THE SINFUL HOUR COLLECTION
My voice shrank, embarrassment curling tight in my chest.
He winced, hands still loosely at my waist. “No—God, no. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry. You’re perfect just the way you are.” His thumbs brushed once, gently, along my sides before he let go completely.
I looked down at my feet, swallowing the old, familiar ache. Weight had been my shadow since I was twelve—diets, gyms, calorie counting, scales that mocked me every morning. No matter how hard I tried, the softness stayed. Lately, though, the stress of the last few months has carved a little off. Some of my blouses hung looser at the shoulders, my jeans didn’t pinch at the waist the way they used to. Small victories I hadn’t da