Justice

Chapter Nine

Jessie closed the door and held the large bag of takeout food from the NSO cafeteria. She hadn’t eaten all day and the smell of dinner made her stomach rumble.

She turned on lights to study the living room, debating whether to eat or explore. Her stomach rumbled again, settling the debate.

The couch was plush and comfy as she sat, settled the bag on the table before her and opened it. The scent of prime rib made her groan. Justice had to have ordered it for her since they hadn’t asked her what she wanted. At least she hoped he’d done something that thoughtful. For all she knew, prime rib could have been the day’s special.

She’d gotten to spend time with Tiny and Halfpint again. That had been great.

She’d always believed her job rewarding since joining the task force but nothing reaffirmed that more than seeing the changes in the two. They’d been frightened, injured, abused women who were shells when they’d been rescued. Now they were secure, thriving individuals who had found happiness.

The cafeteria had sent everything from silverware to napkins and two types of sodas. She ate—almost inhaled the food—and enjoyed every bite. She ignored the television across the room, a large plasma screen that hung over a fireplace, and gawked a little at how nice her quarters were. It was a big house, fully furnished and new.

Her attention finally settled on the bag she’d brought and knew she’d have to unpack. She wanted her clothes from home but had to settle for the ones her father had bought at a large retail store. He’d tried to find high-end stores but Jessie had refused.

Her father could be worse than her female friends when it came to picking out clothes.

He couldn’t just sit back quietly while she shopped but instead had to make comments, especially when he didn’t agree with her choices.

She gripped the handle of the bag, stood and walked down the hallway. The first bedroom was generic, nice. She moved on to the second one. It was a big room, the master, and she grinned.

“I can get used to this,” she muttered. The height of the king-size bed lifted her eyebrows. “I’ll probably need a stepstool to climb on to that.” The room had a massive nine-drawer dresser and a flat-screen TV was sitting on it. It was probably a forty-inch TV. Cool. She grinned. Two nightstands finished off the furniture. She spun away, saw an open walk-in closet and a dark doorway.

The bathroom was huge. She gawked at the Jacuzzi tub taking up an entire corner and dropped her bag. She didn’t resist the urge to climb inside, sit and chuckle. Four people could fit in the thing. It had jets and she decided she’d take a bath instead of a shower.

“I need to get undressed first.” She didn’t want to move. It had been a really long day and her headache threatened to return when she felt a slight throbbing at her temples.

She lifted up a hand to gently touch the back of her head, found the bandage there and sighed loudly. Her life had changed because she’d been shot. Her job with the task force was history. She had a new home yet absolutely no idea what to expect. What she needed, she realized, was to at least get acquainted with her surroundings, starting with the rest of the house.

Jessie forced her body upright, decided it was time to explore her cottage and climbed out of the tub. There was a nice kitchen and open dining room near the living room. She eased open cupboards and drawers, learning everything from silverware to dishes had been supplied. A gasp passed her parted lips when she opened the fridge to discover it had been stocked with enough food to feed a family of eight for a week, at least. The freezer was packed too with everything from ice cream to frozen meat.

Jessie cleaned up her dinner mess quickly and took one of the pain pills her doctor had prescribed. That bathtub was calling to her. She unpacked and grabbed a pair of boxers and a half shirt before returning to the bathroom. It didn’t take long at all to fill the big tub, strip and sink slowly into the warm wonderfulness of the bubbling Jacuzzi.

The jets against her back were heavenly and she raised her feet, shoving them over two more jets opposite where she sat. The headache slowly faded as she tilted her head gently on the rim, her body relaxed and she released all her pent up stress.

“Oh, I’m never leaving,” she whispered aloud, her eyes closing. “This is the life.”

Justice glanced at his watch, impatient to leave the office but he’d been informed that a situation needed to be dealt with. He rubbed the back of his neck and thought of Jessie. She’d been dropped off at her home and by now she’d had time to get settled. He wanted to see her more than anything, including addressing whatever trouble had arisen.

A knock sounded at his door, it immediately opened and Fury and Tiger sauntered in. Both males appeared stressed and irritated as the door slammed—further proof of their bad moods. They collapsed into the chairs across from him.

“What’s going on?” He glanced at them.

“The usual,” Tiger muttered. “Death threats and we were served with a summons to appear in court.”

Fury snarled, a vicious sound, and pure rage darkened his features. “Ellie’s father is demanding she appear before a judge for mental competency.”

Disbelief gripped Justice. “What?”

“She had to cancel his visit. He’s angry and believes I want her cut off from her family.”

“Competency hearing? That implies they believe she’s not of sound mind, correct?”

Justice’s anger spiked. “Is he accusing her of insanity for loving you?”

“Yes.” Fury’s hands gripped the chair tightly enough to make the wood groan.

“She’s carrying our child and it’s obvious enough with her morning sickness that he would notice if he stayed with us for a few days. And they say she is being abused by me. She doesn’t need to be upset but I have to tell her about this. She will be angry and that will make me furious.”

Tiger shot him a glance and his eyebrows rose. “You? Angry? Unbelievable.”

Justice smothered a grin at the joke and relaxed. “Don’t tell her, Fury. There’s no need.”

“She has to be told. They delivered a summons to the gate in her name and I always share everything with her.”

“She’s your mate, living at Homeland. That makes her Species.” Justice leaned forward and crossed his arms to rest them on his desk. “Their laws don’t apply to us.

They have no jurisdiction and they can’t enforce it.”

Hope filled Fury’s worried gaze. “Are you certain?”

“Yes. Don’t upset your mate.”

“It’s her father. I’m sure he might mention it when she talks to him on the phone.”

“You’re right. Inform her there’s nothing the outside world can do. They can’t enter Homeland and it’s a tactic to cause anxiety. It will blow over once her father calms down. Tell her those things before you give her the news about him being difficult.”

“I wish the outside world had never found out about Ellie and me.” Fury softly growled. “It’s caused so much grief. Everyone believes I’m harming her or that she shouldn’t be with me. Why can’t they leave us alone?”

“You two belong together.” Tiger shrugged. “Your love for each other is clear and perhaps they are jealous. Plus, humans can be really stupid when it comes to us.”

Justice grimly agreed. “Your mate and unborn child are safe, Fury. No one can take them from you or enter our gates to take her away. Care for her, love her and be there for her.”

“Always.” Fury rose to his feet. “I still wish the outside world had never learned about us. I watch it cause her pain sometimes and it tears me apart inside. I want to protect her but this is the man who helped give her life. I understand his disappointment but to accuse me of harming her or her being insane to love me is frustrating.” He glared at each man. “If you ever mate a human, protect her better than I have my Ellie. I’m going home now. I hate leaving her for more than a few hours.” He stomped out of the office.

“Shit.” Tiger sighed, slumping in his chair. “I don’t envy him the conversation they are about to have. This is why I swore off women from the outside. They come with nosy families who seem to cause more trouble than having those associations are worth.

It makes me feel lucky that we don’t have parents.”

The thought of Jessie flashed through Justice’s mind. Her father was the senator who spoke at meetings for Species and fought in Washington for the rights they had.

Worry began to surface. Would Jessie’s father have an adverse reaction if he knew his daughter had allowed him to touch her? How much trouble could he cause them if he did? He had real power, was not just some human who wanted to protest outside the gates or send them nasty messages. He slumped in his chair as he leaned back.

“We’re lucky to be single.”

Justice met Tiger’s steady gaze. “Are we? I think Fury would disagree. His Ellie is worth it to him. Their love is true.”

“Yeah. You have a point but so do I.” Tiger grinned. “Let’s make a pact. We won’t tell anyone if we ever fall for a woman from the outside. Between humans thinking we’re twisted bastards who brainwash women into being with us and our own kind watching us to see what happens when we are with humans, let’s skip it and keep it on the down-low.”

“The what?”

“It’s a term I’ve learned from a human. It means keep it secret. It’s no one’s business and therefore they can’t start any trouble if they disagree with the relationship. The male said he did that with an undesirable female.” His face grew solemn. “He laughed when I commented that her looks should be irrelevant if she made him happy. I wasn’t sure how to take that but I think he cares too much for appearances. The term is the same though. It means being with someone and no one knows.”

Justice stood. “I don’t like that term. Anyone who would dismiss a person because of how they look isn’t someone intelligent enough to learn from.”

“You going home?” Tiger glanced at the clock on the wall before giving him a curious stare. “Are you not feeling well? You never leave this early.”

“I’m tired. I didn’t get much sleep.” It was partially true. He hadn’t slept much but he wanted to see Jessie. “Don’t stay too late.”

“Sure.” Tiger shrugged. “I still have some paperwork to do but I’m going home afterward.”

Justice hurried out of the room, thoughts of Jessie distracting him. He wanted to protect her and avoid trouble with her father but that would mean not being with her at all. His teeth clenched in anger. It might not be an issue. She might have only wanted to share sex with him once.

Jessie jumped when the doorbell rang and realized she’d dozed off. She sat up and gripped the side of the tub to haul her sluggish body out and grabbed a towel. The doorbell buzzed again. Jessie cursed, dried and put on her boxers and half shirt. She ran for the front door. The doorbell sounded a third time.

“I’m coming,” she called out. She hoped whoever was there wouldn’t leave. She yanked open the door.

Justice wore a navy suit with a light-gray tie. His hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, away from his handsome features. His intense, dark gaze slowly lowered down her body to take in her damp skin, her attire. It hesitated over her breasts. Jessie glanced down to see what held his attention—her nipples were hard. She hadn’t dried off well so her clothes clung to her in places. She crossed her arms over her chest and tried not to blush.

“Hello, Justice. I was in the bath. How are you? I didn’t expect anyone to come by or I’d have grabbed different clothes. How have you been?” Is that me babbling? Jessie wanted to kick herself. Justice was on her doorstep and he looked good enough to attack. She closed her mouth, took a breath and forced a smile. “Would you like to come inside?”

His gaze lowered further and a smile tugged at his lips. “Are those men’s boxers?”

She looked down again. “I steal them from my older brother when we stay at my dad’s at the same time.” She laughed, peering up at his face. “The fly is sewn shut and they are comfortable to sleep in. Dad had them in his plane with some of my stuff he brought to give to me the next time we saw each other.”

Justice stepped inside the entryway and closed the door softly behind him. Jessie noticed how much taller he was since she was barefoot. Her boots gave her a few inches of height. It made him appear bigger than life in her opinion.

“I came to welcome you to Homeland and see how you are doing.” His focus trained on her hair. “Are you in pain?”

“Not anymore. I took a pain pill not long ago.”

He hesitated. “May I see your injury?”

“Sure. There’s really nothing to see except a bandage.” She turned, presented him with her back and reached up to her hair to pull out the pins.

Justice’s fingers brushed hers, stilling them. “Allow me.” His voice came out barely a whisper.

Jessie’s heart pounded at the husky shift of his voice. It sounded pretty sexy to her.

She inhaled and nearly groaned aloud. He smelled so good it made her want to turn and bury her nose in his shirt. Whatever cologne he used was money well spent. It reminded her vividly of the night before when they’d been naked and touching. An image of sinking down on his cock flashed through her memory and heat spread between her thighs. She started to ache.

Stop it, she ordered. He came to check on me and welcome me to Homeland. If she didn’t get a grip she was afraid she’d turn back around when he finished looking at her head, tear open his clothes and run her tongue over any interesting body parts she came across. With Justice that meant every darn inch of his skin.

Justice pulled the pins one by one from her hair. Her body responded to his soft touch when he freed her hair and used his fingers to brush through it. Jessie clenched her teeth, fighting to hold back a moan.

“It’s not so bad. Just a flesh wound. It was a few stitches but I can’t take the bandage off for two days. They need me to keep it dry.”

“They had to cut off some of your beautiful hair,” he growled.

Jessie turned her head to look at him, wondering why he suddenly sounded angry.

The look in his eyes was one she’d seen before, the one he’d given her when she’d impaled herself on his cock. She inhaled sharply when his hands suddenly gripped her hips from behind and slowly pulled her against his big body.

“I was worried about you. I thought you would die.” He took a breath. “I was certain I’d never get to touch you again.” He inhaled deeply while a purr vibrated his chest. “I about went crazy, Jessie. Let me stay with you. You owe me a night in bed.”

There was no way she wanted to deny either of them more time together, especially when her body ached for him. He purred again when he turned her around to face him.

Strong arms lifted her higher until her feet left the floor and she wrapped her legs around his waist. One of his arms hooked under her ass to support her as his mouth found hers.

Jessie moaned against his tongue, which delved inside her mouth, and wound her arms around his neck. She grabbed the tie in his hair and tugged it free until his hair spilled down his back. The silky texture of it was something she couldn’t get enough of, just like his passionate kiss. She ground her hips against the hard arousal nestled against the vee of her shorts. Justice growled against her mouth. He broke the seal of their lips and pulled his face back as his gaze traveled behind her.

Justice stalked through her living room in the direction of the hallway and she knew where he carried her. Jessie’s mouth brushed across his neck, placing open-mouth kisses on the hot skin she encountered. She laughed as she nipped his skin lightly and licked his ear when he stumbled.

“You think that’s funny?” He chuckled. “You distract me from everything when you use your teeth and tongue.”

He entered the master bedroom and eased her down on the tall bed. She hated letting him go but knew it was the only way to undress. Her arms and legs released him with regret, loving being wrapped around him a little too much. She watched as he stepped back, reached for his tie and roughly jerked on it until he pulled it over his head. His jacket hit the floor next and she leaned back on the mattress, using her elbows to hold her up. He unbuttoned his shirt in record time, yanked it off and threw it down.

The shoes were kicked off quickly and she grinned, noticing he wasn’t wearing socks again.

“What is amusing to you?” His hands paused at the waist of his dress pants.

“You don’t ever wear socks, do you?”

“Never. I don’t own a single pair.” He tore open his pants. “Why am I the only one undressing?”

“Because I love to watch you take your clothes off. You’re going to wrinkle your suit and it looks expensive. Do you want a hanger?”

Justice shoved his pants and boxers down his body. He stepped out of them to stand naked at the side of the bed. “I don’t care about the suit. I just want you, Jessie.”

Jessie pushed to an upright position and pulled her shirt over her head. She tossed it away before dropping flat on her back. She gripped the waist of her boxers, lifted her hips and slid them down enough to kick away.

“Are you going to shred my comforter?” She chuckled, appreciating every bare inch of Justice as he stood over her. She scooted to the center of the bed, never taking her eyes off him. Her gaze roamed his broad shoulders, his muscular arms and his pebbled nipples. Her focus lowered to savor the sight of his fully aroused state.

“Is all that for me?”

Justice growled in response as he lunged forward, got on the bed and crawled to her on his hands and knees, looking carnal and hungry. He stopped, braced his weight and grabbed both her ankles to push her legs apart. He released them and climbed higher over her until they were chest to chest. His big body pinned hers to the bed and his exotic gaze narrowed as he stared deeply into her eyes.

“Don’t ever die on me, Jessie. Ever.” His hand brushed her face in a gentle caress. “I can’t wait. I have to have you. I need to be inside you.”

Stunned a little at the raw emotion she saw in his eyes and heard in his voice, she nodded. No man had ever wanted or needed her so strongly before. Justice lowered his mouth, brushing his lips over hers, and she opened her mouth for the kiss. He purred deeply, his chest vibrated powerfully and there was no tenderness or playfulness in the kiss. Justice came at her like a man starved and she was his last meal.

Jessie moaned as her fingers dug into his shoulders. His kiss made her so hot she burned with desire, pressed tighter against him and arched her hips against the hard, hot press of his dick trapped between the bedding and her thigh. Justice shifted and his hand drove between their bodies. Jessie tore her mouth from his to cry out when his finger breached her pussy without warning.

It felt so incredible that she couldn’t catch her breath as he nearly withdrew it completely from her welcoming body then pushed in deeper, stretching her with a thick digit. He moved it faster, fucking her hard and fast and snarled at her.

“You’re so hot and wet for me. So damn tight.” He snarled again, a really scary sound and yanked his finger from her pussy. His body tensed and he shoved up from the bed, rolling away from her. “Damn it!” He yelled those last words as he sat up on the edge of the bed, his back to her.

Jessie lay there stunned, wondering why he’d stopped and what was wrong. It took her a few seconds to move, to sit up and gawk at him. She noticed then that she’d scratched his back—red bloody marks from the tips of her fingernails—and her mouth dropped open.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to draw blood.”

Justice’s head snapped in her direction to stare at her over his shoulder. The look on his face frightened her. He looked completely enraged and she forgot to breathe. He turned to face her, his hands were balled into fists and he snarled again.

“Justice?” Her voice came out barely a whisper. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

He flinched and his chin lifted until his face was directed at the ceiling and he no longer held her gaze. He breathed hard and fast, panting. “I’m the one who is sorry, Jessie. I could have hurt you.” His breathing slowed. “I wouldn’t have meant to but I nearly lost control.”

“How?” She was baffled. “Justice?”

Justice refused to look at Jessie, afraid he’d see fear in her expressive eyes again.

That’s what he’d seen when he’d snarled at her. His eyes closed as he tried to calm his erratic heartbeat and raging body. His cock throbbed, hurt, and his fists clenched tighter until his nails bit into his palms.

He’d lost every ounce of his reserve when she’d wrapped around him while they’d been kissing. She was not a Species female but he’d forgotten that huge fact until he’d felt how incredibly tight her muscles squeezed around his finger. She wasn’t designed sturdily enough to handle a male in full-blown lust and that’s exactly how he’d gone at her. He had wanted to flip her over, shove her ass in the air and fuck her into oblivion.

Just the realization of how painful that would have been for her made him tremble with fear. He’d have left bruises on her hips while holding her still to keep her where he’d wanted, might have made her bleed from his rough entry when he began to fuck her and he wouldn’t have been able to stop once he’d started. Memories of how good she felt assured that.

“Justice?”

Her timid, unsure voice tore at him and he opened his eyes, gazed at the high ceiling of the bedroom and knew he should leave. He owed her an explanation at the very least. He lowered his head and met her concerned stare.

“I’m so sorry I scratched you. Your back is bleeding.”

“It’s not that.”

His voice came out too gruff, with a harsh edge in it that he wished he could remove but his emotions were too close to the surface. That other side of him that he tried to keep in check wasn’t about to be leashed behind the facade he showed the world outside the walls of Reservation and Homeland. He was a Species male at that moment, one with feelings for a woman he knew he couldn’t have and it tore him up inside.

She huddled in the middle of the bed, appearing smaller than normal, pale, her bright red hair spilling down her chest, hiding her breasts. She looked like a nymph—so innocent, completely the image of a female who never should be at his mercy in a bedroom.

“What’s wrong? Why did you stop? I’m still on the shot. I’m not taking anything that will mess it up. I was sure to ask that at the hospital before they released me.”

She remembered that he’d worried about pregnancy and that made him hate himself a little more. Jessie took everything into consideration, remembered the little things about him that caused him concern, yet he hadn’t managed to remind his raging hormones to play nice with her delicate body when he’d had her trapped under him.

She wouldn’t have been able to stop him and had zero chance of fighting back when the pain began. He rated even higher on his bastard scale.

“The truth is, I nearly harmed you, Jessie. I wanted you too much, too strongly, but thankfully I pulled it together enough to release you before it was too late.”

He faced her, knew his dick still strained upward with need. She noticed too—her gaze dropped there before she met his eyes again. Fear didn’t show on her features at the sight of how much she affected him but Jessie Dupree was a brave woman. Between her job and the way she’d handled the attack by the Species male, he admired her courage. Another woman would have run screaming away from him by now but she held still.

“Desire isn’t a bad thing and I’m totally onboard with it.” She dropped her arms from hugging her legs and leaned forward, her hands flattened on the bed and she exposed her lovely, rounded breasts to him. “You appreciate bluntness so that’s exactly what I’m going to be. Inhale and you’ll know how much I want you if feeling how wet I am wasn’t enough to convince you. Use that enhanced sense of smell of yours if your sense of touch didn’t convince you.”

“I came at you without regard to your fragility.”

To his amazement, she grinned and her blue eyes sparkled with humor. “I’ve been described as a lot of things in my lifetime but that term isn’t used often. At least not more than once because I usually take down guys who pull that crap. I’ll make an exception for you because you’re as cute as can be and you’re different from other men.

I don’t think I could take you down in a sparring match, not with your reflexes and strength. You aren’t going to break me in bed though.”

“I forgot you were human,” he admitted.

“Is there a difference?”

“Yes.” He closed his mouth, not wishing to speak more on the matter.

“I’m smaller than your women, not as strong or as buff. It doesn’t mean I’m less tough though. I can promise you that.”

His body wanted to believe her but his mind was in charge. “I could have harmed you severely. You need to understand that.”

“Okay. I do but you stopped whatever you thought would hurt me.”

She lowered her chin a little and her blue eyes tracked him as she crawled a little closer. He couldn’t help but react to the incredibly sexy picture she made on her hands and knees, coming at him. His heart hammered, his cock jerked in response to the need to take her and he resisted the urge to tackle her flat and fuck her.

“We’ll work through this, take it slow, so you don’t get scared.” Her smile widened.

“We did this once and I want to do it again.”

“Jessie,” he growled in warning. “Stop. I touch you and have a difficult time keeping in control of my urges.”

“Your urges felt pretty fantastic until you stopped.” She halted and sat up, her legs parted and her hands gripped her inner thighs.

His breathing increased to a pant, his gaze lowered and a purr tore from his throat.

It alarmed him that he couldn’t stop doing that with her, embarrassed him slightly, but the scent of her need drove him insane. He wanted to shove her onto her back, bury his face between those lovely thighs and taste her.

“You want me,” she whispered. “I want you. What’s the problem?”

“You have no idea.” He trembled again and knew he should leave. His body didn’t respond to the demand to stand though and his gaze refused to budge from the sight of her tempting strip of paler red hair, which barely concealed where he wanted to put his mouth. “I’m dangerous.”

“I’m an adrenaline junkie and you’re extremely sexy, Justice. We’re both adults and naked in my room. Do you need more incentive?”

He nearly lost his mind when her hand released her thigh, slid closer to her body and her finger slid over the slit of her pussy. She pulled it away, glistening with her honey and he lost the ability to think.