Page 55 of Red Captive

Rex really looks at me for the first time since we ran into him. Up until now, his eyes have been plastered on the female. They go wide in recognition. “Steel! You’retheSteel. Fuck! It’syou. You’re a legend. An absolute legend. You rose up the ranks quicker than anyone ever has. Quicker than anyone ever will. I hear you’re somewhat of a legend in The Pit, as well. I’m glad you’re back… Are you even back?” He lifts his eyebrows. His eyes are full of excitement.

“Just for this one assignment,” I tell him. “It’s not permanent.”

He shakes his head. “That’s a pity. For the record, I think you were dealt an unfair hand. I mean, it wasn’t your fault, you—”

“Itwasmy fault. I didn’t follow protocol. I fucked up. I deserved everything I got; in fact, I got off lightly, considering.” I look over at Jen. “We need to go.”

“It was good to see you, Rex. I’m glad you’ve forgiven me and that you understand why I tried to escape. I never meant for you to get into trouble. I still can’t believe that the general whipped you like that, and for something I did.” Her eyes fill with tears.

“It wasn’t that bad.” He winks at her.

“I hate that you’ve been demoted.” Jen sniffs, clearly holding back tears. “I’m so sorry.”

“There is nothing to forgive. I’ll get promoted again soon enough. Take care of yourself.”

“You, too,” Jen says. “You’re a good guy, Rex.”

I roll my eyes as they hug. Rex holds on for far too fucking long.

“We need to go,” I growl as Rex rubs his hands up and down her back, pulling her in closer.

“Of course,” Rex says, finally letting her go. “Bye, Jen.” He waves at her with one hand.

“Bye.” She waves back as we start to walk. “I’m so glad he’s okay and that he doesn’t blame me. He’s such a sweet guy,” Jen says as we reach our apartment.

“He’snotsweet. An idiot?Yes.Sweet? Not so fucking much.”

“What? How can you say that? You heard him; he’s forgiven me. He never even blamed me in the first place.”

“That’s because he wants to fuck you,” I tell her as I open the door to the apartment.

She gasps. “That’s not true.” We go inside. “He likes me. You heard him, he wants to date me. There is a difference.”

“Nope, there really isn’t. He was eye-fucking you in that elevator. He wantsinyour panties. Actually, he wants yououtof your panties. He wants to rip them clean off you.”

“Really?” Her eyes are wide, and her chest is heaving. And what a chest it is. “What else does he want to do to me?” Her voice is husky and low.

I’m not so sure we’re even talking about Rex anymore. Her pupils are blown. Her nipples are hard. Holy shit!

“He wants to bend you over and to fuck you so hard that you forget your own damned name. He wants to make you come harder than you ever have before. He isn’t sweet or any of those other things. You’d feel him afterward…between your legs and deep inside.”

Jen swallows so thickly that the sound reverberates around the whole room. Then she uses her thumb to point at the bedroom door. Her throat works. “I’d better get ready. I’m seeing another candidate in an hour or two.”

“No, you’re not. I just got a message to say that it’s been canceled.” I hold up my new cellphone. It was delivered earlier. “They want you to sign that contract first. Your meetings will commence once the document is finalized.”

“Oh…um…okay. I’m going to…um…get some rest. I’m tired.” She fake-yawns and runs away, throwing her bedroom door closed behind her.

She leaves behind the scent of her arousal. My dick is so hard that it’s pressing up against the zipper of my jeans. I’m sure it’ll leave an indentation. I sniff the air and groan.

What the fuck was that?

What the actual fuck.

When did the conversation turn to us? I wasn’t speaking about Rex, and neither was she. Her arousal sure as shit isn’t for Rex. She liked hearing me talk dirty. It turned her on. My cock is throbbing, and my balls are tight. The thought of putting her tight ass in the air does all sorts of things to me.

I’d better tread carefully in the coming weeks. That kind of talk can’t happen again. I can’t make the same mistakes again. Even if Jen is telling the truth about everything, I can’t lose focus and put her at risk. I need to leave her the hell alone.

The fact of the matter is that within the next two weeks, she’s going to pick a mate. She’s going to mate for money. Her reasons for doing so are not important. The fact that it’s happening is.

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