Page 72 of The Hunger
“I know I packed it. Where is it? I can’t go like this.”
Megan took me by the arms and turned me around. A hint of flame showed in her eyes.
“You are gorgeous. The dress is stunning. You don’t need paint to hide a thing.”
I gave her a dry look and pointed to the glowing spot in the valley of my breasts.
“It makes the dress,” she said firmly. “It’s pretty and interesting like you. And it’s a mark of who you are and how far you’ve come if you can walk out of this room indifferent to its existence. If you own it, it doesn’t own you.”
I gave her a small smile.
“I missed you so much,” I said.
She hugged me hard and started to sniffle. I jerked back and gave her a warning look.
“Don’t cry or we’ll have to redo your makeup.”
“Or I could go without it.”
“Not a chance, Fury. I want Oanen to see you in all your glory.”
She pulled back and grinned at me wickedly.
“He already has.”
I wrinkled my nose at her, and she laughed.
“Come on. I want to see Fenris’s face when he looks at you.”
I shook my head at Megan since Fenris had already seen me in the dress. It didn’t matter, though. Based on the guys’ stunned expressions when we came downstairs and the explosion of lust, they liked what they saw.
Fenris’s gaze traveled my length, and a slight tremble rocked through him. When he finally lifted his gaze to mine, I could see his need, and the smile that stretched my lips didn’t quite feel like me. At least, not the version of me that I was comfortable with. The moment my smile started to falter, he stepped toward me.
“Don’t. Stay just like you are. You’re perfect.”
That thing inside of me basked in his praise, and my smile returned. He shivered when I glided closer to him and ran a finger along his jaw.
“I can feel your need,” I said softly. “I want more.”
Something dropped to the floor as his arms came around me. I didn’t care. I needed his lips against mine. He groaned and gave me what I wanted.
“Don’t mess my makeup, or she’ll kill me.”
Megan’s words brought me back to reality. I pulled away from Fenris and saw Oanen was kissing the heck out of Megan.
“I’m sorry,” I said, quickly reeling in all the things I’d been feeling for Fenris that had influenced their behavior.
Oanen reluctantly allowed Megan to retreat. My friend’s eyes danced with fire as she grinned at me.
“Don’t be sorry. That shit is hot. Feel free to do it again, any time.”
Her attention shifted to Fenris, who was picking something up off the floor. He grinned at me as he held out my container of grey body paint.
“You took it?”
“I wanted to see you without it.”
I took the container from him and glanced down at the exposed strip of skin. Piepen’s mark wasn’t horrible. Its iridescent glow was actually kind of cool. How I’d gotten it still bothered me, but after seeing the way Fenris watched me without the paint, I decided it didn’t bother me enough to cover it up.
