Laurann Dohner: Justice

“She’s human,” another voice barked.

“That doesn’t give anyone the right to attack. She is a guest here.” Justice snarled the words in obvious anger. “We are friends with humans and don’t attack them. We especially,” he shouted now, “don’t attack females.”

“I’m sorry, Justice,” a new male voice panted. “We should have had more officers present.”

“I want every one of the new ones rounded up and taken into the cafeteria immediately.” Justice gave the order with harsh authority. “This is going to be settled immediately. This is the second attack on a human female since this morning and there won’t be a third.” Justice growled those words.

“Even the new females?” The out of breath male spoke.

“No. Just the males. The females seem to know better. I want to see every new male inside that cafeteria in ten minutes.”

“We’re on it,” another man stated firmly.

Jessie stood perfectly still and waited for the tension to ease. Justice still appeared ready to do battle since he didn’t budge from his position in front of her. She heard movement in the room, soft voices, a few growls and finally silence. Justice relaxed his stance. His arms lowered to his sides, his fists unfurled and he slowly turned.

Jessie stared up into Justice’s handsome face. Breathtaking fits him, she thought, as she realized she’d stopped breathing. She sucked air into her lungs and met a pair of furious cat eyes framed with long, black eyelashes. They were a huge contrast to his blond-streaked auburn hair. On television and in photos his hair appeared much lighter and the camera didn’t begin to capture his beautiful eyes. They were so exotic that they were probably the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen.

“Who are you?” he growled softly. “How did you get past security?”

Jessie frowned. He should have known who she was and why she was there. She took a deep breath. “I’m Jessie Dupree and I work for the task force assigned to the NSO. I’m their female ambassador to your retrieved Gift Females. Last night I was on the raid in Colorado and I came here with the females who were recovered.”

She paused and watched his intense eyes. It was amazing to see them transform.

The color changed as his anger dissipated. There was some blue in those dark depths.

For a moment she was so distracted, she forgot she’d been talking.

“Tiger gave me permission to be here. I rode in on the helicopter with your females and have been assigned a room on the third floor of the hotel. Tammy invited me to her wedding so here I am. Didn’t you see me during their ceremony?”

“No. I was distracted by a long voice message from the president. I had an earphone—was listening to it—and I had to text my reply to him.” He took a deep breath and held out his hand. It was a big one with long, strong fingers and those nifty calluses covered both his fingertips and his palm. “I’m Justice North. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Dupree.”

She placed her smaller hand inside his. Heat from his hot skin jolted her. His large hand clasped hers but instead of shaking it, his fingers curled around her smaller ones, holding them. His gaze lowered to stare at their joined hands. Jessie couldn’t take her attention from his face though. He finally looked up when he released her.

“I apologize for the attack. They are new and have a lot to learn. I’m going to teach them some valuable lessons about manners in a few moments. We won’t tolerate that kind of behavior.”

She shrugged. “I understand why they hate my kind. They have their reasons. I appreciate you coming to the rescue. I can keep someone off me for a little while but when they gang up, it’s not usually a painless or healthy outcome for me.”

His gaze lowered from her face down her body. His eyes widened and his breathing changed slightly, increased to a faster pace. His nostrils flared and a soft sound came from deep within throat. Jessie grinned.

“Did you just purr?”

His gaze lifted. “I don’t purr.” He gripped his tank top at his waist, quickly tugged it up his impressive torso and over his head. He offered it to her. “Put this over your shirt.”

Jessie glanced down at her chest and noticed her shirt had been torn in the melee.

She studied her black lace bra, grateful not to be wearing the white one she’d worn yesterday—the ugly, full-support bra. The black push-up cupped her breasts and flattered her size 34-D chest. She flinched over how pale her skin appeared against the black and hoped he wasn’t blinded by the sight. Jessie didn’t tan, she burned so she avoided the sun.

“Thanks but I can hold this together until I reach my room. One of your women, Breeze, set me up with some clothes since I didn’t pack for a trip. I was called to the Colorado raid too fast to do that.”

Jessie avoided his gaze by examining her shirt as she spoke, sorry he’d seen so much of her breasts. A few buttons were missing and the tear started at a buttonhole and ended under her breasts to fully expose her cleavage. She gripped the fabric together over her breasts to hide them and the cups of her bra. So much for a first impression. Tim is going to chew my ass big-time and blame me for starting a fight with a Species .

Her gaze lifted. Jessie examined Justice’s bare chest and her attention snagged on a few sections of his naked skin. She would have started drooling but she knew it was extremely rude and unprofessional. The guy was tan, and firm muscles ripped his lean torso. His nipples were slightly darker than his coppery skin and they were hard at that moment. She had the urge to lick him to see if he tasted as good as he looked. BAD JESSIE ! her mind screamed. She forced her gaze higher to discover he silently watched her.

“You should put that shirt back on, Mr. North. You have a chill.”

He blinked. “I don’t.”

Her focus flicked to his nipples, still hard pebbles. “Your chest seems to disagree and it’s difficult for me not to stare at you. You must work out a lot to look that good.”

I said that aloud. Shit! I didn’t mean to.

Another soft sound came from his throat and Jessie smiled, quickly over her slip of the lips. That was definitely a purr. He’s so hot. Tall, good-looking, can fight, stands up for women and makes that sexy sound. Oh yeah, don’t forget he’s off limits!

Justice shifted his stance and cleared his throat. “I’m not cold.”

She let that one slide, knew she’d said more than enough to get her yelled at by the task-force leader and pressed her lips firmly together. Justice put his shirt back on and she wished it were a crime for him to cover up that wonderful, sexy view of muscled masculinity.

With his chest covered again, her focus remained on his face and she didn’t miss when his nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, taking in her scent. She was glad she had showered recently and wore deodorant. She kept her smile in place as he tucked his tank top into the waistband of his jeans. Just a few feet separated them. He inhaled again and his nose twitched. It was as cute as hell but she worried he found her offensive.

“I hope I don’t smell bad. I used stuff from the room when I took a quick shower before the wedding. The shampoo the hotel carries isn’t bad but it’s kind of generic. Do I pass muster?”

His gaze met hers. “I’m sorry. You smell nice. It’s a natural instinct we have.”

“It’s all right.” Jessie leaned forward a little and inhaled deeply. Her eyes remained locked on his. “You smell nice too. I like your cologne. It’s kind of woodsy and masculine.”

He softly purred and cleared his throat again. “Thank you.”