Page 81 of On a Rogue Planet
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Time was almost up.
Mal swiped at her eyelids with more makeup. She tried to copy what Eos had done last time. Instead of sexy, smoky eyes, she looked like she’d been crawling around a starship exhaust. With a sigh, she swiped some of the makeup off.Again.
She studied her face in the tiny mirror. Hmm, actually now it didn’t look too bad. Her eyes were definitely smoky looking. Next, she slicked on some lipstick. The red gloss made her lips look…lush.
She finished doing up her strappy shoes, smoothed a hand over the shiny satin of her dress, and then headed for the cockpit.
Her stomach was alive with flutters. Part nerves about the mission, part excitement to see what Xander thought of her outfit. She headed down the corridor, through the main room and into the cockpit.
And stumbled to a stop.
His back was to her, his legs spread as he stared at Technis outside, but damn, even from this view he was magnificent.
The tailored black pants of his suit clung to his well-formed ass and his muscled legs. His black jacket was tossed over the back of the chair beside him, leaving him in a shirt the color of palest ice.
“We have to stop meeting like this,” Mal said. “I’ve dressed up more for you lately than I have in the last year total.”
Xander turned, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Malin…you…”
A smile teased her lips. “Speechless? Now that’s a reaction to make a girl feel good.”
“You look amazing.”
Her heart warmed. So did he. He’d put some sort of black cover over his implant. It was still obviously an implant, but it no longer screamed “Centaxian.” She fingered the fabric of her gown. “Well, I like this dressa lotmore than my Rhage outfit.”
“It suits you.”
Her dress was a stunning metallic-bronze satin that shimmered under the lights. A metal ring sat at her neck and the fabric fell from that in a drape that teased over her body and left her arms bare. It fell in an asymmetric hem. She’d gotten lucky and found the perfect shoes on Galaxy’s Edge. They were bronze as well, a strappy affair with a heel that was high but not too high. She should be able to run in them—if she had to—without killing herself.
She’d slicked her hair back against her head, and in her ears, she wore a small dangle of jagged, metallic shards. The final touches were the metallic bands that wrapped around her bare upper arms. She loved the way they looked against her skin.
Suddenly, Xander was there, his big body an inch from hers. She noted the small black bow at his neck. He looked breathtaking. Her heart hammered, and stars, she was getting damp just looking at him.
“Stunning.” He traced a finger over her bare shoulder, then over the fabric, rubbing between his fingers. “Silky. Your skin is smoother, though.”
No one had ever called her—Malin Phoenix, salvage mechanic—stunning before. She dipped her head. “Thanks.”
His breath was warm on her cheek. “I still prefer you in your coveralls though.” He nipped at her earlobe. “Or even better, naked.”
She quivered. He was getting far too good at this seduction thing.
He straightened, his face taking on a more serious edge. “You’ll stay by my side. The entire time.”
She reached up and straightened his collar. “I’ll have to, you’ll need protection from the ladies.”
“I only have eyes for one lady.” He lowered his head.
“Don’t wreck my lipstick,” she murmured, at the same time wishing he would.
One gentle kiss to the hinge of her jaw. “One question.”
“Anything.”
“What’s beneath this dress?”
Mal pulled back, running her tongue over her teeth. “Nothing.”
