Laurann Dohner: Brawn

“I did not know you were carrying Brawn’s child or I would have known we no longer had a date. I am sorry for what I said. Tiger was touching you and no male will allow another to touch his mate so I mistook Tiger as the father of the baby. Brawn did not and has not gone out with me or any other female since he returned after he was taken by the Mercile people. I wanted to tell you this.”

Relief swept through Becca. Brawn had canceled his date with Breeze and Breeze had no reason to lie. She was willing to trust the other woman’s word. “Thank you for telling me that. I appreciate it. Really.”

Breeze nodded. “Did he explain to you about the relationships between our males and females?”

“Some of it.”

Breeze glanced at Brawn warily before inching closer to Becca. “May I talk with you while you eat? I promise not to upset you or say hurtful things. I think it will make you feel much better and happy.”

Becca hesitated but nodded. “Do you want to sit down?”

Brawn growled. “I don’t think this is a good idea. I do not want you to cry again. We were laughing when she came.”

“I have human friends,” Breeze stated. “I said something hurtful to her about our date. I will make her feel better, I swear, Brawn. I would like to be her friend.”

He frowned.

“Have a seat,” Becca urged softly.

Brawn didn’t look happy but he brought Becca her food and a large glass of milk. He placed them in front of her. He turned to the cart and then placed silverware down for her. “Eat, please.” He sat next to her.

Breeze sat down in a chair. “Species females don’t want relationships the way human females do,” Breeze explained. “Do you know anything about our lives before we were freed?”

“A little.” Becca started to cut up her steak.

“We were passed between our males for breeding tests often. All our lives we have been told what to do and who to do it with. Once we were freed we became very resistant to taking orders. We don’t want a male to tell us what to do. We have dominating males. It is how they are. They dominate as easily as they eat and breathe. For this reason we only agree to have temporary sexual contact with our males if we want sexual release. We don’t date the same male more than once in a long while. We don’t want them to suspect we might want more from them than sex. Am I explaining this well?”

Becca was a bit shocked but she understood. She nodded.

“Brawn and I have no love feelings for each other. There is no need for you to feel jealous, upset, or threatened by me because we had set a date. We are from the same testing facility. We have been bred many times over the years together. We still do not have love feelings for each other the way humans have in relationships. I respect him, we are friends and I care what happens to him. That’s it. He was depressed after he was returned to us and I forced him to agree to spend time with me, thinking it would cheer him up because, as my friend, I worried about him. Once our males decide to mate with a female it is different from just sharing sex. Mating is the commitment to stay with one female and emotions are involved. He will not touch anyone but you ever again. They are fiercely loyal to a mate. Did he explain any of this to you?”

“No.”

“I thought not.” Breeze gave her a smile. “He told me about you. Did he mention this? After he was captured and returned, he snarled at everyone. He missed you. He thought about you all the time. You put him in a very foul mood. Many feared he would harm them and Brawn is usually very happy and mellow. He wasn’t when he returned because he wanted you. Did he tell you this?”

Becca forgot to eat. Her attention focused on Brawn. He watched her silently and shrugged. “I told you that I didn’t want to let you go and that I wished to come get you. I thought it would harm you more if you saw me.”

“That’s true,” Breeze stated softly. “He even told me that he wished to go to your home, throw you over his shoulder and take you to his house. He wanted to lock you inside with him until he planted his seed inside you until it took.” The Species glanced at her belly. “It did so he got his wish.”

Becca knew her mouth dropped open. Her gaze swung to Brawn, realizing he glared at Breeze.

“I thought you said you would make her happy and not upset her.” He growled softly. “Now you are going to make her terrified of me.”

Breeze shook her head. “No. She will know you have feelings for her. You felt enough for her to want to do all of that to keep her with you and have her back in your arms. You wanted to put your baby inside her stomach so she would be forced to be your mate, just so you could keep her. I don’t think this will scare her, knowing this, since it happened. She will know now that you wanted a child with her before she actually knew it had happened.” Breeze smiled at Becca. “He said he would like to keep putting babies in your belly over and over again so that you could never leave him because he fears human divorces and couldn’t stand ever losing you.”

Becca looked at Brawn, stunned. Hope gripped her hard that Breeze was stating true facts. It would change everything, mean he really did want her before there’d been a baby.

His frown deepened. “Do not be afraid of me.”

“We figured after eight or nine little baby Brawn sons that you would be too tired to even think about wanting to leave. Was that a good number of children to make you too exhausted to ever leave him?” Breeze grinned at her.

Becca suddenly laughed as her gaze fixed on Brawn. The confused look on his face made her laugh harder. She gripped her stomach and enjoyed the humor.

“Becca?” Brawn was concerned as he touched her arm.

She got control and wiped at her eyes. “You wanted me to birth your own little army of mini Brawns to keep me with you, huh?”

“It was just a thought.” A blush darkened his cheeks.

Becca grinned and turned to Breeze. “Thank you very much for talking to me, Breeze. You’ve really made things much clearer and I appreciate it.”

Breeze smiled as she stood. “Good. I will leave you alone now to talk.”

Becca watched Breeze leave the suite and Brawn sighed beside her. Becca turned to face him, seeing a wary look she stared back at her.

“Are you afraid of me now?”

Becca didn’t hesitate to climb onto his lap by lifting up and throwing her leg over him to settle her ass over his thighs. She saw his shock as she straddled him and put her arms around his neck. His baffled expression was adorable.

“No. I’m not afraid of you. I think you really do want me and it’s not just because of the baby.” She laughed. “And as weird as it sounds, I think your plan about the eight or nine children is really quite romantic and sweet.”

“I will never understand human females but I will certainly try for you, beautiful.”

“You really wanted to come get me and take me home with you, huh?”

His hands gripped her hips and he rubbed her with his fingers lightly. “I was told I couldn’t do that and how it would make you hate me more.”

Becca leaned forward. “Open your mouth.”

He did without hesitation. Becca clung to him as their mouths molded together and their tongues met. Within minutes Brawn carried Becca into the bedroom. He stripped her and laid her gently down on the bed.

“I love watching you strip,” she smiled as he undressed at the end of the bed.

“I love you not wearing any clothes at all.”

Becca touched her stomach. “I have stretch marks.”

His gaze took them in. “I think they are beautiful and they are caused by my child inside you.”

He removed his jeans last. “I am living here now and I won’t leave you.” His stared into her eyes. “I need to be with you, Becca. I want to be wherever you are and I never want to leave. We belong together.”