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Cassidy hugged me again. “Don’t have too much fun tonight,” she teased.

“Thank you. Really.”

Cassidy herded Dylan out the door. It clicked closed behind her, and then for the first time in what felt like ages, I was alone. For the past few weeks, even when I was by myself in the house, there had always been an enforcer around, either on the porch or lurking around the perimeter. Now, though, there was just me. I stood in the kitchen for a moment, waiting for the anxiety. The nerves. The fear.

It didn’t come. All I felt was a deep, warm, sense of calm. This was my home, and I was safe here.

Steph had made sure of that.

I took a quick shower, then hurried into our bedroom. I dimmed the lights and lit a few sandalwood candles, letting the scent fill the room. I dropped my towel and opened my drawers. I pulled out a lingerie set I’d had for ages but never worn. It wasn’t anything fancy by any means, but it was black satin, and it matched…

But Steph had never really been interested in lingerie.

I pulled on a pair of comfortable cotton panties, then dug through his drawers and found one of his old Cole’s Garage shirts. I liked to sleep in those T-shirts, since they were so soft with wear and oversized. It helped that they all smelled faintly of Steph, too.

His eyes always gleamed gold when I wore his clothes. He thought I didn’t know how possessive his dragon was, but I did. And I loved it. It always made heat burn inside me.

I wanted him to possess me fully—and I wanted him to be mine, too.

In the steamy bathroom, I brushed out my hair, letting it fall over my shoulders. I peered at my reflection: my round cheeks, the bags under my eyes, the laugh lines forming at the corners of my mouth. The years had left their mark. I used to stress about it, tug at my skin, and wish I was five years younger and had been more diligent about using my retinol.

Since I’d come to Lakeview, those insecurities had melted away. It’d happened so subtly I hadn’t even noticed.

Steph made me feel beautiful. He didn’t just see my face and my body...he saw my soul.

I swept my hair to the side and tilted my head. Somewhere on this expanse of skin, he’d bite me and leave his mating mark.

Bonding us. Forever.

I couldn’t suppress my smile, nor the happy little wriggle in my shoulders. After all this time, all this waiting, all these hard, terrible times… We made it.

He was going to claim me.

The front door opened. “Harley?” Steph called from downstairs. “Dyl? You home? I don’t see Cassidy’s car outside.”

I padded out of the bedroom and stood at the top of the stairs. Though I was just wearing an old T-shirt, the same shirt I’d slept in many times, when Steph looked up at me, I felt more beautiful than I ever had.

That gold I loved so much flashed in his eyes as he gazed up at me like I was a queen and he was my subject. He drank in every inch of me, committing the image to memory: his gaze went from my face, over my breasts, then traced down the length of my legs all the way to my feet.

“Hi, babe,” I said with a smile. “Cassidy took Dylan to Striker’s for the night.”

“She did, hm?” Steph’s voice came out a low rumble. The pure want in his voice made heat roll slow and heady through my veins.

“Thought we could use some alone time,” I said. “You’ve been so good at following the doctor’s orders, you know.”

I knew it hadn’t been easy for him, either. We’d shared plenty of kisses, but every time his hands started to wander, I’d grabbed his wrists and pulled them away. I wasn’t going to risk us both getting swept up in passion and reopening the wound in his chest.

It’d made him growl with frustration each time, but it was the right thing to do.

“You waited,” I said, “and now you get your reward.”

I turned and pranced back into the bedroom, grinning to myself.

It worked. Steph’s feet pounded up the stairs as he raced to follow me. I’d barely made it into the bedroom before he tackled me onto the bed. I laughed as I hit the soft mattress his strong body. He growled a happy sound and nudged his nose against my nape and hairline. “You smell good.”

“You always say that.”

“You smell especially good today.”