overwhelming. That he seemed to feel for her what she felt for him… even down to the same insecurities… was reassuring. Maybe she was more to him than just a body bred for his use.
At that moment, a knock at the door brought them to their feet. "Connor," they both said together. Colt stared at her with what she now realised was jealousy.
"My senses are heightened. I knew it was you at the door before. And I know it's Connor now. He's like you, but not. I don't know how to explain it," she rushed to reassure him.
"You don't feel…"
"Aroused by him?" she finished for him. "No. Though maybe that'll change when I get up close. But right now he's just a cute guy, nothing special."
"I heard that!" Connor's voice was little more than a loud whisper, and yet Alyssa heard him as clearly as she did Colt who stood beside her.
Colt went to the door. "I guess we better do some more experimentation."
Connor strode into the room and looked from one to the other of them. Then his gaze became riveted on her as he breathed in.
"What the fuck? You got way more interesting overnight, songbird. You smell downright edible. What gives?"
She saw Colt grimace and turn away. Determined to test it out, she moved in close and sought her reaction to Connor. No, still nothing more than mild interest. Nothing like she felt for Colt.
"It seems I have cat DNA," she told him as she stepped back.
Connor turned to Colt angrily. "You told her? We don't even know that for sure."
"Yes, we do. I turned cat last night when… Well, I turned cat. My eyes changed and now my senses are all through the roof."
Fascinated, Connor stared at her like she had grown an extra head, or cat eyes. "Well, I'll be damned. No wonder Colt's been impossible to live with since he saw you on that TV screen a week ago."
Colt turned around, eyeing his brother speculatively. "You don't sound like you're ready to tear my throat out to get to her…"
Connor laughed loudly. "Relax boyo. She's surely more appealing than she was yesterday, but I'm not feelin' more. Maybe I can't. I've always thought that being raised in a test-tube made me unable to love. I like women, I like women a lot. But obsessing over one? Loving one? I can't imagine it. So maybe we need to find out how the others react to her. Now we know what she is."
The relief Colt had experienced a few brief moments ago seemed to disappear again at Connor's suggestion. Even though Colt had been proposing she meet the other males moments ago, now that Connor was saying the same thing, Colt was giving off waves of anxiety far worse than he had earlier.
"I have the rest of the day off after the interview. We can go to San Francisco and find out," she offered reluctantly. "I have another session with my singing coach this evening but there's plenty of time to get up there and back before then."
"We'll take the Jeep so the limo driver can't report back to Akabar where we're going," Connor suggested.
"That'll raise some red flags, but it's better than the alternative," Colt replied, nodding his head.
"We can come up with a story." Alyssa tried to smile her anxiety away. What if Alzhir found out what she was doing? What if he put out a hit on her?
"You got friends in Frisco?" Colt asked.
Alyssa wracked her brain. There was an old school friend who'd taken a job in that city a few years ago. They hadn't kept contact, but she thought she had her number somewhere. Would that be a good enough reason for such a journey?
"Yes. We can use Samantha. I can say she got engaged and wanted me to come up to meet her fiancé. That would be enough of a reason to go up there so suddenly, with the semis only a day away."
"Right, then we better get that backstory sorted, in case Akabar checks it out."
Colt had never been as nervous as he was in that moment. With Alyssa's hand in his, he walked out of the underground parking lot and into the Scorpio Son's complex. Any moment he expected his brothers to pick up Alyssa's scent
At that moment, a knock at the door brought them to their feet. "Connor," they both said together. Colt stared at her with what she now realised was jealousy.
"My senses are heightened. I knew it was you at the door before. And I know it's Connor now. He's like you, but not. I don't know how to explain it," she rushed to reassure him.
"You don't feel…"
"Aroused by him?" she finished for him. "No. Though maybe that'll change when I get up close. But right now he's just a cute guy, nothing special."
"I heard that!" Connor's voice was little more than a loud whisper, and yet Alyssa heard him as clearly as she did Colt who stood beside her.
Colt went to the door. "I guess we better do some more experimentation."
Connor strode into the room and looked from one to the other of them. Then his gaze became riveted on her as he breathed in.
"What the fuck? You got way more interesting overnight, songbird. You smell downright edible. What gives?"
She saw Colt grimace and turn away. Determined to test it out, she moved in close and sought her reaction to Connor. No, still nothing more than mild interest. Nothing like she felt for Colt.
"It seems I have cat DNA," she told him as she stepped back.
Connor turned to Colt angrily. "You told her? We don't even know that for sure."
"Yes, we do. I turned cat last night when… Well, I turned cat. My eyes changed and now my senses are all through the roof."
Fascinated, Connor stared at her like she had grown an extra head, or cat eyes. "Well, I'll be damned. No wonder Colt's been impossible to live with since he saw you on that TV screen a week ago."
Colt turned around, eyeing his brother speculatively. "You don't sound like you're ready to tear my throat out to get to her…"
Connor laughed loudly. "Relax boyo. She's surely more appealing than she was yesterday, but I'm not feelin' more. Maybe I can't. I've always thought that being raised in a test-tube made me unable to love. I like women, I like women a lot. But obsessing over one? Loving one? I can't imagine it. So maybe we need to find out how the others react to her. Now we know what she is."
The relief Colt had experienced a few brief moments ago seemed to disappear again at Connor's suggestion. Even though Colt had been proposing she meet the other males moments ago, now that Connor was saying the same thing, Colt was giving off waves of anxiety far worse than he had earlier.
"I have the rest of the day off after the interview. We can go to San Francisco and find out," she offered reluctantly. "I have another session with my singing coach this evening but there's plenty of time to get up there and back before then."
"We'll take the Jeep so the limo driver can't report back to Akabar where we're going," Connor suggested.
"That'll raise some red flags, but it's better than the alternative," Colt replied, nodding his head.
"We can come up with a story." Alyssa tried to smile her anxiety away. What if Alzhir found out what she was doing? What if he put out a hit on her?
"You got friends in Frisco?" Colt asked.
Alyssa wracked her brain. There was an old school friend who'd taken a job in that city a few years ago. They hadn't kept contact, but she thought she had her number somewhere. Would that be a good enough reason for such a journey?
"Yes. We can use Samantha. I can say she got engaged and wanted me to come up to meet her fiancé. That would be enough of a reason to go up there so suddenly, with the semis only a day away."
"Right, then we better get that backstory sorted, in case Akabar checks it out."
Colt had never been as nervous as he was in that moment. With Alyssa's hand in his, he walked out of the underground parking lot and into the Scorpio Son's complex. Any moment he expected his brothers to pick up Alyssa's scent
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