Her gaze dropped to his NSO work shirt. “I don’t know. Are we?” She gazed back up at him.

“I wanted to invite you to stay at my house but you’d already told me no. I didn’t want to be rejected a second time. I also have to work long hours and my home is too far from the office to sleep there while this crisis is happening. You’d be out there alone. I wanted to keep you close.”

“It wasn’t a rejection. I just said no because we barely knew each other then.”

His exotic eyes narrowed. “We know each other extremely well now.”

Sexually. “I don’t know where we’re heading and it’s scary. I missed you today and hoped you’d invite me to meet you later.” I’m falling in love with you.

“I missed you too.” He hesitated. “I will come visit you tonight and we’ll talk.”

“Okay.” She wasn’t sure if that was bad or good.

“It might be late.”

“I understand.”

His cell phone buzzed and he reached for it, never looking away from her eyes. “Yes?” He paused. “Understood. I’m on my way.” He hung up. “I have to go. Some of the humans outside the gates are acting up again.” He lifted a hand and waved Smiley forward. “Try to take a nap before I arrive.” His voice lowered even more. “I plan to do a lot more than just talk to you.” A soft purr came from him before he backed away.

Zandy’s body instantly responded to the sexy noise. The idea of seeing him later and possibly spending another night sleeping together had her ni**les growing taut and her belly quivering. Him licking his lips only reminded her of what he could do with that tongue and her cl*t throbbed.

He faced Smiley. “I’m reassigning you to Zandy today. Take her to work and I want you to stay close to her building until after her shift is over. She’ll be staying at building H, apartment HJ until this mess ends. It’s too dangerous for her to leave Reservation. I’ll have officers meet you there later. Wait for them if they are running late. She isn’t to be left unguarded.”

“Understood.”

Tiger glanced at her one more time before he strode back to his Jeep. Another one turned the corner, probably the transportation Smiley had called. She resisted waving at Tiger as he drove away. The officer next to her sniffed loudly and she jerked her head to stare at his face.

He frowned. “Forget about that one, Zandy.”

“What?”

“You are aroused and Tiger isn’t a male you wish to pursue. He isn’t the type to take a mate. He avoids sharing sex with human females.”

Her cheeks warmed as she blushed. Oh hell. “Is there anything you guys can’t smell?”

He hesitated. “I’m not opposed to taking a mate and open to a possible lasting bond with a female. You’re injured and having a stressful day but keep me in mind if you wish to share sex. Just think about it.”

A new officer watched them from the waiting Jeep while Zandy limped toward the passenger seat. She wasn’t going to touch that one with a ten-foot pole. Not the man or the offer. She wasn’t even sure how to respond.

Chapter Ten

A noise woke Zandy and she glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was just after eleven. Tiger had finally arrived. She was on her stomach under the covers but had left the light on in the living room of the one-bedroom apartment. Her hair was still damp from the shower she’d taken. She used her arm to lift up and turn in bed. The covers slid down a little as her gaze swept the dark room until she found his darker shape near the dresser.

“I was wondering if you’d ever show. Thanks for the clothes and all the stuff you had deliv—”

The shadow lunged at her, hit the bed hard enough to knock her flat, and a gloved hand clamped around her throat. Shock tore through her as fingers squeezed painfully tight until she couldn’t breathe. Her mouth opened to scream as the body on the bed with her scooted even closer when she tried to struggle under the covers.

It wasn’t Tiger. She couldn’t see the man’s face. The hand felt big and he was heavy as he tried to pin her body down. Panic and sheer terror made her claw at her throat—he was strangling her. She found his skin just above the leather gloves and dug her fingernails in. Her lungs burned from lack of oxygen and she focused on hurting her attacker.

He cried out and the hold on her throat loosened for a split second. It was just enough time for her to suck in much-needed air. She screamed. The sound came out as more of a shriek. The man let go to roll away. He fell off the edge of the bed as Zandy screamed again, blindly turning the other way to put space between them.

A dark shape lifted from the floor and rushed toward the corner of the room. He hit the glass window hard enough to break through when he slammed into it. Cool air filled the room while she continued to pant. Wood splintered from the other side of the apartment and two New Species rushed inside her room from the living room. One flipped on the light, both of them sniffed the air and the blond rushed toward the destroyed window.

“Stay with her. It was a human male,” he snarled before he leaped out the opening to chase her attacker.

The remaining officer held up his hands in an almost calming way to show he posed no danger to her. “Are you all right?”

She nodded and tried to speak but coughed instead. Her throat hurt. It took some work to swallow before she tried again. “I woke up and someone was in the room.”