Page 26 of Minding the Minotaur
I start pawing at the thick pile of the carpet with a hoof. Smooth my hands over my horns. Dang, I should have oiled them, would have if I’d known. I comb through the ruffled fur around my neck with shaking fingers. There’s no time tocheck my appearance in the bathroom mirror. I’ve barely slept, so I probably look like shit warmed up.
I stand tall, brace my huge shoulders, and widen my stance, hands behind my back.
The key grates in the lock. I train my unblinking gaze on the door as it opens.
There stands Otis, predictably frowning, and next to him, so small and deliciously soft and curvy, her skin like a ripe peach—it’sher… My human. Sure, her beautiful hair is obscured by an ugly cap, but those big baby blues, that wide sensual mouth, her cute round cheeks… unmistakable. My heart hammers against my ribs and I execute a strange little backward, forward shuffle on my hooves, totally unable to look her in the eyes, I’m so ecstatic.
Otis mistakes my silence for churlishness. “This is your guard, Arlo. At least be polite.”
Meanwhile, my sweet human’s eyes have sprung wide as saucers, her cheeks have turned beet red, and her mouth is opening and shutting on thin air.
And then I realize…
She had no idea she was guardingme.
Disappointment whooshes through me. I thought that some magical thread had brought her to me. That we were fated to be together.
Arlo, you fucking dumb fuck.
Still unable to speak, my shoulders slump with dejection.
“Arlo, this is Samantha Buggins,” Otis says impatiently. “You don’t have to like her, but you do have to be civil.”
Otis mutters an apology on my behalf to my human. No point calling her mine though, is there? She’s just here to do a job.
Meanwhile, she seems to have composed herself a darn sight better than I have.
She strides over, sticking one hand out in a formal greeting. “Howdy, Arlo, nice to meet you.”
I look into her eyes, but they seem masked, like clouds have obscured a clear blue sky. Her smile is all professional politeness. I grunt out a greeting, reach out and take her hand in mine, trying not to notice how soft and warm it is. As her fingers flutter, I have an image of that same hand stroking my cock. Already I can feel the fucker tightening my pants.
Why is my brain torturing me like this?
I drop her hand like a hot cake, back away. I can’t have her see the lust and pain in my eyes. Instead, I stare at the ground, my heart pounding in my chest, feeling like I’m about to have a panic attack.
If I can’t take this proximity to her for one minute, how will I manage four weeks of it?
This is fucking insane. I can’t have her guarding me. Iwill go insane.
I need to come clean to Otis. Let him know that I met her the last time I traveled to Sparkle. Except then he’ll think her being here is suspicious. He might think she’s a spy.
Fuck, maybe sheisa spy? Holy hell’ s demons, I don’t know what to believe.
“Otis, mate,” I grunt out. “This human?—”
Otis raises an eyebrow.
I feel Samantha’s eyes boring into me. I glance quickly at her and see that her eyes have softened. They seem almost to be pleading with me. I realize she doesn’t want him to know we’ve met before.
Suppose she’s here because she needs to escape from Sparkle? After all, she was pretty unhappy when I first met her. If I say anything at all, it could drop her in the shit. I have so many questions, and no answers right now. And I realize the only way to find out the truth is to be left alone with her. To talk to her.
Luckily, Otis misjudges my discomfort. “No good turning up your snout at a human,” he growls. “Samantha is in charge of you, so suck it up.”
My brain kindly produces another X-rated image of Samantha standing over me with a whip. Never been into submissive stuff before, but hell… with Samantha… gods only knows where I’d be prepared to go. “Er, my bad—” I gulp trying to say her name. It suits her so well. “Nice to meet you, Samantha,” I finally get out in a strangled voice.
She smiles, and I smile back. My insides turn to liquid and my stupid face goes hot, right up to the tips of my ears. Her scent tickles my nostrils, just the way it did in the parking lot, and my libido refuses to back down.
All the dirty, wicked things I want to do to her crowd into my head, and I almost gag on the saliva that fills my mouth as I stare at her, completely fucking love struck.
