Page 71 of Heat Me

"I know it is."

He smiled, and I saw a tear roll down his cheek.

"This feels like a dream. For so many years, I thought no alpha would even glance my way if I wouldn’t give him my last name. And now… I’ve found my True Mate?"

"Yes, and tomorrow, there will be no more doubts," I replied with a warm smile as I continued to gently clean him.

I washed his hair, massaging his scalp with my fingers while he closed his eyes, completely surrendering to the care.

When I was done, I lifted him out of the tub, wrapped him in a towel, and carefully dried him off.

"Where’s your hairdryer?"

He pointed to a lower drawer. I grabbed it, plugged it in, and began drying his hair. We stood in front of the mirror, and I couldn’t help noticing again the stark contrast between us—our height difference was dramatic. But I didn’t mind. In fact, I loved it.

Our eyes met in the mirror, and he gave me a shy smile.

"Our lives are about to change so much."

"But only for the better."

Once Damien was dressed, we headed to the kitchen. This time, I made dinner while he sat, still looking slightly dazed.

"You know, from the very beginning, I felt this… irritation, realizing you had suppressants. For some reason, I really wanted to sense your scent, even though it seemed ridiculous…"

"You didn’t catch a trace of it? Funny enough, I felt it the moment I walked into your apartment. Just at the edge of my awareness, there was a scent I couldn’t quite pin down, almost entirely blocked by my suppressants. It was right there, always just a hair out of my reach. The good news is, tomorrow, I’ll finally catch it."

I placed a plate of bruschetta in front of him.

We ate, occasionally exchanging glances.

"What’s it like, having sex during recovery?"

I laughed, seeing his cheeks flush bright red.

"I’ve never done it, but I’ve heard True Mates can even make it work then! Why? Thinking about trying it?"

Damien blushed even more and stared down at his plate.

"Honestly, even though I’m recovering, I feel surprisingly good—way better than I’ve heard most people feel during this phase."

"That’s part of the magic of True Mates. We can help each other recover and heal while staying in what’s called ‘Joining’."

"So, just another word for having sex."

I gave him a mischievous grin.

"Exactly. The euphemistic term. Plus, instead of being twenty-five, I’ll soon biologically feel like I’m twenty again—because my body will adjust to match your age! Oh, and I can already see you totally dropped the glasses. Is your sight already good?"

"It is! That’s really incredible… the magic of True Mates."

I finished my meal and fixed my gaze on him. He noticed and ducked his head, wiping out the last bite of his bruschetta.

As soon as he swallowed the final piece, I stood up, extending a hand toward him.

"Come on, we'll see what it's like to have sex in recovery."

We walked hand in hand into the bedroom and stood by the bed, I turned to face him and put my hands on his neck, seeing the marks from my previous hickey still visible on his glands.

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