When Seth opens the door, a cloud of purple flies toward me, and I wave my hand in front of my face as I say, "I'm still pissed at you but not enough to keep you swimming in this stuff. I brought help."

"Thank god," he says. I lift my hand to block the glare as his glitter-encrusted body flashes like a thousand lightbulbs in the sunlight. He steps aside to let us in.

"Holy sh—" Sammy slaps a hand over her mouth. The space looks worse than I remembered. Every single inch is shimmering in the daylight as if the glitter were painted on. There's a pile in the middle, but it appears as if the sweeping Seth has tried to do has barely made a dent.

Elise lets out a low whistle as she pulls her phone out of her pocket. "Amazing. I don't know how you got it to stick to the ceiling, but this is one for the record books, Nina." She snaps a picture and turns to me with a smile. "I almost don't want to clean it up."

Sammy elbows Seth. "Bet you won't piss off a witch ever again."

"Never," he says as he gives me a pleading look. He squirms a bit as he runs his finger under the collar of his shirt.

Sammy says, "Bet it's everywhere, and man, when that stuff gets in your nooks and crannies…" She shudders as Elise and I look at her in surprise. "What? You guys don't think I know what it—I work with kids, after all! Jeez. Minds out of the gutter, please."

Elise and I laugh.

Then Elise says to Seth, "I'm going to clean this up for you on one condition."

"Name it."

"You never, ever lie to Nina again. And I mean not even the tiniest little—"

Sammy interrupts. "Wait. There are some lies you can tell. Like if she asks if she looks fat in something? The answer is always no. Got it?"

He nods.

I know my friends are trying to be helpful, but I need to deal with Seth on my own, so I say, "Elise, can you just clean this up for me, Please?"

"Sure." She looks at Seth. "Is there a dumpster behind your building?"

"I think so."

"Good. Show me."

The two of them shuffle across the room to avoid slipping, and Seth opens a window.

Elise checks it out, and satisfied, she says to Seth, "Hold perfectly still, and I'll get you cleaned up too."

Sammy and I step outside and watch the magical swirl of purple form a shimmery snake that slithers out the window. I look at Seth standing still with his eyes trained on me.

"Nina, I'm sorry."

Part of me thinks I'm supposed to make this man suffer more for what's he done, but my heart won't let me. I understand the actions of someone who's not sure they're good enough. Being a woman Seth believed might be out of his reach makes me realize how silly that thinking is. He's my soul mate, and that means we belong together. Maybe destiny knew we both needed to learn the importance of self-worth. I don't know. What I do know is that I'm willing to forgive the man I love for his mistake and that he'll always forgive me for mine.

I reach into my pocket and pull out my keys and hand them to Sammy.

She says, "Text if you need us to come back."

"Thanks."

I see my friends out and shut the door before I turn to look at Seth. "Sorry about the glitter. I didn't mean for it to be so much."

"My kids would have loved it," Seth says as he smiles at me and takes a step closer.

I step forward too. "I'm not that gr—" I shake my head. "I know I'm pretty great, Seth. But the thing is, you are too. You know how you love my little quirks that used to embarrass me?"

"Like the way your voice gets really loud when you're excited?"

I nod as I move a little closer. "I like your quirks too. Like when you tripped on the apple and fell."

"When you bumped into the table at the cafe, my heart almost burst with my love for you." Seth closes the gap between us and places his hands on my hips. "I never worried about not being a warrior. I never even wanted to be one as a kid. When I met you, though, I swore I'd do anything to make you mine. So that day when I saw how my friends found you attractive, I got jealous. I acted like a fool and doubted myself because I knew how important it was to have you in my life, Nina."

I put my hand on his cheek and let his werebear warmth sink into my skin. "You've got me, Seth. I love you, and it's the kind of love that will last forever."

"We are forever, Nina. I love you too. We're both going to make more mistakes. But there isn't anyone I'd rather make them with."

He leans down to kiss me, and I hold still to let him. The now-familiar surge of our soul-mate connection fills me with the glow of our love. When our hands begin to stray, Seth stops and steps back.

"I think we've done enough damage to my apartment in the last few days." He raises his eyebrows at me with a silent question.

I ask, "Your bedroom?"

He nods, and I hold out my hand to let him lead the way. When we get there, Seth places himself across from me and removes his shirt. I let out a small sound of appreciation at the naked chest he’s revealed.

"You are far sexier than any warrior I've ever seen."

I laugh when Seth flexes, but as soon as the metal buckle of his belt clinks as he works on it, I stop. Seth steps out of his pants and I notice the outline of his erection beneath his boxer briefs. I let out a whoosh of air.

"Your turn," says Seth. "I figure this way we can avoid hurting each other and get to the good stuff."

I grin at him as I strip off my shirt, and once my pants are off, Seth lets out a low growl at my bra and panties. I reach behind my back and unhook my bra to let it slither off my shoulders and to the floor while Seth steps out of his briefs and drops to his knees before me. Strong hands grip my hips, and he drags my underwear down as I wiggle out of them. My stomach trembles since I know what he plans to do next, and I sigh when he begins to kiss my belly.

His thick hair is silky in my fingers when I thread them through it, and I hold on as his lips travel lower. I want to enjoy this fully, and since I'm afraid my knees will buckle, I whisper, “Bed.”

Seth stands and tugs me by the hand toward the bed. The mattress sinks beneath me as I lie back, and he takes his time nibbling slowly up my legs. The sensation of his tongue on my skin sends shocks of pleasure through me, killing me with the anticipation of when he’ll get to the juncture between my legs.

The moment Seth’s mouth lands on my sex, I arch up in a small cry. He laps at me and burrows into my folds to savor my juices as the low rumble of his bear reverberates through me. I grab his hair and lose myself in his attention. When he slips two fingers in me, I climb higher, and it doesn’t take long before I’m crying out with my release.

"Seth."

I want to touch him, but Seth doesn't appear to be in a rush to do anything more than give me pleasure.

He lifts up and smiles. "Patience, Nina. I have plans."

"Oh." I let out a sigh as he kisses his way up to my breasts and focuses his attention on nipping and sucking. Tiny shivers run through me, and my breathing becomes panting again. I like this plan of his, and my small noises tell him so.

When Seth decides I’ve had enough, he flutters little kisses on my stomach, and he makes his way back down my body. He gets closer to my sensitive slit and surprises me by tasting me once again. I begin to tremble, and he takes it as a challenge, because he uses a combination of his hand and his mouth to bring me to the brink once again. An orgasm explodes from me, and I shock myself with the scream that escapes my mouth.

Seth finally lets up, and my words come out like a beg when I say, "Please come up here and let me touch you."

He moves up to lie next to me and lifts up on his elbow to rest his head on his hand.

I smile at Seth as I reach down and grip his engorged cock. It's silky on my fingers as I stroke him. "You're a man of many talents."

"You think so?" he asks before he leans in and kisses me.

The scent of my musk is strong as I kiss him back.

Seth rolls me onto my back and pulls my hand away. "I want to be inside you, Nina."

I spread my thighs. "I want you there." My hips buck up when he slides his dick along my sensitive seam as if I can pull him in, and I let out a small moan of pleasure when he slides into my channel. "Yes."

Intense pleasure makes me grab his butt so tight I think my nails draw blood. But he's a werebear, and damage I do will heal before I could even look. Seth doesn’t notice anyway, because he’s definitely taking what he wants now. He pumps hard, as if he can’t get deep enough. I wrap my legs around his waist to open up as fully to him as I can, and amazingly, another climax builds in me. I fall under Seth's power over me, and I let go to thrash and rock with the man I love.

Guttural sounds and primal noises fill the room as the two of us move together with reckless abandon. I'm so ready to cum, but I hold on so we can both cry out almost simultaneously. And we ride our wave of ecstasy together before we end up in a tangled sweaty heap.

"Nina," Seth whispers against my neck, and the heat of his breath sends a shiver down my spine. "My dear, sweet Nina, I never knew how much I needed you until you came along."

His words would sound dramatic except for the fact I feel the same way. Because falling in love with Seth is as if a light were turned on inside me, letting me see that my idea of who I should be and what is valuable wasn't the truth at all. I've found someone who doesn't fit the mold, either, and together, we are perfect. "We need each other."

"I wish I could explain how deeply I love you, Nina."

I gaze into the green eyes that captured my interest the first time we met, and I see the man behind them. The one who captured my heart. And then I open my soul, the one that belongs to his, the one that feels what his does. I let Seth see it too as I say, "I already know."

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