I received a call that you totaled your bedroom. That is unlike you, Justice.

They said everything from the bedding to the headboard had to be replaced.”

Justice studied Tiger carefully. He was a trusted friend and he wanted to talk to someone. “It was over a female.”

“Ah.” Tiger grinned. “I hope she’s doing better than the things inside the bedroom did?”

“She’s fine,” Justice growled. “You know I’d never hurt a female.”

“It was a bad attempt at a joke. Do you want to talk about it?” Tiger sat on the arm of the couch.

“I wanted her to stay the night but she left while I was at the press conference. I lost my temper. I’m not proud of it but I was looking forward to spending more time with her. The reporters were brutal and wanted every detail about the raid. They didn’t appreciate me telling them some things were confidential and I refused to give up numbers. We’re dealing with victims after all and they don’t care about our privacy.

They also don’t seem to understand that every time more of us are rescued that it stirs the pot with the people who hate us. They put me in a bad mood and then I returned to find her gone.”

“So you destroyed the bed? I understand. I really do.” Tiger looked sympathetic.

“Maybe she’ll change her mind and knock on your door later.”

“She won’t.”

Tiger cocked his head. “You know our women, Justice. All those years of captivity made them unwilling to be with us for more than a few hours and they get antsy if you hint at anything more than sex. They don’t want to commit because they don’t want someone trying to tell them what to do. It’s in our nature to dominate and we’re a bit controlling. They know our flaws as well as we know theirs and that’s why they avoid anything beyond a few hours of physical enjoyment with us.”