Page 44 of Pleasured By the Panther
34
MIRANDA
The ceremony was beautiful. At least, Miranda thought it was. The words blurred together…the vows melting into a haze as heat coiled tighter and tighter inside her like a wire that might snap at any time. She sat rigid in the pew, hands clasped hard in her lap, her smile fixed as she prayed she could just get through this.
Her chest felt hot and her skin was flushed and damp. Every breath felt too short, as though her lungs couldn’t draw enough air. Her nipples throbbed beneath her dress, swollen and tender, while her pussy was slick and pulsing with every heartbeat.
Don’t faint. Don’t ruin this. It’s Hanna’s big day. Just hold it together until the end. Then you can go upstairs to your room and try to take care of yourself.
When Hanna and her new husband turned to walk back down the aisle, Miranda forced herself to smile, clapping with the rest of the guests. She watched her daughter’s radiant face, tried to focus only on her joy and the love she saw between her and her groom. But as the parlor emptied, the edges of her vision began to shimmer.
Oh God, she sensed she had only a few minutes to get upstairs before she fainted or lost it somehow. Maybe even less time than that. She had to hurry!
She stood…and the floor tilted.
“Oh!” she gasped.
Her knees buckled, and the room lurched sideways. She was falling…falling?—
And then strong arms scooped her up, steady as steel.
“Miranda.” The deep growl rumbled in her ear, achingly familiar.
Her eyes fluttered open, dazed.
“Korrath?”
He held her close, cradled against his chest as though she weighed nothing at all. His face loomed above her, fierce and beautiful, eyes blazing with green fire.
Then she smelled him—his special scent. Musk and spice, sharp and overwhelming, filled her senses and wrapped around her body like a storm. It seared through her overheated body, promising relief.
A desperate moan tore from her throat. She clutched at his neck, dragging him down to her. Their mouths met in a long, needy kiss, her lips parting, her tongue seeking his.
“Please,” she whispered brokenly when she tore her lips from his. “I’m so sorry about earlier—I need you.”
“I’m here, my lovely one,” he murmured, his voice rough with urgency and something deeper. “Where can we be alone?”
“Upstairs,” she gasped. “My bedroom…”
“Show the way.”
She nodded weakly, pointing toward the grand staircase. Without hesitation, Korrath turned, carrying her in his arms as though she were the bride instead of Hanna.
Miranda let her head fall against his broad shoulder, clutching him tight as he bore her away, up the stairs, toward the sanctuary of her room.
Her whole body felt hot and needy, but she had hope at least…hope that the big Monstrum could help her.
35
KORRATH
Korrath shut the bedroom door with a decisive click, then turned the lock. The sound seemed to echo in the quiet room.
How often had he watched Miranda here in his dreams—it all looked the same. Her bed with its warm green coverings…the white lace curtains in the windows…and the beautiful pictures on the walls she’d painted herself. He was glad now that he’d dreamed of her so extensively—he’d had no trouble at all finding her house once he felt out of the fold in space the Monstrum Mother Ship had made for him.
He crossed back to her in three strides, cupping her flushed cheek in one hand. Her eyes looked glassy, and the scent of her desire was overwhelming—calling to him like a siren.
“What…what’s wrong with me?” she whispered, and she looked so fragile…so desperate that his heart fisted in his chest.
