The Beast

I kept backing up and he kept moving forward until I felt the wall stop my retreat. But I realized I wasn’t escaping, I wasn’t running away from him. I liked him prowling closer, invading my personal space, his body heat potent as it swirled around me.

The scent of the wilderness clung to his fur—a mixture of pine needles, fresh air, and hints of sunshine. But underneath that fragrance was something deeper and darker, a musky aroma that tingled in the back of my nose and made me feel all sorts of ways that confused me.

“Eat your fill at dinner tonight, Belle.”

The Beast’s voice sounded extra growly, and I felt it skate across my bare skin, his gaze flickering across my collarbones and lower still until he was staring at my cleavage that couldn’t be contained by the bodice of the gown.

Although the material molded to my form perfectly, fitting me like a second skin, it didn’t hide the lushness of my womanly body.

“Because you’ll need your energy when, after supper, I require my new wife to bathe me.”

And with that, he lifted his hand, one black, deadly looking claw coming closer to my face before he gently wrapped a curl around it.

The ringlet molded around one of his big fingers, then he lifted his hand to bring the strand to his nose, inhaling deeply as he rumbled out in a low tenor.

And I felt that vibration right between my thighs again. He made that wondrous noise before letting the curl fall back against my cheek.

He stared into my eyes once more, just a moment longer, before he took a step back, holding his arm out for me, and waited until I slipped my hand in the crook of his elbow.

And only when I did that did he lead us into the dining room.

But all I could think about was what we would be doing afterward.