Page 80 of Family: Posy 4

He Gracie's mate, Flicker whispered, trying to encourage me.He love Gracie. All of Gracie. Even muffin handles.

Muffin top or love handles,I corrected her absently.

Same same.She rolled her eyes at me.Trust mate, Gracie. Flick trust Oak. He good wolf. Landry good man, too.

I know he is, Flick.

"Yes, I've been skipping lunch," I whispered at last.

"Okay. Let me clarify so I know I'm not misunderstanding. Every morning, you pack a big, healthy lunch for me to take to work, but you yourself eat nothing?"

His intense blue-green eyes bore into me, and I swallowed hard.

"I eat an apple or a cup of yogurt," I admitted. "I get too hungry if I don't."

"You are a werewolf, Grace, and an active one," he said with a heavy scowl. "You've been coming to fighter practice every day, and I get that you're probably going for the exercise, although I'm worried you'll get hurt because you're not experienced and the pack warriors can get rowdy and violent at times. There are other ways to get exercise, but we'll talk about that later because I want to focus on the current issue, which is that you need more fuel than an apple and some yogurt. Andno wayare you skipping breakfast! Don't even think about it."

There was a lot to unpack in his rant, and I dropped my eyes as I processed through it. He was right about needing more fuel; shifters' natural metabolism burned through more calories than humans, and hungry wolves were not safe wolves.

He was also right about the fighters getting out of hand sometimes. It happened just yesterday when two young hotheads lost their tempers and ripped into each other. Landry had slung me over his shoulder and ran me out to his truck, where he locked me in until he and the other gammas shut the fight down just in time for Alpha Wyatt to arrive. Even after the alpha dragged the two idiots away by their ears, Landry insisted on driving me home instead of letting me get my last half-hour of practice in.

"Grace, take off your clothes."

His softly spoken words made my eyes fly up to meet his, and I gulped when I saw he was dead serious. Shaking my head, I blushed and played with my fingers. With a sigh, he dropped a kiss on one cheek, then the other, then pecked my lips.

"Take off your clothes, angel. Please? Only your shorts and shirt. I'll take mine off, too. Can you trust me just a little?"

Get it over with,I told myself.You shouldn't have let it go this long. You're too attached to him now. If he rejects you, you're going to die.

Taking a deep breath, I slipped off my shoes, then unbuttoned my shorts and skinned them down my legs. Closing my eyes, I fingered the hem of my shirt and bit my bottom lip. The sound of clothing rustling made me open my eyes, and I saw that he'd already stripped down to his boxer briefs.

I knew he meant to encourage me, but seeingall thaton display made me feel even worse about what I had to offer. The boy looked like he'd been carved from ice. The heavy slabs of his pecs, the solid squares cut into his stomach, and those deep vertical lines that curved around his hip bones and disappeared into his waistband...

"Your shirt, too," he said in a rough rasp, and I blushed because he caught me devouring him with my eyes.

Biting my lips hard, I started to pull my shirt up. Apparently, I wasn't going fast enough because his hands soon whipped the fabric over my head. His eyes raked up and down my body as I stood before him in my bra and panties, and his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists.

Is he really that angry? Or is it disgust at what he's finally seeing?I thought and wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

The longer he looked, the redder his high cheekbones became, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.

"Grace," he breathed. "By the moon, you reallyareperfect."

That was when I understood he hadn't been mad at all. He was as nervous as I was and trying not to show it. That made me feela lotbetter.

He slowly walked around me, then stepped closer until his chest just barely brushed my back. Keeping his hands at his sides, he leaned down and kissed my shoulder, then moved his lips to my neck, and I couldn't hold back the little sounds slipping out of my mouth. He chuckled and his warm breath slid over my skin like a caress, stoking the fire burning in my lower belly.

He finally put his hands on me, holding my waist as he pressed his hips into my back. Something long and hard poked my spine, and I blushedagainwhen I realized what it was.

Knowing he was aroused, the intoxicating smell of him, the heat coming off his rock-hard body, the sparks dancing everywhere his skin touched mine... Well, let's just say I was lucky my knees didn't give out.

"You feel that, angel?" He brushed his lips against my jaw, and my eyes rolled back in my head. "Does that feel like I find you unattractive? Does that feel like I think your body is anything other than absolutely perfect?"

"My squishy belly and thick thighs makethathappen?" I asked with disbelief.

"Anypart of your luscious body makes that happen." His voice dropped an octave, making goosebumps pop up all over my skin. "And you have no idea what I want to do to your pretty thighs and what's between them."

His penis twitched against my back, and my belly twisted in a tight, hot tangle. Goddess, I wanted this man! But did hereallywant me, or was he making do with what he'd been stuck with?

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