New Species 05 Brawn (29 page)

“You’re my mate,” Brawn snarled. “Mine.”

Becca bent, tried to make sense of her tangled pants and
panicked when she couldn’t figure them out.

“Open the door!” Trisha yelled. “What is going on in there?”

“Move,” a male voice demanded.

Something hit the door and it crashed open. All Becca could do
was duck down a little to hide her bare lower half behind the table and shove
her shirt over her exposed belly.

Slade stumbled into the room. The New Species glanced at
her, his gaze seemed to take in everything in a sweeping gaze and he spun when
the doctor tried to get around him. He grabbed her around her waist, jerked her
off her feet and shoved her at the other New Species male who tried to enter
the room.

“Take her down the hall,” Slade ordered.

“What is going on?” Trisha kicked at the other male, twisted
her head and got a view of Brawn because she gasped.

Becca followed the woman’s wide stare and saw that Brawn’s
pants were still open, his cock out and he was as hard as a rock. The New
Species holding her softly cursed.

“My man, zip up. That’s more of you than I want to see.” He
turned, still holding the doctor and kept his back to the room.

“Put me down, Tiger. What is going on?” Trisha fought his
hold.

“I think that’s obvious,” Slade snorted. “Zip up, Brawn. My
mate doesn’t get to see anyone’s dick but mine.”

“Get out,” Brawn demanded. He shoved his stiff cock into his
pants but didn’t close the front of them. “This is between Becca and me.”

Speak
, her mind demanded. “I won’t be your mate. I
don’t care if I’m pregnant and you’re the father. That’s no reason to fling
words like that around and what the hell is claiming? Just don’t even go
there.”

“Shit,” Tiger muttered, turned and eased Trisha down onto
her feet. “You too, my man? I was sure you’d never go down.”

Becca’s face heated fast with embarrassment. How had they
known what Brawn had just done to her? It was probably their sense of smell,
which only made it worse. She breathed through her nose, couldn’t pick up
anything but the sterile smell of the exam room, but she didn’t have their
enhanced traits.

“That’s my baby and that makes you mine too.” Brawn’s angry
gaze fixed on her and he flashed his fangs her way as he growled.

“Screw you.” She forgot to be embarrassed over the situation
of having people in the room who had just caught them after an intimate moment.
“I’m not marrying you, mating you, or allowing you to claim me.”

“It’s kind of the same thing,” Tiger offered.

She shot him a glare. “Thanks.” Her focus returned to Brawn.

“I will screw you.” He advanced a step toward her but Slade
grabbed his arm. Brawn’s head swung in his direction, glanced at the hand on
his biceps and he snarled, “Let go. Don’t interfere.”

“Calm down,” Slade ordered, his voice deepening. “She’s
human, with child, and you’re showing your teeth. Take a deep breath through
your mouth and get a handle on your emotions.”

“Don’t fight.” Tiger gently pushed Trisha against the wall
by the door. “The room is too small and the females will get injured.”

Brawn jerked out of Slade’s hold and tried to step away but
the Species male grabbed him again. “Calm down!”

“Get out and leave us.”

“Don’t you dare,” Becca gasped. “You said I’d be safe here.
Prove it. Get him away from me.”

“That’s my child.”

“I’m not denying that but it doesn’t give you the right to
make rash statements like we’re together. We’re not.”

“We are.”

Becca opened her mouth but a dizzy spell hit, spots appeared
before her eyes and she nearly crumpled forward over the table. Her hands
caught her weight but she couldn’t miss the sound of a harsh snarl. Two strong
arms wrapped around her body—one around her rib cage and the other around her
hips, under her expanded belly.

“I’ve got you. What’s wrong?” Brawn was alarmed.

“Everyone turn around,” Trisha ordered the men. “Brawn, put
her on the table. She’s pregnant and this has been a stressful day. The last
thing she needs is men gawking at her while she’s half naked.”

“I’m okay,” Becca sighed. “I missed breakfast and lunch.”
The dizzy spell passed and she wiggled, trying to get free of the strong arms
holding her. “Let go.”

“Hang on,” Trisha muttered, rushing to a cabinet. She yanked
it open, grabbed something and turned. “Here. We keep sweatpants here for
spares in case of emergencies. You have no idea how many guys I treat with leg
injuries when they are training. Let me help you.”

“I’ll do it myself.” Becca turned her head and glared up at
Brawn. “Let me go. I can dress myself.”

He wanted to argue, she could see it in his eyes, but Trisha
was suddenly there. She knelt. “Lift a leg.”

The doctor jerked the sweats up while Brawn continued to
hold her. She was grateful that he did but wouldn’t say it aloud. She felt weak
and knew Trisha was right. It had been a really stressful day.

“Tiger? Get her to the hotel and I’ll order food. She needs
to eat and rest.” Trisha glanced at Slade. “Nobody is to know she’s here.
Spread the word to all the Species. I’d have you take her to one of the cabins
but I want her close by. That means the hotel. No humans are there and Species
won’t mention her being there.”

“I’m on it, Doc.”

She smiled. “Thanks, lollypop.”

He softly growled at her. “Tease.” He left the room.

Tiger turned to face the room. “I have an SUV outside. Let’s
go.”

Brawn released her and tried to pick Becca up. She stumbled
away and smacked at his hand. “Don’t. You’ve touched me enough, thank you very
much.”

“I’ll carry you.”

“You won’t. I’m fine now. I just need to eat.”

“Argue later.” Tiger inched closer. “She’s pale and carrying
a child. She needs to be tended to and keeping her here longer is detrimental.”

Becca turned her back on Brawn, met the doctor’s eyes and
nodded. “Thank you for giving me an ultrasound.”

“Eat and get plenty of rest. I’ll be by later. Call me if
you don’t feel well or need anything. Just contact the desk and they’ll
transfer the call to my cell phone.”

“I appreciate that.”

Tiger led the way and Becca followed him out of the room,
down the hallway and outside. An SUV waited just as he’d said and Pink was
behind the wheel.

“In you go,” Tiger said as he opened the back door.

She allowed him to touch her arm to help but a soft snarl
startled her and she found the source. Brawn glared at the Species who touched
her as though he wanted to tear the guy’s head off. She wiggled into the seat
and Tiger let go. Brawn suddenly stepped forward and arched an eyebrow.

“Scoot over and make room for me, Becca.”

She refused and reached out to grab the door handle but his
body blocked the way. “I’ll talk to you later when we’ve both calmed down a
bit. Back off. I’m hungry and want to go lie down now.”

Brawn’s gaze softened. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Becca. I
am sorry.” He suddenly gripped her hand with his, removed it from the door and
curled his warm fingers around it. He dropped to his knees and buried his face
against her thigh.

It stunned her that the big male kneeled on the pavement and
was acting so bizarre. His head remained there and he gripped her hand tightly
enough to keep it captured but not enough to cause pain. She bit her lip,
realized he must emotionally be going through the wringer too and her other
hand lifted. She hesitated before her fingers brushed the silky strands of his
hair to try to give him comfort.

“Brawn?”

“Do not send me away.” The words were muffled against her
leg but she heard him.

Her gaze lifted to find Tiger standing there with his mouth
gaping open. He looked absolutely stunned, met her gaze, closed his mouth and
shrugged. “At least he doesn’t want to fight anymore. Give the guy a break.”

She didn’t know what was going on inside Brawn’s mind but
she knew how rough she’d taken the news when she’d discovered she was pregnant.
She’d gone from shock to fear to worry and settled on being thrilled. Her life
would never be the same. It had taken her days to go through those emotions but
Brawn had less than an hour to sort through his turmoil. She rubbed the back of
his head, trying to comfort him.

“It’s been a hell of a day for us both,” she conceded.

He nodded against her thigh. “Yes.”

She fought the urge to cry.
Damn hormones.
“Are you
okay?”

He didn’t move. “Do not send me away. I need to be close to
you.”

She stared at Tiger and he shrugged again, obviously not
sure why Brawn was acting that way either. “I don’t understand.”

Brawn slowly lifted his head and met her gaze. His blue eyes
looked tortured. “I need to be close to you like I need air to breathe. I can’t
explain it. I just have to be near you. If you send me away I will lose
control. I don’t want to frighten you again.”

What was happening? Becca felt fear again. Why would he need
to be close to her? What was going on inside the guy? Their gazes locked and
stayed that way. Becca had to finally look away. “Okay. You can go to the
hotel.”

He immediately got up and she pulled her hand free as she
scooted across the seat. He climbed in next to her and Tiger closed the door,
took the passenger seat and Pink pulled away from the curb. No one spoke on the
short drive to the hotel.

Chapter Sixteen

The hotel stood four stories high and no one was within
sight as they climbed out of the SUV. Brawn instantly tried to lift Becca and
she swatted at his seeking hands. “I’m here and you should go.”

He stared at her with pure misery, enough to make her feel
guilty. He wasn’t angry and snarling anymore. If he’d been part canine mixed
she’d have compared him to a kicked puppy but he was feline, according to her
father.
Lost kitten
, she decided fit him better.

“Fine. Come with us and you can watch me eat before I take a
nap.”

Brawn offered his arm but she ignored it, walking to stand
next to Tiger instead. He glanced at her and held out his arm.

“You look pale. Let one of us help you.”

She took his arm and waited for another snarl but Brawn kept
it in check if it pissed him off. Pink drove away in the SUV and the three of
them entered a large lobby. It surprised Becca how normal the place looked, as
if it were a regular hotel with a cluster of couches and chairs set up. No one
stood at the desk but a male Species did rush out of one of the back doors and
offered up a key card. He spun on his heel, didn’t even bother to glance at
Becca and disappeared.

“Is it normally so dead in here?”

Tiger gently steered her toward the elevators. “No. Slade
called ahead and had them clear out. He didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable
being stared at.” He hit the button and they waited for the car to arrive.

She glanced back at Brawn and realized he silently hovered
feet behind, his gaze locked on her. She turned her head as the door dinged and
slid open. A tall woman Species was inside and wore jeans and a blue tank top.
Her black hair flowed down over her shoulders and she openly stared at Becca.

“Hello, human.” A smile curved her lips and she chuckled
when her attention focused on Becca’s belly. “Oh! You’re the pregnant lady.
Trisha told me about you. It is so good you are here. I am Breeze and I like
humans. Some of my best friends are human.”

“Hi, Breeze.” Tiger chuckled. “She’s starving and we need to
take her upstairs. You can talk to her later.”

“Of course.” The woman stepped out of the elevator and
suddenly punched Tiger lightly on the arm. “Good job, Tiger. She is very attractive.”

“Now wait a minute,” Tiger protested. “It’s not—”

“You will make a good father,” the woman cut his words off
and grinned at Becca. “You must be a very good female to land him. Good for
you.” Breeze laughed. Her gaze suddenly landed on Brawn and her face lit up
with pure joy.

“Do not forget that you are supposed to pick me up at six. I
will wear something sexy and easy for you to remove when we go to my place
after dinner and dancing.” Breeze winked at him before strolling away.

Becca felt her heart break. Knowing Brawn had a date with
that attractive, tall Species woman tore at her. He had told her he didn’t do
humans and they were too fragile for him. She remembered the conversation
vividly once again. He liked his women to be New Species and Becca could
understand why after seeing a few of them.

The woman he had a date with stood over six feet tall, was
beautiful with her strong facial features and muscular body. Breeze also didn’t
have a problem making it clear that she planned to have sex with Brawn later.
And she had a lot in common with him. Brawn wouldn’t have to hold himself in
check during sex either. It hurt Becca to realize all of those things and she
hated feeling the stabbing pain of jealousy. At that second she really hated
Brawn too.

She stepped frantically into the elevator and refused to
look anywhere but at the floor. Brawn stepped inside.

“Becca?”

She clenched her teeth. “Shut up, don’t say a word, or you
can get the hell out.”

The doors closed her inside with Tiger and Brawn, one of
them must have hit a button and it began to rise. Her stomach churned but it
wasn’t from hunger anymore. Tiger’s hand on her arm squeezed gently to draw her
attention and she made the mistake of looking up at his face. She saw pity
reflected in his pretty eyes and she dropped her head. It made the situation
even worse.

“We’re here.” Tiger sounded relieved as the elevator stopped
and the door opened. He used the card key to one of the rooms and allowed her
to enter first. “Your food has been delivered and from the smell, they sent you
a lot of choices.”