New Species 05 Brawn (13 page)

She’d have laughed if she could have. There was only him,
nothing else and not only could she revel in his touch, his scent, but the way
he pinned her over his lap so she couldn’t do anything but hurt to come.

He rubbed circles over the bud, his hand turned a little and
his thumb—at least she thought it was—teased the opening of her pussy. She
shoved her face harder against his chest, knew she needed to keep quiet for
some reason, but forgot why. The feel of his thick digit pushing inside to part
her vaginal walls made her bite down. He snarled in response and drove it into
her deeper. He moved his hand, fucking her while rubbing against her clit and a
purr rumbled through her ear as he tucked his head against hers.

The climax hit fast and hard, tore through her in harsh
waves and the hand around her back was suddenly gone. Brawn cupped her head,
shoved her face tighter against his chest and nearly suffocated her when she
screamed out his name. She didn’t give a damn if she had air, she was too
gripped by the ecstasy.

His thumb withdrew, his hand jerked away and he eased the
hold that kept her face pressed against him. She swayed a little on his lap
without him holding her but he didn’t let her slump to the side as her body
turned lax. Brawn wrapped an arm around her waist again and she tilted her chin
up to stare at him in wonder.

The sight of him shoving his thumb in his mouth to taste her
stunned and aroused Becca at the same time. He didn’t look away as he growled
at her. Desire made his eyes go from amazing-looking to nearly feral in a wild,
passionate way that promised her he wanted to eat her alive in the best way
possible.

He pulled his thumb slowly from between his lips and bared
sharp teeth at her, jerked his hands up over his head as if someone pointed a
weapon at him and snarled.

“Get away from me.”

The deep, brutal sound made terror grip her instantly as she
scrambled off his lap, nearly fell on her ass in her haste and stumbled back
until the bars of the cage slammed into her back. The pain that sliced through
her made the physical blow she’d taken earlier seem tame in comparison to the
emotional slap he dealt by rejecting her.

He stood abruptly, the cot almost tipped over in his haste
and he stormed to the farthest edge of the cage to put space between them. His
hands gripped the bars, he kept his back to her and his head was thrown back as
he roared out in pure rage.

Chapter Seven

Brawn had a hard time slowing his breathing and getting
control of his body. His knuckles were white from the death grip on the bars
keeping him in place. The roar had helped him release some of the frustration
while the scent of Becca’s fear in the air haunted him.

He’d caused that fear but he needed to. Two more seconds
with her on his lap and he’d have done something horrible. He could have hurt
her and he’d reacted by getting her the hell away from him before temptation
turned into a physical act.

His dick hurt bad but he tried to ignore it. His eyes closed
as he concentrated on breathing through his mouth instead, not that it helped
since the taste of her release still lingered and he wanted to roar again.

The urge to turn, go after Becca, tear off her clothes and
force her to her knees over the cot was unbearable. He shouldn’t have done more
than kiss her but his best-laid plans had gone to hell quickly the second his
mouth met hers. He panted harder and fought every instinct that screamed
take
her
!

He’d thought the kiss would be sweet, tender and that he
could handle that. Instead he’d experienced the strongest wave of arousal that
had ever slammed through him. He’d barely remembered the damn cameras, her fear
of them and how she’d hate him if he stripped her bare and buried his face
where his fingers had played in her cream. The memory of how tight she’d been
scared him into keeping a leash on his desires. He’d take her too hard, too
fast and tear up that sweet damn pussy of hers. He wanted to make her scream
his name but not from pain.

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 better to guard her all the
same.

* * * * *

Becca jerked awake when booted feet echoed in the room. She
had fallen asleep in the corner, huddled in a ball, watching Brawn try to calm
down. He’d kept his back to her, refused to even glance her way and exhaustion had
finally taken its toll. She woke on the cot with a blanket covering her.

Brawn stood next to the cot, close enough for her to touch
the back of his sweatpants, and watched whoever made those sounds. She turned
her head in time to see Randy and a few of his goons stomp their way. Dread
pitted in her stomach and she figured time was up. One glance in the direction
of the other cages verified that, since 919’s cage wasn’t empty anymore. A male
body could be seen on the cot behind the bars. He was either drugged or
sleeping since he didn’t move as far as she could tell.

“Becca? We just have to survive.” Brawn summed up their
situation softly. “Do as they ask.”

She peered up at him but he still refused to glance at her,
his sole focus on the four goons who stopped outside the cage door. All of them
withdrew their Taser guns, checked them and Randy was the one who spoke.

“It’s time.” He glared at Brawn. “You twitch and we’ll light
your ass up and your girlfriend.” He tapped his weapon. “These have been
altered by one of our guys and he removed the safety on the voltage. Do you
know what that means? It will kill her. You fight and she’s going to die.”

“I don’t like this,” Dean hissed. “Let’s knock him out the
way we have the others and when he wakes, he’ll be chained up. It’s too
dangerous to open that damn door to move him into the room with him awake.”

“Doctor Elsa gives the orders.” Randy obviously wasn’t
thrilled since he looked as if he’d sucked on a lemon. “She doesn’t want him
fucked up unless we have to. She thinks it might dampen his mood.”

“Fuck,” Ray muttered. “Let’s get the Doc’s ass out here and
she can move the big bastard if she’s so sure he’ll protect the bitch he’s
screwing. I think he’ll try to kill us. They aren’t real smart.”

Randy stepped closer, his gaze focused on Brawn and his
eyebrows shot up. “Did you piss your girlfriend off? It looks like she bit
you.”

“No.” Brawn reached back, gripped Becca’s hip and gently
maneuvered her behind his body when she climbed to her feet next to him. “I
will comply. Don’t harm her. I understand you are willing to kill her if I
lie.” He turned his head in Ray’s direction. “I am not stupid.”

“This is nuts,” the fourth guy added. “He’s going to go ape
shit once that door opens and he’ll try to take out as many of us as he can. I
lost three of my security crew to bastards like that one. He can leap at us,
move super fast and watch those damn fingernails. They are rougher than ours
and can tear open skin.”

“I know,” Randy admitted. “We have our orders though.” His voice
rose. “Your girlfriend dies if you even make me think you’re going to attack
one of us.”

“I won’t.” Brawn hesitated. “I will carry her. I can’t fight
with her in my arms. Will that make you feel safer?”

Surprise flickered on the men’s faces and Randy nodded
sharply. “Yeah. Do that. Carry her with both arms so if you drop her, she hits
hard enough to crack her damn skull open on the hard floor.” He lifted a leg
and stomped down. “It would fuck her up.”

Brawn slowly turned to meet Becca’s worried gaze. She had
made him mad somehow but he was offering not to attempt to escape to ensure her
safety. He bent his knees a little and opened his arms. “Put your arms around
my neck.”

She bit her lip. “I’m sorry.”

“For what? This isn’t your fault. None of it is. Just do as
they say and they won’t have a reason to try to harm you. I won’t fight them.
Your safety comes first.”

“What are you saying to her?” Randy sounded pissed. “Come on
and stop stalling.”

Brawn’s head whipped around and he growled low. “She’s
frightened.” He stared at Becca again. “Hold on to me. I wasn’t angry with you.
It was directed at me. Now is not the time to discuss it.”

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. He
hooked one arm around her waist, lifted and his other arm caught her behind her
knees, trapping the nightshirt to maintain her modesty as he hoisted her up. He
slowly turned to study the men with narrowed eyes.

“I will move slowly. May I walk out now?”

Randy jerked his head at one of the guys and a very nervous
Ray approached to unlock the chains and open the cage door. It did Becca’s
heart good to see the sheer terror on those jerk’s faces over what Brawn could
do to them. He was intimidating and a big, powerful guy. Without her, he
probably could kick their asses.

“Come out,” Randy urged. “Nice and slow, kitty cat.” He
raised his weapon, pointed it at Becca and frowned. “She will get hit first.”

“I won’t risk her life.” Brawn moved cautiously out of the
cage, his steps slow and nonthreatening.

Fear and uncertainty battled inside Becca as they were led
to a different room than the one where 919 had been chained. This one had a
metal bunk and a camera mounted in the corner. A table had been set up in
another corner. The door closed behind them and the goons kept their weapons
pointed at them.

“Put her down and walk over to the cot,” Randy directed.

Brawn hesitated. “You don’t need to chain me. I said I
wouldn’t fight.”

“Do as I say. That’s not up for debate. Strip off the
clothes, lie down on your back and don’t fight when you are restrained. Got
it?”

Brawn lowered her to her feet, released her and strode to
the long, metal bed with bars for a headboard and a small bar for a footboard.
A grimace flashed over his handsome features as he approached it and Becca
purposely turned her back to spare him her stare as well. Ray rushed for Becca,
aimed his gun at her face, while Randy tracked Brawn’s movements with his
weapon. The other two men set theirs by the door and moved out of her line of
sight to go after Brawn.