“True?” She whispered, drawing in a sharp breath.

He backed up a little to stare into her eyes. “You’re not aroused. I used to smell it on you when we were this close.”

Jeanie swallowed, stunned. Her cheeks warmed. “What?” She really hoped she’d passed out and had entered a nightmare. Wake up! Nothing changed as he blinked, the appealing brown of his eyes revealing darker flecks near his pupils as she stared deeply into them.

“I’ve thought a lot about our interactions in the past and if you’d still react the same way now that I’m no longer restrained.”

She had no words.

“I wasn’t sure if you were into control or if it was my body you found attractive.”

“I…” She swallowed again. “Control? I don’t understand.” She didn’t want to talk about his body. It was half bare and way too close to her.

“Some humans feel sexual excitement when they have physical dominance over another person. You could do anything to me without consequences. Was that why you were aroused?”

“I hated you being in chains. Not a day went by that I didn’t wish you were out of them.” That was honest.

He frowned. She glanced at his wide chest, the perfectly defined muscles of his pecs, at the dusky-rose color of the flat disks of his nipples. They were slightly stiff, the centers beaded. She swallowed hard, unable not to glance downward to his washboard abs that nearly begged to be touched. She quickly looked up but her blush intensified when she realized he’d caught her perusal.

“It was my body that drew that reaction from you?”

She looked away and wished a hole would open up under her so she could disappear. He had her pinned on his bed between his hand beside her hip, the headboard behind her, and his body blocking her exit off the side.

“Jeanie?”

The sharp growl startled her and she jerked her gaze back to stare into his face. He appeared a little angry. “What?”

“I want answers and you’re the only one who can give them to me. Don’t play human games. Be direct. Why did I smell arousal on you when we were near each other?”

The urge to touch him became so strong she fisted her hand to stop herself from following through with the action. So many horrible things had been done to him in his lifetime that she figured he deserved answers to any questions he asked. Even if they happened to be uncomfortable and embarrassing for her.

“I won’t hurt you.”

“I believe that. It’s just that I didn’t expect this conversation.” She stalled, feeling a tiny bit of guilt. “It’s not an easy topic, you know?”

“Answer me,” he demanded, softening his tone.

“I was always attracted to you,” she admitted, lowering her gaze to his neck. It made admitting her secrets a little easier. “We weren’t able to spend a lot of time together but I just felt this pull toward you. It didn’t make much sense but that’s how I felt.”

“You wanted me to touch you?”

She nodded, lowering her chin but then turned her head away since it left her staring at his nipples. “Yes.”

“Did you feel the same attraction with other Species males?”

“No! It was just you.” She lifted her head, holding his gaze.

“Why me? I need to know.”

“Oh hell.” She was embarrassed. “You really want to discuss this?”

“I do.”

“I just liked you. You’re attractive, True. You didn’t frighten me by snarling or snapping when I had to collect blood. I just…liked you.”

“But you don’t anymore? I’m not frightening you. I don’t smell fear.”

“Oh wow.” She closed her eyes, realizing he wasn’t going to let the subject go until she’d completely humiliated herself to appease his curiosity. She was sure he didn’t understand how difficult it had been on her to be attracted to a man who’d been in that nightmare situation. There just seemed something so wrong about it, a bit perverse even.

“Jeanie?”

He’d lost his patience, gauging by his irritated growl. She opened her eyes to stare at him miserably. “What do you want from me, 710? An apology? I have beaten myself up so many times it’s not funny. I’m completely ashamed of myself for how I responded to you.”

He drew back, his mouth pressing into a firm line. “My name is True.”

“Sorry. I’m just used to thinking about you by number.”

“It shames you to have been attracted to me?” His voice deepened and he seemed angry. “To an animal?”

“You’re not that.” She stopped and gently placed her hand on the front of his chest between his nipples, to avoid touching them. He was really warm, his skin silky soft with a solid mass of muscle behind it. It took willpower just to leave it there instead of exploring more of him. She’d love to surf her palm over the waves of abdominal muscles protruding from the otherwise flat surface of his stomach.

“You were locked inside that hellish place and it was just wrong on so many levels to be attracted to you there. Not because of your genetics but because you’d been victimized enough.”

His gaze narrowed. “I no longer smell arousal from you. Why is that?”

He apparently found it somehow insulting that she didn’t show any physical signs that she still found him sexy. Her tense body relaxed as she took a few settling breaths. As much as she saw him as a person, there were major differences between Species and humans. She needed to remember that if she let down her guard. Any embarrassment caused by allowing him to know how he affected her dimmed in comparison to causing him to feel as if she viewed him as less than anything purely remarkable.

She breathed through her nose, loving how he smelled. She studied his firm lips. They were generously full, a Species trait that she’d fantasized about often. Just thinking about what it would feel like to brush her mouth against his caused a flutter in her belly and her nipples hardened. She examined his eyes next. That shade of brown had become her favorite color after meeting him. Everything about him was fascinating.

His nostrils flared and she studied his nose. It was wider than a human’s, a little flatter, and perfectly matched his other features. Slight wrinkles crinkled the top sides of it as he sniffed, a cute sight. He had strong cheekbones, a square chin, and everything about him seemed as masculine as a man could be in her opinion. There was nothing boyish about that face. To label him handsome seemed an understatement. Some people thought New Species looked a bit too harsh but she didn’t agree.

“I’ve been trying to fight how I feel when you’re near me, True.” She was proud she’d said his new name. It was something she’d have to keep repeating inside her head so she wouldn’t accidently call him 710. “I’m not now. How do I smell?”

The low growl that rumbled from him and the slight vibrations under her hand were sexy but a bit scary at the same time. She wasn’t sure if it was caused by anger but quickly dismissed that when he leaned in closer. She didn’t see that in his eyes as she studied them but whatever he felt looked pretty intense.

Jeanie wondered if he would kiss her. He cocked his head to one side and sniffed her neck instead. Goose bumps of the good kind broke out over her arms as his warm breath teased the sensitive skin under her ear. A TV special she’d watched on a cable station flashed through her mind. She tilted her face away to give him free access to her throat to acknowledge his dominance, the way she’d seen wolves do. He could bite, his sharp fanglike canines a real threat if he planned to draw blood.

True had exhibited some traits at Drackwood that were reminiscent of the male wolf featured in the animal-behavior show. The gracefulness of his movements were similar to those proud creatures, he tended to growl and snarl to express his feelings, and watched everything around him with a keen wariness. He might be a human being but she’d be a fool to forget his other heritage. Jeanie gave him her absolute trust by releasing all fear.