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The tickle moved over her temple, and settled on her cheek, expanding into something warm and cozy and Talia leaned her head in that direction.

She took a deep breath and smiled as the scent of the forest and dark chocolate entered her system.

It was novel, yet familiar, and definitely relaxing.

Talia\'s smile froze when she heard a deep chuckle.

"You are a heavy sleeper."

Talia\'s eyes snapped open, and she met Damon\'s unfathomable blue eyes.

She swallowed hard. Oh, God! The warm and cozy thing on her cheek was his palm!

Why the heck was she sleeping on his palm as a pillow!?

No, no… wrong question!

"Why are you in my room?", Talia croaked before ducking under the cover completely.

Damon thought that she was adorable, and he missed the sparks that disappeared from his palm the moment Talia moved away.

He really wanted to get under that cover with her.

"You didn\'t come for breakfast, and you have an appointment with the nutritionist. I knocked but there was no answer so…", Damon\'s voice trailed. "You should get ready and eat."

Talia\'s head peeked out, just enough for her eyes to be visible. "You came to wake me up?"

"Mhm…", he hummed in confirmation. "I also brought you food."

Talia glanced toward the coffee table, and she saw a tray with food on it.

Talia was half-relieved that Damon\'s mood seems to be good.

Or is it?

She blinked at the sight of his half-smile directed her way.

That might be a dazzling smile for many women, but Talia feared that he will do something outrageous. What if he holds her hand, or forces a hug? It wouldn\'t be the first time. Or maybe her hair is super-messy, and he is mocking her. Was she snoring? How long was he watching her before she woke up?

She wanted him to leave.

"Thank you for bringing me these. I will be down as soon as I get ready."

Damon nodded in agreement. "We will go down as soon as you get ready."

Talia noticed the \'WE\' part. "You don\'t need to wait for me here."

"Oh, but I do. What will happen if you go back to sleep?"

"I won\'t."

"You won\'t", Damon confirmed before expanding on it with, "You won\'t with me here."

He leaned closer to Talia who pushed herself into the bed how much pillows allowed.

"What do you want to do first? Wash up or have breakfast? If you keep on delaying, one will need to be cut short unless you do them at the same time." His eyes twinkled with mischief. "I can feed you while you shower."

Damon\'s words were suggestive, and his scent of the forest and dark chocolate made her dizzy, and Talia swallowed a mouthful of air.

"I will wash up right away." She hated that her voice was squeaky, but it was out and she couldn\'t take it back.

Talia reached under the comforter to ensure that the oversized tank top is as low as possible. She had panties on, but still… she didn\'t want to risk her important parts to be exposed.

Talia scooted out of the bed sideways because Damon\'s face was still hovering only a few inches above hers.

Damon watched with amusement as Talia dashed into the bathroom and he wished that she moved slower so that he can get a better look at her legs.

Damon chuckled while thinking how she is adorable. And sexy.

He wanted to go after her and help her wash up. Maybe he can offer to soap her back, and then work his way from there.

Damon let out a long breath and took his phone to distract himself, otherwise, he might really go after her.

But the phone didn\'t do much. As soon as the water from the shower started running, his mind created all kinds of X-rated images of Talia.

"Ugh!", Damon groaned, desperately trying to find something to keep his mind occupied.

Right! Instead of imagining Talia naked, he should think about a cute outfit she will wear.

Damon frowned when he realized that he didn\'t get a chance to see anything she bought on the previous day, so he decided to go into the closet and investigate.

Damon shook his head helplessly when he saw that everything was still in bags and boxes, probably how Maya and Stephanie left it.

If it was any other girl, he might think that she doesn\'t appreciate the clothes, but this was Talia and Damon knew that she didn\'t think of herself as worthy.

Damon took a mental note to pamper Talia more and help raise her self-esteem because she shouldn\'t think of herself as below others.

But how can he do that without exposing that she is his mate?

\'Are you still stuck on it?\', Damon\'s wolf asked.

\'Stuck on what?\'

Damon\'s wolf snorted in disapproval. \'You are worried about others finding out how important mate is so that they don\'t hurt her, and you end up hurting her. Wake up! Your choices are either to protect her how any Alpha would his woman or let her go.\'

Damon groaned. \'You know I can\'t let her go.\'

He knew that the safest thing for Talia would be to pretend that the sparks are not there, but he was too selfish to do so.

Damon had status, power, money, women… anything he wanted was his.

Toward his pack, he feels duty, and everything else is either a necessity or fleeting pleasure.

However, the connection he feels with Talia is different, addictive, and as much as he is frustrated that he can\'t resist the pull, the sweet citrusy scent of freesia puts his mind at ease, and the sparks when they touch make him feel alive.

When Talia is in Damon\'s visible range, there is no pack, no enemies, no schemes… it\'s just the two of them and he wouldn\'t want it any other way.

Last night, instead of sleeping, Damon stared at the ceiling while imagining how it will feel when they kiss. It was not IF they will kiss, but WHEN, and Damon was giddy like a teenager while thinking about various scenarios of how that magical kiss will happen. Soon.

\'You have your answers, boy.\', Damon\'s wolf said. \'Stop going back and forth because you always return to the point that she IS important, and you CAN\'T let her go. Act like it or you will end up hurting mate, she will go hungry again, and… she will leave.\'

Anxiety swelled inside Damon at the thought that Talia might leave.

Damn it! So many women are sticking to him, and he can\'t get rid of them, yet the only woman he wants close can escape his grasp easily.

Damon looked at the bags with clothes and wondered if he should buy more stuff. Yes. If he gets her more stuff and food and whatever she wants, she will not leave. But Talia doesn\'t seem to be a materialistic person, so maybe he should offer her a massage. He could do that. Start with the shoulders and work his way down.

Metal images returned: Damon in the bathroom with Talia… under the shower… and he could massage her thoroughly.

"Shit!", Damon cursed under his breath because he was getting hard again.

Damon needed a distraction, so he decided to arrange things from the bags in the closet.

…

Talia stood under the warm water, flustered as the memories of Damon cradling her cheek in his palm popped into her mind.

His touch was warm and gentle, and it reflected in his deep blue eyes.

It actually looked like he cared.

And then he got above her, really close, and he smelled delicious, and she saw him throw a quick glance at her lips, and…

Talia told herself not to overthink it. Alpha Damon saw so many beauties like Marcy and Cassie. Compared to them, Talia is like a stick figure and Alpha Damon would never have any inappropriate thoughts. He probably sees her like a pet project, something to keep himself busy.

It seems that clingy Damon came to wake her up and Talia was not sure if she prefers this one or the one who ignores her.

Talia didn\'t want to come out of the shower. Not because she enjoyed it, but because she knew that once she comes out, she will need to face Damon again.

But then… what if she takes too long? He might come after her.

Talia quickly got out of the shower and toweled off.

"Oh, no…", Talia mumbled dejectedly when she realized that in her hurry to escape Alpha Damon, she didn\'t bring any clothes with her. Now what?

Slowly, Talia peeked out of the bathroom and released the breath she was holding when she couldn\'t spot Damon. He left!

She clutched the towel that was wrapped around her.

Yes, she was alone, but that didn\'t mean that Damon won\'t return any moment. There is a chance that he just went to his room for a minute, so she better hurry.

Talia froze at the door of the closet.

Why is Alpha Damon there? Are those her panties he is holding?

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