Page 12 of Stars in Umbra
It was then she felt the heat of a gaze on her.
She tilted her head toward a shadow hidden behind a far pillar of the tent scape.
Her entire being jolted as a man stepped into the half-light.
He was a hulking figure, built like a battering ram forged in iron. His bulging muscles, on the verge of straining against the tailored lines of his formal black suit, his form radiating with a raw, formidable power.
His skin gleamed, honey-dark and cut with pale jewel-toned studs along his temple and cheekbone.
The intensity on his face didn’t fade when his eyes met hers.
Rina forgot to breathe.
Their gazes locked.
His glowing, pulsing orbs, with slow-burning flames, the color of dusky embers behind smoked glass, raked her face, then her body.
It was a bold and unhurried perusal.
Afokk-you kind of once-over that made her stomach drop and her thighs shift.
‘Damn,’ she muttered under her breath.
Sheba leaned closer. ‘What?’
‘Who the hell is that?’
‘What are you talking about?’
Rina gave a subtle nod in her mark’s direction. ‘The mountain of man over there with the ‘I’ll-end-you’ face. He’s freakin’hot.’
Her throat dried even as she spoke.
Sheba followed her line of sight and whistled before lowering her voice into a whisper. ‘Ah, that’s Mo. He’s with the Riders. He runs venue security and is head bouncer, I believe, atThe Osirian. However, I’ve heard rumors that he also has a host of other terrifying titles. Please don’t ask me what. They say he can crush bone just by thinking about it.’
‘Hell on Devansi.’ Rina dragged her gaze away. ‘If I weren’t so shy, I’d want him to ruin me.’
‘Does this mean you’re relaxing your‘no time for love, too busy with my career, sworn off romance’rule for him?’
‘I don’t know the man to give him that much power already,’ Rina retorted. ‘Besides, a man like him isn’t the kind who gets interested in me.’
Sheba turned to her friend and waggled a finger in her face. ‘You need therapy for your disturbing lack of confidence when it comes to men, even though you’re one of the most badass women here,’ Sheba replied, deadpan.
‘Confidence is not the issue, it’s practice, I just haven’t had much in recent years.’
‘He would totally be all over you and your disciplined, controlled, galaxy-class military specialist ass, and ruining might be only part of the equation, hon. If only you got over yourself.’
As Sheba spoke, Mirage, the Riders’ Synth-Companion, glided to the raised altar with regal poise.
She shimmered in a gown of layered aqua opal and midnight shimmer, the fabric catching every glint of starlight and refracting it like cut crystal.
Her shoulders were bare, her heels en point and glittering with embedded shards of stardust.
A hush swept the gathered guests as she raised a jeweled hand, tapped the elegant mic in her hand, and kicked off the celebrations.
‘Be seated, friends,’ Mirage purred with an electric smile, her voice chiming like tuned glass. ‘The ceremony is about to begin.’
Sheba dug her elbow into Rina’s ribs as the crowd shifted to the seating area. ‘Park your tush down, as well as your plans to get ruined, until after the reception.’
