Текст книги "Brawn"
Автор книги: Laurann Dohner
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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 18 страниц)
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.”
Becca pointedly ignored Brawn but was aware of him behind her. She swept a glance around the nice living room, spotted the cart with silver dishes and hunger gripped her hard. She walked to the three covered platters and noticed the second shelf contained juices, sodas and milk, giving her a large beverage selection.
Her hand shook as she lifted the platter covers and her stomach rumbled when the smell hit her. She almost dropped the lids to the floor, barely managed to keep them from falling off the edge where she rested them and grabbed for the one with the big steak. She groaned, lifted it and turned to the coffee table a few feet away.
Tiger handed her silverware when she just lowered to her knees and placed the food on the table. Her hands shook worse as she unwrapped the napkin to get to the fork and knife. She didn’t look at her guests, didn’t care what they thought, since she needed to eat.
She sawed frantically at the meat, got a bite and shoved it into her mouth. The taste exploded on her tongue and she groaned. Thirst hit next after she swallowed and she turned, grabbed one of the mini cartons of milk and yanked it open. She drank, barely avoided spilling it down the sides of her mouth and set it down hard to grab for the silverware again. Her stomach rumbled and hunger gripped her as if she hadn’t eaten for a week.
“Rebecca?”
Trisha’s voice startled her enough to cause her to stop shoving food in to her mouth and turn her head. “It’s Becca, and I thought you were staying at the medical place.”
The woman held up a bottle of pills. “I forgot to give you prenatal vitamins.” Trisha frowned, moving closer and Slade followed behind her. “When is the last time you ate? You’re shaking.”
“I’m always hungry. I had a snack early this morning, ran out of milk and ran to the store before breakfast. I got held up on the way to town and then your guy was waiting at my cabin.” She finished the milk and reached for the juice, opened the top and drank deeply.
“You weren’t that pale or shaky,” Slade rumbled. “She doesn’t look good.”
“I had you looking out for me,” Trisha answered softly. “Becca? You need to eat every few hours. Your body is exhausted from the pregnancy and you need to consume more food than normal. Have you been eating red meat? You need a lot of that.”
“Yes.” Becca stabbed another bite of steak, chewed and swallowed it and some of the pain in her stomach eased. She could enjoy the food more now instead of just shoveling it down. She grabbed a soda and popped the top. She lifted and drank half of it before she set it down. “Is the thirstiness normal too? I’m always thirsty.”
No one said a word. Becca looked up to find Trisha frowning. “No.”
“It’s not normal? I just thought it was part of pregnancy.”
“It probably is but I’m going to need to run some tests on you, Becca.”
Alarm struck Becca. “What could it be?”
“I don’t know but the baby is fine. You saw him yourself and listened to his strong heartbeat. You just may be doing too much. We aren’t designed to have twenty-week pregnancies and it’s really a strain on our bodies. You have to rest and eat more.”
Becca nodded. “Okay.”
She finished the steak and ignored the baked potato. She stood and took the prime rib dinner next. She sank back to the floor and dug in, cut up her meat and ate it slowly.
“Do you usually eat this much at once?” Trisha moved closer.
Becca swallowed and eyed Trisha. “Isn’t this normal? Pregnant women eat a lot. I bought a baby book. I usually eat about nine times a day.”
“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 hips 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 breasts already ache. You’ll make me leak.”
He glanced down at her breasts 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.”
Brawn flashed in Becca’s mind and pain sliced through her. He’d found a woman to hook up with.
Trisha seemed to read her thoughts or perhaps saw her look. “He said it was just dinner and they aren’t currently in a relationship. He swears he hasn’t touched anyone since you and doesn’t have any plans to do so.”
“I don’t care,” Becca lied.
“Right. The point is, you need someone to be with you full-time. What if you fainted or something? What if you couldn’t get to a phone?”
“You have someone posted outside my door.”
“They have superior senses but they aren’t in the same living space and the walls are soundproof up to a point. This is a hotel and it was built that way so people didn’t easily disturb those in the rooms around them. I figured you wouldn’t agree to Brawn so I talked to Tiger. He’s going to move into your guestroom.”
“No.” The idea shocked her. “I barely know him.”
“He’s a great guy and holds no interest in you. He’s resistant to human women so don’t worry about being hit on. I know that might be a concern.”
He already reminded her of Brawn if he was against human women and Species hooking up. They had that in common. “I’m pregnant. The guy wouldn’t be interested in me anyway.” She waved at her belly. “I just don’t want to live with a stranger.”
“Too bad. It’s a decision that has been made.”
“I don’t have a say?” Becca’s temper flared. “You can’t make me live with some stranger. I sure wouldn’t live with a guy. Why aren’t you assigning a woman to babysit me instead?”
“There are only a few females at Reservation and they already have duties. We couldn’t spare one right now and it could be a good week before one is available to travel from Homeland. Tiger won’t be a stranger once you get to know him. We can also ditch the guard outside your door if someone is here with you. He can take you outside. Don’t you miss leaving this room?” Trisha glanced around it. “I’d be going nuts.”
That was tempting. “I am sick of watching movies.”
“Exactly. He’s fun and has a great sense of humor. He’ll keep you company and I’ll even order some board games. He knows how to play poker. I taught him myself but you can teach him other ones. You’ll be doing him a favor and he can teach others.”
“Great.” Becca didn’t hide her sarcasm. “That’s what I always wanted to do. I’ll teach him how to play checkers.”
“Don’t be that way.” Trisha eyed her and frowned. “They would die to protect you and your baby. They would use their bodies to shield you if some lunatic ever got past security and tried to shoot you. Don’t think it hasn’t happened. Ask Ellie since Fury took two bullets meant for her.”
“He’s her mate.”
“You’re carrying a Species baby, their future, and babies are a miracle to them. Every one of their women would give anything to be in your shoes. It represents their dreams coming true and they aspire to have normal lives. What is more special than having a family?”
Guilt filled Becca. “I’m sorry. I’m grateful.”
“I know. I’m sorry too. It’s been a tough day for me.”
“Is everything okay?”
Trisha hesitated. “Yeah. There’s just been an inflow of injuries lately down at Medical and I’m sick of patching up the guys after training sessions.”
“I didn’t know training was so dangerous. What are they preparing for?”
“It’s usually not but one of the new instructors is obsessed with teaching them how to fight better and that means they are getting their asses kicked since he’s trying to make them the best.”
“Maybe he should lay off.”
“We think so too and we’re working hard right now to do that.”
Becca didn’t know what to say. Trisha stood.
“Tiger is going to be here after his shift. Don’t blame him if you’re angry about having a houseguest. He was asked to do this and he’s being a good sport to agree. This was my call. You should have someone here looking after you.”
“I’m an adult. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“I know but you’re pregnant and it’s stressful on your body. This will ease the stress.” She walked to the door. “I hope.” She muttered the last words but they were loud enough to hear. “I’ll see you later.”
Becca waited until the door closed before she rose and rubbed her lower back. It always hurt. Putting on weight so fast made her body ache all the time. She turned and walked to her room. A warm bath sounded soothing and she had a Jacuzzi in her bathroom. The jetted water always felt good.
“A babysitter. Great. Maybe he’ll be good company,” she muttered. The idea of having someone to talk to didn’t sound too bad when she considered it.
* * * * *
Brawn stood, stretched, and peered at the male sitting at the other desk. “You ready to call it a day?”
“Yes,” Bestial growled. “I hate talking on the phone with humans but answering emails is worse. Why did we agree to be council for our testing facility groups anyway?”
Brawn grinned. “To impress our females and to be assigned private homes instead of having to be housed with many males in the dorms? It’s the price for being a high-ranked male in our society.”
“Ah.” Bestial chuckled. “That’s right. The females were my only reason.” Bestial’s smile faded. “How are you holding up?”
Brawn hated the fact that Bestial knew everything about Becca and worried about him. No secrets were kept from council members. He shrugged. “She wants nothing to do with me. I reacted badly when I saw her and I blew it. She hasn’t asked to speak to me and I’m under orders to stay away. You know that.”
“How are you going to handle this Tiger thing?”
Brawn frowned. “What about Tiger?”
Bestial’s eyes widened. “You weren’t told?”
“Told what?” His gut twisted. “Is he spending time with her?” Jealousy hit hard and fast.
Bestial softly cursed. “Damn. I can see why they might not have informed you of what Trisha decided but she is our doctor.” Bestial sat back in his chair and pointed. “You will want to sit.”
Brawn lowered into his chair. “What is going on? What wasn’t I told?”
“Trisha is worried about Becca not having a mate to care for her. She has assigned someone to live with her and be with her around the clock. Flame admitted he was attracted to the female so he was out. Tiger was picked because he gets along with humans.”
Rage burned hotly through Brawn. “What?” He shot back to his feet.
“Sit back down if you want to hear the rest.”
Brawn sat hard, his chair creaked and it didn’t help when his hands gripped the arms of it strongly enough to break them. “Flame is interested in my female?” He’d kick his ass. He’d make him hurt. He’d—”
“It will be Tiger who lives with your female and cares for her. He’ll take her for walks, make sure she eats and sleeps. Slade said his female always had sore muscles so Tiger has been told to rub her shoulders, her lower back and her legs if she has ankle swelling.”
A snarl tore from Brawn at the thought of another male putting his hands on his Becca. He’d rip Tiger’s hands off. He’d—
“He was not happy to be asked at first but he agreed for the baby’s sake and because he knew the female wouldn’t fear him since he checks on her often.”
Brawn saw red or would, he decided, when he made Tiger bleed. “What? He does? She allows his visits? How often?”
Bestial assessed Brawn. “Often. She’s alone and everyone worries. You should have been told a male had been assigned to your female but perhaps they didn’t want to alarm you. I believed it was wrong to keep it from you but now you know.”
The words made Brawn narrow his eyes. “You admit they planned to keep it from me? You purposely told me just now but acted as if I already knew. What kind of deception are you trying to pull?”
“You got me.” Bestial grinned. “I didn’t agree with the vote and I’d want to know before another male moved in with my female. She’s attractive, lonely and vulnerable. Tiger is good with humans, knows them better than we do and it wouldn’t be the first time a male who has sworn human females hold no appeal ends up mated to one. He’ll put his hands on her. Can you imagine that? Another male touching the female you planted your seed inside.”
