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A DELICIOUS MALE SCENT filled Nyssa’s senses. A scent that spread heat throughout her body and made her ache with need. Groaning, she pushed past the heavy fog muddling her brain and slowly forced her eyes open. Several things occurred to her at once. She was no longer in the bar. She was alone in an unfamiliar bed, and she’d been dreaming about finding her mate. Worse, there was sunlight coming through a nearby window, which meant a new day had started.
She sat up too quickly and was rewarded with sharp prickles of pain dancing across her forehead. “Err...” She winced, dropped her head back on the pillow, and rubbed her throbbing temples. She’d had only one glass of ale. At least that was what she remembered. Actually, she couldn’t remember much of anything, least of all how she’d ended up in a bedroom that wasn’t hers. She took several deep breaths to relax, forcing back the wave of panic, and encouraging fragments of her memory to surface.
She remembered the argument with her mother, going to the bar with Lyna, Bokar grabbing her, and Dawson who was her...what? She grasped to hold on to the thought that skittered out of her reach, then faded into the fuzziness swamping her mind.
No amount of drinking had ever affected her this way before. Where was Lyna? What if something bad had happened to her? Nyssa tossed the bed covering aside. Her shoes had been removed, and she was still wearing her clothes. Though there were no apparent signs of injury, she couldn’t account for the reason her muscles ached. She pushed against the bed’s firm cushion until she was in a sitting position. Not easy to accomplish since her movements were sluggish and a wave of nausea kept beating against her stomach.
Hearing a sensor click, she froze and waited to see who would appear once the shiny door panel slid open. Dawson stepped through the doorway, greeting her with a smile. The anxiety fled from her body, replaced by a new kind of tension. The kind of tension that thrummed to her core.
“Hey there, darlin’, how are you doing?”
The sight of him padding across the room in nothing but a worn pair of loose-fitting pants had Nyssa’s senses tingling. It was hard not to notice the contour of muscles across his broad shoulder and chest, or the way his pants hung low on his hips. “I am not sure.” She scooted back against the wall that served as a headboard, and continued rubbing her head. “Where am I?”
“You’re in my bedroom in the guest quarters at the hunter command facility.” Dawson set a cup containing a steaming dark liquid on a nearby stand, then sat next to her on the edge of the bed.
“How did I get here?”
He grinned. “You practically fell into my arms. Don’t you remember?”
“No, I...” She’d definitely remember pressing up against a body as fine as his, wouldn’t she? Nyssa felt heat rush to her cheeks and lowered her gaze. “Does this mean I jumped onto your bones?” Was he part of a dignitary’s staff and had she initiated sex with him? That was the worst possible scenario she could imagine. When Ryos found out, she’d be out of a job.
Dawson chuckled. “I believe the saying you’re searching for is ‘jump your bones.’ And no, as much as I would love to have you in my bed when I’m in it, we didn’t have sex.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I spent the night on the floor.”
Not sure if she believed him, Nyssa leaned to the side and peeked around him. Sure enough, there were rumpled blankets and a pillow spread out on the floor near the wall.
“If we didn’t sleep together, then why am I here?” Some of the trepidation constricting her chest faded.
“Take a sip of this first, then I’ll answer all your questions.” Dawson picked up the cup and handed it to her.
She sniffed the dark liquid. It smelled similar to an Earth beverage Lyna delighted in drinking. There was no reason to believe he’d give her anything that would cause her harm, but she didn’t know him, not really, and hesitated to take a drink.
He must have realized her dilemma, because concern flickered in his blue gaze. “It’s only coffee, a gourmet blend from Earth.” He pushed a loose curl off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. “It will help, I promise.”
Nyssa took a small sip, expecting it to be bitter. The taste was surprisingly smooth with a hint of something sweet. “It is good, thank you.” She clasped the cup in her lap. No matter how much the warmth radiating from the leg pressing against her thigh affected her, she refused to be distracted from obtaining answers to her questions. Being embarrassed around males, or discussing sex with them, had never been a problem in the past. She was determined not to let it become one now.
“You’re welcome. Tell me how much you remember, and I’ll try to fill in the rest.”
She focused on the cup she held in her lap, anything to keep her gaze away from Dawson. She couldn’t concentrate with her attention being drawn to his full lips. All she could think about was how they’d feel pressed against hers. “I remember Lyna going to retrieve some shots, then Bokar arrived.” Memories of the way he’d grabbed her popped into her mind, and she absently rubbed her arm. She couldn’t remember seeing Lyna after that, and dread slithered down her spine. “Did something happen to Lyna? Is she all right?”
“Your friend is fine. She said to tell you to thank her later, but she didn’t specify why.” He scratched the stubble on his chin. “You’re supposed to contact her when you get a chance. She said to tell you she had your back and not to worry about your duties today.”
Nyssa appreciated that Lyna was willing to cover for her, but she took the responsibilities of doing her job seriously and hated not being able to fulfill them. She was more concerned with what Lyna had been thinking when she sent her home with Dawson. A question Nyssa planned to ask right before she strangled her.
“Do you remember anything else?” Dawson asked.
“I remember seeing you, then things became unclear. Do you know why?”
“I’m afraid Bokar drugged you with something that knocked you out. It’s why your head hurts and your memory is hazy.” Dawson placed his hand on her arm. “He was going to take you from the bar. I kind of ruined his plans.”
“That sheraaat.” She jerked, almost spilling her coffee. “I am going to kill him.”
“Relax, he’s spending time in a cell.” He chuckled. “Lyna’s pretty tough. She made sure he’d have a hard time walking for a few days.”
“Did she attack his groin?” It was promising news that made Nyssa feel quite a bit better and a lot less upset with Lyna. After she thanked her friend, she was going to ask Kel to help her finish the job Lyna had started.
“Yes. I think she would have done more damage if Torin hadn’t stopped her.”
“Torin was there?” She groaned, knowing the hunter would be sure to inform Erak about what had happened. Her brother didn’t interfere in her relationships. Much.
Finding out a human male had taken her to his quarters for the evening wouldn’t set him off half as much as learning what Bokar had done to her, especially since he’d warned her months ago to get rid of him before he became a problem.
“What’s wrong?” Dawson must have interpreted her distress as pain. “What can I do to help?”
“It is nothing.” Not unless you can smuggle me off the planet in the next five minutes. “I have work and need to go.” She handed the cup back to Dawson, then scooted around him, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.
“Let me get dressed, and I’ll take you home.” Dawson gave her his arm and helped her stand.
Nyssa ignored the dizziness. “I appreciate everything you have done for me, but that will not be necessary.” Returning to her parents’ house was not an option. She felt horrible enough without having to deal with her mother chastising her again for missing the meal with the royals.
She considered letting Dawson take her to Lyna’s quarters, then decided against it. Several of Erak’s coworkers resided in the same building. They were overprotective and wouldn’t hesitate to inform him that she’d arrived with a human male. She owed Dawson and didn’t think the best way to be grateful was to allow him to end up on the wrong side of her brother’s temper.
#
WHAT LITTLE TIME DAWSON spent on the hard floor, drifting in and out of a restless sleep, had left him exhausted and irritable. The only thing that had brightened his sour mood was seeing Nyssa awake. Most of the night, he’d hovered over her, checking to make sure she was all right and fighting the desire to crawl into bed with her and pull her into his arms.
Her face was still pale, and he hadn’t missed the way she tried to hide her shaky stance. Damn it, she wasn’t in any condition to go anywhere, not until the drug was completely out of her system. If Bokar wasn’t currently being detained in a hunter cell, Dawson would track him down and beat the hell out of him. Maybe he’d see if Kyllan was interested in working out his claws and ask him if he wanted to help, provided there was anything left of Bokar when Dawson finished with him.
After Nyssa had collapsed in Dawson’s arms at the bar, he’d been unwilling to let her go. Lyna had insisted that he take her to the medical building, but he’d refused. He’d asked Torin to request a med tech be sent to his quarters. Surprisingly, Dawson didn’t get the argument he’d expected from either of them.
The technician who’d responded had checked her thoroughly, then assured Dawson she would be fine. The drug Bokar had used would wear off and have no lasting side effects.
Kyllan had been right when he’d pointed out that Dawson was obsessing over her. No woman had ever affected him this way, and it took all his willpower to fight the overpowering urge to keep her with him, to keep her safe. Then there was the growling thing she did and her assertion that he somehow belonged to her. If any other woman had done that, he would have thought they were nuts and walked away from them entirely. With Nyssa, he’d had the opposite reaction. He’d been overtaken by desire, refused to let her go, and wanted to hurt any man who came near her.
Lyna’s surprised reaction to her behavior also had him wondering what was going on between him and Nyssa. Normally, Dawson didn’t discuss his brief female involvements with anyone, but he was entering new territory here and needed answers. Answers Kyllan would be able to provide. He made a mental note to question his friend later, once they were alone. Holten constantly urged him to get involved with a woman. His uncle wouldn’t hesitate to interfere if he discovered Dawson was interested in Nyssa.
Right now, Dawson’s main concern was her welfare. He had no idea why hearing Torin’s name had upset her, or why she was so insistent upon leaving. Ultimately, it was her decision, but it didn’t mean he was going to let her find a way home without his help.
Rushing for the doorway, he got there before she did and pressed his palm against the sensor. “Engage lock.” The door slid shut, a loud click echoing through the room. As a private security contractor, he’d gained a lot of experience from the various jobs he’d taken on the different planets in the quadrant. It hadn’t taken him long to develop a high level of expertise.
Dawson was extremely cautious and never took risks when it came to the people he protected. He didn’t trust anyone else with his uncle’s safety, not since the circumstances surrounding the conference had become heated. One of the first things he’d done when his group had been assigned the temporary quarters was to modify all the sensors throughout the suite of rooms. It hadn’t been hard for him to override the controls to give him voice command.
“What do you think you are doing?” Nyssa stood a few feet away, glaring at him. Her arms were crossed, her shoes dangling from one of her tightly closed fists.
Dawson loved the way her golden eyes darkened to amber when she was mad, but didn’t think it would be a good idea to mention it. “Trying to keep you from getting into any more trouble.” He scooped her off the ground and cradled her in his arms, grinning when she gasped and reached for his neck.
“Put me down and open the door.” Her struggles lasted only a few seconds before her breathing deepened and she relaxed the grip at his nape.
“No,” he whispered, unable to resist pressing a soft kiss below her earlobe. Catching a whiff of her intoxicating aroma, a sweet female scent that reminded him of the honeysuckles growing wild on Holten’s property. The front of his pants grew torturously tight, and he shifted her weight, hoping she hadn’t noticed. Ignoring the urge to lay her on his bed, spread her beneath him, and do what he’d been dreaming about from the moment he’d met her, he set her gently on the edge with her feet hanging over the side. “Stay here. I’m going to get dressed. Then I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
#
DISAPPOINTMENT SPREAD through Nyssa as she watched Dawson grab some clothes and enter the bathing room. Part of her wanted him to kiss her; the other part wanted him to toss her onto the bed and strip her naked. She knew the heated condition of her skin had nothing to do with the drug Bokar had given her, and everything to do with the male whose ass she was currently appreciating.
This is not good. She’d never been this attracted to a male before. If her thoughts continued in the direction they were going, she was going to overheat, and even a chilling shower was not going to cool her down. Lyna had insisted casual sex with him might be what she needed. Nyssa disagreed. There was nothing casual about the way her body reacted to him. Dawson would be leaving in a few days, and instinctively, she knew one time with him would not be enough to satisfy the fire he’d ignited. Her only option was to leave, to get as far away from him as possible.
Dawson was mistaken if he thought activating the lock was going to keep her inside the room. As soon as the door sealed behind him, she slipped on her shoes and headed across the room. She noticed the hat he’d worn the night before perched on the shelf of a storage unit. Thinking about how gorgeous and sexy he’d looked dressed in the outfit of her favorite fantasy only made her frustration worse. She’d finally found the one male who could fulfill her deepest desire, and she had to walk away. Blowing out a discontented sigh, she redirected her thoughts to the wall sensor.
She ran her fingertips along the metal edge until she found the tiny button to release the panel. Knowing exactly where the emergency override was hidden, she slid her hand inside the unit and flipped the miniature switch.
Most males underestimated her mechanical abilities, and normally she wouldn’t hesitate to teach them a lesson, to make it difficult for them to leave the room for hours. Dawson was different. He hadn’t dismissed her capabilities; he was trying to protect her. A gesture that warmed her, making her decision to leave even harder. It took her less than a minute to reprogram the controls, giving herself enough time to escape and slow Dawson down.
Once outside the room, Nyssa glanced at her surroundings and groaned. Oh no, could things possibly get any worse? As an escort, she’d spent a great deal of time in the facility visitor units and was familiar with their layouts. She wasn’t in one of the buildings used to house the staff accompanying officials; she’d spent the night in one of the dignitary suites. Which means Dawson is a... Too embarrassed to finish the thought, she placed a hand against her nauseated stomach and hurried for the main entrance.
“What are you doing?” Startled by the unexpected male voice, she stopped her hand inches from pressing the door sensor.
Nyssa turned slowly, expecting to see the Antherian. The male standing in the doorway of the food preparation area, his fingers curled around a large silver mug, was an older human. Streaks of gray ran through his short dark hair. His tall height and features bore a resemblance to Dawson.
“This is not what you think.” Nyssa inched a step closer to the door. The last thing she needed was for him to mistake her for an intruder and contact security.
“I’m sure it isn’t.” He flashed her a welcoming smile, seemingly at ease with her presence. “Would you like to stay for breakfast? The order I placed should be arriving shortly.”
He has no idea who I am. Why is he offering to feed me? “Uh, no,” Nyssa stammered, confused by his hospitable comment. A loud pounding followed by Dawson yelling her name jolted her into action. “I should go.” She spun around, activated the sensor, and slid out of the room before the door had fully opened. Once outside, she lingered long enough to gulp in air, then headed for Lyna’s place, wondering what else could go wrong.
