They sat by the back wall near the entry doors at an empty table. Richard smiled.

“Did I tell you they really serve a buffet or what?”

She unwrapped her paper napkin, spread it over her lap and nodded. She cut up her meatloaf and took a bite. It stunned her when the flavor filled her mouth and she moaned slightly.

“Just like Mom made, huh? They have a catering service and they are damn good.”

“This meatloaf is amazing. The gravy is mushroom and it’s so good.”

He nodded. “You can always go back for seconds. And thirds. No one is going to look at you weird if you do that. We eat a hell of a lot less than they do.”

Zandy saw someone walking toward the table and recognized a familiar face. “Hi, Creek. Are you eating with us?”

“Yes.” Creek took a seat next to Zandy and flashed a smile at Richard. “Hello, male human.”

He laughed. “Hello, Creek. I’m Richard.”

Creek turned in her seat. “How was your first day so far, Zandy?”

“Great. I love my job.” Zandy glanced at her new friend’s plate, saw a few steaks with a big salad and then noticed what looked like an iced coffee.

“I didn’t see those. I love iced coffee.”

Creek pointed. “They are over there in the corner to the right. They have a chocolate flavor, one with mint, and a nutty one. We love caffeine.”

“Who doesn’t?” Zandy grinned.

She glanced around the room. Everything seemed fine. Some of the New Species were glancing her way but she figured they had to be as curious about her as she was about them. Motion from the door drew her attention as two tall men entered the cafeteria.

It was him, her fallen angel. He wore his black uniform, minus the bulletproof vest, and walked side by side with a man equally as large. They were talking softly but she ignored his friend. Her focus locked on Tiger. She couldn’t believe she was seeing him again but knew without a doubt she wasn’t mistaken.

His hair appeared a striped honey color in the daylight—highlights of red, shades of blond and soft brown combined. It hung freely around his shoulders and she vividly remembered how soft and satiny it felt to the touch. He passed her table and she got a view of the back of him.

Her angel’s pants were molded to a nice, beefy ass. He had a trim waist and his upper body was as large and muscular as she remembered. The fact that she’d been drinking had nothing to do with how sexually appealing he’d been since she had to swallow hard not to gasp. He was gorgeous—all man. Even the way he moved showed a grace and sensuality that had her taking notice.

He glanced over his shoulder, almost seemed to sense her intense scrutiny and scanned the area until he came to her. Their gazes met for a few heartbeats before he faced forward, took a few more steps and his entire body appeared to turn to stone. He came to an abrupt halt.

Zandy’s heart raced and she forgot to breathe as he whipped his head around again, this time finding her immediately. She studied his breathtaking eyes. They were exactly as she remembered—catlike, an amazing blue, but she couldn’t make out the gold color in them from that far away. His face was just as rugged, masculine and fascinating too. His lips parted, forcing her to remember vividly how he’d tasted of cherry when they kissed and how hungry those generous lips could feel on hers.

His friend took a few more steps before he realized he’d lost his companion, turned and said something. Tiger actually jerked, as if startled. Zandy bit her lip and dropped her gaze to her plate. He recognized her. Shit. The sound of Richard and Creek talking assured her they hadn’t noticed her lack of attention.

She waited a few seconds before glancing up again. He still stood there staring at her. She forced a smile she didn’t feel, not sure what else to do. What if he walks over here? What do I say? Please don’t, she silently chanted. Please just walk away. He turned away almost as if he’d heard her and continued toward the buffet. Zandy let out the breath she’d been holding.

It’s her. Tiger moved on autopilot to collect his lunch, his mind reeling from seeing the human he’d saved at that bar. It had been a few weeks but he was certain it was the same female. She was eating in the cafeteria, sharing a table with Creek and Richard Vega, and he didn’t know why.

His hands trembled enough to feel relief when he sat at his regular spot and placed the tray down. The last thing he needed was to drop his lunch. The memory of the small female not only affected his ability to think and his coordination but his dick stirred too.

“Are you okay, Tiger?”

Tiger stared at Snow, speechless.

The white-haired Species male sitting across from him frowned. “You look angry.”

“I’m fine.” He wasn’t but he refused to admit it.

Snow nodded. “I noticed you saw the female human when you came in. She is hot, isn’t she? I spotted her the second we walked in.”

Hot? That word doesn’t cover it. She’d made his blood boil all right. Tiger wanted to groan but managed to shrug, pretending indifference. “She is attractive.”

“Do you think she’s into our males?” Interest sparked in his pale-blue eyes. “I wouldn’t mind experiencing shared sex with a human if it were her. She looks a little small though and would probably be frightened of us.”

Tiger remembered her pulling his hair at the base of his neck to jerk his face down to meet her lips after she’d demanded he kiss her. His dick grew harder at the memory of having her wrapped around his body, pressed tightly to him. She was aggressive for a human female. Her lips had been soft, she’d smelled so good and her moans had driven him insane to be inside her body.

No, she wasn’t a human afraid of Species males. She’d known what she wanted. She went after me and initiated sex. He wasn’t going to admit that to Snow though or anyone else. He’d left out those details on the reports to avoid being teased about making out with a human on the hood of one of the NSO Jeeps, as if he had no control. He had totally lost it with that female. It wasn’t exactly his proudest moment.

“Should we sit with her and see how she reacts to me?”

“No.” Tiger avoided snarling or lashing out to deck the other male for even thinking about trying to gain the female’s sexual interest. The thought of watching her touch Snow put him in a foul mood.

“That’s right.” Snow’s humor died. “You aren’t fond of human females. You like ours better.”

Tiger just nodded. He didn’t want to dwell on the fact that if she decided to share sex with a Species male, he wanted to be the one she chose. They’d started something together they hadn’t been able to finish. His dick ached, trapped inside his too-tight pants now that there was a lot less free space inside them. He barely refrained from snarling.

Slash took a seat next to Snow, stared directly into Tiger’s eyes and grinned wickedly. “Guess what my duty is today?”

He knows she’s here, Tiger guessed, grimly glaring back at his amused friend. He hoped his silent warning came through and held his breath, waiting to see if Slash would say something he shouldn’t.

“There’s a new human female who works in building C. I get to escort her between doing security rounds. She’s sitting at the last table by the door to the left.”

“I saw her.” Snow chuckled. “Was she fearful of you? I was wondering if she’s into our men. She is hot.”

“She is hot,” Slash agreed. “She didn’t seem fearful. Her name is Zandy Gordon and I looked at her file. She is unmarried, single, thirty-one years old, and lives about eight miles from the east gate of Reservation.” He never looked away from Tiger, clearly sending his own message.

Tiger’s blindly grabbed the top steak off the pile, lifted it to his mouth and viciously bit down. The taste of blood filling his mouth helped ease some of his anger and kept him from staring across the room as if he were obsessed with the female.