Page 82 of Family: Posy 4

"Goddess, I want you, angel!" he hissed, rubbing his fingers against my panties. "I want your perfect body so bad, I'm going to come in my boxers! Do you— Do you feelanythinglike that for me?"

His voice cracked when he asked that, and my heart cracked with it. Our first day together, he'd told me about the girl who'd cursed him into believing she was his mate just so she could reject him. I could see for myself how badly that damaged him and knew his self-esteem was as low as mine. Despite his hot body, handsome face, and pretty eyes, he struggled to believe I wanted him just like I couldn't believe he wanted my pudgy body, plain face, and boring brown eyes.

Gracie and Landry both feel same wayand not know it,Flicker giggled. Both so unsure and both so in love.

"Yes, Lan," I breathed and half-turned to stare up at him over my shoulder. "I'm on fire for you."

"You are? You're not just making the best of this and settling for me?"

I hated seeing the aching vulnerability on my mate's face, and I despised the one who put it there.

Turning all the way around, I took his face between my palms, leaned up, and kissed him on the lips.

"You are my Goddess-given mate, Landry," I told him sternly. "I love you and want to be your mate in every way possible."

"Do you know what you're saying? You want me to mark and mate you?"

"You won't change your mind after, right?" Anxiety made my heart flutter. "You're so handsome and I'm—"

"Perfect!" he interrupted with a fierce scowl as his hands squeezed my hips. "You're perfect, angel!"

"I wasgoingto say I'm worried that you'll be disappointed."

"I won't be disappointed. How could I be? Like you said, the Goddess herself made us for each other, and I could ask you the same things. I've already been rejected once in my life. Even if it wasn't real, it surefeltreal. I don't think— No, IknowI wouldn't survive if you threw me away." He suddenly stopped and sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh, my Goddess! Is that why you asked to wait? You've been deciding whether or not to keep me?"

The anguish in his tear-filled eyes was something I never wanted to see again.

My poor boy. I am going to love all the hurt out of you, even if it takes me the rest of my life.

"No, Landry. Quite the opposite. I am so in love with you, it doesn't seem real. I love your deep voice and how you talk all the time. I love your pretty eyes and handsome face. And thisbody."

I took a deep breath, trembling from how badly I wanted to kiss and touch every inch of him, and he stood there, dumbfounded and silent, as I looked him up and down.

"This body is killing me! My heart feels like it's going to explode just from looking at you. You know it, too, don't you, you little booger?" I teased him. "Every time you strutted around the house in your shorts, you knew what it was doing to me to see all this tanned skin and hard muscles on display."

"I hoped it would help woo you," he admitted, then ducked his head and stared hard at the ground. "So whydidyou ask to wait before we mated? I've been so scared that it was because you find me lacking. Nia said— Nia said I was worthless."

Flicker stirred and wanted out to go find that witch and kill her slowly and painfully. Fighting my own desire to do the same, I had to remind both of us that the girl was already dead. With a disgruntled harrumph, Flicker flopped down and scowled until Oak began to talk quietly to her.

"Lacking? Worthless?" I put my fingers under his chin and lifted his face. "She was a fool. I don't know why she singled you out to bully and torment, but she couldn't have been further from the truth. You are a hardworking gamma, a wonderful brother to your sister, and an amazing friend to the other gammas. Everyone, including me, respects and likes you, Landry. You're adorable, gentle, charming, kind, and absolutely precious to me. You're my sweetheart."

His eyes widened at every word, and even the tips of his ears burned pink when I finished.

"Really?" he mumbled.

"Really," I assured him. "The only reason I wanted to wait was to give you time to be sureyouwanted to keepme. What if you're embarrassed later, having to introduce your fat mate to your friends and family?"

"Call yourself fat like it’s a bad thing one more time!" he snarled. "You won't like the consequences."

His eyes flashing, he bent down a little, wrapped his thick arms around my thicker thighs, and lifted me up. Startled, I latched onto his shoulders as he carried me to the bed.

"You are an angel -myangel - and you are perfect. I love every squishy inch of you, and I'll say it over and over until you believe it."

He dropped me on the bed and his eyes fixed on my breasts as they bounced. Reluctantly tearing his eyes away from them, he crawled on top of me and buried his face in my neck so his mouth could explore, and I shivered and squirmed under him until he found the spot that made me shiver and squirm harder than any other.

"This is it, Grace," he breathed against my skin. "This is the spot and this is the moment. There's no going back after this."

"There wasneverany going back. Not after I caught a whiff of pineapples and saw your gorgeous wolf running toward me." I smiled and kissed his cheek. "Now, Landry King Benson, don't you think it's time to claim what belongs to you?"

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