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“I’m looking at the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”
There’s something about the way Duke says that. Almost reverential, as if he’s worshiping our goddess, but with a promise that reminds me of the vows he made when we were locked together in Walker’s cells. Laying my hands over his, I twist my head just enough to get a good look at his face.
He’s not looking at the Luna. His hazel eyes gone a soft gold, my male is staring unblinkingly at me.
Oh.
Heat rushes to my face. I shouldn’t be embarrassed. Since the night I seduced him during the last full moon, we’ve been together countless times. The half-bond that formed when I inadvertently marked him without asking for his—or the Luna’s—blessing has only become stronger; tonight, it’ll be whole. He’s told me that he’s loved me before. His actions over the last nine months made his feelings for me even clearer.
But the way he’s looking at me right now… for the first time in my life, I really feel as if another soulseesme.
And, thank the Luna, it’s Duke Conlon.
“Dinner’s ready,” I tell him. “I made pot roast, potatoes, and carrots. And some cupcakes for dessert.”
His lips quirk in a small smile. “My favorites.”
It’s amazing how a tiny little grin can turn this male from handsome to heart-stopping, but it does. Ah, Luna… I’m not so sure I can wait until dinner.
I swallow. “I know. That’s why I did it.”
We’re shifters. We can say ‘I love you’ with a meal, and that’s what I tried to do today. The roast and sides aren’t probably as good as the cupcakes will be, but I don’t think Duke cares. It could be burnt and he’d gobble it gladly because I made it for him, and we both know it.
When he lets go of my waist, lifting his hands to my cheeks, angling my head so that he can take my mouth, I think he got the message.
By the time he pulls away, we’re both out of breath. Not from the kiss, though. This is need, pure and simple, the Luna’s power rushing through us. I’m panting, and Duke’s expression has become inexplicably hungry.
I don’t think it’s for food. Just in case, I check.
“Did you want me to set the table, or—”
Before I can finish, Duke swoops me up in his arms. He has one hand wrapped around my back, the other cradling my butt, and he has me in a bridal carry as he starts to stalk away from the window, toward my bedroom door.
As he arrives at the entrance to the kitchen, he pauses.
“Will it keep?” rumbles Duke. He’s asking me about the dinner I prepared.
I nod. “It might be a little cold, though, if we get… distracted.”
His eyes brighten. It seems as if “distracting” me is exactly what he has in mind. “I don’t mind if it gets cold. Besides, that’s what they invented microwaves for. So, if you’re okay—”
That’s my male. Always worrying about what I think.
Luna, I love him.
I throw my arms around his neck. “Dinner can wait. I can’t. It’s time, Duke. Make me yours.”
He crosses the threshold into my bedroom. “You always have been. Even when you didn’t know it… you were always mine.”
Maybe that’s true. If Duke believes it, I’m not going to argue. But when he lays me down on my bed, stripping off my shift dress and his own clothes before settling himself between my legs, I realize something. It doesn’t matter. The past doesn’t matter. The way he loved me from afar without saying a word to me, and how much time I wasted chasing a fantasy when I had my forever right there… none of that matters.
All that matters is that, after tonight, all of my white scars will turn silvery, our bond will be whole, and Duke will be mine until the end of time.
I might not deserve him, but that’s not going to stop me.
After all, it never has before.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
