It made Beauty feel inept as a woman. That ability to naturally flirt with men seemed utterly lacking in her case. Self-pity wasn’t her style though, regarding her lack of even a semblance of a normal life up until she’d been freed. She’d just have to try harder to figure out how to pique his interest in having sex.

The fire in the hearth was lit but instead of sitting next to her on the couch where she’d left him plenty of space, he sat in a chair across the room.

“You can sit next to me,” she hinted, imagining leaning against him and curling up to his side.

“I’m fine here.” He yawned. “I am tired and I don’t want to fall asleep. The couch is too cushioned for me.”

The flames held her stare but not her attention. That was on the man to her left. From the corner of her eye, she saw him cross his ankles. The chunky boots he wore looked uncomfortable. It gave her an idea as she shifted her body to watch him.

“Do you want me to remove your boots? I could do that for you.” She’d seen a movie where the wife had done that for her husband when he’d come home from work. He’d kissed her afterward in thanks. “It would be no trouble.”

“I am capable of removing them myself. I will take them off before I go to bed.” He scowled. “I’m not a weak male.”

“I didn’t say you were. I just wanted to be nice.”

“You are.” His head leaned back and he stared at the ceiling.

She followed his gaze, seeing nothing interesting in the wood beams. He seemed fascinated though. The wind outside buffeted the side of the cabin and rattled the windows. Shadow responded by leaping to his feet, instantly alert.

“Stay put. I’m going outside to patrol.”

“It’s nothing.” She didn’t want him to leave.

He paused by the door, finally meeting her gaze. “It’s late. We should prepare for sleep when I return. Go ahead and go to your room. I’ll be back soon and put out the fire.”

She started to tell him it was too early—just after eight—but he was gone before she could speak. The closing door and a lot of disappointment was all she was left with. She’d have received an F if she’d been graded on her make-a-man-want-her skills.

“Damn it,” she muttered, knowing she was reverting to the human talk, though she kept trying to break that habit. “Shit. Fuck. Screw this,” she kept going, pacing. Species were hard to deal with. Human guys had always asked her to be nice to them. The guards had always been interested in her but Shadow seemed immune. It confused and confounded her.

She went upstairs to get the phone from her bag. She called Breeze. The Species answered on the first ring.

“Is everything okay?”

“No.”

“Did he do something wrong?” A growl resonated over the line. “I’ll beat him.”

“I fell against him but he just put me back on my feet. I invited him to sit next to me but he chose a seat all the way across the room. Why isn’t it working? I don’t think he wants me. I was sure those tactics would provoke a response.”

The pause was a long one. “You what?”

“I fell against him, believing he’d be tempted to kiss me but he didn’t.”

“I told you what to do. Remove your clothing and tell him to share sex with you.”

“I’m not that bold.” Beauty cocked her head, listening for the door downstairs to make certain he didn’t return to overhear her conversation. “I don’t think he returns my interest.”

“He’s male and breathing.” Breeze chuckled. “He’s just clueless about exactly what you want from him. You need to be more aggressive.”

“I’m not you.” She hated the way it made her feel to admit that, as if she lacked something essential but she couldn’t deny being a bit shy. “I freeze up when I even consider something that forward and what if he rejects me? I’d be mortified. I couldn’t face him and we’re sharing a home.”

“Do you want me to call him and tell him for you? I would totally do that. I have the number for his cell phone.”

“No! I just wanted advice.”

“I gave you that. Strip. Tell him to remove his clothes. That’s all it’s going to take, Beauty. He won’t reject you. He has no female in his life.”

“Couldn’t you just tell me how to get him interested without me showing him my body first?”

“You could tell him you wish to share sex. That will clear up any confusion.”

“I’m searching for a milder approach.”

“Is this what you learned from humans? It’s amazing they ever share sex.” Breeze was silent for a moment. “I’m not an expert on this. I attempted to initiate sex with a human and he didn’t respond as expected. How about if we pull Shadow and replace him with a task force member? Maybe a human male would be more suited to you.”

The concept of allowing anyone but Shadow to touch her killed any desire she had to find out what happened between two consenting people during sex. “No. I want him.”

“Are you sure? I could make a few calls.”

“I want Shadow.”

“He’s the only male you’ve spent time with. You might like another one. I could send a few of them there. We’d have to move you to the hotel though. No way would Valiant handle the residents of Wild Zone if they sniffed humans. I could—”

“Forget I asked. I’ll figure this out on my own. Don’t send anyone else.”

“Fine. Call me any time.”

“Thank you.”

Beauty ended the call and stashed the phone. She strained to hear the door as she quickly stripped out of her clothes and put on a nightgown. A slight noise below assured her of his return. Her gaze fixed on the open doorway in anticipation of watching him walk up the stairs. It wasn’t a long wait.

He paused by her doorway and glanced down her body. She knew the pale-blue sleepshirt wasn’t sexy. She didn’t own anything that could be considered that by anyone’s standards but it did have a low neckline. The NSO paid for everything she owned and they’d purchased it all online. In this case it was an oversized sleepshirt that fell to her knees, three times too big, and the arms of it were long enough to reach her elbows.

“Good night. I’ll be right next door.” He looked away. “Do you want this closed?”

“No. I’d prefer the door open.”

“You can sleep at ease. Nothing will get inside without me hearing it.” He turned, ready to step away.

“Shadow?”

He paused, turned his head and stared at her. “Yes?”

Nerves made her feel a little nauseous. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him to share her room. Her heart rate increased and a lump seemed to form in the center of her throat, blocking her from speaking.

“Good night, Beauty.”

He was gone. She didn’t hear his bedroom door close and wondered if he’d left his open as well. Her shoulders slumped over losing her chance to invite him to sleep in her bed. Light came on under the door to the bathroom they shared, letting her know he was in there. Moments later water came on.

She sat on the bed staring at the tiny crack along the bottom of the bathroom door. The shower door creaked. The memory of his mostly naked body concealed only by the flag surfaced. Shadow had a great body, all muscled and beefy. His hair wouldn’t take long to wash since it was so short.

The layout of the bathroom replayed in her mind and she focused on the part where he’d be standing under the spray of water. The urge to go join him was strong. Breeze or Rusty would just saunter in there, strip, and step into the stall with him. They’d have the courage to lay hands on his skin and tell him to do whatever they wanted.

Beauty sat still. She was living alone with a man she wanted but couldn’t talk herself into acting bold. It made her feel like a big coward. The water shut off, he opened the shower door and she got to imagine him using a towel to dry off. The light clicked off and silence reigned inside the cabin.

Shadow stretched out on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He’d chosen to sleep in one of the pairs of boxers his human friends from the task force had given him, as opposed to being naked. He hated wearing any clothing when he slept but the open doorway to the hall was lit from Beauty’s room. She hadn’t turned off her light. It left him wondering what she was doing in there.