His hand closes around my bicep to steady me.
“Oh! Sorry!”
“Not a problem, sweetness.” His hand lingers on me for a few seconds too long and the look he’s giving me has alarm bells blaring in my ears.
Get away from him.
“Excuse me,” I say, subtly pulling myself free from his grasp as I move through the crowd putting as much distance between us as I can.
I stop a few rows back from the cage, my eyes fixed on Killian.
What the hell is he thinking? Does he have a death wish? The guy is huge!
Sweat glistens on his naked upper body, his muscles rippling as he takes a swing, narrowly missing his opponents face as he ducks out of the way.
I might not particularly like Killian, but it won’t stop me appreciating how gorgeous he is. Broad shoulders and a dusting of dark hair across the wide expanse of his chest. There’s barely an inch of skin untouched by ink, the intricate designs working their way down his chiselled abdomen I’m sure was carved from solid stone. And as if the rest of him isn’t already enough to make my panties damp, the strip of hair below his belly button, disappearing beneath the low waistband of his jeans has liquid fire spreading between my thighs.
His opponent lands a hit to Killian’s abdomen, winding him before swinging his fist into his face, his head snapping to the left, sending him stumbling backwards a step, collapsing down onto one knee as blood drips from the cut to his brow and his lower lip.
It’s clear who the underdog is between the two of them. The crowd going wild as his opponent turns his back on Killian, his fists raised in the air as he amps up the crowd like the fight is already won.
My heart thunders in my chest. Killian is still on the ground, his head bowed.
“Dario! Dario! Dario!” the crowd chants.
“Get up!” I shout, my voice swallows up by the volume of the crowd that deafens me. “Get up Killian!” I shout louder.
Killian’s head snaps up, those molten chocolate eyes boring into mine as though he heard my voice. There’s no way he heard me. Hecouldn’thave.
I see the moment surprise morphs into anger. I disobeyed him. I broke my promise to stay in the truck.
Seeing me in the crowd fuels him, sparking something inside him that gives him the strength to rise to his feet. The other man, Dario is still unaware of Killian’s recovery and Killian uses it to his advantage.
He uses the element of surprise as he comes up behind Dario. He kicks the back of Dario’s knee, forcing him to the ground before gripping him in a head lock. Dario delivers blow after blow to Killian’s abdomen to weaken him but Killian stays strong.
I’m so engrossed in the fight that I don’t feel a body slide up behind mine until two large hands land on my hips.
“Well, hello again, sweetness.” The hot breath against my neck makes me shiver and I recoil away, spinning around to find the creepy guy from earlier peering down at me.
He’s shorter than Killian but I still have to crane my neck back to look up at him. He’s well-built, but if his beer belly is anything to go by as it brushes against me, I’m guessing a lot of it is fat rather than muscle.
“You didn’t need to run off so fast earlier, I don’t bite…much,” he adds with a grin.
“It’s just as well, a tetanus shot wasn’t on my to-do list this evening,” I retort in an attempt to be strong, to show this guy he doesn’t intimate me, but I can feel that strength crumblingwith every second he scan me from head to toe, undressing me with his eyes. Eyes that unsettle me more than I want to let on.
I take a couple of steps back, my eyes darting around to find an exit route or someone close by who’s noticed what’s happening, but every pair of eyes are fixed on the fight, totally oblivious to me and this man. I take one more step back and slam into something hard. My neck snaps around to find another man peering down at me, his eyes just as unnerving. This guy is a little younger than his friend, thinner in build and reeking of beer.
“You were right, Al. Sheisa sweet little thing, isn’t she? I’d love to get a taste,” he says.
“You don’t mind us sharing do you, sweetheart?” The first guy, Al asks me.
“Actually I do. That’s my boyfriend up there in the cage. Do you really want to find out what’ll happen if you touch me?” The lie falls from my mouth too easily, but it’s worth a shot.
Al laughs as the other guy glances over his shoulder at the cage behind him.
Somehow Dario has managed to overpower Killian, both of them are on their feet now, circling each other. Dario throws a punch but Killian blocks it, landing one of his own into Dario’s gut.
Al turns back to me. “Your boyfriend seems a little preoccupied right now. How about we keep you company?”
