It puzzled him when she closed her eyes before pressing her lips against his. Hers were incredibly soft and yielding. He didn’t know what it meant or why she did it. It became even more baffling when she opened her mouth and sucked on his bottom lip. It didn’t hurt. He’d been prepared for her to injure him with her teeth as retribution for dominating her body. It was more of a soft tug and it was nice.

Alli let go and her tongue slid between his lips. The feel of the tip of it touching his fangs did painful things to his dick. Blood rushed there until he wasn’t sure if he’d ever been so hard in his life. Her face turned just slightly and she took more of his mouth with hers. The sensation of her exploring him that intimately nearly made his control snap. He held very still and allowed it.

She suddenly stopped and pulled back, breaking the contact. Her eyes opened and he could identify the emotion he saw when she stared at him then. Confusion. He could relate.

“Don’t flee this room,” he rasped, his voice coming out thick and gruffer than he intended. “Do you understand?”

She nodded sharply.

880 pushed away from her, rolled off the bed and rushed inside the bathroom. His dick made moving an excruciating experience but he made it out of the room. The second the door closed between them he tore at the front of his pants. His hand fisted his shaft and he roughly pumped it. His back pressed tightly against the door as he held his breath to avoid making noise. He came violently within seconds.

Chapter Eight

Alli shoved her skirt down her legs as she sat up. The bathroom door remained closed but water came on. Shock held her still otherwise, her brain reeling from what had taken place. She couldn’t think straight even with 880 out of the room.

Why is he in there? She’d kissed him or tried to, urging him to take her. She stared at the door that separated them as he showered. She’d given him the green light to do whatever he wanted to her body. Why hadn’t he taken her up on it?

It could be his dead mate. That possibility made her feel guilt-ridden. He’d just woken from his coma after watching the murder of the woman he loved. He’d been injured when he’d gone insane trying to reach her killers and attacked the bars of the cage they’d kept him locked inside.

Her arms hugged her waist as she stared sadly at the closed door between them. She’d spent months watching him sleep and learning as much as she could about his life before he’d been rescued. No files existed and the Mercile employees who’d been arrested weren’t forthcoming with much information. They’d heard on the news that the Mercile facilities were being targeted by the police and had stolen a few of the New Species. Those lowlife jerks had tried to use their sperm to sell to some European company who’d wanted to create half-breed babies to sell on the black market as if they were some form of pets for the rich.

They’d probably stolen a mated pair of New Species in hopes of them having a child. There were only a few known cases of Mercile putting the males and females together long enough for them to become bonded. The best theory so far was that Mercile had hoped a mated pair would create a viable pregnancy. Another was that they’d used the women to control the men. The employees who’d stolen them must have given up on the female becoming pregnant and just killed her.

The water shut off in the other room and Alli braced for his return. She had no idea how to act or what to say but she wasn’t going to leave. His mental state concerned her. Would he feel guilty for touching her? Regret it? She didn’t even know why it had happened in the first place if he didn’t want her.

He opened the door abruptly, jerking her from her thoughts. His hair was wet and he wore only a towel draped around his lean hips. A lot of tan, sexy skin showed, covered with water droplets. His stomach was flat with perfect six-pack abs on display. Dusky ni**les were puckered—a temptation to lick and suck on them. One of his hands flattened near his lower belly to rub away water and she wished it were her palm on him instead. Or her mouth. She just wanted to explore every masculine inch of him up close and personal. The silence stretched, reminding her that he was probably watching her too. Alli peered into his eyes to judge his mood but he regarded her coolly, either unaffected by what had taken place or just really good at hiding his emotions.

“You can’t shower.”

That wasn’t what she expected him to say. “Okay.”

He crossed the room to the dresser and opened the top drawer. His back was to her when he just dropped his towel to reveal his bare, beefy ass to step into a pair of loose cotton sweatpants. Her gaze lifted from the dark-blue material to the faded scars on his back. She was tempted to ask how he’d received them but refrained. The last thing she wanted to do was cause him pain by making him relive his past.

880 turned and approached the bed. She tensed a little but he just sat heavily on the edge. His attention fixed on the muted television. Time crawled by as she waited for him to say or do anything but he just kept his back to her. He didn’t move but she finally did. She rolled over and crawled off the bed. A hand shot out and captured her wrist.

He stared at her when she met his gaze. “Where are you going?”

“The bathroom.”

“I said you can’t shower.”

“I took one this morning. I was going to use the bathroom.”

His fingers released. “Don’t lock it.”

“Fine.”

The mirror was steamed over when she entered the bathroom. He obviously enjoyed really hot showers. She quickly used the bathroom and opened the storage cupboards to locate an extra toothbrush. It didn’t take long to brush her teeth, wash her face, and finally snag a hairbrush on her way back into his room.