Page 86 of Legacy of Danger
She froze.
Time slowed. Light and motion and sound blurred.
From the opposite side of the cage, Vaughn whipped his head up and lurched toward her as if pulled by a magnet, arms outstretched, mouth open in a yell.
Before she could react, Linc grabbed the lapels of her blazer, lifted her off the ground and tossed her hard enough to crash into a padded cage corner. Her head banged off the cage beam, and all the air left her with burning, starving lungs. The roar of the crowd faded and stars sparkled on the edges of her vision.
As a furious Linc closed the short distance with his fist raised, Mariah ducked her head behind her arms, shielding herself against a blow...
That never came.
Vaughn's massive frame slid in front of hers, and he grunted with the impact of the blow meant for Mariah. But he remained standing, vulnerable to attack, legs spread, arms extended, fingers looped into the sides of the octagon corner, so that he caged her behind his body. She peeked around his massive back.
A thousand people took a collective breath.
Heat radiated from Vaughn's sweat-covered torso. Funny, even though he didn't fold her into his arms, she still felt enveloped by him. This new stupid headache had to be from hitting her head.
The ref, both corners, Angelo, and the inspectors poured into the octagon, yelling at Linc and pushing the raging man back to the opposite side of the ring. Police followed, and soon they had Linc hustled away, much to the glee of the fickle crowd. The audience who had hated her for stopping the fight thirty seconds ago had some sense of ethics and apparently drew the line when the fighter knocked down the medical personnel.
The announcer, trying to regain control of the event, windmilled his hand in a frantic bid to get Vaughn to join him in the middle of the ring for the announcement.
Instead, Vaughn whipped around, relocking his fingers into the metal mesh on either side of Mariah's head. The gold glinted in his eyes as his face contorted. He was ungodly fury on the edge of losing all control. She'd never seen anything like it.
She suppressed a shiver for anyone else who got close to him right about now. That included herself.
He sucked in a lungful of air. "Fuck," he exhaled, all heat and male sweat and wild adrenaline. Thousands of people surrounding them, and he ignored them all. After a few seconds of staring at her, he said, "Are you okay?"
His sheer intensity made her weak in the knees. "I'm fine. Thanks for helping." She swallowed. "You should, um, go get your winnings. Get your hand raised. That was a great fight."
"Not until you get checked out by another doctor."
"I'm not hurt." On what level was this statement true?
Like he clawed the words out of his throat, he growled, "I don't fucking care what you think. My mind will not function until I know you're okay." His Adam's apple bobbed. Cords of neck muscle flexed. Being the pinpoint focus of this much-concentrated power? Thrilling. Edgy. Sexy. Terrifying.
Sometimes fighters got so buzzed on adrenaline they couldn't concentrate. Maybe he was dealing with something along those lines. "Not a problem. I'll have Dr. Brandeis do a quick check. See? All taken care of," she tried to soothe him. She licked her lips. God, Vaughn was only inches away. Heat poured off of him. "Now. We're making a scene, and I'm getting embarrassed."
"Tough." He turned to the announcer and his corner guys. "Be right back," he barked. Then he held out a hand. "Allow me."
"I don't need help."
"Or I can carry you, which will be way more enjoyable for me, and I guarantee will make a hell of a bigger scene."
Her belly quivered. She reached out, and he snugged his hand under her arm and drew her close to him as they stepped down the stairs out of the octagon to the audience's clapping. Her face burned. Great.
Dr. Brandeis ran up to her.
"Can you check on her?" Vaughn said.
She mostly ignored the exam as Vaughn retreated, his posture rigid, muscles twitching. The announcer called the fight result, much to the wild enthusiasm of the crowd. As Vaughn exited once more, he paused in front of her.
"I want to see you before you leave."
The cold blast shooting down her spine had nothing to do with it being winter in Wyoming.
