Page 46 of Mercer

“What do humans smell like?”

He undid the buttons of his shirt. “Well, generally humans just smell like humans, like an absence of a wild animal. But you smell like honey and wildflowers.”

“Really?” That was freaking cool.

“Really. Now, I know it’s tempting to put your hands all over me, but we’re on a mission here.”

He shrugged from his shirt as she was about to laugh at his joke, and all thoughts fled. Shedidwant to put her hands on him. All over him.

His fingers played along the edge of his waistband, and he chuckled in a way that told her he knew exactly how much he was affecting her. “My eyes are up here, sexy female.”

Her gaze snapped up to his, her cheeks heating again. “You know you’re sexy.”

“You definitely are.” He toed off his shoes and undid his pants. “Listen, Caesar wanted me to remind you to stay put and so I’m doing that right now. No one in the paddock will hurt you, and I’d never lay a paw on you. But if you get scared for some reason, for the love of everything holy, don’t run. It triggers something in our beasts, and as a human you’re technically prey to our animal side.”

She nodded. If she was scared and she was also being chased by lions, that would definitely make it worse.

“I’m not leaving your side. You can touch me however much you want, and you can talk to Devlin and Trina. We’ll walk around the paddock, just don’t let fear get hold of you. I swear you’re safe with me.”

She stared up at him. His eyes were brimming with sincerity, his muscles bunched tight like he was holding himself back.

“I want to touch you so badly,” he said with a gruff voice. “You’re so beautiful and you’re not marked.”

“You mentioned marking before, but I kind of glossed over it. It sounds painful.”

“I promise you’ll feel really good first.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, so what does me not being marked have to do with anything?”

“There are unmated males out there. It just wars with my lion’s instincts to have you around them without wearing my marks.”

She stepped close enough that their bodies brushed. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her even closer. “I only want you.”

He purred, his eyes flashing to amber. He released her immediately and stepped back, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Tempting female, I need to shift so we can get this party on the road.”

She liked affecting him like that, but she did truly want to watch him shift.

Moving a few paces away, she nodded and gave him a smile.

He smiled at her and then he stripped fully.

Even though she’d already seen him naked, she couldn’t help but drink her fill once more. She was one lucky girl to have such a sexy guy for a…mate. It was still a strange word, but oddly it fit with the whole turning-into-an-animal thing.

She didn’t blink because she didn’t want to miss anything.

Mercer dropped to his knees, and his body morphed as he turned into a lion.

A freaking lion!

Her heart immediately pounded, her brain misfiring as she tried to reconcile what she’d just witnessed. Her sexy boyfriend had just turned into a huge lion, all tawny fur and flowing mane.

He sat on his haunches and his tail swished on the wood floor.

She knew she was staring open-mouthed at him, but when she tried to speak, all that came out was a squeak.

Holy shit.

“You okay in there, Rhomi?” Trina called through the door. “Justus is making noises at me like there’s something wrong.”

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