“You won’t ever have to.” Another dizzy spell hit and her legs finally gave out.

“Joy!” Moon kept her from falling, sweeping her up into his arms. “Trisha?”

“She’s weak and she needs to eat. Get her back to bed,” the doctor ordered. “Paul? Escort Kregkor out of here.”

“We’ve got this.” Harley had joined them. “He’s leaving Homeland and I’ll destroy his visitor’s pass myself. We were called by Security. They said we were needed inside the building and why.”

Joy peered over Moon’s shoulder as he cradled her in his arms, carrying her back to her room. Harley and two other Species males were glaring at a flustered Kregkor, surrounding him, and she almost felt pity for him.

Trisha walked behind them, her smile looking forced. “You’re going to be fine. When I said take it easy, I meant stay in bed for the next few days.”

“Sorry.” Joy licked her lips, her mind working as she hugged Moon around his neck. “Do you think the NSO will replace Kregkor? I’m suddenly looking for a position at Homeland.”

Moon carefully placed her on the bed and cupped her face, leaning in close. “You’ve got a job. You’re my mate.”

“I can’t wait to start that one. You’ll have to work sometimes though and I’d like to do the same and do some good. I know Species way better than that ass**le ever will.”

Chapter Seventeen

Joy watched Moon closely, still reeling from hearing him say she was his mate. He sat on the edge of her bed as he took her hand. They had a lot of issues to resolve. Relationships were complicated but he loved her. They had a foundation to build upon.

“You shouldn’t have gotten out of bed.”

“I’m glad I did.” She wasn’t sure where to start so she went with the thing that worried her most. “Can you ever forgive me for leaving you at site four? It’s the biggest regret of my life.”

“Joy—”

“Please let me finish.”

He nodded.

“I really didn’t see a way of staying. I thought it would cause you more harm than good if we slept together. You don’t know how many times I lay awake at night wishing I had the nerve to visit you at Homeland after it opened. I was too afraid you’d either refuse to see me or worse, wonder why I even bothered to come. I fell in love with you but I wasn’t sure if you felt the same way about me.”

He scowled. “You knew I was obsessed with you.”

“Sex isn’t always about love. You wanted me but you’d recently experienced a substantial transition in your life. I knew it was possible that I was only a distraction to keep you from facing that you had an entirely new set of problems that came with gaining your freedom from Mercile. I spent a lot of nights wondering if you forgot about me as soon as you were taken from the desert.”

His thumb caressed the back of her hand as his fingers tightened their hold. “You were always in my thoughts. How could you not be? I was furious that you left and got away from me. I looked you up on the internet once when my stung pride allowed it.”

She flashed back to her conversation with Flame in the Jeep when he told her about that. “I wish you’d contacted me.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t think you’d take my call. You’d already rejected me.”

“I’m so sorry that’s how you viewed it.”

“I understand now but it hurt deeply after you were gone.” He leaned in close enough that she thought he might kiss her but he didn’t brush his lips over hers. “The only thing that matters to me now is that you’re here with me and that you stay, Joy. The past is behind us. I’m more concerned with our future.”

She blew out a soft breath. “I’ve been so lonely and miserable without you.”

“Me too. No more though, sweetness. You’re my mate. We’ll spend the rest of our lives together. I’ll hold you every night and get to wake with you in my arms.”

“It’s not going to be easy,” she warned. “We used to be really close and now there’s this big gap of time between us. There’s a lot we’ll need to learn about each other. We’ve changed.” Him more so than her. “You play sports.”

His eyebrow arched.

“Harley showed me a video.” A streak of jealousy rose but she shoved it down. It was completely unreasonable to think about all the women he might have been intimate with. “You’re so much more social now.”

“It’s all Harley’s fault.” He smiled. “He’s really annoying and refused to allow me to sulk. He challenged me to compete with him in games and I found out I enjoy them.”

“I like him.”

He growled low. “How do you like him?”

He was jealous. “I think he’s a wonderful friend who loves you very much.” She slid her hands up to his hair, playing with the strands. “You know you’re the only male I want. I understand what a mate is and the level of commitment that goes with it. You are it for me. No one is sexier than you. He totally doesn’t appeal to me in that way, okay? Everyone pales in comparison to you.”

He relaxed. “Sorry.”

“I know you can’t help it. It’s one of the many things I love about you. I don’t expect or want you to tone down who you are. Be one hundred percent yourself. Am I clear?”