Dalia took Tate’s hand and led him to the couch. She was so grateful to have him there with her. She had loved spending the afternoon together, watching DVDs and enjoying each other’s company. It was something she had longed for all the time.

“I’ve been thinking about the tarot card reading,” she said, taking his hand and leading him back to the couch. They sat down together, still holding hands.

“You believe tarot cards can predict the future?” Tate asked.

“I believe in all sorts of mystical things.” She giggled.

Tate’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“More than you can imagine.” She loved the feeling of their fingers intertwined. Hank had never believed in the mystical. He’d criticized her about it all the time.

“I have been affected very deeply by the mystical,” he said, looking at the ground.

“What do you mean?” It was refreshing to find someone she could share her experiences with.

“I’m not sure if I should tell you this yet,” he sighed, grasping her hand more tightly.

“It’s okay. You can trust me.”

She could tell that there was something weighing on his shoulders. He needed to let it out.

“It sounds pretty crazy when you say it out loud,” he said, looking into her eyes.

“I’m the last person to call mystical experiences crazy,” she said, trying to reassure him.

He took a deep breath and let it out. “I am much older than I look.”

“How old are you?” she asked carefully. She didn’t want to offend him.

“I’m over a hundred years old.” He gritted his teeth. His expression betrayed his doubt that she believed him. He looked like he expected her to blow up at any second.

“You don’t look a day over thirty.” She laughed, trying to break the tension.

“Seventy-five years ago, my family was cursed by a powerful witch. We were forced to remain in wolf form except on the day of the full moon. Our theory is that we only aged on that day.”

“That’s incredible,” she said, leaning back on the couch.

“You don’t believe me.” He sighed.

“I’m just trying to let it sink in.” She sat in silence for a moment. “Today isn’t the full moon.”

“Luna is a witch herself. She brewed a potion that allows us to remain in human form for the rest of the month.”

“Is it possible to break the curse?” She bit her l!p, thinking of his suffering.

“When we claim our fated mates, the curse is lifted. It worked for three of my brothers, so I know it will work for me too.”

“I see,” she said.

“I hope you don’t think I’m making this up so you’ll feel obligated to be my mate.”

“I don’t think that. I feel safe with you, Tate. I don’t want to have to second-guess myself because of it.”

“That is really good to hear.”

“It’s not right that I should lock my heart away forever because of what I’ve been through. I have to trust my own feelings again.”

She reached out to him and cupped his cheek. His eyes met hers and widened with surprise. She leaned toward him, and he met her l!ps with his own.

As soon as their mouths touched, an electric shock sparked through her being, radiating from her l!ps down into her core. She opened her mouth and gasped.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him. She g*****d as she thrust her tongue into his mouth, tasting the sweet flavor of his tongue.

They hungered for each other, their mouths consuming one another in a desperate attempt to taste what had been missing for so long. There was so much passion and tenderness between them. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she pulled away.

“I feel so much more than I’ve ever felt. I don’t know what to do.” He wiped away the tear on her cheek.

“We should feel everything. All the joy possible. All the love and passion and tenderness that we can. That’s what makes life worth living.”

“You’re right,” she said, claiming his l!ps again.

“I want you to make love to me,” she said between k!sses.

“I want that too.”

She climbed into his lap and felt his hardness between her legs. It made her shiver. She gasped and breathed into his mouth.

“You feel so good,” he said, gripping her as*s and pulling her down against him. “Do you like this?”

“So much.”Content held by .

“I want to taste every part of you.” He k!ssed her neck, running his hands under her shirt.

He pulled her shirt up over her bre*asts, looking down at her chest as he pulled down her br*a. She shivered with excitement as he svcked her n!pple into his mouth. She tilted her h!ps against his e******n, feeling the hot flood surge through her core.

She threw her head back as he l!cked and svcked at her. She gripped his hair, groaning with pleasure. He held her close and devoured her with his mouth.

“Where is your bedroom?” he asked, picking her up in his powerful arms.

“Down the hall.” She giggled.

He carried her down the hall, through the door, and into her bedroom. He laid her on the bed and stripped off her clothes until she was n*ked. His hands gripped her legs, holding them open. She quivered and mewled. Slowly, his tongue slid up the length of her inner th!gh.

“Yes,” she m0aned.

He pressed his tongue deeper into her folds and caught her cl!t with the tip of his tongue. She ran her fingers through his hair, gasping and moaning as he twirled his tongue on her pleasure bud.

She tilted her h!ps up against him and covered her eyes with her hand. She couldn’t believe how much pleasure was coursing through her, or that she had allowed a new man into her life.

She shoved away all her worry and sank into the enjoyment of the moment. She didn’t have anything to fear. She and Tate were the Lovers card. Tate wouldn’t hurt her.

She believed that now. He was her mate, and they were meant to be together. She sank into ecstasy as he slid a finger into her channel and hit her g-sp0t. She gasped loudly and asked for more. He added another finger to her pvssy, rubbed her cl!t, and k!ssed her on the mouth.

She reached out and stroked his e******n. “I want you inside me.”

He slipped on a c0ndom and pressed the head of his c0ck against her entrance. She opened her mouth against his, and they shared each other’s breath. She gasped.

She hadn’t believed she’d ever make love to anyone again, but as he slid into pressed deep into her core, she knew that this was right. She opened to him, their eyes locked on each other.

Her pvssy pulsed around his c0ck, and she went soft and pliant. He ran the pad of his thumb over her forehead. She bit his bottom l!p, running her hands down his back. He tilted his h!ps and slid deeper inside her.

She gasped and arched her back, tilting her head back as she accepted his thrusts with total abandon.

He moved into her in er0tic waves of passion, pushing her up the peak and over the edge. She didn’t know if her mind and body could even survive so much pleasure. It was incomprehensible. He gripped her jaw and ran his sharp fangs over her neck.

“I want to claim you so bad,” he growled in her ear.

“Please wait.”

“I will.”

She could feel another org*asm coming on as his c0ck grew harder and thicker inside her. He growled and thrust frantically into her core, sparking her orga*sm again. He exploded inside her, his body going rigid. She clung to him, panting as the orga*sms radiated between their sweaty bodies.

He let out a deep breath, his body relaxing. His weight sank into her. She held him for a moment before he slipped away and turned on his back. He threw the c0ndom in the garbage by the bed. He lay panting on her pillow, staring at the ceiling.

She giggled and rolled into him. “That was wild.”

“Grrr,” he growled into her ear and k!ssed her neck.

“I didn’t know I could come so many times.”

He k!ssed her forehead. “You make me so happy, Dalia. I never want this to end.”