Long minutes later Jessie opened her eyes and twisted her head to smile at Justice.

“Maybe slow is nice.”

“Nice?” He grinned and arched his eyebrows. “That was just nice?”

“That was amazing.”

Justice slowly withdrew from her body and rolled them to their sides, spooning against her back. “I don’t want to make you sore. I’ll amaze you more later when you’ve had some rest.”

“I love you.”

Justice kissed the curve of her shoulder. “I love you too, Jessie. Go to sleep. I want to hold you all night.” He reached back and managed to turn off the light on the nightstand.

Jessie curled into him and closed her eyes. She was marrying Justice and he said she was his mate. The sensation of being in his arms, in his bed, was the most right thing she’d ever felt.

Justice heard Jessie’s breathing change and knew his mate slept. He pulled her a little tighter against his body, curved his legs to draw her closer and breathed in her alluring feminine scent. She was his forever and he wasn’t alone anymore. She was his other half, the softer side he’d never have without her and also his biggest weakness.

He searched his feelings, worried he might resent having that new flaw in his formerly impenetrable armor but instead only felt a sense of peace. There would be hell to pay in the morning when he had to deal with the fallout of publically claiming her but none of that mattered. Jessie was worth taking on the world if that’s what it came down to.

Her father would be upset, probably withdraw his support but he’d find a way to handle that. He’d make sure she remained safe. He’d protect her at all costs and if the danger became too great, he’d step down from his position. They could move to Reservation inside the Wild Zone near Valiant and Tammy. Construction was progressing on his home by the lake, intended as a retreat from the pressures of his life but it could become their full-time home. He’d have his own personal army of near-feral Species to help him keep all danger away from his mate.

He pictured leaving his suits behind for a loincloth, something that some of the males there had reverted to, and grinned. He could possibly talk Jessie into wearing little. They could play all day and all he’d have to concentrate on would be loving her.

Things suddenly didn’t seem so grim when he pictured their future.

He relaxed and closed his eyes, holding her tightly and knew one way or another it would work out. He wouldn’t accept anything less. He had Jessie and that was all that mattered.

Chapter Twenty

Justice awoke to a strange, faint noise, something unfamiliar, and opened his eyes.

Jessie remained tucked securely in front of him, their bodies still pressed tightly together and she breathed slowly and steadily, sleeping. Whatever had disturbed his sleep hadn’t been her. He listened, putting his senses on alert and picked up the sound of a vehicle approaching.

He turned his head, glanced at the clock and realized there were a few hours before the sun rose. No one should be driving near his home at that time. Security patrolled the grounds but stayed far from his house the way he’d ordered them to do after he’d chewed them out for invading his privacy every time he roared. He carefully eased his hold on his mate and slid from the bed without waking her.

He rushed out of his room, down the hallway and into the living room. The lights were still on from when he’d brought Jessie home so he dashed into his dark office, moved to the front window and shifted the curtain slightly to peer outside. An SUV pulled over and parked down the hill a little, past Tiger’s home, in the empty lot next to Jessie’s old home, and the engine died.

His heart raced. Something was wrong. They hadn’t had the headlights on before they parked and no interior lights came on when the four doors opened. All the NSO vehicles had fully working equipment and that included lights. Someone had removed them to make sure they failed. The five dark figures emerged and left the doors wide open. The only reason to do that was to avoid noise.

His gaze narrowed, fixed on the five. He realized they wore all black from head to foot. Their faces were either covered with dark masks or had been painted to disguise their features. They approached the house next door where Jessie had lived. He studied them long enough to notice the way they moved and used too-familiar hand signals to communicate. They were going to divide up and surround something or someone.

Justice fled the office to rush down the hallway to one of the spare bedrooms where he had a better view after they moved out of sight. He saw one dark figure leap over the gate that led from the front to the backyard of the cottage next door. It was clear their target had to be Jessie.

Rage flashed through every fiber of his body. He dropped the curtain, backed away and yanked up the phone on the nightstand. He punched in Tiger’s home number, his mind plotting what to do. It rang until the machine picked it up. He hung up and dialed his cell phone. It rang three times.

“It’s four-thirty in the morning,” Tiger growled, a little out of breath. “This better be really good to disturb me when I’m busy.”

“Five of our males surrounded Jessie’s cottage. They came in stealthily, dressed to hide their presence, which means they plan to attack,” Justice growled. “Call males you trust and get to my house. Move. They obviously don’t approve of my choice in mates.”

“Son of a bitch,” Tiger snarled. “I’m not at home. I’m at the women’s dorm. I’ll grab some of the males still here and we’re coming. Don’t engage them until we arrive.