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“Oh my, what strong arms you have,” she whispered against his lips.
“All the better to carry, protect, and love you with, my dear.”
She kissed him ardently. He sank into the loveseat, returning her kisses as he cradled her on his lap and against his chest.
“Do you?” She framed his face with her hands. She loved him, all of him, and had to hear the words. To undisputedly know he still loved her back.
“Do I …?” He kissed her lips, her cheek, her jawline, her neck. Every kiss made her quiver and filled her with love and desire for him. He paused to glance up at her, waiting for her answer.
“Still love me?” she squeaked out. Why was she still uncertain? This was Tristan. Her love. Her Big Bad Wolf. Her crown prince. But they’d been apart for eight months. She’d jealously watched as he’d been engaged to the incredible Macey and then dated a lot of beautiful and accomplished women during that time. She’d left him with no explanation and apparently no way to contact her. Could he really let her drop back into his life, throw all kinds of danger at him and his family, and still love her as he had? Deeply committed to their true love story?
“Ah, Jenn …” He cradled her cheeks with his large palms. “I don’t just love you.”
Her heart raced and cold chills swept over her. Her entire body sagged with disappointment.
“I like you …” He kissed her forehead, then pulled back to meet her gaze. “I belong with you …” He softly kissed one cheek, then grazed his lips over hers in a motion that left her breathless and wanting more. “I adore you …”
Jennifer’s heart raced for a completely different reason than fear that he didn’t love her. He did. He adored her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. “Ah, Tristan … what beautiful lines you have.”
“All the better to woo you with, my dear.” He kissed her intensely, deepening the kiss and making her body and heart soar with love for him. He pulled back sooner than she would’ve liked and stared deeply into her eyes as the night settled around them. “Jenn … those are no lines. It’s the truth. You’ve always captured me completely and are the only woman for me. I love you now and always, no matter what.”
Jennifer let out a happy cry and kissed him again.
Much, much later, she knew they should separate and rest, but there was still so much kissing to give and receive and a lot to talk through. “Can you tell me about everything that’s happened with you and your family since I left?” she asked finally. She was content and safe in his strong arms, but she really wanted to hear about the bombing and how he was dealing with it. Plus the amazing events that had led to him faking an engagement and every one of his brothers finding the loves of their lives.
“We might have to settle for cliff’s note versions, unless you don’t want to sleep tonight.”
“Who needs sleep when you have the Big Bad Wolf, alpha male, crown prince holding you?” She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
He grinned wolfishly, then proceeded to kiss her just like an alpha wolf or crown prince might do. Thankfully he kept things chaste, but he captured her completely.
After far too short of a time, he settled back and started talking. He started with Ray and Macey’s love story, including his fake engagement to Macey and the bombing that scarred his left side. The engagement that had once gouged her apart was fascinating to hear from the true perspective.
Trailing her fingertips across the bumpy, uneven flesh of his jawline and down his neck, she took her time looking at his scars and letting him see they didn’t change who he was to her. She accepted and loved them as they were now part of her love.
“Are you healed?”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “It was miserably painful, but my dad hired the best burn specialists and we got through it.”
“I’m not just talking about your physical healing.” She placed her hand on his heart. “Emotionally.”
He wrinkled his nose at her. “I’m a guy, Jenn. We don’t do emotion.”
She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sure that’s mostly true, but it had to be hard to have part of your cheek, jaw, and neck scarred.”
“It got my shoulder, too.” He pulled his collar over so she could glimpse his muscular shoulder and the singed flesh there as well.
Jennifer lightly traced the ridges of the scars on his shoulder with one finger. “I’m so sorry. You’re doing … all right?”
“I can’t claim it wasn’t an adjustment.” He met her gaze steadily. He might be hiding his pain, but he seemed pretty transparent. “Three of the thousands of women chasing me were put off by it.”
“Ah!” she gasped, smacking her palm against his chest. “What a massive ego you have.”
He laughed and cradled her closer. “All the better to impress you with, my dear.”
“I’m not impressed,” she insisted.
He smiled but suddenly got serious. “Jenn, do the scars bother you?”
