She stared into his blue eyes. “I know. It was a sad attempt at a joke.”

“I won’t force you to agree to this. Say no and I’ll go with them willingly to avoid putting you in danger if I fight.”

She hesitated, her mind working and made a decision. “I was attracted to you the moment we met and I still am so touching you to help turn you on wouldn’t be a hardship. I just wish we weren’t here under these circumstances. I’m not an exhibitionist so that’s going to make it worse.”

“What is that?”

She grinned, glad for the humor. “It’s someone who enjoys ha**g s*x or committing sexual acts in front of other people. They get off on it. It arouses them more that other people can see what is being done to them.” She glanced at the camera and all her bravo disappeared. “There are probably cameras in that room too. I forgot to look, too horrified by what was happening. Shit. I hope they aren’t keeping recordings of any of the feeds. My dad is going to have a massive heart attack if I end up being featured on some p**n site with you.”

He gripped her jaw, turned her face until their gaze met and kept hold of her. “I will make this up to you somehow and we will survive this.”

The sincerity in his voice assured her that whatever they had to face, they would do it together.

“You can trust me. I hate these bastards.”

Rage filled Brawn as he tried to console Rebecca Oberto. She tried to be brave but he couldn’t miss the fear lurking in her eyes as he stared into them. All the things he’d said to her about why he’d never touch a human replayed in his mind, he inwardly winced and knew he’d only made things worse with his candor.

“I won’t hurt you if there is physical contact involved between us,” he swore. “I do trust you.”

She relaxed a little on his lap and it encouraged him to continue.

“They are the enemy and we are a team.”

The small smile made him hope she feared him less. The human male had tried to cause contention with his warning not to trust Becca but he refused to fall for that. Tim Oberto was highly trusted by Justice, the Species leader.

Brawn wasn’t sure who at Homeland had betrayed his kind but he’d bet his life Becca wasn’t a part of it. She had expressive eyes he could read easily and would be lousy at deceit. She’d been a victim in this nightmare as well due to her exposure to Species through her father. Tim wouldn’t have endangered his only child.

He wanted to kill something desperately over the injures to her frail body and the obvious embarrassment she suffered at telling him things that didn’t surprise him in the least. Species were objects to Mercile, products to be used and sold as they saw fit, but he regretted that she’d have to endure worse soon. Her attempt to save the Species male could have gotten her killed instead of just a red cheek. That showed him how good a person she was as well.

He hesitated over telling her the true reason he didn’t want to be hooked to machines that forced seed from his dick. He’d gladly suffer any pain to spare her being a participant in gaining the samples but he worried she’d be killed if she wasn’t useful to their captors. The bastards murdered anything they deemed ineffectual. A plan to help her formed in his head. She needed hope and to feel comfortable that he wouldn’t harm her.

“I have a tracking device on me and they’ll find us,” he rasped, not saying he suspected that their captors had somehow blocked the signal and help wouldn’t be able to find them.

She nearly bumped his chin with her nose as her head whipped up and she gaped at him. Her lips parted but no words came out.

He took her hand and moved it to his side, pressed down until she could feel the coin-sized object inside his sweatpants pocket and brushed his lips against her ear again. “We keep them on us when we leave Homeland or Reservation in case we’re taken. They will find us, Becca. Just hold on.”

Tears filled her eyes when she looked at him and her arm lifted to wrap around his neck. She curled against his chest, her cheek softly pressed against his skin and tucked her head under his jaw.

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear that,” she breathed. “I was really worried and freaking out. I wish I’d known sooner. Maybe we’ll be found in time.”

He breathed her scent in, his arms held her yielding body and the thought of sexual contact wasn’t a hardship. Guilt swelled inside his chest because he half hoped rescue wouldn’t come before the deadline passed. She’d offered to touch him and the idea made his c**k hard. It was trapped between his thighs where she wouldn’t feel how aroused he’d become. Shame came next.

His desire for her was stronger than the alarm of being captured and kidnapped. It gave him an excuse to hold her in his arms and if the rescue team didn’t show up soon, he’d have no choice but to do a lot more with her.

Thoughts of her had kept him up after he’d walked her to the bedroom the night before. Holding her in his arms, the fact that she admitted she found him attractive, had made him consider what it would have been like if they were still free and she’d come to him willingly.

A bad idea, a disaster in the making and wrong. He had taken the assignment to help his people, not harm them by making an enemy of Tim Oberto. It was clear that Tim didn’t want his daughter getting too close to a Species and he’d eavesdropped on the conversation held inside her bedroom yesterday with her father. They may have closed the door but that hadn’t done much to prevent his keen hearing from picking up most of the words. Tim believed he was dangerous to Becca, would attack her if she flirted and end up hurting her.

“It is going to be fine,” he bluffed, not sure of that outcome at all.

A hundred things could go wrong but he kept those thoughts to himself. His gaze traveled the roof, sought any signs of explosives and he sniffed. He didn’t glimpse or smell them but that didn’t mean they weren’t hidden somewhere. Their captors could blow up the building if the rescue teams were able to locate them and breached security.

“I know my dad will find us,” Becca whispered and clung to him a little tighter.

Every protective instinct inside him surged to life. She needed him to be strong, supportive and she wasn’t used to being at the mercy of others. He’d do whatever it took but the bottom line couldn’t be ignored. The human guards had dart guns that could render him unconscious. They could take Becca away while he was down, do anything to inflict pain upon her and he wouldn’t be able to protect her unless he made her necessary to them. They wanted her to help him give sperm and he’d give as much as they wanted to keep her safe.

He bit back a groan when his c**k stiffened even more. You are becoming as sick as the ones who enslaved you. The human on his lap would be horrified and disgusted if she knew his thoughts or how aroused he was at that moment. He’d read the report about the humans who had grabbed Valiant’s woman. They’d wanted her to breed with a Species male. Would they order Becca to do breeding tests with him?

He bit back a growl of excitement at the thought of actually mounting her. The memory of her ass bent over the bed in front of him in the guestroom flashed through his brain and he furiously tried to get a handle on his desires. The stress brought out his animal side.

“Are you okay? Do your legs still hurt from where they shot you?”

His dick hurt, not his thighs, but he just shook his head. “I am well. I heal quickly.”

“Good.”

She petted his bare chest, her touch featherlight and he squeezed his eyes closed, knowing it wouldn’t take much from her to release his seed if she were to help him. It reminded him that he wanted her to feel at ease with him. He was a sick bastard, he acknowledged, when he decided how to do that.

“Becca?”

“Yes?”

“Look at me.” He pulled back enough to stare down at her upturned face. She was beautiful, even with her auburn hair flowing in disarray over her shoulders. “They will probably ask you to touch me.”

Her cheeks turned pink and her blue eyes widened. “I figured that.”

“I want you to feel comfortable with me. It might be a stressful situation. I don’t know if they will treat us the way they did inside the testing facilities. When they wanted us to breed they put us in a room alone but there was a camera. They’d monitor us.”

“Great.”

He lifted an eyebrow.

“Sarcasm. It’s how people react when they are trying to be brave about something.”

Her response made him smile. “I see. I won’t harm you if they don’t restrain me. I’m not sure if they will or not.”

“They restrained 919.”

“I know. You described in detail what they did to him.”

“Right. Yeah. I did.” She licked her lips. “I trust you. I really do. I know you’re not going to hurt me so you don’t need to keep saying it.”

“Good.” He paused. “I wish to be honest with you to lessen the horror of what might happen.”

She blinked a few times and just waited for him to continue.

“I heard that a lab technician once was ordered to take a sample from a male and she manipulated his dick with her hands to get it.” He didn’t want to mention Fury and Ellie by name. “It might be what they ask you to do.”

More heat rushed to her cheeks. “I figured that out on my own unless they want to hook you up to that machine without the goggles on and I’m supposed to do whatever it takes to turn you on.”

Brawn’s raging hard-on throbbed and it took everything to hold still to prevent him from shifting to ease the pain of keeping it trapped between his thighs. “They believe we are in a sex-sharing relationship and I am afraid if they learn the truth it will put you in danger.”

“Okay. Do you really think it matters?”

“It might. They brought you to control me. I agree with your assessment on that matter. As long as they continue to believe you are my female they will not harm you as long as I comply. I just want you to be as comfortable as possible with my body but I don’t want to upset you by sharing the only way I can think of to make that happen.”

“What are you thinking?”

He took a deep breath. “You could kiss me and become accustomed to my body while we are alone before they take us wherever they will.”

Becca let Brawn’s suggestion sink in and had to swallow hard. Kiss him? Oh shit. Her gaze widened as she stared at him before she glanced at his mouth. It sounded reasonable and she’d wondered what it would be like.

“I’m not very forward.” Her gaze lifted to his. “You kiss me. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

That made his eyebrows arch. “You are inexperienced with sharing sex?”

No hole opened up under her so she could disappear but she wished one would. “I’ve had it with a few guys but I’ve never initiated a kiss before. Guys always made the first move.”

“I understand but it is surprising. Your males seem so docile that I assumed the females were the aggressors during intercourse.”

“We’re just kissing, right?”

“Yes.” He took a deep breath. “Close your eyes and just focus on me. Pretend we’re alone in your bedroom or mine. I can see your nervousness and you need to relax.” Arms wrapped around her middle and Brawn tugged her against his chest more firmly, bent his head and nuzzled the side of her face with his own.

His beautiful gaze searched hers, she knew he had to see her hesitancy, but then his hands lifted to cup her face.

“Forget about everything but me,” he ordered. “There’s just us. Remember yesterday when we met?”

She nodded, happy for the distraction.

He smiled. “You like my eyes. You’ve never seen anything like me.” His palms slid from her jawline to her cheeks. “You’re strangely attractive even with your funny little face.”

She smiled back. “I have a funny face?”

“Your little pointy nose.” His thumb brushed over it. “Your small mouth.” His thumb lowered to caress her bottom lip. “The tiniest ears.” His fingertips traced the shell of them as he leaned in close enough for their breaths to mingle. “Kiss me.”

She relaxed, focused solely on Brawn and admitted that he did have amazing eyes. They were so blue and the oval shape of them was exotic. Yellow swirls were spread through some of the blue. Her trepidation faded and she closed her eyes as he inched closer, sure that she wanted it to happen.

His lips barely brushed hers, so soft and warm it amazed her that anyone so tough could be so tender. He opened her mouth under light pressure and his tongue delved inside. It was hot, teased her own and he deepened the kiss as her hands gripped his shoulders to keep steady, needing something to cling to.

All tenderness fled as his lips and tongue manipulated the kiss into something wild and passionate. Her eyes closed and she tilted her head to open up to him more, desperate to forget everything but Brawn.

Kissing him was like sticking her finger in a light socket—shocking and powerful. All-consuming. No one had ever made her respond the way he did. It was extremely passionate and he put everything he had into it. Her hands lowered to roam down the front of his broad chest, sought skin and found plenty of it. A soft purr rumbled between them.

Becca jerked away in astonishment. Brawn eased his hold on her face, dropped his hands to her sides and just smiled.

“I make noises. Sorry. Just try to ignore them. I don’t really control it.”

Hands cupped her face before she could turn her head away and held her still while he gazed at her deeply. Once again she was struck by the beauty of his compelling eyes. He inched his face closer. She knew he would kiss her again and welcomed it. He did wonderful things to her body, made her belly quiver and he had a real talent for distracting her with his mouth. The fact that they were locked inside a cage, held prisoner by monsters, was easy to ignore.