Girl beside him

the long version

"Girl Beside Him is a novel about love, instinct, and the havoc kindled by nature gone awry. A wildlife biologist, observing a group of relocated cougars, attempts to repress the desires that he fears may make him a sex killer. In his struggle to understand himself, he finds an answer, but not without putting another at risk. A cougar escapes human confinement; a woman is freed of her dangerous obsession, and a man is freed of his deepest dread, though freedom comes with a price. Transgressive and addictive, Mazza once again probes the limits of human relationships, taking her readers into a region of dark sexuality, torn between love and destruction."--BOOK JACKET.