Page 95 of I'm Not Your Pet

I’d brought a backup outfit, just in case. Though my heart ached anew at the thought of changing once again. It felt like failing a test I’d given myself.

Look, Hugo.

It’s just a silly reflection.

If you don’t you’ll never know.

Sucking in a fortifying breath, I tilted my head up, and met my own reflection.

I’d always thought pretty was a word reserved for girls, action stars, and botanical gardens. It was a delicate word. Soft. It smelled like fresh-cut fruit and springtime blossoms. If it had a sound, it’d ring like bells. Pretty was the shade of my mother’s lipstick. Pretty was the color of Roark’s lovely pink skin.

It wasn’t for me.

Or at least…I hadn’t thought it was.

I’d been wrong.

Because as my gaze flickered over my own reflection,prettywas the only word that came to mind.

The white glittery dress clung to my slender frame, highlighting the dip of my waist and clinging to my hip bones. It dipped at the collar, showing a hint of nipples, the skinny straps pulled taut so the fabric kept them covered. When I twisted, I could see the pale skin of my ribs peeking out where the fabric dropped around the back. And for the first time in my life, I embraced my own appearance as I took a hesitant step back from the mirror and really stared.

My legs looked longer than usual.

My ass looked fuller.

The slit in the fabric exposed enough of my leg to tease, but not so much I felt cheap. The collar around my neck glinted in the light, and though I hated it, for a moment it was the only part of my body I recognized.

If I pushed aside what it had meant for so long, I could pretend it was only a necklace. I didn’t mind the way it hugged my throat, or the way it brought attention to my collarbones.

I didn’t look like a girl. I wasn’t sure that was possible. But the femininity of the lovely fabric made me feel complete in a way I never had. Like I’d been a half-empty cup, and never realized it till I was full.

Huh.

A startled laugh burst out as I gripped the counter tight so I wouldn’t lose my balance, and stared unabashedly. I wasn’t sure I knew the man that gaped back at me from the mirror, but Iwantedto. Exhausted but vibrant, he looked like the kind of guy who knew how to laugh.

“Wow,” I murmured. “Not bad.” I’d never minded the dark brown shade of my eyes or my cupid’s bow the way I’d hated my nose and ears. But as I inspected my face for what felt like the first time in years, the features I’d often disparaged no longer felt quite so ugly.

They suited me.

Maybe I was a bit bird-like, fluffy and soft around the edges, with a too-round face, and too many freckles. But…I must not be too awful to look at, or Roark wouldn’t have asked me on a date—or taken me home, for that matter.

It was strange.

So many things were nowadays.

A gentle knock sounded at the door. I spared one last glance to the low swooping neckline of my dress, and the way the fabric made my shoulders appear broader than they normally did before crossing the room toward it.

“Ushuu, I’m almost don—” I yanked the door open and suddenly every thought I’d ever had flew straight out of my head.

All I could think was?—

Roark.

Roark, Roark, Roark, Roark.

Roark—

“Woah,” I gasped, unable to stop staring at the giant pink shark-man in front of me. He looked as serious as ever, his blue eyes soft, his fangs pearly white. His big hands flexed at his sides, like he was just as startled as I was.

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