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At the look of surprise on her face, I smirked. “Wolven Mages have two hearts. We have much more endurance than normal men.”

She swallowed hard, her eyes glinting. “Is that so?”

“Stand,” I commanded.

Cerise climbed to her feet, eyes pinned on me. I drew closer to her, my fingers tucking her loose hair behind her ears before skimming down her neck and collarbone. Goosebumps appeared on her skin, and a shiver rippled over her. But she held perfectly still as I slid the sleeves of her shift down.

Then, I leaned in and dragged my tongue up and down her shoulder. She went rigid, and her breath shuddered. When I caught her shoulder between my teeth, she let out a breathy moan.

I tugged at the other sleeve and licked that shoulder, too, biting down until she muttered a curse under her breath. My hands pulled at the silky fabric until it slid off her body, exposing her beautiful breasts to me.

Gods, she was utter perfection. I would never tire of worshipping such a magnificent body.

But when my gaze flicked back up to her face, I froze and took a step back. “Is this okay?” I asked.

Her arms shifted as if to cover herself, but then they went rigid at her sides. She grimaced. “Yes. It’s fine.”

I furrowed my brow. Was it too much? Clearly, I was making her uncomfortable. “Cerise, we can stop.”

“No,” she said quickly. “I’m here for you, remember?”

“It means nothing to me if you aren’t enjoying it. Did I do something wrong? Would you prefer to wear the shift?”

Her face was beet red, and she fixed her gaze on the floor. “It’s silly,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

I cupped her face in both of my hands, inching her head upward to look me in the eye. “Tell me.” My voice was soft. Tender. She had to know that nothing she said would affect how I felt about her.

“It doesn’t bother you that I look like this?” She gestured to herself and made a pained expression.

I blinked, looking her over. Did she have blemishes I couldn’t see? Perhaps some kind of skin condition? But no, I couldn’t see anything wrong with her. “Like what?”

She huffed in exasperation. “Please don’t pretend.”

“I swear to the Goddess herself, I’m not pretending. What’s wrong with your body?”

“I’m—I’m big. Plump. Heavy. I… I don’t have the slender, petite body that men crave.” Her flush deepened, and she refused to look me in the eye. Her words came out in a rush as she added, “And I know I was naked with you on the beach, but I was wild and crazed and needed you desperately. At the time, I wasn’t really thinking about it, but now…” She trailed off on a mumble.

Understanding crashed through me. A mixture of grief and anger swelled in my chest. “You don’t think you’re beautiful?” Had Elvira ingrained this notion in her brain that she needed to be thinner to be seductive? Or had another man done it to her? My fury boiled over until my arms began to shake.

“I’ve learned to accept my appearance,” she said softly. “But I’ve gotten enough comments about it to expect others to… not be so accepting.”

I gritted my teeth, a roar building within me. I wanted to slit the throat of every bastard who had ever said an unkind thing to her. I wanted to gut them from the inside out, to listen to their screams as I bled them dry.

With a growl, I tucked my arm under her legs and swept her up, holding her against my chest. She yelped, her hands coming around my neck as I carried her over to the bed and gently deposited her on the mattress.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice shaking.

I climbed atop her, bracing my arms on either side of her. “Showing you just how beautiful you are.” I kissed her ravenously, devouring her mouth with ruthless attention. My tongue explored her lips before entering her mouth, tasting every part of her. Her shaking hands clung to my arms as she opened her mouth wider for me.

I withdrew a fraction, my lips hovering a breath away from hers. “Do you know something I love about your body?”

“What?” she gasped.

My hand went to her breast and cupped it. She uttered a soft whimper.

“I love that your breasts are so magnificent I can’t fit all of you in one hand,” I whispered before kissing her again. As my mouth claimed hers, my fingers kneaded her breast. I caught her nipple between my thumb and forefinger and pinched it.

She cried out, back arching, and I swallowed her outburst hungrily. I trailed kisses down her throat, then closed my lips over her other nipple. I clamped my teeth around it, nipping and sucking until she made another strangled sound, writhing underneath me.