It was goodbye and she knew it. It hurt. Obsidian had become a huge part of her life for the months she’d worried about him and cared for him. It only made it worse that they’d had sex a few times. She had fallen in love with him despite it being stupid and flat-out wrong. He wasn’t in a good place in his life to start anything and she of all people knew that. Obsidian’s thighs tensed and he lifted up. She let him go, gripped the edge of the bed and slowly lifted up.

She hated the feel of their bodies separating.

She’d been filled by him, connected, and the loss staggered her when he eased his cock completely free. Her movements were clumsy as she stood, her gaze searching for something to wrap around her to hide her torn clothes that revealed too much. Her hand fisted on the already messy bed and just yanked hard.

“I should, um, shower and change.” She refused to look directly at him but could see out of the corner of her eye when he stood, pulling up his sweats.

“Do that,” he urged.

It was an awkward moment that she mourned.

It shouldn’t be uncomfortable after they’d made love. Fucked, she corrected. That’s all it was to him. Don’t be stupid and make it out to be more.

He stepped out of her line of sight and she turned her head to stare at his back. His hair was free to his waist, the black, silky tresses something she longed to stroke. And then he was gone. He just left without another word.

Hot tears filled her eyes and she didn’t bother to blink them back. He could have told her it had been fun, or some other lame-ass line. It would have at least been polite. She winced at the sound of the front door opening and closing. Obsidian was gone and she’d never see him again.

The bedspread slipped from her fingertips, falling to the floor. She stumbled toward the bathroom, wiggling out of the destroyed shirt. It wasn’t hard to do since only the arms remained intact to hold it on her body. The pants were history. They hadn’t just torn down the seams, he’d had split them at the waist as well.

She didn’t wait for the water to warm, just stepped into the chilly spray with a shudder. It soaked her skin but she wished it could reach her heart. A little cold could do her some good at that moment. The temperature warmed and she turned, shoving her face under the showerhead as it flowed over her hair, shoulders, and down her body.

The urge to breathe finally forced her to move.

She sucked in air and wiped at her face. Life would go on. She’d learned that lesson time and time again but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t hurt for a long time. Falling in love sucked when only one person felt it.

Alli took her time washing her hair, in no hurry to face her bedroom. It would only make her relive what had happened in there. She regretted the fight with Obsidian earlier in the day that had made him demand she leave his room at Medical.

Otherwise they’d probably already be curled together on his bed with him demanding she stroke his chest.

A smile emerged, albeit a sad one. He could be so demanding and a bully but she understood he wasn’t a typical man. New Species didn’t always have the best social skills and he was newly freed. He just needed to learn manners and be given time to understand that people were about give and take.

She turned off the shower, pushed open the glass door and used a towel to dry off then wrapped it around her body. A second one secured her wet hair. Her gaze landed on the discarded clothes. She’d have to toss them in the trash but it could wait. They were one more reminder of Obsidian that she was hesitant to lose despite how pathetic she decided it would be to keep the destroyed pants and shirt.

The sight of him sitting on the edge of her bed surprised her. Her heart raced as their gazes met. His hands were open, gripped the top of his thighs above his bent knees and his hair trailed down his sexy chest. She halted.

“You’re not at Medical.”

“I walked outside to talk to Moon. He was in your yard.”

“I thought you were going back to your room.”

Displeasure tightened his features. “No.”

“Okay.” She took a few steps closer, watching him closely, trying to figure out what that meant.

“I told him I’m staying with you.” He glanced away from her to her bed. “It’s too soft.” He stared at the floor. “We should sleep there.”

We. Her pulse jumped. “You want to spend the night with me?”

“Your living space is bigger.” He stood, looking tall and impressive, also determined. “You will sleep on the floor with me.” One hand lifted to press against his chest. “I will cushion you.”

Her mind shifted gears, happy he wanted to be with her. “The pillow-top comes off. The mattress under it is probably closer to what you have in your room.” Not that she’d mind finding a reason to sleep sprawled over him if he chose the floor.

She just didn’t see how he could be comfortable lying on the carpet.

Obsidian turned, gripped the sheets, and stripped them. He touched the thick padding covering the mattress and grunted softly. It was pulled off and tossed into a corner. He bent forward, giving her the perfect opportunity to admire his beefy ass, outlined in the sweatpants while he shoved down on the top of the bed to test it.

“Good. Firmer.” He straightened. “Remove the towels and lie down with me.”

“Don’t you want sheets?”

“I just want you.” His gaze drifted over her from head to foot. “Bare on the bed.”

She glanced at the front of his pants, the stiff outline of his cock showing. “Oh.” It was a reminder that Species males were highly sexual and he was ready for round two.

“Are you sore?” He stepped closer. “Was I too rough?”

“No.”

His chin jutted out a bit. “I want you.”

She had no problem with that, really pleased he was in her bedroom with no plans to leave. She stepped closer to him. The doorbell rang.

“Ignore it.”

She wished she could. “The officers have a key to my house. They will come in if we don’t see what they want.”

His hands fisted. “Why do they have access to your living space?”

“I’m an employee. It’s just the way it is.”

“Not anymore. No male is allowed here but me.” He turned and stormed out of the room.

“Shit!”

He had looked furious. She spun, rushed to her closet, and yanked her robe from the hook on the door of the walk-in. It went over her towel, she didn’t take the time to ditch it and rushed after him while she tied the belt firmly around her waist.

Chapter Fourteen

Obsidian had already opened the front door by the time Alli ran into the living room. Jericho was outlined in the doorway by the porch light. He glared grimly at the one who blocked his access.

“You need to return to Medical.”

“It’s fine.” She identified Moon’s voice but he was out of sight, somewhere behind the other officer. “Just guard him here. I told you this isn’t a big issue.”

Jericho growled. “Stay out of this. You’ve done enough damage.”

“He wanted to see her and they needed to work a few things out.” Moon gripped the officer by his shoulder, forcibly turning him to face him. “Don’t be a dick because I took him out of there without asking first. I was with him the entire time. Well, close by anyway. They needed some privacy but I sat on the steps right here.”

Alli walked to stand behind Obsidian, peering around him to see the porch. Moon and Jericho glowered at each other. The bigger officer put his hands on his hips.

“Orders are that he remains at Medical.”

“He wanted to straighten things out with the doctor. Give him a break.” Moon mimicked the primate Species’ stance. “He’ll be more comfortable living here. It’s where he wants to be. Ask him. He just said he’s not leaving her side. That’s why I called you instead of jogging back to give you the news. I was standing guard until you could take over.”