“I do.” His hands tightened enough to firmly squeeze each ass cheek and he ground his h*ps against her pu**y to allow her to feel his thick, hard c**k as it rubbed against her through his sweatpants. He took a few steps and halted by the bed. “I’ll put you down. Get on your hands and knees.”

“You want to f**k me without kissing me first?” She wasn’t sure if she should be insulted or not. “Do I have bad breath? I brushed my teeth.”

He took a deep breath, her bare were br**sts smashed against his chest, of which both of them were acutely aware. He admired the view. “I don’t know how,” he muttered so softly she barely heard him.

She was grateful he held her in his strong arms. The ramifications of his confession reminded her of other hints he’d said about being limited with his sexual knowledge. He’d only taken his mate doggy style and now she learned he had never kissed her either.

The questions hit her again, so many, but mostly she wondered how long he’d been with 46. Months? Years? She used her hold on his face to urge him to look at her. Anger glinted from the dark depths when he held her gaze.

“You never kissed someone before?” It was tough to ask the question. She assessed his rugged features, verifying that he had to be at least in his thirties.

“No.” His voice came out gruff, his eyes crinkling at the corners, but not from humor.

She noticed the rising color in his cheeks. His skin was naturally tan but she didn’t miss the telling signs of embarrassment. It explained his foul mood. She didn’t need a degree in psychology to guess how it would rankle such a proud man as Obsidian to admit he wasn’t a master at something—anything.

“It’s okay. I could teach you if you want.” Excitement at the prospect made her eager to do just that. Maybe he had something against mouth intimacy or something. She’d dealt with a lot of people who had germ phobias. Some of them washed their hands a hundred times or avoided human contact. Treating them when they hated to be touched had made her job difficult at times but they had always calmed when she put on gloves and a face mask. “May I ask why? I mean, do you not like it?”

He dropped her. She bounced, startled from the fall, to the bed where she landed on her ass. He crouched down before her and glared. “My mate didn’t want my touch unless she was in need.”

“Need?”

“Heat.” He stood, spun away, and paced. “You say you are a doctor but you know nothing.” That statement caused him to pause long enough to snort at her with a disgusted glance. “She would need me sometimes. Grow aroused and allow me to mount her from behind.” He began to pace again.

The depiction of his life broke her heart. He’d been forced to live with a woman who had loved and wanted someone else. She’d only allowed Obsidian to touch her when she’d craved sex. Alli was familiar with the fact that some of the female New Species suffered symptoms from their altered DNA. They would go into mild heat, the ingrained urge to breed instilled in their genetics that manifested physical symptoms. They exhibited tenderness in their br**sts, steadily increased arousal, and acute awareness of their male counterparts.

“She went into heat,” he grumbled. He paused. “That’s what the technicians called it.”

“I get it.” It was a grim realization. “That’s the only time you two engaged in sex?”

He nodded sharply. “She only allowed me to taste her or mount her from behind. She didn’t want my touch otherwise.” He glared. “Go, Alli. I no longer want you here.”

She glanced down to the front of his sweatpants. The stiff outline of his c**k said otherwise. She looked up. “We should talk more about this.”

He threw back his head and howled. The sound made her flinch and she dropped the towel and covered her ears. He spun and his fist plowed into the wall. She eased her palms away from her ears and heard the sound of pounding boots coming down the hallway at a run. She barely recovered the towel to hide her bare br**sts before Jericho burst back into the room.

“Get her out of here,” Obsidian snarled. “I want her gone.” He refused to look at her as he stomped inside the bathroom and slammed the door.

Jericho cleared his throat. “You got your wish. You’re free to go, Dr. Allison.”

Hot tears burned behind her eyelids when she closed her eyes.

“Dr. Allison? Let’s go. My back is turned. Put on something, grab your gear and you’re out of here. No way in hell are you staying. You’re in danger.”

She didn’t believe that. Obsidian could have hit her instead of the wall.

Chapter Twelve

The door squeaking alerted Obsidian that he was no longer alone and he turned his head to shoot an intimidating glower at the guard who refused to stop checking on him. He wasn’t going to jump off the roof of the building in an attempt to escape. He just wanted fresh air to clear his head and be alone.

“Go away.”

“Hey.” Moon stepped out. “It’s me.”

The other male was out of the black uniform and instead wore human clothing. The small blue tank top hid little of his shoulders and none of his arms. The material of his pants he’d seen before when the technicians had moved him to the new place where 46 had died. They’d called them jeans. His feet were bare.

“I heard you and the doctor hit a bit of a rough patch. I thought you might want to talk to someone.” He lifted something from behind his back. “I brought iced coffees. Have you tried them?”