Amaryllis wrapped a towel around her self and pushed the glass door of the shower open. She brushed her hair and braided it down her back.

After she brushed her teeth and washed her face, she walked into the closet where Ulric had already brought her an assortment of clothes where she picked out what she wanted to wear to bed. Just as she was about to drop her towel from her body, she felt the faintest brush of a breath wander over the back of her neck.

She twisted around and was met with Ulric's naked toned chest. "Why do you always sneak up on me like that?" She mumbled as she tightened her towel to her body.

"When are we going back to the castle?" She asked. Her period ended two days ago, but they were still at the house and hadn't gone back to the castle yet.

"Tomorrow," he said. He had enjoyed spending time with his mate and getting to know her better, but he did have duties to tend to so he needed to get back to the castle soon.

His eyes were glued to her chest. Specifically, the crevice in between her breasts where the towel wasn't touching. How he would love to run his tongue up that strip of her skin.

She looked up to his eyes and saw that his gaze was pointed down further, at her chest. She reached her hands up to pull her towel higher, but let her hands fall back to her sides. She oddly liked the attention Ulric gave her. She wanted him to think of her body as sexually appealing.

A blush quickly rose to her pale cheeks when his gaze did not let up. He didn't move his eyes away from her chest for at least 60 seconds.

What was the real kicker was when he lifted his hand up and trailed his fingertips across the tops of the creamy mounds of her chest.

"Ulric!" She gasped. She wasn't expecting him to do that. A slight grin made Ulric's lips twitch upwards. He enjoyed teasing his little mate.

Her chest was plump and soft and he knew that when he finally got to hold them, they would fit into his palms perfectly. He felt a tightening in his boxers. The way the towel outlined her figure was greatly impeding his ability to think properly.

He looked up from her breasts to her face and saw that she had gone completely red, but she hadn't bothered to pull her towel up or push him away. She was enjoying his teasing as much as he was enjoying teasing her.

Ulric hooked his index finger behind her towel and slowly began to pull it from her body. He watched her facial expressions as he did so to make sure she was okay with it. He was finally going to see his mate, all of her.

A feeling of nervousness, yet both excitement and sexual tension built up in Amaryllis. No one had ever seen her naked before and Ulric was only a few seconds away from doing so.

The towel revealed her breasts in all of their glory with their pointed peaks when it fell off her body and pooled around her feet on the floor.

Amaryllis lifted her hands up to hide her body, now feeling all of the embarrassment and insecurity that the towel shielded her from, but Ulric caught her wrists before she could do so.

"Don't," he warned while meeting her gaze. "Your body is stunning," he complimented as his eyes moved down her body.

She wasn't sure what to say to that, so she didn't say anything. She just stood there as Ulric stared at her naked self.

What shocked Ulric the most was that she was shaven. Her pubic bone was completely free of hair. He never thought his innocent little mate would do something so scandalous.

"I would've never guessed that you shaved yourself Amaryllis," he commented.

She shifted her weight from foot to foot, feeling absolutely embarrassed about this whole situation, though he did say she was stunning so that helped to calm her doubts about his possible judgments of her body. "I... I just recently... um, I just recently did it," she answered.

"What for?" He asked. He hadn't touched her yet, for he wouldn't know how she would react if he were to do that. He didn't want to rush her.

"For you," she answered timidly. She wrung her hands together in nervousness; not sure of what he was going to think.

She shaved herself down there just two nights ago. He had told her a few days ago about the mating process and how to complete it - they have to have sex. Amaryllis knew she wasn't ready for sex yet, but she also wasn't exactly ready for Ulric to have given her her first orgasm when he did. Sometimes unexpected things just happen. So she wanted to be prepared and look the best for Ulric when the time came.

"For me?" He inquired.

She nodded her head, a deep rush of red floated onto her cheeks. "You said a few days ago about the mating process. I wanted to be prepared for when the time came. I wanted to look good for you," she quietly answered.

Ulric took a step closer to her body and now his bare midsection was touching her bare chest. She had to crane her neck even further to meet his eyes.

"You look beautiful, Amaryllis." He said while never once removing his gaze from her eyes. " I know that you are insecure about your looks, but you don't need to be. You don't need to be embarrassed about your body, especially not in front of me because when you are ready, I will be worshiping this body from the time the sun sets until it arises once again," He said.

Amaryllis's mouth hung open as if she had just witnessed a murder or something. Her innocent ears were shocked to hear that. Tingles erupted in certain parts of herself, and she couldn't contain the urge to rub her legs together to stop the aching between them. She was not mentally ready for sex with Ulric yet, but she definitely was physically ready.

"I don't even know what to say," she giggled. What do you say to someone after they told you that they want to pleasure you all night long?

"It's just that, no one who's ever seen me naked before and I'm not like Kayla. I'm not skinny, and I don't have a thigh gap, and I don't have the perfect shape. I just wanted to try to look as good for you as possible," Amaryllis said. She wasn't sure what to do with her hands, so she brought them up to rest just above his hips.

"Why are you comparing yourself to Kayla?" He asked. Kayla had nothing to do with this moment, or with their relationship at all. She was irrelevant.

He was visually getting frustrated. Why was he getting upset?

"Because she is your type of girl. I'm not," Amaryllis said. She hadn't thought about his relationship with Kayla for a while, but the other night she did. And that's part of the reason why she shaved herself. She couldn't compete with Kayla, so she had to make herself look better in any way possible.

"Amaryllis, what are you talking about?" He asked. Why is she talking about Kayla? She's irrelevant. Don't compare yourself to her, Amaryllis. It's not even a comparison. I would pick you every time.

"Because you used to sleep with her. So you must have liked her, or at least liked her body. My body doesn't look like hers," Amaryllis answered sadly.

Ulric let out a sound similar to that of a growl before running his hands through his hair. He was hoping she would've forgotten about his relations with Kayla. He sure as hell forgot about them. No one compared to Amaryllis and Kayla was only a means of distraction.

"Amaryllis, listen to me," he said and reached down to grab her sides. "Kayla is not my 'type'. She was merely a toy to me. Something I could throw away at my disposal. I did not and still don't like her or her body. The only person that is my type is you. You are my type. Your personality is my type. Your body is my type. Everything about you is my type. Not Kayla or any other girl for that matter," he said.

He had come a long way from when he first met Amaryllis. When he first met her, the thought of revealing his feelings to her was preposterous, hence why he stayed away from her and used other girls to distract him from her. Even though his distractions didn't even work for he always imagined the girl he was sleeping with to be Amaryllis. His mind could never be distracted from his mate.

Now he's opening up to her, telling her how he feels about her and taking her insecurities away. He never would've imagined a year ago that he would be so affectionate toward a woman.

"Then why did you sleep with her?" She asked as her innocent doe eyes peered up at the king.

Ulric drew in a deep breath before answering her. He knew he was opening up a whole new can of worms. "I was trying to distract myself from you. When I realized we were mates, I wanted to push you away. I didn't want to be near you because then feelings between us would develop. I didn't realize, however, that fighting a mate bond was trivial. Feelings between us formed the moment I laid eyes on you, and there was no resisting it," he explained.

He reached up and pulled a shirt of his off the hanger and dressed amaryllis in it. He could see that she was getting cold due to her wet hair. He pulled her closer to his own body to help warm her up as well.

"That's why I slept with those other women; to try to forget about you. But it didn't work, Amaryllis. I could never forget about you, or distract my mind from you. When I was with those women, I imagined that they were you, and it made me desire you even more. The more I pushed, the more the mate bond pulled. Then I gave up resisting it because I knew that I couldn't possibly live without my mate. And I didn't want to anymore. Forcing you to stay away from me was a living hell. I couldn't do it anymore. I didn't want to do it anymore."

Amaryllis wasn't sure what to feel. She was pleased that she now fully understood why he had pushed her away and been so cold to her during her first few weeks at the castle, but it hurt knowing that he sept with other women while he knew they were mates.

Amaryllis nodded as she digested everything he said. "It still feels weird knowing that you slept with other women while you knew we were mates, but I get it I suppose. When did you first know we were mates?"

"I didn't want to intentionally hurt you. I was being selfish and only thought of myself. I thought having a mate would make me vulnerable and weak, whereas you actually make me stronger. I'm focused more now than ever before now that I have you with me; now that I have my missing piece with me. I am sorry for hurting you. I knew we were mates the day of the Harvest. I smelled something absolutely amazing when I stepped out of my car that day, and when you walked into the town square I recognized you immediately was my mate," he said.

"I wish you would've told me," Amaryllis said. She was obviously upset, but she understood where Ulric was coming from. If you had something that you didn't want, wouldn't you try to push it away as well?

"I know," he said as he cupped her cheek. "And I'll never make those mistakes again. I will never try to push you away, Amaryllis. This is the most I've expressed my feelings to anyone, ever. But I'm trying. I know that relationships need honesty and communication, so I'm trying. I'm trying for you because I can't lose you," he said. Everything he told her was one hundred percent honest.

He really couldn't believe he was being so open to her, but he knew he would hurt her if he wasn't honest with her about his actions, and he couldn't stand to hurt her. He had hurt her enough in the past to last a lifetime.

A tear pricked Amaryllis's eye and she tightly wrapped her arms around Ulric. That was the sweetest, most thoughtful, affectionate, and genuine speech anyone had ever given her. She knew Ulric wasn't open about his feelings and hid them all behind a brick wall, but he just let all of the regret and all of the feelings he had about her out. He was being vulnerable in front of her, showing her that he trusted her and wanted to be with her. It was perfect.

That moment was perfect and she wanted to trap it in a bottle and relive that moment forever. Ulric wasn't emotional, but he was trying to open up to her more. Everything he was doing was for her because he couldn't stand hurting her anymore. She was grateful for it. She was grateful that he was trying and that he was doing what he was in order to make her happy. He was being very selfless unlike how he was when they first met.

"Thank you for showing me how you truly feel, Ulric. I don't think you understand how much that means to me," she said into his chest. She blinked the tears back, but her voice was thick with emotion.

Ulric wrapped his hands under her thighs and picked her up so her legs were wrapped around the bottom of his hips.

"I know you don't like to express how you're feeling. I and anyone on earth can tell that you are a very guarded person, so I know how much of a leap this is for you, and I'm very proud. I want you to know that I appreciate it so much!" She cupped his cheeks in her hands and pecked him on the lips.

She was still upset that he kept her in the dark for so long, but she understood why. He only wanted to protect himself. At least now they were together, how they were meant to be.

He leaned forward again and wrapped his lips around hers, continuing their kiss. He was addicted to her kisses.

Ulric moved his hand up to the top of her thigh and across the entire length of it before moving to her stomach. As his hand moved up, her shirt was forced to move up as well, causing her to be exposed to him once more. Though this time, he had a more direct look at her core.

He pulled away from her lips and tilted his neck so he could look at his mate's shaven center. "Let's get back to this matter," he said as his hand rested on her stomach.

"Your body is perfect just the way it is. You don't need to compare yourself to Kayla or any other girl for that matter. I don't want them. I want you," he said. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her center. She was quite wet, he could tell because the light shone on her and caused her pink skin to glisten.

Ulric heard Amaryllis's sinfully delicious moans as he opened her legs a little farther so he could get a better look.

"Ulric," she whispered in a breathy voice.

"You don't have to shave for me either, Amaryllis. Nothing could possibly make me think of you as unattractive, especially something as irrelevant as hair, but you do look very nice," Ulric complimented as his fingers itched to dive into her. She was so close and he could barely contain himself.

He turned around with Amaryllis still in his arms and flicked the closet light off. Walking them to the bed, he dimmed the bedroom light and laid Amaryllis gently on the bed. He laid her in a position so her legs were open and he pulled the T-shirt off of her. Her naked body was delectable.

Ulric bent down and kissed up her neck to her lips, peppering kisses all over her face. "Are you okay with this?"

"I don't want to- to have sex yet, but I'm okay with doing... other things," she answered tenaciously. Her heart was pounding and a swarm of butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She knew she didn't have enough will power to withstand her sexual desires, so she simply gave in this time without putting up a fight- a fight with her own mind and resolve that is. Besides, this trip had taught her a lot about him, so it's not like she knew absolutely nothing about him anymore.

Ulric grunted in understanding then kissed his way down to her chest. With one hand, he grabbed her left breast and wrapped his lips around her right nipple.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, the sensation felt wonderful. She tried to clamp her legs together to relieve the increasingly powerful ache, but Ulric was blocking her way.

While continuing to pinch her nipples, his free hand ran down the length of her body; dipped across her waist, over her hip, around her butt, until he finally got to her sweet spot.

Amaryllis screamed out Ulric's name when his finger met her very willing center. She'd never even touched herself before, so it was a very foreign feeling, yet absolutely marvelous. He kept one hand on her chest but moved his head close to her center.

She bucked against his hand as he ran his fingers through her center and over her tiny bundle of nerves that was begging for attention. "Exquisite," she heard Ulric say from in between her legs.

"Ulric please," she begged but she had no idea what she was even begging for. She just needed him.

"Mmmhh!" Amaryllis mewled when he inserted a finger into her virgin walls. "Fuck, you're tight," he grunted.

Ulric nipped at her neck while he thrust his finger into her. He fought against her virgin resistance and added another finger into her. Her pleasure was vocalized.

"It's happening!" She squealed when she felt the same - yet so much more intense - feeling build up inside of her that she felt when she ground herself on Ulric a few weeks before.

"Let it happen," Ulric soothed when he moved from between her legs. He wanted to see her face when she came.

Her eyes squeezed shut in ecstasy and he felt her clamp around his fingers impossibly tighter before she climaxed around his hand.

Her leg muscles had tightened up, so she let them relax against the mattress while she caught her breath. She looked down at herself and saw Ulric's hand still in between her legs. That sight alone caused her arousal to heighten.

She winced slightly when he pulled his fingers out. She felt somewhat empty. She liked the feeling of being full of him.

She watched as he brought his hand up to his mouth, licking all of her juices off of his hand. Ulric groaned when the taste of her met his lips and Amaryllis felt herself growing wetter.

"So sweet," he said. His voice was full of husky lust. "Almost as good as your blood."