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HER PHONE WAS RINGING, disturbing her from fussing with her hair.
“Computer. Answer call,” Tempest said.
A clear male voice came across her apartment from the overhead speakers hidden in the walls. A shiver ran down her spine. It felt like he was in the same room, but of course, he wasn’t.
“Tempest? I’m heading your way,” Shawn said.
“Why?”
He paused for a moment. “So we can drive to the dance.”
“I can meet you there.”
“I’d rather we showed up together.”
Obviously this was some sort of training procedure. It was a work function, after all. “All right,” Tempest snapped. “I am nearly done.”
Fact was, she was done, but she had to gain some control over the situation. She didn’t need makeup, she had purple-colored skin that lined her green eyes—and appeared to be what other females wore as eyeshadow. Thick black lashes framed her eyes, and her lips were naturally full and deeply red. A slight flush touched her cheeks due to all the excitement of trying on dresses and shoes.
So control was a necessity. “I will instruct the house computer to allow you entry so that you do not disturb my getting ready.”
“See you soon.” His voice had a bubble of laughter as he disconnected.
“Computer, allow last caller free access,” she said.
“DNA for Shawn Tanner already has access.”
Of course. She’d added him months ago—the day he died. He was supposed to come over that night after the sparring was done. He never got that chance.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Lily had left her with a clear gloss to make her lips shiny, but she’d been given heavy instructions on what to do with it.
“Don’t use too much.”
“Make sure it’s only on your lips and not sliding all over your face.”
“None on your teeth.”
“Blot it if it looks greasy.”
Gah, the instructions were so much to remember. She picked up the tiny tube and squeezed gently, remembering how last night she’d squeezed too hard and a blob flew across the room to land on the wall.
Lily had erupted into gales of laughter as the others immediately began instructing her on the what nots to do.
She heard the front door open and heavy footsteps came across her living room. She hurriedly touched the tube to her lips, applying a bare minimum for a lickable sense of shine.
“Are you decent?” he called out.
What a strange thing to ask.
She flung open the bedroom door. “Why does that matter?”
Shawn didn’t answer, instead allowing his gaze to fall upon her whole body, down to her feet, and up again, settling on her lips.
“Holy fuck.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Is that good?”
“Do you not see yourself?”
“Well, yes, but I see the same features I normally do...”
“Along with a fantastic body.”
“A lot of purple skin is showing.” She rubbed the area on display between her breasts. “People tend to forget my coloring since I’m always wrapped up in black uniforms.”
“You’re gorgeous, Tempest.”
He chose to use her name. For the first time she stopped and looked at him. Really looked at him.
There were no words for how...delectable he looked. His perfectly muscled form—not as bulky as some of the Xeno Sapiens—was hard and luscious in the fancy black suit he wore. The white of the shirt matched his teeth and eyes. His hair was dark but his eyes—they were a perfect stormy gray. The gray stood out with all the black he was dressed in. Normally he wore sexy, darkened stubble on his cheeks and jaw. But not tonight. Tonight he was smooth and yummy and smelled delicious.
“I miss shaving you,” she said, touching his clean shaven jaw.
“I miss you shaving me,” he grinned, stepping back from her touch. Why was that? “Unfortunately, I am healthy and strong,” he said. “Capable of doing my own shaving.”
Did he emphasize the word strong? Her eyes skimmed the rest of his form.
He allowed her to look her fill, but she couldn’t stop there. No, instead she ran her palm up his abs, his chest.
“What are you doing?” His gorgeous gray eyes were hooded; his voice deep.
“Mmm. Just checking to see if you have a vest under the dress clothing. I realize that I cannot hide one underneath my own dress.”
“No vest, my pretty.” His voice sounded strangled suddenly. “Neither of us need them.”
“Okay, then. Tell me the plan. Will we remain posted at the entry and exit doors? Do we patrol the room?”
“Nothing as intricate as all that. Are you ready to go?” His face shut down and she realized he slipped into trainer mode. Perhaps because she’d checked for a vest?
“I am ready.”
He escorted her outside where he had a small, two-person shuttle parked. She wouldn’t say so, but she was thankful. She had practiced walking in the heels, but she had no idea how long she’d be able to walk.
“Shawn?”
“Yeah?”
“When you were recovering, did you think I hovered too much?”
“When you nursed me back from the brink of death, you mean?” Ahh, she saw what he was getting at. She’d once made that comment.
“Was that too dramatic?”
“Not for you.”
What did that mean?
“Why are you asking?” he asked.
“Lily mentioned it. And I told her how you avoided me. Especially with the bathing. She said it was because you were perpetually hard.”
He laughed. “She phrase it like that? Because if she didn’t say boner or hard-on, I’m disappointed. She’s had too much Jason in her life.”
Tempest narrowed her eyes as she stared at his profile.
“Yeah, that’s why I wouldn’t let you bathe me,” he said. “There was no way I’d be able to let you wash my dick.”
“I see.” But did she?
Once he parked, he jumped from the shuttle to come around to her side. Of course she was slower moving—being in a dress with the high heels and all. He held out a hand for her to take and she expected him to let it go once she stood from the shuttle, but he didn’t. Instead he placed his opposite hand on the small of her back.
“This way.” Still in command mode. Yet with his hand on the bare skin of her back.
For some reason, the warmth of his hand made her want to shiver. It wasn’t like he hadn’t touched her before. But this time it felt different. A bit tingly.
“Would you like a drink?” he murmured in her ear.
A drink? On duty? What a ridiculous thing to ask. She was about to turn him down when he leaned in to whisper again. This time, she felt the heat from the front of his body against her entire back as his hand snaked in front to palm her belly and pull her back toward him.
“Holding a drink—even if you just sip from it—becomes a powerful weapon. During an emergency the contents can be flung into an opponent’s eyes. Or the glass can be broken against a ledge, providing shards that are as sharp as knives. Or it can be slammed against the back of a head.”
Well, she’d never thought of that. In the past she would just send a bone flying through her arm to pierce a throat. But this might be part of the control lesson he was trying to teach her.
“In that case, I will take a whole wine bottle.”
His soft laughter rumbled and she felt him nip her earlobe. Stars, that was hot. Shudders wracked throughout her body. “You can’t walk around with a whole wine bottle, my pretty. You won’t blend with everyone else.”
Ahh, of course. Blending was important. It was why she and Sunny wore the exact same uniform as all of the males—so they wouldn’t stand out while on the wall.
But now her choices were limited to the beer bottle that most males carried. It was of thicker glass than the delicate stemmed glassware that the females and some of the males carried. Just then, Covet, Reson, and Blaze strutted by. Three best friends, which was an odd number for best friends. It was why she chose four for her own. Lily, Sunny, Amanda, and Robyn. Conveniently, the three males carried the daintier choices.
“Halt,” she commanded them, using the tone Shawn often used on her. She found that when one spoke with enough power, others listened to a voice of authority.
“Tempest?” Covet asked. He was in his purple form tonight, though his coloring was quite a bit different from hers. Who knew purples could be so different?
“Are those drinks for your mates?” She intended to ask why their females would choose these drinks over the solidly sturdy form of the beer bottles.
“Our mates? Hell, no,” Reson said. “Look at those females all together over there. See how they have their own drinks?”
Sure enough, Dr. Irina, Ava, and Lorelei all stood together, chattering as they held their own drinks. Heartier wine glasses.
“So those drinks are yours?” She didn’t point out how ridiculously delicate the glasses seemed in their large hands.
“Yep. Blaze prefers a pina colada. Covet likes a daiquiri. I drink The Mimosa.” Reson pronounced the name of his drink rather reverently.
“I just thought since you three had females to look after, you might carry something more manly. So that you could break the glass and stab an opponent.”
Covet looked rather horrified as he stared over her shoulder at Shawn. “I thought this was a party. Is this a party? Will there be violence? Do I need to take off my tie? I told Ava it was too much.” He jerked on his tie with his opposite hand to loosen it.
“You look fine,” Shawn said. “Tempest is just trying to decide what she wants to drink. She’s weighing the pros and cons.”
Covet’s face cleared. “Oh, well, in that case, try the daiquiri,” he said, handing his drink to her. “Barely sip it. It’s rather delicious and I don’t want to share too much with you.”
The nerve of the greedy Xeno. “Will my germs get you pregnant?” She said rather pointedly as she took a long drag from his drink, then purposely drained it in one gulp. It was well known that Covet was able to reproduce asexually by assimilating the pheromones of both males and females to induce his pregnancies.
“Not now,” he grumbled, staring at the missing liquid as she returned the empty glass.
“It is rather delicious,” she conceded, her smile bright.
“Wait, try mine before you decide,” Reson said, handing her his mimosa.
She took an enthusiastic gulp, though she didn’t drain his glass. “Hmm. It is good also.”
“None of them compare to a hearty pina colada,” Blaze said, handing her his. “It’s hearty and a perfect reminder of a day at the beach.”
Hearty? It tasted a bit fruity to her. But it was also delicious.
“Hmm. I am now more confused than ever. Perhaps I shall start with one, and by the time I’m ready for another drink, I shall switch flavors.”
“Well, you don’t know much about partying, obviously,” Covet said in a condescending voice. Obviously still perturbed because she drank all his drink. “It simply isn’t done to mix alcohol. That means you must stick with one flavor all night long. Perhaps the more manly—though average—beer might be more to your liking.”
She grinned. Sore point with Covet. “Yes, well, I’m feeling rather sexy in this dress.” She ran her hand down her figure, stopping when she reached Shawn’s hand still possessively gripping her belly. She’d gotten so used to him, she’d forgotten he held her like she was...his. “I think a sexier drink would suit my looks.”
“These are sexy?” Blaze brightened. “I thought you hinted they were feminine. I could work with sexy. Irina will be all over this.” He swung his hand down his own body, the same way she did. The three of them smirked at her as if they’d won, and turned to head back to their mates, carrying their ludicrously dainty glasses rather delicately. Huh. What a bunch of idiots.
Shawn spun her around to face him and for a moment, the world swayed. Just slightly.
“Just want to see how the drink affects you,” he said.
She was pressed up right against his luscious suit and then...suddenly...she became aware of the bulge that pressed against her.
“Shawn?” she asked, confused. Perhaps she was feeling something else long and hard in his pants.
“Shh,” he said. “It’s just because of you, my pretty. Let’s dance.”
Dayuum. He was rock hard for her. Because she was dressed like a female and wore strappy high heels. Somehow, her plan of gaining control worked—and failed.
“I don’t know how to dance,” she admitted.
“All you have to do is trust me to lead. Loosen up and let me do the work.”
It wasn’t easy to loosen up when Shawn held her. When she knew that Shawn was aware of the pact they’d made and she’d since called off. And hell, he could find out that the sexual awareness hadn’t released.
He pulled her close to him—so close she could feel the thundering of their hearts beating together. His thighs moved against hers, showing her when to step, when to sway.
He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I’m going to dip you. Just let go and trust that I won’t let you fall.” His arm tightened around the back of her waist.
It was more than a dip. It was an exhilarating free-fall as he swung her backward. When her body was swiftly brought up, it seemed like they were closer than ever before.
“Should be illegal to be that flexible,” he muttered.
“I fail to see how this...dancing is work,” Tempest said.
“What do you notice around the room?”
“People dancing. People watching us. People laughing, drinking, having a good time.”
“Well, look at that. We’re keeping the world a safer place with our presence.”
“It is not safer when I lose all coherent thought around you,” she explained. “When your body is so hard against mine. It feels like...balance. I want to explore it more without the barrier of our clothing.”
Her own purple hand came up to clamp over her wayward mouth. What the hell had just spilled out?
“Welcome to the world of mimosa. Or dare I say it was the downing of the pina colada and daiquiri that brought all that truth bubbling to the surface?”
He twirled her and a whiff of his woodsy male scent tingled in her nostrils.
“Still can’t be safe.”
“Perhaps we can be more dedicated to our work if we’re not so focused on fighting what’s between us.”
“I believe you said that to me once before.”
“I believe I did. And you agreed once before.”
“And then I killed you and you forgot about our pact.”
“I don’t regret dying, my pretty. I just regret the momentary brain loss that made me forget.”
She scoffed. “How can you not regret dying?”
“Because it made you care for me.”
“What?” The nonsense the human spouted was bizarre.
“You may not realize it, Tempest,” he said, his lips moving against her temple. “But this thing between us. It can’t be denied. It will be here forever.”
“I shall not be tied to a weak human,” she said. “Do you know how easy it would be to use you against me?”
“What do you mean?”
“They could take you. Force me to do things I don’t want to do to keep you safe.” She looked into his eyes, even as hard as it was to focus. “And then afterward? They would do horrors to you anyway.”
“You’re safe now, baby,” he said. The new endearment brought a shiver up her spine. Because baby could mean so many things. A young one. A young, innocent child. Her eyes flicked to where Lily stood, laughing with Jason and a crowd of others. They’d called Lily baby once. It wasn’t a good thing. It wasn’t by loved ones. It was by monsters who preferred females to look young.
“Holy fuck,” Shawn said, his eyes glued to her face. “You remember, don’t you? The other Xeno Sapiens remember bits and pieces...but you have recollection of the whole time in captivity.”
She shut down. To deny it would be to spark his curiosity. To admit it made it real. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter, my pretty. And I’m going to help you through it. I’m going to help you get rid of your fears.”
“You don’t understand,” she said, stepping back. “My fear is losing you.” Damn that alcohol-loosened tongue.
The infuriating male smiled at her...and then pulled her to his side. He flagged down a waiter, grabbing a drink to hand her.
“Have another drink.”
