Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25821 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25821 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
He hadn’t hurt me, hadn’t purposefully frightened me. My fear seemed for the unknown and his visage, which he couldn’t help.
I was so lost in looking at all the paintings that it wasn’t until I felt a tingling on the back of my neck that I realized I wasn’t alone.
I looked over my shoulder and for a second didn’t see anything, but then my gaze landed on a darkened corridor that forked off of the hallway. It was there that I saw the glowing eyes of the Beast, his huge body filling up the entryway, his shoulders nearly touching the edges of the doorway, his head having to be cocked to the side so his horns didn’t take out the top of the frame.
His eyes positively glowed this otherworldly shade, a red hue that seemed to illuminate the small space before him.
I couldn’t see his visage very well, just the overall shape, and the very clear fact he was staring right at me.
I expected to feel the familiar hesitancy I’d gotten when I saw him. But as I stood there, I didn’t feel anything but this warmth that filled me. I even found myself taking a step closer, could see his face more clearly when my eyes adjusted to the darkness.
His nostrils flared when I took another step closer, then one more until we were just feet from each other. I had to crane my head back to look into his face, the Beast stationary, yet his focus never wavered from me.
I started breathing harder but couldn’t place what I was feeling. It was definitely curiosity, but I didn’t feel any fear or disgust. In fact, I felt a tightening in my belly, a flutter in my chest.
And I didn’t realize I was lifting my hand until it was in front of me and my fingers were an inch from his wide, barreled chest, half of the buttons of his shirt undone as if he had been too impatient to finish.
His chest was so hairy that the shirt couldn’t contain all the dark, thick fur. And once again, I wondered if it was soft or coarse.
“My female,” he growled out in that rumbled, deep voice of his.
Maybe I should have been more concerned at those two words, at the thick possessiveness laced within them. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it had a thrill moving through me.
“Touch me. Take your fill, ease your curiosity.” I didn’t think I’d ever get used to his inhumane voice, but… I liked it.
And I was just about to place my hand on the center of his chest, let my fingers run across all that fur, when I heard a loud clatter come from the kitchen followed by Cook cursing. I curled my fingers into my palm, blinked back to reality, and took a step back.
The Beast looked behind me into the kitchen, growling ominously, dangerously. It had me shivering, which had nothing to do with fear. I felt an unusual warmth settling between my thighs instead, and clenched my legs together. But all that did was add more pressure and had me sucking in a sharp breath.
He huffed out, the act so primal and animal-like that it reminded me of when I’d walk by the stables and heard the stallions stomping their hooves and breathing out through their noses in frustration.
I took a step back and the Beast took one forward, the movement feeling very hunter-and-prey like. Again I felt more heat, more wetness between my thighs, watched as his nostrils flared, and heard him inhale deeply.
And I realized he could scent me. And I knew he liked it.
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.