His body responded to having her so close but he ignored his stiff dick. He was terrified he’d harm her or get her pregnant. She really was frail. He made a mental note to talk to someone about what was being done to the humans who’d kept her imprisoned. They needed to pay.

Chapter Seven

Candi watched 927 carefully. He’d changed his entire attitude toward her and while she appreciated it, she wondered why he’d become so enthusiastic to accept her into his life. She finished the breakfast he’d brought her.

“Well?”

“I liked it a lot. My stomach hurts a bit. That was a lot of food.”

“Tammy suggested it. It’s one of her favorite things to eat. She said bacon cheeseburgers and fries are good for adding weight. I asked one of the males to cook it for you. He offered to teach me, if you like hamburgers, so I can make them.”

“That was nice of him.”

“Some of our males have really enjoyed learning things, but especially cooking. We like food.”

“It was really good. There were so many flavors.”

“What did they feed you after you left Mercile?”

“Mostly oatmeal, eggs and lots of soup. It wasn’t that good. I barely got meat since I was only allowed to use plastic spoons.”

“No wonder you are so thin.”

She smiled. “I actually missed the meat strips from Mercile.”

“I’ll cook you a steak. I am good at that.” He stood.

“Not right now. I’m full.”

He grinned. “Sorry. I’m eager to get you better. The females at the women’s dorm are baking for you. They are going to drop off a cake, a few pies and some cookies today.”

“That’s really nice of them.”

“Everyone is concerned about you, Candi. They want to help you gain weight. I went there while you showered this morning and told them Tammy said you need lots of chocolate.”

It touched Candi to learn that so many people wanted to help her. It also made her wonder if any of those females were ones he’d shared sex with. She didn’t ask, not wanting to ruin the morning because of her jealousy. It was something she needed to deal with. 927 was really trying to integrate her into his life and that’s what she needed to focus on, not what had happened in the time they were apart.

“How would you like a tour of Homeland today? Everyone is excited to meet you.”

She hesitated.

“Too soon?” Concern showed in his eyes.

“I just want to spend time with you,” she admitted.

“I understand. I remember when I was freed. It was amazing to see all those Species, but it was a little overwhelming. I spent a lot of time in the room they assigned me, just touching things and trying to figure them out.” He suddenly grinned. “Television! It’s a wonderful thing. How would you like to watch a movie with me? I have some of my favorites on DVDs. Those are round disks that store it and you can play it over and over, as much as you want.”

“Okay.”

“Do you know what is good for movie watching? Popcorn. I’m out, but I know a few males who also got hooked on that treat. I’ll go knock on their doors and see if they have any. I’ll be right back.”

“Popcorn?”

“You’ll like it, and it has lots of butter. That’s probably helpful to gain weight. I’ll be right back.” He moved fast, unlocked the door, and left.

She shook her head, amused. 927 seemed determined to feed her until her stomach burst. She stood and carried the plate to the sink. She paused, glancing at the dishwasher. She had no idea how to use it. He’d given her a tour of his home that morning, and pointed out what things were. She decided to hand wash her plate, something she was confident she could do. Someone knocked on the door so she turned away and opened it.

Breeze smiled at her. “How did it go? I heard you spent the night with Hero.”

“I did. He let me sleep with him.”

“Good. I’ll relieve the officer since he’s no longer needed.”

“Come in.”

“I’m on my way to work so I just have a minute.” Breeze lowered her voice. “Did it work? I smell him on you, but you showered. Did he mount you?”

“No, but he held me while I slept. He’s afraid he’ll cause me damage.”

Breeze glanced down her. “Understandable.”

“He’s going to wait until I weigh more.”

“Does he understand that could take a bit of time?”

“I don’t think so. You should have seen the huge breakfast he fed me, and now he went to get some kind of treat. Popcorn. He might hurt me with too much food instead of sharing sex with me.”

Breeze chuckled. “A for effort.”

“What does that mean?”

“Sorry. You look so human I forget. It means he’s trying and going all out to do it.”

“He has his friends cooking for me.”

“Aw. That’s so sweet.”

“I know. I just wish he wouldn’t worry so much about me. I’m strong.”

“Did you tell him that?”

“Yes, but he’s not listening. He told me I could have a baby and he’s afraid, in my condition, it could be very bad.”

Breeze entered and closed the door. She lowered her voice. “He’s not here, right?”

Candi shook her head. “He went to find popcorn.”

“Okay.” Breeze lowered her voice. “I heard you yesterday. You have almost zero experience with males and sex since you only were mounted once when you were young and drugged up. Are you afraid of touching Hero?”

“No.”

Breeze smiled. “Good. Our males have a high sex drive. It means they constantly get hard-ons. They all keep lotion in their nightstand drawers and use it. You could do that for him and he could use that lotion on you if he doesn’t actually want to mount you.”

“Lotion?”

Breeze groaned. “You’re probably the only Species female not to know about masturbation. Have you ever seen a male completely nude?”

Candi shook her head. “927 never removed his pants at Mercile in front of me. He even had me close my eyes and turn away when he needed to use the toilet. Christopher ordered him to hide that from me. I never pushed because I didn’t want him to be punished. He’d get hard sometimes and I could see the outline of what he looks like down there.”