Page 19 of Big Bad Mate

“What can I say. I’m a sucker for ethical meat talk.”

I laugh.

Thorne grins at me. “You have a nice laugh.”

The compliment catches me off guard. “Oh. Um. Thank you.”

He tilts his head. The motion is so canine, I’m almost reminded of a dog.

Or a wolf.

“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“When I said you have a nice laugh, you act… surprised.”

Max sets down another vodka, and I sip it. “No one has ever complimented my laugh before.”

“I see,” he says, sipping his own beer. “What if I told you that you also have beautiful eyes.”

I look down. “No one has said that before either.”

Thorne makes a rumbling sound. “Iris, I get the impression that you don’t get a lot of compliments.”

“Maybe. I mean, I get why,” I say. My napkin is in my lap, and I wring it into a little circle.

“Why?”

“Oh, you know. I’m…” I gesture to myself. “There are a lot of beautiful women in the world.”

“And you’re not one of them?”

I shake my head. “No. I’m not. But I’m smart and I really love animals and…”

“You’re beautiful, Iris,” he says.

I glance up. “What?”

He leans forward. The look he’s giving me is so intense, I feel my spine prickle with something that sends heat through my veins.

“I don’t know what humans you’re around, but you, Iris, are a gorgeous woman. It’s nice that you’re smart. But just on looks alone. You are extremely beautiful.”

I look away. “You’re just saying that.”

“I’m not,” he growls.

My napkin is getting smaller as I wrap it around itself. “It’s okay Thorne, you don’t have to lie…”

He growls again. “Iris. Remember how when I walked into the clinic, I stood there like an idiot?”

I blink at him. “Yeah, I guess.”

“That was you. You were so beautiful; you took my breath away.”

I feel the blush creeping up my neck. “Thorne. It’s okay. I know I’m not the type of woman that people feel like that about…”

“Feel like what? Like a woman someone wants to fuck?”

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