Karen Kelley - The Falcon Prince

His brain had probably been fried by too many Star Wars movies, and she was not about to play close encounters of the sexy kind with him. She didn’t want him pulling her against his strong chest, and she most certainly didn’t want to run her hands over all those muscles or…God, she couldn’t stop staring at him! He was like a freakin’ drug and she an addict looking for her next fix.

Heath pulled Kristor’s attention away, and she could finally take a deep breath. What had just passed between them? A blast of electricity?

No, she’d only reacted to a gorgeous body. The guy was built, she wouldn’t deny that.

Built? More like sculpted from fine marble, Shintara broke into her thoughts.

“Shut up!”

“Shut up is right,” Mary Ann said as she stopped beside Ria. Her hungry gaze latched on to Kristor like a starving cougar.

This was not the plan. Ria was supposed to make people question Kristor, not drool all over him. Not that any woman wouldn’t foam at the mouth. She sort of believed him about the warrior stuff. He had the broad shoulders of a man who would take command during a battle. But she refused to get the hots for a lunatic.

“I heard your mother rented your old room out to him.” She delicately dabbed the corners of her mouth. “Lucky you.”

Didn’t anyone get anything around here? She dragged her eyes away from Kristor. “The man is a stranger, Mary Ann. We know nothing about him. He could be an escapee from a mental institution for all we know.”

She was such a slut. When they were in high school, Mary Ann would go into heat every time a jock passed by. Nothing had changed.

Mary Ann turned, giving Ria the once-over. “I heard you saw an alien. They have great doctors in Dallas. One of them might be able to help you.”

“I didn’t see an alien.”

“That’s not what my sister told me. She heard from Tilly that you were all hysterical when you called the sheriff’s office saying you’d seen a naked alien with hawk wings in the woods behind your house.” Her gaze returned to Kristor as he did the warm-up exercises with the other men. “I wouldn’t mind seeing him naked.” Mary Ann raised her pom-poms and shook them.

Seeing Kristor that day in the woods was a vision Ria wouldn’t soon forget. She shook her head, then looked at Mary Ann. “You wouldn’t mind seeing any man naked.”

The other woman sighed. “True.”

Ria arched an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t let your husband hear you say that.”

“Oh, honey, Bobby Ray doesn’t care where I get my appetite as long as I come home to eat.”

She was probably right. Bobby Ray adored Mary Ann. She had him twisted around her little finger.

“Besides, I keep my man happy. Where do you think I came up with the design for these uniforms?” She gave a sly wink.

Eww.

“You comin’ to the Women’s League meeting Tuesday night?” Mary Ann asked. “We need to vote how we’re going to raise money for the new x-ray machine at the hospital.”

“Why not give blow jobs?” Ria smiled sweetly.

Mary Ann stooped to re-tie her tennis shoe. Her expression was thoughtful when she straightened. “That’s an idea. You think Bobby Ray would mind?”

“I doubt it. He hasn’t seemed to mind too much in the past.”

“Ohh, good one.” She chuckled. “You know, I’ve always liked you, even though we all know you’re crazy.” Her arm suddenly went up and she waved. “There’s Becky, and Laura.”

Bitch. Ria turned and smiled at the other two ladies. The last two arrived as the guys took the field.

“Wow, look at the crowd,” Laura said.

What had started out as a few loyal, bored relatives in the bleachers had grown to overwhelming proportions. Ria had a feeling Kristor was the reason for the rise in popularity of the game today.

The next hour was filled with cheers and jeers. For an alien, Kristor had picked up the game pretty fast. Let him explain that.

Hmm, it might not be as easy as she’d hoped to convince people he was one crayon short of having a full box. The way everyone clapped him on the back, he apparently was making friends.

Her plan had backfired. No one wanted to hear that he might be a serial killer or even crazy. They were more interested in watching his moves on the field. Not fair. Kristor looked like he belonged more than she did.

“I do like the way they huddle,” Mary Ann said.

Kristor’s butt faced them. So what if he had a hot butt? It didn’t make him any less mental.

Mary Ann’s eyes widened. “Surely they aren’t going to try for a field goal. It’s insane. That has to be at least sixty-five yards. The record is what? Sixty-three?” She chunked her pom-poms on the ground in front of her and slapped her hands on her hips.

Mary Ann always amazed Ria. As slutty as she acted, the woman still knew her football. Which was probably because she had slept with every football player in high school.

“He is,” Mary Ann said with disgust.

Now maybe Ria could convince people that Kristor was crazy. If they were pissed at him because he’d lost the game for the team, it wouldn’t be that long of a stretch for them to believe the guy should be locked away. Texans took their football seriously.

Heath knelt, ready to catch the ball. Kristor walked back, knelt down, looked at the ball, and then the goalpost. Ria smiled. Victory was in the air, and it would soon be hers.

The ball was snapped. Heath caught it, and quickly placed it. Kristor was already running forward. When he was in back of the ball, he brought his right foot back and kicked. She watched the ball. It went higher and higher.

That wasn’t possible. Was it?

She glanced at Kristor. He’d knelt on one knee, his arms stretched toward the ball as if he were willing it to cross between the goalposts. Her eyes narrowed. There was something really strange going on. She looked at the football again just as it sailed between the two posts.

The crowd erupted with screams of amazement flowing down the bleachers and onto the field.

Kristor stood, chest puffed out, and gave a battle cry. The other men surrounded him, clapping him on the back, and attempting to copy his victory cry but sounding more like a bunch of mice escaped from the lab.

Kristor met her gaze again and grinned.

Now she was pissed.

She would have to think of something else before her parents’ party tonight. Something that would blackball Kristor. He was the crazy one, yet the town acted as if she was the mental case. Life was so not fair!

Kristor eased his arm into the shirt, wincing as he dressed for Maggie and Ron’s party. One of the men had barreled into him, hitting Kristor just where it would hurt. If one of his brothers saw him right now, they would laugh themselves silly. The man had been scrawny, his bones poking out, which is probably what caught him in the ribs.

You’re out of shape, Labrinon commented.

Kristor glared at his reflection, and for a moment saw the eyes of a hawk staring back at him. I have no war to fight. It isn’t my fault. It was actually. The borders of New Symtaria were secure. No one dared attack them.

Just don’t let your body grow weak. It would be embarrassing.

“Silence,” he growled.

You grow irritable. Maybe because you haven’t had sex in a while.

I mated only days before I left.

Then you had to find Rianna. That has taken many weeks. Maybe if you mate with her, she will go with you to New Symtaria.

Silence! His guide made him weary.

But Labrinon was correct that Kristor grew irritable. The clothes he wore were uncomfortable. But it was what everyone in town chose to wear. Kristor had shifted into his animal guide, and Labrinon had flown over the town. Through the hawk’s eyes, Kristor had seen how people acted, and what they wore.