His teeth too? She wanted that too? As badly as he did? Would she let him scrape and nip and bite?

Would she let him mark her as his?

Fuck, no! He couldn’t. He couldn’t hurt her.

But she began to unbutton her dress and his mouth went dry. He could taste her on his tongue. His teeth clenched, fangs working against his still tucked jaw.

The honeyed scent of her arousal slammed into him.

“Miranda,” he snarled, and she shuddered. Her whole body trembled.

His control teetered.

“Come and get me, tough guy.”

And then she turned on her heel and bolted.

And his rational mind evaporated with blistering need.

Chapter

Twelve

MIRANDA

Wind whistled in her ears as she ran.

Her feet scrambled, and her muscles danced with adrenaline as he charged up behind her. His footfalls sounded like thunder. His snarling struck delicious pleasure deep into her core. Pulsing, aching.

She only made it about ten steps when he caught her and yanked her to his chest, pulled her against him. His frame loomed over her. The wall of muscle was firm and unrelenting. He dug his nose into her hair and dragged air deep into his lungs. She thought he might be trying to absorb her.

She squirmed, desperate, fighting him. He pulled her harder against his torso and snarled against her skin. Goosebumps broke out over her whole body, and heat bloomed in her gut.

“Fuck, Miranda.” He shook his head as if trying to clear it. “Don’t fight me.”

“And what if I do?”

He made a strangled sound in the back of his throat and loosened his grip. Her heart jumped into her throat.

Instead of using the slack in his caging arms to bolt, she freed her hand and snaked it back between their bodies. Found the hard, twitching length of him. Stroked it from base to tip. Even through his pants, she could feel how hot he was.

His body shuddered against her and his breath came out like a choked wheeze, like he couldn’t get enough air.

She grazed her thumb over the soft head of his cock beneath the rough wool. He shuddered again, and his grip loosened even more.

She took advantage of his distracted state and broke free of his grip.

“Miranda, stop,” he snarled, but she’d already leaped away from him. Out of his reach. He wasn’t chasing her this time, and she turned back to find him warring with himself. Uncertain.

“You don’t know what’s in my head, Miranda,” he said between the clench of his sharp teeth. “You don’t know what this fighting does to me. What horrors it sparks in my mind.”

“I decide if they’re horrors, tough guy,” she said firmly as his eyes bulged. “Tell me what you want.”

He swallowed thickly with a shudder. He stepped forward.

She swung around and sprinted away.

Got absolutely nowhere again.