...If only Claire hadn’t rebuffed him and added anger to his lust. Where Sean’s human half ached for her love and yearned for the patience to win it, the beast demanded surrender. No careful courtship now but a savage conquering.

Oh, the dark, dirty things he’d do to her. The man trapped inside him winced at the thought while the dominant beast shuddered in deliciously wicked anticipation. Sweat beaded his brow and his cock thickened and throbbed. Her floral perfume enveloped him, the delicate fragrance of rose petals and innocence. The scent of a virgin. Already he could taste her sweetness, imagine the silky warmth of her naked flesh against his, feel her slick heat engulf him as he pounded into her without mercy.

Yes. He’d strip her bare, hold her down and whip her into submission if needed. Then ravage every inch of her, devour her ripe breasts, feast on the juicy slit between her thighs, claim her cunt, then flip her over and fuck her even harder up the ass.

Fainted on him, had she? He’d rouse her soon enough. He twisted aside as Arthur reached to take Claire from him, lifted her high against his chest and bolted for the exit.

Edgar barred the way. “This will never do. You’ll destroy any chance you have to gain her confidence.”

The good doctor knew he was right, but the beast knew only hunger. With a snarl, Sean tried to push past into the hall. Quickly, Arthur added his brawn to Edgar’s lithe frame. Shoulder to shoulder, the two blonds blocked the doorway.

“You’ll thank us for this when you’ve returned to your senses,” Arthur said.

No doubt. However, that return wouldn’t be for some time. Once the fever struck, nothing cooled it but complete carnal satisfaction—depraved acts, brutal fornication. Arthur and Edgar knew that as well as Sean did. Especially Edgar, the randy rascal.

Sean growled as they closed in on him, one on each side, but the growl was half groan. Female or male, a warm body was a warm body. Never had the beast been overly particular which it fed upon. The feel of the three forms pressed against him, Claire’s and the men’s, drove desire to the sharp edge of insanity. A surge of heat struck, searing nerve endings, crackling through him like lightning. If Edgar and Arthur sought to soothe, this was a bloody poor way to do it.

Or did they plot something else?

Eyes narrowed, pulse pounding, he glanced from one handsome face to the other, saw a knowing look pass between them. Edgar gave Arthur a small nod while laying his left hand on Sean’s back and running it up to his shoulder blades, massaging tense muscles. His right hand curled around the inside of Sean’s thigh. A masculine touch, skilled and firm, provocative in its strength. Lips, soft and moist, grazed Sean’s ear.

“The way I see it, you’ve two choices,” Edgar whispered. “Try to drown your fever in a cold bath. Or let it burn itself out with a hot man. I’ve fed Master Beast before, haven’t I?”

He punctuated the offer by pushing his groin into Sean’s hip, letting him feel the hard evidence of male arousal. His right hand rubbed the matching erection that strained Sean’s trousers. Blatant seduction.

Sean’s breathing went ragged. His muscles spasmed, and he almost dropped Claire. But Arthur was right there waiting. In the same second that Sean’s hold weakened, Arthur pulled Claire from his grasp. A tiny whimper escaped her, and her eyelashes fluttered.

“She’s waking,” Arthur warned. “I’d best get her out of here fast.”