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His expression was a heady mixture of desire and reverence, as if he could see something in me that I struggled to recognize.It was difficult when you’d been the fat girl all your life.

The strange one who didn’t fit in.

Different.

Weird.

But when I caught a glimpse of my reflection in his eyes, illuminated by the light reflecting through the glass shower door.Well, at that moment, I felt beautiful.

Radiant.

Perfect.

Because that was how he saw me.Emmet coveted every curve and contour, every jiggly bit and cellulite bump, all those pieces of me that I had ever doubted.

I could hardly breathe under the weight of his attention.

Emmet’s Wolf was a monster.Demon the Hellhound.My fierce protector.But he was my monster.And I reveled in his steady, verdant gaze.

Each lingering glance wrapped around me like a warm embrace, banishing all my old insecurities.

The way his lips curled into a smirk, the way he tilted his head as if drinking me in—it was intoxicating.

I couldn’t help but smile back, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks, as if he could see straight into my soul.

Maybe he could.Maybe that was what being fated mates meant.

The air felt thick with unspoken words, and after rinsing my hair and washing off both our bodies, I was more than ready for my mate.

The beauty of the moment was ingrained in my heart, etched on my brain like a fond memory, and I knew I would never forget it.

This man,this Wolf, had cast a spell on me, turning my plain, boring, lonely life into something extraordinary.

How could I feel anything but beautiful, bathed in the glow of his admiration?

I could have stood there forever, wrapped in his gaze, floating on the warmth of his desire.

But I had other plans, and they involved our shared bed.

“Can smell your arousal, mate,” he growled.

Desire zipped right through to my core at the way his hot breath fell against the skin at the nape of my neck.My hair swept to the side, Emmet kissed the scar of my mating mark, and I swayed on my feet.

He’d followed me to the foot of the bed and his front was pressed to my back, the hard bar of his erection pulsed against my back.

“Need you,” I whimpered, turning around so I could face him.

I ran my hands up his tight abs, tracing the swirling tattoos inked across his smooth skin.God, he was so hot.I didn’t know what they meant, if anything at all, and I hoped he would share the story someday.

But we had time for that.We had forever.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and tugged him down to me.His lips curled, and he pulled against me, canting his head, green eyes glittering with Demon.

“Tell me what you want, Angel?Anything you want, you can have.You just have to ask.”

“Need you to kiss me,” I said, loving the way his nostrils flared, and his eyes glazed over with pure, unfiltered desire.

“I can do that,” he growled, lifting me up and slamming his mouth to mine.