Best Friends (New Species #15)(43)

She came again and it caused him to lose his seed. He snarled, coming with her. Then he felt himself locking inside her as the base of his shaft began to swell. He repositioned his arms, pinning her under him. Their gazes met and held.

“I love you, Mel. You’ll love me, too, one day.”

She reached up and cupped his face. “I’m already falling in love with you.”

His heart soared. “Good. You’ll agree to be my mate?”

“I think I will but we need more time. To make sure.”

“I’m already certain.” He kissed her, liking the way she wrapped her legs around his waist to hug him with them. “It’s going to be a long night of convincing you.” He grinned. “Once the swelling goes down, I’ll get rid of this condom and grab more.”

Her eyes widened. “Don’t you need recovery time?”

“I’m Species.” He shrugged. “We’re built for endurance and stamina.”

“Oh boy.” She smiled. “We need to eat at some point. I missed dinner.”

He instantly switched plans. “Food first. Then more sex. My mate needs to be fed.”

“Snow—”

“You are mine, Mel. I know. I feel it.” He lifted his hand and brushed her hair off the side of her face, caressing her cheek. “How brave are you?”

“I fought off a creep today and plan to make myself bait tomorrow. Pretty darn brave. Why?”

He grinned. “It takes more time if I order food to be brought up here. Let’s go downstairs to eat. Now that you’ve mentioned it, I hear your belly rumbling.”

“But I just have my work clothes.”

“I will find you something of mine to wear. We’re not formal here at the NSO. I just want your skin covered to prevent other males from seeing too much of you.” The swelling went down and he gently separated their bodies. He hated pulling out of her. He lifted off her and helped her into a seated position on the bed. “I’ll take care of this condom and then we’ll go eat. I think you’ll like the choices they have.”

He rushed into the bathroom, discarded the spent condom, and washed his hands. Then he hurried back into the bedroom. Mel stood waiting for him. He walked to his dresser, opening drawers, and pulled out one of his thicker shirts and a pair of drawstring shorts that would fall past her knees. He liked to work out in them. They were well worn and comfortable. She took them.

“Skip the bra,” he told her. “My shirt is loose enough to hide that you’re not wearing one. No one would care anyway. Species females don’t like them.”

He pulled out sweats and a tank top for himself, quickly putting them on. He skipped wearing shoes. Mel took a seat to put on her socks. Snow waited, knowing she might feel more comfortable with something covering her feet. Not many humans went without shoes that he’d seen. When she was dressed, he held out his hand.

“Let’s go. And don’t worry. Other Species will love you. You’re mine and carrying my scent on you.” He grinned. He’d rubbed his skin against hers enough to know others would smell him on her.

“You’re weird but so cute,” she chuckled, taking his hand. “No shoes, huh?”

“I’m off duty. They aren’t required. A lot of Species will be barefoot. See for yourself.”



Mel felt a little nervous as Snow led her into a huge room on the first floor. The smell of food had her stomach rumbling. Dozens of New Species were there, sitting at tables already or walking along a long buffet between the kitchen area and the cafeteria. Most paused eating to glance their way. She forced a smile, meeting gazes. None of the New Species seemed alarmed at seeing her. A few even smiled back. It caused the last of her tension to leave.

She also noticed Snow had been right. Some of the New Species were in uniform with their boots but most wore casual clothing, from sweats to jeans, their feet bare. It was a reminder of how different they were from full humans, but it was nice.

Snow took her to the far right of the buffet and released her hand, handing her a plate.

“Fill it with what you want. They label everything for those of us who can read. Most can, but not the Wild Zone residents. They use their eyes and sense of smell to determine what they’d like to eat. You can have seconds or even thirds. Fill your plate, we’ll find a place to sit, and then come back for drinks.”

“Got it.”

She chose a filet mignon, fried potatoes, some mashed potatoes with bacon and cheese mixed in them, and then grabbed a bowl of salad with a small container of ranch dressing. Snow led her to a table. He had piled a few large steaks on his plate. They set them down, returned for drinks, and she picked a carton of milk. He chose a soda before they both grabbed silverware wrapped in cloth napkins and took their seats. Snow sat close to her.

“You weren’t kidding about the food choices. They have everything from fried chicken to Italian food.” She cut into her steak. It had said medium rare. The steaks Snow had taken were rare. She took a bite of the filet mignon and moaned her appreciation.

Snow grinned, cutting into one of his steaks. It was very red. “The NSO hires the best human cooks.”

“They do. I feel lucky to be here.”

Another male New Species approached with a plate and paused across the table from them. “May I sit with you and the female?”