Page 50 of Pleasured By the Panther
Martin’s face turned brick red. His fists clenched on either side of his cake plate. But what could he say? Aunt Marge was an old woman—it wasn’t like he could threaten to punch her, though that was clearly on his mind.
But Aunt Marge still wasn’t finished. She turned her attention back to Miranda, squinting critically.
“What did you do to yourself, anyway, Miranda? You look thirty years younger!”
“Well, I—” Miranda began, but her great-aunt wasn’t finished.
“Did you find some nice man to finally give you some good loving in the bedroom?” she bawled. “I know Martin couldn’t have been too good at that. Didn’t you say his man parts were too small to satisfy a fly?”
To Miranda’s agonized embarrassment, the old lady’s voice carried through the whole backyard. The entire reception went silent, then broke into a wave of snickers and whispers. Miranda wanted to sink under the table. All eyes were on her—and Aunt Marge—who was still shouting, blissfully unaware of the tumult she was causing.
“Why, I bet she only married him for his money!” she practically shouted, nodding at Jolene again. “Wasn’t it a good joke on her when you got the house and half his paycheck in the divorce!”
And that was when Korrath strolled casually into the reception.
Miranda was desperately glad to have a distraction from her great aunt, and the big Monstrum certainly made an entrance.
He looked devastatingly handsome in his Monstrum uniform—a long-sleeved red shirt, tight black leather trousers, and tall black boots polished to a mirror shine. His broad shoulders filled out the shirt and his emerald eyes gleamed in a way that made Miranda’s heart skip a beat.
He came straight to her table, sat down beside her as though he belonged there, and slipped an arm around her shoulders.
“How are you, my lovely one?” he purred. His deep voice rolled through her, intimate and rich. “I hope you don’t mind that I came to see you—I couldn’t keep away from you any longer.” He bent and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
Miranda’s breath caught in her chest. The big Monstrum’s touch steadied her even as Jolene’s face soured and Martin’s jaw tightened further.
“Oh, so that’s your secret!” Aunt Marge bawled delightedly. “No wonder you look thirty years younger—I’ve heard those Monster Kindred are amazing in bed! Tell me, is he twice as big as Martin down there or three times as big?”
Miranda blushed scarlet, but she couldn’t help the flicker of laughter she felt when she caught the look of pure fury on her ex’s face.
“Aunt Marge, meet Korrath—my date to the wedding,” she said firmly, refusing to discuss his size.
“Much more than your date, I hope, lovely one,” Korrath murmured, nuzzling her cheek. Then he rose halfway and bowed gallantly over Aunt Marge’s hand. “Greetings. I’m pleased to meet any relative of my beloved.”
At that moment, the bride and groom began making the rounds to greet each table. Hanna made a beeline straight for Miranda.
“Mom—what’s going on?” she whispered urgently, her eyes darting between Miranda and Korrath. “Are you with Korrath now? Like really with with him?”
Miranda lifted her chin.
“Yes, I am, sweetheart. I hope you’re not upset I brought him to the reception.”
Hanna shot Martin a look, then gave Jolene a much more unfriendly one. Her lip curled—she had never liked the woman who broke up her parents’ marriage. Jolene was pouting, her arms crossed tight over her full belly, her bottom lip thrust out.
Hanna turned back to Miranda.
“I’m happy if you’re happy,” she told her mom.
“Thank you for allowing me to share in the joy of your Joining day,” Korrath said courteously to Hanna.
Hanna gave him a long, appraising look, then nodded.
“That’s all right—as long as you make my mom happy, you’re welcome in my life and welcome in our family.”
She moved on to the next table, leaving Miranda and Korrath to their own devices. People were still looking at them and whispering behind their hands, but Miranda didn’t care—she was just relieved her daughter was happy.
For his part, the big Monstrum seemed utterly relaxed and unbothered by the whispers. Miranda gave him a bite of her cake, and he ate it with relish, murmuring about how delicious it was.
At that point, it seemed that Jolene couldn’t be quiet any longer.
