Brawn - Laurann Dohner [42]
His chest throbbed from where she’d bitten him and the sharp sting of pain from her teeth drawing blood had nearly snapped his control. She wasn’t Species, it didn’t mean she was urging him to bite her back and mate her. He’d probably been too rough in his urgency to make her come but hoped that wasn’t the case. That concern helped douse some of his passion.
He never wanted to harm Becca. He’d rather suffer excruciating agony before he’d draw blood from her. She trusted him, needed his protection, yet he’d been more of a danger to her when she’d been on his lap than all the bastards who’d kidnapped them. The thought of what could have happened cooled his blood more.
Taking her as though she were Species would have been unforgivable. She wasn’t big, powerful, or strong enough to fight him off if she didn’t want him to do anything to her. She’d have been helpless to his lust and in his haze, he might not have realized until it was over. Sometimes a male needed a good punch or tussle to get his attention when passion ruled.
Brawn finally felt calm and stable enough to apologize to her. It would harm his pride a bit to admit he’d nearly come unhinged but the truth might take away her fear of him that he’d caused when he’d shown his untamed side. He turned and guilt ate at him all over again when he stared at her huddled form across the cage.
She’d sunk to the floor, drawn up her knees, arms hugging them loosely, and her slow breathing assured him that she slept. He couldn’t see her face since it was pressed against her legs. How she remained upright was something he couldn’t fathom but he slowly approached. Tender hands slid under her thighs and behind her back. He gently lifted and she didn’t rouse as he secured her in the cradle of his arms. Her head rolled against his chest, near the bite mark she’d left on him and he turned slowly. His step was light as he approached the cot, lifted his foot to kick off the blanket and gently laid her down on her side.
He didn’t want to release her, could have sat with her in his embrace, but thought better of it. His cock had just relaxed enough to go down and he wasn’t about to tempt fate. Brawn covered her with the blanket, tucked it in and studied her delicate face openly.
She did have a funny little nose but he liked it. Her mouth was small but plush and just right for kissing. Passion began to flare inside him again and he quickly stood, turned away and moved away from her.
The floor was hard and cold where he sat, his back to Becca, his gaze locked on the double doors where his enemy waited to come for him and his female.
My female? Damn. He closed his eyes, took even breaths and tried to remember she wasn’t his and never could be. Tim Oberto would never allow his daughter to be with a Species, feared they’d be dangerous to her well-being and Brawn couldn’t fault his reasoning. Human females who mated with Species ended up in danger. It wasn’t just from their mates.
The doors opened across the room. Brawn’s eyes opened and he watched four humans carry in the unconscious Species male and return him to his cage. He inhaled and grimaced. The scent of spent solitary passion, the breeding drugs and the stench of his enemy didn’t sit right with his empty stomach.
They hadn’t fed him or Becca. That worried him a lot. It implied they didn’t mean to keep them alive for long but it didn’t make sense if they planned to sell him to someone else when his use was over. Memories of his years in the testing facilities surfaced and he relaxed. These bastards had worked for Mercile and that meant they’d only give food if they got what they wanted.
The men left as quickly as they’d come and he relaxed again, turned his head to study Becca and hoped they wouldn’t come for them for a long time. She was probably very tired, she hadn’t been drugged, which meant she hadn’t slept the way he had. His gaze returned to the door to keep vigil. He really couldn’t protect Becca but it made him feel