Page 17 of Kissed By the Alien
When his hand returns to my lower back, the heat of his skin warming me, I wonder what I can do to encourage that hand to go lower.
Gun, not fun, my inner voice says.
If my inner voice were a person, I’d shoot it right now. If I ever get the damn gun, that is.
A girl needs some fun, after all, and I’m long overdue.
It’s decided then. Fun tonight. Gun tomorrow.
Lutan steers me away from the dancefloor. “We have a saying on my world. Avinu dotu ranna lim drenn. Avinu dotu vash lim varys. How the battle begins depends on the criminal. How it ends, depends on the warrior.”
“I’m not sure how to interpret that.”
Lutan doesn’t explain further. He’s distracted by a man across the ballroom. The guy has obnoxiously thick side burns which remind me of pictures I’ve seen of Englishmen from the Victorian era. I don’t recognize the man, but he’s wearing a very crisp tux that would look smashing on Lutan.
When my eyes meet the man’s, he raises a wine glass to me. Then his eyes roam down my body in a creepy way that makes me shiver. He’s the person I sensed watching me earlier, not Lutan. Well, Lutan was watching me too, but nothing about him makes the hairs on my arms stand up.
While I’m wondering if the man knows me and that I’m not supposed to be here, I’m more concerned with Lutan right now. I don’t like how he’s staring at that man, or that his horns are pointing forward, like he’s a bull ready to charge the matador.
The man dabs at his mouth with a red napkin, his eyes still on me.
Whoever the guy is, it’s like he’s challenging Lutan. He’s not going to make a move in the middle of a ballroom teeming with soldiers and security but I can’t say the same about my date. Distracting Lutan might be the best course of action.
When the music transitions to a slow dance, I grab his hand and head to the dancefloor.
“We cannot dance,” he protests.
“We don’t need to be a couple to dance. Just follow my moves.” I show him the proper hand holds, with my right hand in his left. When I place my left hand on his right shoulder, he winces. “Did I hurt you?”
“A recent wound. It’s still healing.”
When I move my hand away, he grips it and places it back on his shoulder. “I don’t want to hurt you,” I say.
“Warriors learn to take pain. And holding a beautiful female makes the pain worthwhile.”
There he goes again, skyrocketing my confidence through the roof. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure I was going to remove my coat tonight, let alone go inside with him. I’m not like Viv when it comes to wearing clothing that shows off my figure. She’s all confidence and smiles and I’m the opposite.
It’s difficult feeling sexy in clothing that’s too tight or baggy. And custom-made clothing is expensive. I’ve been heavy since I was a little girl, but after the Devlin fiasco, I gained a lot of weight.
That man destroyed what little confidence I had. Another reason I could never abandon my family. My dad’s men took care of the problem for me. I owe him after that.
I push all thoughts of Devlin away. He’s dead and buried. Literally. And this guy here, this alien who doesn’t smile much but whose eyes never leave me, intrigues the hell out of me.
“I could massage your shoulder for you if you’d like.” Nope, I’m not subtle. Not when there’s something I want. The question is, what precisely do I want? Him or my gun?
Careful not to squeeze, I slide my fingers over Lutan’s shoulder, following the contours of those beautiful muscles up his arm before tracing the lines of thick black swirls of a tattoo that wraps around his biceps. I glimpse additional tattoos beneath his closure-less vest and would love to peel the fabric aside, but that’s too forward, even for me.
And yet my fingers curl over the edge and slide beneath the fabric, lightly touching magnificent muscles.
He inhales sharply, but it’s not pain I see in his glorious, deep blue eyes.
“Is my hand cold?”
He lays his hand atop mine, stopping my exploration of his chest. My heart nearly stops beating when his thumb slides back and forth over my hand. The room fades away and I can’t register anything except Lutan. His lips brush my ear as his warm breath cascades down my neck, sending delicious shivers through me. “Do you know what you are doing to me, female?”
“Funny... I was going to ask you the same thing.” I’ve never lusted after anyone in my life. And it’s more than his physique. It’sLutan, the male inside. I need to stop this, whatever it is that’s happening between us.
“I want to see your tattoos,” I say the first thing that comes to mind. WTF. I’m telling him my innermost thoughts, offered without an ounce of strategy? Damn. That’s sonotwho I am.
