Free Numbers by Laurann Dohner

“I’ve never shared sex with a human, but I promise I’ll learn
how to please you. I’m determined. It will be enjoyable to figure out our
differences.”
    The gruff tone affected her. His voice took on a slight
growl. It had been two years since a man had even tempted her to want sex.
Mourn did. She glanced at his chest. He was beautiful and everything manly. He
had the kind of body women would want to worship, and she was affected as well.
    “I—”
    “You said I must take chances,” he reminded her. “So must
you. You wanted to help change my life since I only existed in loneliness and
pain. You think I want you to cure me of that, but I think we can do that for
each other. I see yours too, when you talk about what you lost when your mate
died. I wouldn’t humble myself if I hadn’t thought this through. We could fill
the emptiness and make each other whole again. Together.”
    He dropped his finger away from her face and lowered his
arm. He slid his big hand under her ass, cupping it, and squeezed just enough
to make her very aware of the sexual significance of having a man touch her.
His nostrils flared, and a low growl surprised her. His chest vibrated under
her hand. She glanced at it, and then back at his face.
    “A reminder,” he stated. “I’m Species. I keep my word. I
don’t want to just share sex. I want you to live with me and become my reason
for living. I want to be yours.”
    It really sank in. “You’re serious.”
    “Yes.”
    “This is insane.” The words popped out before she could
worry about insulting him.
    He smiled instead. “Let’s be insane together.”
    “We just met. We should get to know each other first.”
    “Okay.”
    When he agreed, Dana relaxed, but it was a short-lived
reprieve.
    “We can do that as mates.”
    “Mourn, we can’t just jump into a relationship. It never
works out.”
    “It might not work for humans, but it does with Species. You’re
not in your out world anymore. You’re Paul’s sister, and he’s happy here. You
could be too.”
    “This is too fast.”
    “You said I should change my life and find a reason to want
to live. I chose you.”
    She was speechless. She frantically tried to form reasonable
arguments to point out to him that it was a bad idea that bordered on crazy. He
massaged her ass. He had firm, yet gentle hands. It made it worse as she stared
into his eyes, observing that passion made them even brighter and livelier.
    “Let me touch you,” he growled.
    Dana still couldn’t form words. He inched his hand a little
closer to her pussy while he continued to knead her butt. Her heart pounded and
she was tempted to say yes. Life was too short and could end before anyone
expected it to. She knew that firsthand, but the fear that he was using her to
replace the woman he’d lost was a real possibility. It was the grieving version
of someone on the rebound. If they jumped into a relationship too fast, no good
would come of it. Her attempt to help him heal could hurt both of them if she
didn’t get off his lap and stop him from making a mistake.

Chapter Five
     
    Mourn ached to tear the flag from Dana’s body and stretch
her out on the cushioned bench. He’d taken the padding off an outdoor lounge
chair from the backyard of guest housing and brought it to the shed. It was
thickly padded and plush. He wanted to stretch her out on that cushion and
explore every inch of Dana’s skin, touch her. He saw no fear in her eyes, but
there was plenty of hesitation.
    Did she really believe he wanted a replacement for 139? He
couldn’t understand her logic. She wasn’t anything similar to the mate he’d
lost, and he didn’t wish her to be. It would be difficult to learn how to live
with a human, but he was willing to do whatever it took to make it work. Dana
was someone he could talk to and she was the first female to rekindle his
desire to live.
    He also felt a healthy dose of pure lust. His dick hurt like
nothing he could remember. He