“This much each meal?”
“No. I missed breakfast and lunch.”
“What is wrong?” Brawn’s voice was soft.
“Maybe nothing.” Trisha shrugged. “We’ll watch her and see how she does.”
Becca finished the soda while she ate. She opened a second one, wished she had more milk, but wasn’t about to ask someone to order some. The room was silent. Becca finally stopped focusing on her food to turn her head. Four people watched her every move and it made her angry.
“You can leave if you all are going to just stand there staring at me. I’m sorry if my table manners aren’t up to par but you’re making me uncomfortable.” She glanced around the room. “There’s no dining room table and I’m not going to sit on the couch and bend until I’m uncomfortable to reach over here.”
“We’re just worried,” Trisha explained. “That’s all. You’ve been without medical care.”
“Maybe she has an illness,” Slade guessed.
“I’m as healthy as a horse.” Becca knew he probably meant well but she didn’t like the implication. “I’ve always gone to doctors regularly and I’d know if I were sick. I’m usually fine as long as I eat regularly and drink plenty of fluids.”
“There’s one major difference between you and her, Trisha,” Tiger said. “Slade took care of you. He made sure you rested and ate regularly. We should assign her a female to do the same.”
Trisha nodded. “I agree. We’ll see if that helps. I’m still going to run tests to make sure everything is okay. I checked the baby but I’m going to run a blood screen on her.” She walked to the phone. “I’m calling Doctor Harris to bring me a bag and I’m going to draw some blood immediately. We’ll need to test for gestational diabetes tomorrow morning. We have no idea how that would affect a woman’s body with a Species baby on board.”
“I think you are overreacting.” Becca hoped she was right. “I’ll feel fine once I eat and take a nap. I just went too long between meals.”
“Do not assign her a female to care for her. I will do it myself.”
Becca’s spine stiffened at hearing that familiar voice. She refused to look at Brawn. “The hell you will. Don’t you have a hot date to get ready for?”
The room was unnaturally silent. Trisha broke it finally.
“Date?” She whispered but Becca heard.
She lost her appetite, gripped the soda and struggled to her feet. “I’m going to go lie down. Feel free to come in to take blood, Trisha.” She walked toward the hallway and was proud she refused to even glance at Brawn.
“Becca,” he growled.
She froze. “Just go away and stay there.” Becca was proud of herself for not letting her anger at him sound in her voice. She was almost to the bedroom door when she heard Tiger speak.
“You should leave, Brawn. The female doesn’t want you here.”
Becca closed the bedroom and stared at her new home. The bed was big, the room large too, but she couldn’t take in any more details as tears blinded her. Damn it. Brawn had a date and it hurt so bad she wanted to scream. Instead she kicked off her shoes and sank onto the big, soft mattress. Her fingers gripped a pillow and shoved it under her head. It caught her tears.
Brawn tried to follow Becca but Tiger jumped in his way and spread his arms. “Don’t. Be smart.”
“Move.”
“She wants you to go.” Anger glinted in Tiger’s eyes. “And I agree. That was horrendous.”
“What happened?” Trisha stepped between them, hoping to prevent a fight and glanced at each of them. “What date?”
“Lover boy over there has a date with Breeze. We ran into her on our way up here and she mentioned she’d wear something sexy that he could easily remove from her body to share sex.” Tiger growled. “I could smell the human’s pain.”
“I wasn’t going to share sex with Breeze. I agreed to take her dancing and share a meal.” Brawn’s body tensed. “Move or I’ll throw you. I’m going to tell Becca the truth.”
Trisha faced him. “How many women have you had since Becca?”
He lowered his gaze. “None.”
She relaxed. “Good. That’s going to help some when you tell her that but right now you can’t go back there. Did you see how pale she was? How shaky? She needs rest, not to argue with you.”
“I need to tell her that there isn’t anything between Breeze and me but friendship.”
Trisha put her hands on her hips, refused to budge and lifted her eyebrows. “Let me play devil’s advocate here. She’s going to ask you if you’ve ever had sex with Breeze. Have you?”
“Yes.”
She winced. “Nope. You aren’t going back there right now. Let her get some sleep. Right now she’s fragile and sick. She is going to be more upset when she finds out there used to be something between you and Breeze.” She glanced at Slade. “Tell him.”
“Human females get jealous.” Slade grinned. “It is cute.”
Trisha lifted her hand and extended her middle finger. “It’s not.” She stared up at Brawn. “You want to do what is best for her and the baby, right?”
“I want to go to her.”
“She needs rest right now more than anything else. She needs time to adjust to being here. We forced her to come and you blew it big-time when you tried to claim her. Sometimes you guys are so damn dense. You don’t come at a woman like a bull, just charging your way in and demand to take over her life. Don’t be so aggressive. It’s called finesse. You should leave and go look that word up if you don’t know the definition. Look up patience too.”
Brawn’s gaze lifted and he stared toward the hallway. “She was hurt. I need to soothe her and assure her that I won’t be taking Breeze or any other female anywhere.”
Trisha patted his chest. “Hey, I’ll handle that, okay? I’m going to be here for a bit and I don’t snarl or roar when I lose my cool.”
“No. You just yell.”
She shot Slade a grin. “You stay out of this.”
He lifted his hands. “Easy, Doc. I’m just saying.”
Brawn lifted a hand and ran it through his hair. “What do I do to make her accept me?”
“Give her time.” Tiger sighed. “I even know the answer to that. What happened to never touching a human?”
Brawn glared at him.
“Sorry.” Tiger shrugged. “I’m just still in shock. This is why I’m never getting involved with one. They are too emotional and react strangely. One of our females would have punched you in the face if you hurt her. I understand the direct approach and appreciate it.”
“She’s emotional and probably feeling insecure.” Trisha glanced at Slade. “I’d be devastated if you’d made a date with a woman after we’d gotten together. Being pregnant only makes it worse. You remember how big and horrible I felt. I was a waddling mess with bloated ankles.”
He closed the distance between them. “You are always sexy and when you were swollen with our baby, it made me want you even more.” He gripped her h*ps and pulled her against him. “I’m addicted to you.” He growled.
She grinned. “Don’t do that. It’s been a few hours since I nursed Forest and my br**sts already ache. You’ll make me leak.”
He glanced down at her br**sts and his chest rumbled. “If he is not hungry, I will tend to them.” His tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip. “I love your milk.”
“Too much information,” Tiger said and chuckled. “But I like warm milk too.”
Slade glared at him.
“In a glass,” Tiger amended quickly, his smile fading. “I wasn’t trying to angle for some of her breast milk.”
Slade suddenly grinned. “Her milk is much better than anything in a glass.”
Tiger dropped his gaze. “I bet it is. It smells good. Every time I’m near your mate I crave milk and cookies.”
“That’s all you better want,” Slade growled.
Trisha shoved away from Slade. “I’m starting to blush. Let me call Harris and get him to send a kit to me.” She stared at Brawn. “Give her time. You both need some space right now to let things sink in.”
“I want to be with her. I need to be here.”
“It’s not about just you right now.” She held his gaze. “Be the bigger man. Do what is right for her and I’ll talk to her about Breeze, okay? I’ll make sure she knows you aren’t going on your date and that you haven’t been sleeping around. That will help a lot. That’s the truth, isn’t it? Tell me now if it’s not.”
“I haven’t touched a female since Becca except to dance with Breeze. She was worried about me and showed up to take me to the bar. I agreed to go out again with her later.”
“She expected to share sex.” Tiger shrugged. “Just saying.”
“She will be disappointed.” Brawn fisted his hands. “I will stay in the living room.” He glanced at the couch and winced. “I’ll sleep there or in the second bedroom.”
“No, you won’t. Damn, Brawn. Be reasonable.” Trisha held his gaze again. “Go home, punch something, do whatever it takes to deal with this but you can’t ever act the way you did today. What made you roar at her? Was it because she didn’t want to be your mate?”
“Yes. She’s mine.”
“That’s the kind of thinking you need to get a handle on. Never say that again until you two patch things up. She’s scared, pregnant and we’re holding her here against her will. She’s terrified her father is going to find out and hurt you. Or worse, you’ll hurt him. He’s her dad. You’re the father of her baby. She’s in a bad situation.”
“We all are considering who her father is.” Slade pulled out his cell phone. “I need to call Justice. All task force members are banned from Reservation while she’s here until we find a way to let Tim know the truth safely.”
“Agreed.” Tiger sighed. “I’m going to assign a guard outside and we need a female to care for Becca.”
“I’ll do it,” Brawn hissed through clenched teeth.
“You’ve already upset her.” Trisha stepped closer. “She could lose the baby if she gets too stressed. Is that what you want?”
Horror swept him. “No.”
“You want to win her trust and for her to talk to you? That’s the way to do it. I’m human, if you forgot. I know what I’m talking about.”
Brawn spun and stormed out of the room. He didn’t bother with the elevator, instead took the stairs and ran down them quickly. He burst out of the hotel and kept running until he reached his home.
The second the door closed he threw back his head and roared. It felt good to get it out. Becca was carrying his child, she was hurt and angry. He stood there until he caught his breath. Someone knocked on the door and he moved away from it and threw it open, hoping Becca had asked for him.
Brass stood there. “I heard.”
“Sorry. I’m frustrated and needed an outlet.”
“Not you blowing off steam. I heard about the female and the baby.” Brass’ dark eyes narrowed and he frowned. “What can I do?”
“I don’t know. She won’t speak to me. She doesn’t want me near her.”
“Come on.”
“I can’t return. Trisha thinks Becca could lose the baby.”
“I have a training session with some of the newer ones. Nothing will make you feel better than fighting. Just don’t hurt them too badly.”
Brawn bit his lip and nodded. “Okay.”
“Let’s go.” Brass patted his arm. “It will work out.”
Chapter Seventeen
Trisha was grim as she studied Becca. “We think we know what the problem is.”
“I feel fine now. I have for days. I was just tired, really stressed out and missed a few meals.”
“You’re not all right.” Trisha looked down at the carpet and brushed a hand over her pants. “You need special care because the pregnancy is too much of a strain on your body. We weren’t built for accelerated pregnancies. I know you’ve refused to have someone here to care for you but that’s what you need. The other pregnant women, including myself, were all taken care of by our mates.”
“I don’t have one and if you’re here to try to talk me into talking to Brawn again, forget it. He’s only interested in me because of the baby. I deserve more than that. I don’t want to argue with you again but that’s where this is heading. He didn’t even call me, damn it. Now he knows I’m pregnant and suddenly wants to be glued to my side?” She scoffed. “No way.”
“Fine but you need someone.” Trisha hesitated. “That’s how it’s going to be. This isn’t up for debate.”
“I’m fine,” Becca repeated. “They bring me meals and I don’t even have to cook. I am actually kind of bored out of my skull.”
“That’s another thing. You should be getting some sunshine. You need a guard.”
“I thought I was safe here.”
“There are some newer Species who aren’t real human friendly and this is Reservation. Do you know that some Species have more aggressive animal traits? It’s why we needed this place, to keep them here where there is plenty of open space for them to live. Sometimes they feel more social and show up at the hotel seeking some willing female companionship.”
“No. I missed breakfast and lunch.”
“What is wrong?” Brawn’s voice was soft.
“Maybe nothing.” Trisha shrugged. “We’ll watch her and see how she does.”
Becca finished the soda while she ate. She opened a second one, wished she had more milk, but wasn’t about to ask someone to order some. The room was silent. Becca finally stopped focusing on her food to turn her head. Four people watched her every move and it made her angry.
“You can leave if you all are going to just stand there staring at me. I’m sorry if my table manners aren’t up to par but you’re making me uncomfortable.” She glanced around the room. “There’s no dining room table and I’m not going to sit on the couch and bend until I’m uncomfortable to reach over here.”
“We’re just worried,” Trisha explained. “That’s all. You’ve been without medical care.”
“Maybe she has an illness,” Slade guessed.
“I’m as healthy as a horse.” Becca knew he probably meant well but she didn’t like the implication. “I’ve always gone to doctors regularly and I’d know if I were sick. I’m usually fine as long as I eat regularly and drink plenty of fluids.”
“There’s one major difference between you and her, Trisha,” Tiger said. “Slade took care of you. He made sure you rested and ate regularly. We should assign her a female to do the same.”
Trisha nodded. “I agree. We’ll see if that helps. I’m still going to run tests to make sure everything is okay. I checked the baby but I’m going to run a blood screen on her.” She walked to the phone. “I’m calling Doctor Harris to bring me a bag and I’m going to draw some blood immediately. We’ll need to test for gestational diabetes tomorrow morning. We have no idea how that would affect a woman’s body with a Species baby on board.”
“I think you are overreacting.” Becca hoped she was right. “I’ll feel fine once I eat and take a nap. I just went too long between meals.”
“Do not assign her a female to care for her. I will do it myself.”
Becca’s spine stiffened at hearing that familiar voice. She refused to look at Brawn. “The hell you will. Don’t you have a hot date to get ready for?”
The room was unnaturally silent. Trisha broke it finally.
“Date?” She whispered but Becca heard.
She lost her appetite, gripped the soda and struggled to her feet. “I’m going to go lie down. Feel free to come in to take blood, Trisha.” She walked toward the hallway and was proud she refused to even glance at Brawn.
“Becca,” he growled.
She froze. “Just go away and stay there.” Becca was proud of herself for not letting her anger at him sound in her voice. She was almost to the bedroom door when she heard Tiger speak.
“You should leave, Brawn. The female doesn’t want you here.”
Becca closed the bedroom and stared at her new home. The bed was big, the room large too, but she couldn’t take in any more details as tears blinded her. Damn it. Brawn had a date and it hurt so bad she wanted to scream. Instead she kicked off her shoes and sank onto the big, soft mattress. Her fingers gripped a pillow and shoved it under her head. It caught her tears.
Brawn tried to follow Becca but Tiger jumped in his way and spread his arms. “Don’t. Be smart.”
“Move.”
“She wants you to go.” Anger glinted in Tiger’s eyes. “And I agree. That was horrendous.”
“What happened?” Trisha stepped between them, hoping to prevent a fight and glanced at each of them. “What date?”
“Lover boy over there has a date with Breeze. We ran into her on our way up here and she mentioned she’d wear something sexy that he could easily remove from her body to share sex.” Tiger growled. “I could smell the human’s pain.”
“I wasn’t going to share sex with Breeze. I agreed to take her dancing and share a meal.” Brawn’s body tensed. “Move or I’ll throw you. I’m going to tell Becca the truth.”
Trisha faced him. “How many women have you had since Becca?”
He lowered his gaze. “None.”
She relaxed. “Good. That’s going to help some when you tell her that but right now you can’t go back there. Did you see how pale she was? How shaky? She needs rest, not to argue with you.”
“I need to tell her that there isn’t anything between Breeze and me but friendship.”
Trisha put her hands on her hips, refused to budge and lifted her eyebrows. “Let me play devil’s advocate here. She’s going to ask you if you’ve ever had sex with Breeze. Have you?”
“Yes.”
She winced. “Nope. You aren’t going back there right now. Let her get some sleep. Right now she’s fragile and sick. She is going to be more upset when she finds out there used to be something between you and Breeze.” She glanced at Slade. “Tell him.”
“Human females get jealous.” Slade grinned. “It is cute.”
Trisha lifted her hand and extended her middle finger. “It’s not.” She stared up at Brawn. “You want to do what is best for her and the baby, right?”
“I want to go to her.”
“She needs rest right now more than anything else. She needs time to adjust to being here. We forced her to come and you blew it big-time when you tried to claim her. Sometimes you guys are so damn dense. You don’t come at a woman like a bull, just charging your way in and demand to take over her life. Don’t be so aggressive. It’s called finesse. You should leave and go look that word up if you don’t know the definition. Look up patience too.”
Brawn’s gaze lifted and he stared toward the hallway. “She was hurt. I need to soothe her and assure her that I won’t be taking Breeze or any other female anywhere.”
Trisha patted his chest. “Hey, I’ll handle that, okay? I’m going to be here for a bit and I don’t snarl or roar when I lose my cool.”
“No. You just yell.”
She shot Slade a grin. “You stay out of this.”
He lifted his hands. “Easy, Doc. I’m just saying.”
Brawn lifted a hand and ran it through his hair. “What do I do to make her accept me?”
“Give her time.” Tiger sighed. “I even know the answer to that. What happened to never touching a human?”
Brawn glared at him.
“Sorry.” Tiger shrugged. “I’m just still in shock. This is why I’m never getting involved with one. They are too emotional and react strangely. One of our females would have punched you in the face if you hurt her. I understand the direct approach and appreciate it.”
“She’s emotional and probably feeling insecure.” Trisha glanced at Slade. “I’d be devastated if you’d made a date with a woman after we’d gotten together. Being pregnant only makes it worse. You remember how big and horrible I felt. I was a waddling mess with bloated ankles.”
He closed the distance between them. “You are always sexy and when you were swollen with our baby, it made me want you even more.” He gripped her h*ps and pulled her against him. “I’m addicted to you.” He growled.
She grinned. “Don’t do that. It’s been a few hours since I nursed Forest and my br**sts already ache. You’ll make me leak.”
He glanced down at her br**sts and his chest rumbled. “If he is not hungry, I will tend to them.” His tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip. “I love your milk.”
“Too much information,” Tiger said and chuckled. “But I like warm milk too.”
Slade glared at him.
“In a glass,” Tiger amended quickly, his smile fading. “I wasn’t trying to angle for some of her breast milk.”
Slade suddenly grinned. “Her milk is much better than anything in a glass.”
Tiger dropped his gaze. “I bet it is. It smells good. Every time I’m near your mate I crave milk and cookies.”
“That’s all you better want,” Slade growled.
Trisha shoved away from Slade. “I’m starting to blush. Let me call Harris and get him to send a kit to me.” She stared at Brawn. “Give her time. You both need some space right now to let things sink in.”
“I want to be with her. I need to be here.”
“It’s not about just you right now.” She held his gaze. “Be the bigger man. Do what is right for her and I’ll talk to her about Breeze, okay? I’ll make sure she knows you aren’t going on your date and that you haven’t been sleeping around. That will help a lot. That’s the truth, isn’t it? Tell me now if it’s not.”
“I haven’t touched a female since Becca except to dance with Breeze. She was worried about me and showed up to take me to the bar. I agreed to go out again with her later.”
“She expected to share sex.” Tiger shrugged. “Just saying.”
“She will be disappointed.” Brawn fisted his hands. “I will stay in the living room.” He glanced at the couch and winced. “I’ll sleep there or in the second bedroom.”
“No, you won’t. Damn, Brawn. Be reasonable.” Trisha held his gaze again. “Go home, punch something, do whatever it takes to deal with this but you can’t ever act the way you did today. What made you roar at her? Was it because she didn’t want to be your mate?”
“Yes. She’s mine.”
“That’s the kind of thinking you need to get a handle on. Never say that again until you two patch things up. She’s scared, pregnant and we’re holding her here against her will. She’s terrified her father is going to find out and hurt you. Or worse, you’ll hurt him. He’s her dad. You’re the father of her baby. She’s in a bad situation.”
“We all are considering who her father is.” Slade pulled out his cell phone. “I need to call Justice. All task force members are banned from Reservation while she’s here until we find a way to let Tim know the truth safely.”
“Agreed.” Tiger sighed. “I’m going to assign a guard outside and we need a female to care for Becca.”
“I’ll do it,” Brawn hissed through clenched teeth.
“You’ve already upset her.” Trisha stepped closer. “She could lose the baby if she gets too stressed. Is that what you want?”
Horror swept him. “No.”
“You want to win her trust and for her to talk to you? That’s the way to do it. I’m human, if you forgot. I know what I’m talking about.”
Brawn spun and stormed out of the room. He didn’t bother with the elevator, instead took the stairs and ran down them quickly. He burst out of the hotel and kept running until he reached his home.
The second the door closed he threw back his head and roared. It felt good to get it out. Becca was carrying his child, she was hurt and angry. He stood there until he caught his breath. Someone knocked on the door and he moved away from it and threw it open, hoping Becca had asked for him.
Brass stood there. “I heard.”
“Sorry. I’m frustrated and needed an outlet.”
“Not you blowing off steam. I heard about the female and the baby.” Brass’ dark eyes narrowed and he frowned. “What can I do?”
“I don’t know. She won’t speak to me. She doesn’t want me near her.”
“Come on.”
“I can’t return. Trisha thinks Becca could lose the baby.”
“I have a training session with some of the newer ones. Nothing will make you feel better than fighting. Just don’t hurt them too badly.”
Brawn bit his lip and nodded. “Okay.”
“Let’s go.” Brass patted his arm. “It will work out.”
Chapter Seventeen
Trisha was grim as she studied Becca. “We think we know what the problem is.”
“I feel fine now. I have for days. I was just tired, really stressed out and missed a few meals.”
“You’re not all right.” Trisha looked down at the carpet and brushed a hand over her pants. “You need special care because the pregnancy is too much of a strain on your body. We weren’t built for accelerated pregnancies. I know you’ve refused to have someone here to care for you but that’s what you need. The other pregnant women, including myself, were all taken care of by our mates.”
“I don’t have one and if you’re here to try to talk me into talking to Brawn again, forget it. He’s only interested in me because of the baby. I deserve more than that. I don’t want to argue with you again but that’s where this is heading. He didn’t even call me, damn it. Now he knows I’m pregnant and suddenly wants to be glued to my side?” She scoffed. “No way.”
“Fine but you need someone.” Trisha hesitated. “That’s how it’s going to be. This isn’t up for debate.”
“I’m fine,” Becca repeated. “They bring me meals and I don’t even have to cook. I am actually kind of bored out of my skull.”
“That’s another thing. You should be getting some sunshine. You need a guard.”
“I thought I was safe here.”
“There are some newer Species who aren’t real human friendly and this is Reservation. Do you know that some Species have more aggressive animal traits? It’s why we needed this place, to keep them here where there is plenty of open space for them to live. Sometimes they feel more social and show up at the hotel seeking some willing female companionship.”
