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What is my life right now? “Koala hug.”

His lips twitched as he mimed holding me in front of him, and I couldn’t stop another bout of giggles.

“So I can obscure your vision until you trip and twist your ankle too? Then we’d be really screwed.” I hoped I didn’t end up as a skin suit because Zane seemed pretty cool. And, well, pretty, in a ruggedly masculine sort of way.

Zane flashed a mischievous smile and winked. That…did something funny to my stomach. He stood, and from my position, he loomed as tall as the surrounding trees. He could probably crack me in half without breaking a sweat, but he helped me to my feet with a gentleness that made a lump form in my throat.

THREE

Well, now I had a boner.

A severely inconvenient development to occur while a giant man carries you with the ease of an empty backpack and your groin keeps rubbing against his muscles. Who has that many muscles on their back?

It was friction, pure and simple. My jeans weren’t particularly thick, and his back, well. It was hard. Like my dick has been for the past ten minutes. Unintentionally dry-humping someone was mortifying. And what made it worse was how much I liked it. What the hell does that mean?

We’d been quiet for several minutes. I tried to focus on the hooting owls, but all I could think about was my erection, what it meant, and whether Zane was thinking about it too. Was he grossed out? Regretting he’d ever come to my rescue?

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yup. Totally. Super okay.”

I felt—felt!—Zane’s laughter inside my chest. He adjusted his grip on my legs and hoisted me higher on his back. The drag of my dick against his body made me whimper. There was no hiding it, and what made it worse was how desperately I clung to him. Zane’s body was as hot as a sauna, and I couldn’t squeeze close enough. He’d chased away the chill, and I wondered how gratifyingly warm his bare skin would feel.

“You good?” I asked as a fresh wave of guilt crashed over me because he’d derailed his night to help me.

“Never better,” Zane said in his low rumble.

If I didn’t know better, I would’ve suspected he sounded aroused. Impossible. Why would a guy like him be into someone like me?

I clamped my mouth shut before I said something stupid. Another wave of orange and clove hit me. That combination had always relaxed me. It was my favorite of the simmer pots my grandma used to keep on the stove to make her house smell amazing. The scent lulled me to relaxation as I bounced against Zane’s back.

My attention wandered back to his horns. “What’s your Halloween costume?” I asked.

“Costume?”

“The horns.” They were so realistic. I dragged the pad of my fingertip across one to figure out the material. Zane’s steps faltered as he let out a shocked, high-pitched gasp. He tried to cover the sound by clearing his throat.

“Sorry. Hit a rock,” he mumbled.

“No worries.” My voice sounded far away compared to the ringing in my ears.

If by some miracle he hadn’t noticed my erection before, he certainly would now because it was as hard as the horns on his head. Zane’s pace increased, which made me bounce more. More friction. Harder dick. A vicious, endless cycle that made my skin buzz with need. If we didn’t get to his place soon, I’d be at risk of coming in my pants.

“I’m dressed as an incubus. For Halloween.”

“That’s awesome,” I said sincerely. “I’m not big on Halloween costumes, but if I had to dress up, I’d pick a character from Kiss of the Abyss. That’s a game about incubi and succubi.” I’d never be able to pull off dressing like Damien, but Zane could. I’d probably go with Empress Whisker, the orange tabby cat possessed by a mouthy demon.

Zane’s grip tightened around my thigh, just above my knee. Silence stretched for a long moment. “You know what an incubus is?” His voice was rough.

“Oh, yeah. Kind of. Just what I learned through that game. Well, and a bit of reading I did about the lore, but just the basics.”

“The basics.”

I couldn’t place his tone. Somewhere between incredulous and shocked, if I had to guess.

“It’s a good costume choice. The whole sexy sex demon thing you’ve got going on.”

“You think I’m sexy?” The grin was clear in his voice.