Slade

fixation in her thoughts.

“No thank you.”

The skin next to his eyes crinkled with amusement while he shrugged again. “It’s your loss. You know how to find me if you change your mind. I’ll walk you to your door.”

“No thanks.”

“I’m escorting you home.” He kept his amused expression in place. “So walk, Doc.

Or we could stand here. Either way, I’m sticking with you until we reach your place.”

Trisha spun away from him and strode quickly down the sidewalk. She could feel him behind her but he didn’t make a sound. For a large man, he could move very quietly. She turned her head as she reached her yard and gasped over how close he was to invading her personal space.

“Home safe,” he whispered. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come inside, Doc?”

20

Slade

“I’m sure,” Trisha stated firmly.

Her hands trembled when she darted to her front door. Would he try to force his way inside her house? Press the issue of offering to have sex with her? She unlocked the door and spun to tell him to leave but he had vanished.

Trisha stepped off her porch and glanced in both directions down the sidewalk but he wasn’t within sight. She frowned. Where did he disappear to so quickly? He irritated her badly. She hurried inside and locked the door firmly behind her.

Trisha dropped her purse on the entryway table as she headed for her bedroom.

She passed the empty guestroom, remembering that she needed to order a desk and some file cabinets to create a home office.

She peered around her bedroom. She hated the large four-poster bed with the thick wooden poles that shot up toward the ceiling. It took up too much space inside the room. The house had come furnished but nothing had been to her liking.

She stripped out of her clothing on her way to the bathroom. Does Slade remember me? He could be playing some sort of sick game to see if I’ll say something. She just wasn’t sure. He was pretty convincing if he wanted her to believe they’d never met in the past.

She turned on the shower and waited the few minutes it took for it to heat up.

She stepped under the spray of hot water with a sigh. Why was she attracted to him? She couldn’t deny that he appealed to her. Maybe it was curiosity. She wasn’t sure of her motives but every time he looked at her she remembered the rough, hot feel of his tongue teasing her throat, the way he’d moved against her with his heavy body while he’d nearly made her come just from rubbing his cock against her, and the memory of the sounds he made. The growls had been sexy.

“Mental brain wash,” she sighed.

She threw her head back and washed her hair, shaved her legs, and then stepped out of the shower. She heard a distinctive sound. Her pants were buzzing inside her bedroom where she’d dumped them when she’d disrobed. Trisha wrapped a towel around her middle to dash from the bathroom. She bent down, fought with her slacks, and yanked the black cell phone out.

“Dr. Norbit here.”

“Trisha, it’s Paul. We have a situation. Can you come back?”

“I’m on my way.” She hung up and ran for the bed. She dropped the cell phone on it and spun. She took a step toward her closet before slamming right into a wide, solid body.

Trisha gasped. Two large hands gripped her bare shoulders as her head jerked up.

She gaped at Slade’s amused expression. Her body was pressed against his, he held her firmly by her shoulders, and his lips curved into a smile.

“You weren’t answering your phone. They need you down at medical.”

“You are inside my house,” she gasped.

21

Laurann Dohner

“I have pass keys to all the homes. I’m security. You should answer your phone if you don’t want someone to check on you. Your nurse has been calling for five minutes and finally called us.”

“I was taking a shower!”

His focus lowered. “I see. You look good in pink, Doc. You’d look better though if that towel were on the floor at your feet.” His body shivered a little against hers as his attention drifted to her shoulders. “It’s tempting to lick off all those drops of water.”

Her heart hammered from surprise and probably a little excitement at the concept of him doing just that. The look on his face made her swallow hard. He suddenly released her though and backed away.

“I’ll be waiting for you in the living room. Get a move on, Doc. Someone is hurt and we need to get you back to medical right away.”

Trisha watched the tall New Species leave her bedroom, pulling the door closed behind him. It took her long seconds to pull herself together from the shock of finding Slade inside her bedroom and from him touching her. He’d let himself into her house and he’d seen her almost nude. She looked down at the small towel that barely covered