Page 57 of Plus-Size Sold Mate
“I’m still angry, and I don’t fully forgive them.”
“You don’t have to,” I offer, taking every chance I have to gaze at her.
“And I haven’t fully forgiven you either,” she adds, as if that has ever swayed me.
A small smile pulls at my lips. “I can’t blame you.”
Even if she still holds some of that resistance, Sera continues to watch me as her energy slowly rebuilds, as if this moment is exactly what she needs.
Then, like finally cracking open and allowing herself to admit what she wants, she says softly, “Touch me.”
Lacking the challenge I’ve come to expect from her, I hear it only as the invitation it is. The request throws me at first, butthe instincts screaming at me to keep her close and care for her in any way I can urge me forward.
My hands slide back to her waist, as grounding and gentle as I can be while I pull her closer, leaving her every chance to change her mind.
When she doesn’t, she gently grabs my shirt once she’s in my lap, and with great relief, the tether doesn’t feel as frantic anymore. It’s calm and warm while it resonates between us.
“You’re sure?” I ask her, letting a palm drift back to her jaw, cupping her cheek lightly while I drink her in.
Sera swallows and nods, leaning into the touch. “I am.”
With no hesitation left, I lean in and kiss her as gently as I can, even when my inner wolf wants to take over. I force it down, savoring the proximity and the magnetic pull of having her like this.
She breathes with it, allowing the tension to ebb away from her shoulders as her fingers brush against my neck.
Gradually, I deepen the kiss and tangle my hand in her hair while the other rests at her back, keeping her pressed against me.
She’s here with me, alive and choosing this. She’s choosing me, even if some of her previous doubts linger.
While the trust is fragile, it’s enough to be real as it tangles with undeniable need and want, and for now, it’s enough.
The last tremors leave her body as Sera shifts closer like she can’t stand even a sliver of space between us, and for a while, there is no pack, no accusations, and no Wraith Peak.
It’s just us and the tide’s nurturing rhythm guiding us through something we’re both trying to understand together.
Chapter 19 - Sera
The sand is damp and cool beneath me as Luke hovers above me, one hand cradling the back of my head while the other holds my hip with such gentle reverence that my heart hasn’t stopped racing since his lips touched mine. His mouth melds with mine like he’s tasting me for the first time, and it feels just as healing as the water around us.
With the bond thrumming between us, warm and nurturing now, the sheer exhaustion lifts just enough to offer me clarity, and in it, I don’t want this to stop. Even if I’m raw from overusing my magic and being condemned for helping, I need it to keep me going.
“You don’t know what you do to me,” he murmurs between kisses, alternating from slow and languid to deep and urgent. “Seeing you there, knowing how you defended them…I don’t need more proof that you’re my Luna.”
The claim makes me feel lightheaded yet somehow grounded at the same time as my fingers idly move to the buttons of his shirt. “I just did what was right.”
“And that’s how I know,” Luke says, shifting his aim to kiss my neck while he silently preens at being undressed. His teeth graze my pulse point, making me shiver.
When his shirt is popped open, my hands move up his muscled front, grazing his abs and up to his chest like the touch is rejuvenating in itself. In all honesty, it feels that way.
I tilt my head to the side, offering my neck to him. I catch the low sound in his chest as he indulges, using his tongue and teeth to lavish my skin. His free hand wanders over my waist, then my stomach, and up to my chest. Every graze makes me feel even lighter, free from everything meant to weigh me down.
His lips move down my body, kissing over the saturated fabric of my dress while his hands grip me like I’m something precious. I shiver as he travels lower, every touch and squeeze more purposeful than the last.
When he reaches my thighs, he mouths at my skin, sliding his palms against the outside of them, bracketing himself between my legs. Luke’s eyes flick to mine, so full of quiet worship and determination that it steals my breath. And the moment he leans in, tongue brushing against me, I fill my lungs with a deep inhale.
The warmth is immediate as it moves through me, sparking with every touch. My body relaxes into his ministrations, soaking in every sensation I can. It doesn’t matter how many times he does this; it will always feel just as brand new and overwhelming to my senses.
My hand drops down to his head between my thighs, fingers gliding through his loose curls that look darker now from the ocean’s spray. When his tongue runs along me in just the right way, my grip tightens just enough to make him react.
