Justice Read online

  “I wish I could have seen your face when she showed you her boobs.” Tiger snorted. “I wouldn’t have minded seeing them. How did you get out of that mess?”

  “I yelled for my secretary to come into office and chaperone the rest of the interview. You talk to the reporter. She may show her breasts again if she believes you’re gullible enough to believe she’s sincere in her sexual interest in you and thinks she can sweet-talk information out of you in bed.”

  “Hell no. I’m avoiding human females. I’m too smart for that.”

  Justice remained silent, unable to say anything since Jessie slept down the hallway, their mingled scent of passion still teasing his nose and keeping his dick hard from wanting her again.

  “I’ll deal with the vulture. I’ll tell her that you aren’t here but had to fly to Reservation for a meeting. Speaking of, Miles Eron called to remind you that you’re due at his office at nine in the morning.”

  “Great.” He refrained from snarling, tired of meetings.

  “They are worried about our image and that’s why we hired him.” Tiger paused. “They’ll ask you to dye your hair again. It’s getting dark. You know how our media consultants are.”

  “It’s torture when they mess with me. That shit stinks.”

  “That’s why I’m glad I’m not you. I’ll deal with the booby flasher and you get back to whatever you were doing.”

  Justice hesitated. “Can I ask you a favor?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’m tired, Tiger. I’d like one night of uninterrupted sleep. Can you just handle anything that arises and make sure I’m not disturbed?”

  Sympathy welled in the other male’s tone. “Of course. You deserve that and so much more. I’ll take care of anything that comes up. Sleep and rest. That meeting in the morning is going to be hell and we both know they are going to have that woman at the office waiting to dye your hair. I’ll stay at the office and route all calls here for that reason alone.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Get some sleep and don’t worry. I’ve got everything handled and I’ll call the officers to make sure they steer clear of your house. I don’t want them patrolling too close and waking you.”

  “That isn’t necessary. I already told them to avoid my home.”

  “They worry about you and want to make certain you are safe. We can’t allow anything to happen to you.” Tiger laughed. “Nobody else wants your job. Everyone needs you too badly because there’s not one of us who could keep so calm regardless of what the humans say or do. You’re the most tolerant, well mannered of us all. We’d be in a world of shit if you were killed because no one else could hold it all together.”

  Justice’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t think that’s true.”

  “It is.” All humor left Tiger’s voice. “That’s why I’m going to make damn sure you get some sleep. We’re screwed without you. Sleep deep, my man.” He hung up.

  Justice closed his phone, gripped it in his fist and barely avoided crushing the thing. He stared down the hallway toward where Jessie slept. He’d never imagined wanting anything more than caring for his people and making sure they succeeded in merging with the world outside the testing facilities. One sexy, fiery redhead had changed his life. He wanted her but he doubted he could have both.

  He left his phone on the table in the hallway, closed her bedroom door and glanced at the clock. It was early to go to bed but he was tired of his life, exhausted from shouldering so much responsibility and heartsick that one day soon he’d have to give up Jessie for the good of his people.

  He crawled into her bed, inhaled her scent and pulled her into his arms. She murmured his name in her sleep, brushed a kiss on his chest when her face nuzzled against him and he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

  Being Justice North sucked but for now he was going to have the one thing he wanted most. He closed his eyes, determined to enjoy every second he could spend with Jessie.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “So when do we get to sleep in your bed?”

  Jessie put the last dish in the dishwasher and turned. Justice sat at the table with his laptop open. He’d slept every night at her house for the past four days but in the evenings he still had hours of work to complete. In the mornings he was gone before she woke and stayed gone all day. He left the office in time to share dinner with her and she appreciated it, knowing he was a workaholic. Her father hadn’t ever been that considerate when she’d lived with him and Justice obviously made the effort to spend time with her.

  He didn’t look up. “We can’t.”

  She frowned. “I haven’t seen your house yet and I’d like to.”

  He finally glanced up from his screen. “Jessie, I have too many people visiting my house. They are always dropping by for one reason or another and I have a Species male who cleans my home. You can’t go visit or sleep there.”

  “Why not?”

  “Anyone who entered my house would scent you and know you’d been there. The male who cleans my bedroom would definitely know we were sharing sex when he changed my bedding or grow suspicious if I began washing them myself.” He gave her an apologetic look before dropping his attention back to his computer. “No one has any reason to come here and it’s safe.”

  She watched him type until his cell phone rang. He blindly reached for it and answered. He spoke softly to someone about a banquet dinner and the security arrangements for about ten minutes. The phone rang a few minutes later—someone trying to set an appointment with Justice for an interview from what she could determine from his part of the conversations.

  Jessie left the kitchen while he dealt with them and sank onto her couch. She tried not to feel a little self-pity. He’d be on the phone and his computer until at least ten o’clock the last few nights. He used her dining room table for his home office and she sighed when memories of her childhood surfaced. She’d sworn she’d never fall in love with a man who was obsessed with his work the way her father was but Justice made all other workaholics pale in comparison. It was ironic as hell and she hated irony.

  She smirked. At least workaholics who had girlfriends could give valid reasons for taking a night off. Justice couldn’t allow anyone to find out about Jessie. She couldn’t see his house or spend one night in his bed. It had been her brainchild to stealth date but the reality of it sucked.

  It will get better, she consoled herself. He’s used to living alone, maybe he’s catching up on some of his workload to take a full night off again…and you’re so full of shit. He’s not going to change and if anyone knows it, it should be me.

  She stood, stretched and strolled to the sliding-glass door. There was a slight breeze as she slid it open and stepped into the backyard. Her gaze lifted to the starry sky, the nearly full moon and she crossed her arms over her chest.

  Relationships were hard, she knew that, and she’d fallen for a guy with a lot of responsibilities. It was part of the reason she loved him and it made him who he was. To expect him to drastically change would be wrong. She’d learned that firsthand with her marriage to Conner. He’d married the daughter of a senator—the image—but the real person hadn’t been quite to his liking. He’d bugged her to be more similar to the public figure she’d had to be for her father’s benefit until their relationship fell apart.

  “Jessie?”

  She turned to watch Justice step outside, frowning. He was off the phone and away from his computer. She smiled. “Hi.”

  “Dinner was great. I loved it. Thank you.”

  “I figured you did since you ate all of it and when I filled your plate again, you polished that off too.”

  “I’m sorry I was on the phone the entire time but it was an important call. We’re trying to buy some property in New Mexico. It’s never simple for us. We not only have to buy the land but we have to win local support and make sure the state is willing to work with us before we buy it. That’s why, so far, the only two properties we own are in California. We’re h