“I will kill him, Jessie. Is that what you want? To see me rip Flame apart, limb by limb? Think before you speak or act. I’m not f**king Kit. I haven’t shared sex with anyone but you since we met. It was for appearances only, to make my people feel confident and believe everything is well.” His arms loosened. “Go home. I have a helicopter to catch in an hour and must attend a meeting at Reservation first thing in the morning. We’ll finish this discussion after I fly home in the afternoon.” His big body trembled behind her. “Be happy I must leave because you don’t want to talk to me right now anyway. I’m dangerous. I’d teach you why you’ll never accept any male but me.”

He released her as swiftly as he’d grabbed her, backed up and shot a glare at Breeze. “Take her home and keep her away from all males. She’s had alcohol, needs to be protected and isn’t sober. Smell her and you’ll understand. If anything happens to her it’s your ass.” He stormed toward the front door.

“Justice?” Kit cursed. “Damn!” She approached Jessie and put her hands on her hips. “You made him mad,” she pouted. “We were having fun and I don’t like your father if he puts such worry in Justice over your safety.”

Breeze came forward, looking confused. “Let’s go, Jessie.” She sniffed. “How many drinks did you have?”

Talk , she ordered her reeling mind. “Um, a few.” She closed her mouth.

Breeze led her outside to the golf cart and drove her home. The silence stretched between them. Jessie still felt hurt over Justice’s dancing date, humiliated by the scene he’d created and really drunk. She shouldn’t have had that third drink.

“I’ll walk you inside.” The other woman studied her. “Species rarely drink alcoholic beverages. They taste and smell bad.”

“You’re politely saying I stink, aren’t you?”

A laugh answered her and Breeze helped her stand. The world swayed a little for Jessie and she remembered she didn’t drink often for a reason. Lightweight. The hand tightened on her arm and steadied her.

“You are small and shouldn’t drink that awful stuff, Jessie. You’re smart and don’t need it. You should see how uncoordinated you are and your eyes are all shiny.”

“Not a good look for me, huh?”

“No.”

Jessie laughed, loving how blunt Species were. She tried to unlock the door but the darn keyhole kept moving. Breeze softly growled, jerked the key out of her hand and opened it. She turned the lights on.

“I’ll help you get into bed.”

“I can do it myself. This isn’t my first drunken rodeo.”

“What does that mean? We didn’t have any bulls at the bar.”

Another chuckle came from Jessie as she peered up at the tall woman. “It’s a saying.

I’ve gotten shitfaced before. Thank you for bringing me home but I can handle it from here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Thank you.” She spun, stumbled and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. The door closed loudly behind her, assuring her that her friend had left.

Depression hit hard.

Justice and Kit had looked good together and he might not have slept with her recently but the familiar way the Species woman had touched him left no doubt they’d been lovers in the past. He’d probably been living it up and flirting with other women while Jessie had been staying home, miserable. It made her mad and worse, really hurt.

She wasn’t sure if he’d told her the truth. For all she knew he could be banging the hell out of every Species woman at Homeland.

Hot tears filled her eyes and she regretted getting drunk since it made her more hormonal and less rational. Justice was a jerk but he’d been a hot one. She’d loved being in his arms and the guy could make her come screaming. There was the part about her falling in love with him too but she snorted over that.

“I have bad taste in men,” she sniffed. The sound of her broken voice and the pain in it shattered the last bit of bravado she had as the sobs hit. She staggered to her bed, climbed on it, curled up and pulled her knees up.

She had fallen in love with a workaholic guy, the leader of New Species, her boss. It had spelled disaster from the moment she’d seen him looking so sexy in his tank top.

The tight jeans hadn’t helped either. A woman would have to be blind and dead not to notice Justice.

“Jessie?” Bright light flooded the bedroom as Breeze rushed into the room. “Did you fall? Are you harmed?”

Shit! She wiped at her face, sniffed and forced her body to move. She sat up but refused to glance in the direction of the door. “I’m fine. I cry when I drink. It’s just a human thing,” she lied. “I thought you left.”

“I know some people get sick and throw up when they drink. I’m your friend and I was left in charge of you by Justice.”

Hearing his name only hurt more and sobs racked her body. She shoved her hands over her face, swore to never drink ever again and tried to talk.

“I’m fine. Just go home, Breeze. I’ll be great in the morning.”

“What is it, Jessie? You are always so happy and now you are red, wet and sad.”

Breeze gripped her shoulder and forced her hands down by shoving at them to search Jessie’s gaze. Breeze softly cursed. “I see pain. Who has caused it?”

“It’s nothing. No one hurt me.”