Page 36 of On a Rogue Planet
The men were big and mostly bare-chested. The women in the crowd were like a scatter of jewels. All shapes, all sizes, with myriad types of skimpy clothes underscoring their charms. All pretty, very bare eye-candy.
And now Mal was Xander’s candy.
He stood silently beside her, arms crossed over his chest, scanning the crowd.
She looked again, saw some fighters grabbing women, openly fondling and kissing them. Public displays of…well, it wasn’t affection…public displays of lust were clearly encouraged. She swallowed. In some of the darkened corners, she saw a fighter or two fucking women up against the wall. Nice.
She looked back at Xander. Then was distracted by the strong muscles of his arms. His slick chest. The way his super-tight trousers hugged…everything.
Get a grip, Mal.She couldn’t afford to get turned on in this outfit since it covered nothing. She looked away, and noticed the women nearby. Watching Xander with lustful intent on their faces.
Mal took a step closer to him and wound her arm around his waist.
Instantly, his arm slid across her shoulders.
“We need to circulate,” Xander said. “Find the Taskmaster.”
“How about we check out the pits?”
He nodded and they headed toward the five sunken fight pits ahead.
At the first pit, a mass of people pushed against the railings. They cheered, they booed, they shouted obscenities.
Xander shoved toward the railing, keeping Mal securely in front of him. Most people took one look at him and moved aside. Quickly. His face was set with his best CenSec look. Stony and scary.
He trapped Mal between his body and the railing. She knew she was supposed to be watching the fight below, but all she could focus on was the big, hard male pressed against her.
When his hand slid over her bare belly and settled there, she drew in a sharp breath. His fingers rubbed at her skin.
“So soft,” he murmured the words against her ear.
“What…are you doing?”
“I must make it clear you’re mine. My possession.”
Heat shot straight through her.Cool it, Mal. He’s acting. He was playing the part of a possessive, alpha fighter.
He nuzzled the side of her neck. “And I want to touch all of you. Explore every inch.”
Her mouth went dry and she licked her lips.
He flicked at the stone nestled in her belly button. “I have started compiling a list of the things I would like to do with you. Later.”
She blinked. By the stars, something warned her she had roused a sleeping beast. She forced her gaze to the men fighting below.
It was brutal. Hard blows sending blood splattering to the hard-packed earthen floor. One man was taller but carried less weight. His green-gray skin and large eyes suggested aninsectoid ancestor somewhere in his family tree. The other fighter was shorter, stockier, and strong. He had heavily armored brown skin and an elongated face. Reptilian. Neither seemed to have a real advantage.
The taller man slammed a fist into the shorter man’s face, and Mal saw teeth hit the ground. With a wince, she looked away. She didn’t want Xander in this pit. Ever.
Instead, she focused on the women standing on a small raised platform above the fight. One wore a piece of palest blue gauze wrapped around her slim frame. Her gold hair was piled on her head and her pretty face looked unaffected by the proceedings below. Except her hands twisted together, her gaze glued to the taller man.
The other woman was simply stunning. Skin the color of dark chocolate, curly dark hair cascading down her back. She wore nothing on her exquisite curves except twisted gold jewelry around her arms and ankles. She danced to the music, waving her arms at the crowd, laughing.
Mal looked away.
And caught the gaze of an enormous Rahl warrior standing at the pit railing directly across from her.
She already knew the Rahl were giants, but this one was at least seven feet tall. His dark gold gaze was on her. He smiled, his eyes travelling down her body, making her skin crawl.
