Best Friends (New Species Book 15) Read online

  “You said you like ribs. That’s what I planned for our dinner together. There will be only one fork to eat the side dishes with.”

  “That sounds perfect.”

  “I want you to be comfortable in my home.”

  “I’m sure I will be.”

  “It’s not as colorful as yours. Perhaps you could help me with that.”

  She laughed, and he let all the tension in his body go. He and Mel were attracted to each other, and she was a nice female. He knew that about her from all the times he’d watched her work in the diner, hoping for a chance to speak to her alone. He had just never been allowed to go into town by himself. She’d seemed shy, and he hadn’t wanted to spook her. He’d been patient, hoping she would approach him.

  The drive to Reservation wasn’t long, and he had gotten special permission to bring Mel in without her being searched. She’d shot humans to protect Species. It proved she wasn’t a threat…and they’d already run a background check on her. It was standard procedure after she’d been brought in with a medical emergency. The SUV only slowed, not having to stop at the gate. He didn’t feel it would be a good start to a date to have her patted down by a guard.

  Timber glanced at him in the rearview mirror, almost seeming to read his mind. He and the other males had vouched for Mel.

  They continued to the hotel, and he exited out of the side door once parked, helping her wiggle off the seat. Torrent brought her bag, and Snow accepted it. He glanced at the team. “Thank you.”

  Mel stayed close to his side, her hand clutched in his. They approached the front of the hotel, and Mel’s steps slowed until she came to a stop. He glanced down, worried that she’d changed her mind.

  “I thought we were going to your house.”

  “I live here, Mel.”

  “Oh.”

  “Some of our males have homes in the Wild Zone, but most Species live in suites inside the hotel. They were remodeled after we bought Reservation.” He took her inside and led her to the elevators. “They are now like human apartments. I have a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bath. They took down walls to combine the units into larger quarters.”

  She smiled. “That’s cool.”

  “The NSO wants us to be comfortable and not have to share personal spaces.”

  He punched the second-floor button and they rode up in silence. He stepped out first, keeping a hold on her hand, and took her down the hallway to his place. He let her go, reached inside his back pocket, and slid his card though the reader. It turned green and he opened it, motioning her to go in first. She slowly entered.

  He’d left the curtains open. Sunshine lit the space to show off how clean he kept it. It was imperative to him that he impress Mel and show her that he didn’t want her to be his maid. He watched her expressions as he used his foot to close the door and placed her bag down. She strolled into his living room.

  “It’s super nice and roomy.”

  “Thank you. I didn’t pick much in the way of furnishings. Some human designer Justice hired did.”

  She turned, facing him. “There is some color. I like light blues and browns.”

  “Justice didn’t want us reminded of our cells at Mercile. They were a dingy gray.”

  After a moment of silence, she licked her lips. “Are you as nervous as I am?”

  “A little. I’m afraid I’ll frighten you but I won’t mean to.”

  Her expression gentled. “Show me the rest of your place, if you don’t mind.”

  “My home is your home.” He meant that. He wouldn’t mind if Mel stayed forever. Just imagining having her with him all the time made his chest ache. He’d been alone his entire life. The idea of sharing his living space with Mel sounded wonderful. “This part was once another hotel room, but they removed the bathroom and put in a kitchen, and then made this my living room.”

  She walked to his kitchen island across the room and ran her fingers over the granite. “It’s way nicer than the one at my place. You even have a dishwasher and built-in microwave. I don’t have either of those things.”

  “It’s compact but efficient. Some units have kitchens but others don’t. There are males who aren’t comfortable with cooking. We have a cafeteria on the ground floor that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is also a fridge for anyone who gets hungry in the middle of the night, stocked with snacks and sandwiches.”

  “That’s convenient and pretty cool. I don’t think I’d ever cook if I had that option downstairs. Is the food good?”

  “It’s excellent. Justice hired skilled humans to cook for us. Our dinner is coming from there. I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t do the cooking myself. I didn’t want to risk giving you food poisoning on our second date.” He grinned. “Barbecue ribs are beyond my skill set. They will deliver our meal at six. I thought that would give us some time to talk and unwind.”

  “It sounds perfect.”

  “Let me show you the bedroom and bathroom.” He felt nervous again. “Not that I’m trying to lure you in there for the purpose of sharing sex.”

  She smiled. “You’re nervous too.”

  “Yes,” he easily admitted. “I care about you and don’t want to mess this up.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Anything, Mel.”

  “I noticed you always say ‘sharing sex’ instead of ‘having sex.’ Is that a New Species thing?”

  He nodded. “Sharing sex is something a male and female do together. Having sex doesn’t sound right to us. Your kind say that, but we see your news stories on our televisions. Not all your males care about a female’s consent. It’s just how we speak and view things. Like the way we say male and female, instead of man and woman. We’re like you, but not. To say sharing sex makes it clear both of us are equally involved.”

  Mel stared up at him for long seconds.

  He wondered if he shouldn’t have been that honest.

  A smile curved her lips. “I like that.”

  She took the lead and entered his bedroom. It was a big space with a king-size bed, a large television, and two dressers. He hated to hang his clothing and rarely did. He used the closet to store his work uniforms, shoes, boots, and weapons. He had closed the doors to that small space, worried the sight of guns might frighten Mel.

  “Wow.”

  He wasn’t sure what that meant. She liked color, and his room didn’t have a lot of it. “I meant it when I said you could help me decorate. I’d love those hanging sheets around my bed.”

  She turned to him. “Really? You’re not just saying that? I think it’s kind of exotic to have drapes enclosing a bed. I always wanted to get one of those bamboo beds with the pretty, sheer curtains, but they were far too expensive. I kind of made my own by hanging bedding from the ceiling. Actual curtains were out of my budget.”

  He drew closer to her. “I used to sleep on a pad on the floor. Your bed looked comfortable and cozy. It was very appealing.”

  She turned to face him. Her gaze was soft, a look of almost concern in her eyes. He liked her staring at him that way, as if she really did care. He hoped she did.

  “Do you want to tell me about Mercile?”

  “Perhaps later. It’s not a good story.”

  She surprised him by reaching out and resting her hand on his forearm. “It’s part of who you are. I’d like to know everything. I told you a bit about my life.”

  He believed her. “We’ve got all the time in the world to learn about our pasts. I’m more interested in the now.”

  She smiled. “Are you afraid I’ll run if I find out too much, too fast? I feel that way about my own past sometimes. My family is kind of crazy.”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her she didn’t have anything to be ashamed of. He’d read the background check the NSO had done on her. She had worked three different jobs as a waitress, had no arrest record, and had lived in two places during her life.

  Guilt surfaced. He should confess that he knew that informati