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Gripping my waist tighter, his sound is like a human groan of pleasure.
I have to hold back similar sounds. Being in the breadth of his body, standing so close, the warm, musty scent of him fills me, and I’m the most turned-on I’ve ever been.
I’ve either lost my mind or am lying unconscious somewhere and my imagination is going wild. Manticores only exist in mythology. The only thing is, I’ve never had this good of an imagination. I mean, if I could conjure up a sexy monster at will, I’d do it every day.
“I’m going to pull it out.” I close my eyes, expecting that once I remove the needle, this monster is going to devour me. It’s lodged deep, and I have to give it a hard yank, but the projectile slides free.
His roar fills the woods, and I try to push away, but he holds me tightly to him. His body is warm and soft fur tickles my face, neck, and chest to the edge of the low neckline of my gown. When he stops the terrifying noise, he caresses my back from my shoulders to the swell of my ass and purrs along my throat.
His cock grows larger and hard against my thigh.
My skin prickles with desire and I grind my hips against him, needing him to satisfy my desire. The want is more than I’ve ever felt before. Nothing and no one has ever made me out of control until now. I grip his shoulders and run my fingers through the thick fur. Unable to stop the moan that makes its way to my throat, my body aches for release.
I want to climb him and find satisfaction. The need is terrifying. This is absurd. I drop the dart and press harder on his chest.
Releasing me, he stares with longing in his eyes.
“I’m not going to lie. I can see, and I felt how aroused you are, and I felt the attraction too. But I’m a human woman and whatever you are…is too much to comprehend.” I inch toward the trees. Wrapping my hand around a yearling, I’m going to need its support to walk away from the beast who in a moment stole my heart. “I hope you’ll be alright now.”
His face contorts.
“Oh no.”
There must be something else wrong. He’s in pain again.
The crunch of bone echoes in the woods as his entire body shifts and shrinks. He’s distorted, and I feel as if my mind is lost.
I can’t move or I would run, but I just stare, the way people can’t look away from an accident on the highway. He changes from a magnificent manticore into the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. His hair is golden and hangs to his shoulders. His jaw is strong with several days of growth. The cat’s eyes are now the most stunning amber but human as they search my face. The rest of him is pure perfection and his shaft, still hard, stands out at attention from his toned body.
My skin prickles with goosebumps. This is any woman’s dream. Not mine though. I am terrible with men and the wedding of my ex and my sister is only the most recent evidence. Still, I can’t move. I’m mesmerized by his perfection and the way he looks at me like I’m something special.
Opening his mouth as if he’s going to speak, he closes it again and shifts his jaw from side to side. “I…argh… A…”
Clouds dim the moon and I blink to see better. I’ve got to get out of here. “You clearly have some things to deal with. I’m certainly out of my mind.” Turning, I run back to the hiking path. My heels are making me stumble, so I stop long enough to kick them off, then run as fast as I can.
His hard footfall and strange noises follow me.
Oh god, he’s chasing me. I can’t decide if I want him to catch me or not, but I keep running away. The beast was amazing. I have no idea why I helped him, but the man is more than I can bear.
When I reach the hotel, I make a wide arc around the wedding tent and run into the lobby.
“Miss DeRosa, are you alright?” The concierge stands up from behind his desk, concern etched on his narrow face.
Putting on my best all-is-well expression, I attempt a smile. “I’m fine.”
He stares at the torn bottom of my gown and my bare feet. “Are you sure?”
I can only imagine what the rest of me looks like. “I took a walk in the woods and lost my shoes.” I fake a laugh. “All I need is a hot bath and some sleep.”
“If there’s anything the hotel can do for you, please call.”
“Thank you.” I turn and go to the elevators. Waiting for the doors to open, I peer around in case a naked manticore man strides through the lobby to whisk me away. My lady parts tingle at the idea.
The doors open and I rush inside, pressing the button for the twelfth floor. Once I’m in my room, I lock the bolt and flop on the bed.
It was some kind of hallucination. That’s all. Maybe someone slipped me something in my champagne. That creepy friend of Derek’s, Toby, has never seemed right to me. That’s it. I managed to get through the worst night of my life, had a crazy adventure that almost made the wedding worth it, and now I’ll go to sleep. Everything will be fine in the morning.
Two
