Page 45 of Bewitching Her Monsters
Thankfully, the server comes up to interrupt our conversation, so Jade can’t ask more about his paranoia and why he is especially touchy lately.
“Hey Jade, what can I get you tonight?” The server’s eyes are alight with mirth.
“Paloma,” she orders.
“You want another whiskey?” the lady asks, eyeing my empty glass.
“Yeah, since my friend drank mine.” I chuckle. Maxum is such a dick.
The server hurries off after a little wink at Jade that I pretend not to notice.
“So, how’s Beast?” she asks. “Did he turn up?”
“Hmm?” I take a beat before I remember her name for my wolf. “Oh, yeah. He was right where he was supposed to be!” I shake my head with a grin like he’s a scamp. And right now? I fucking feel like one.
“Oh, good. I was worried about him today. Missed him too.” She frowns, picking at her nails.
“I hope you don’t mind shared custody, because he’s likely to come knocking at your door at some point again.”
Jade chuckles at that. “As long as he doesn’t break into the house if I don’t answer the door.”
I can’t promise her we won’t do that.
When our drinks arrive, she raises her glass and looks me in the eye when we clink glasses together.
“To new connections,” I toast.
She echoes me with a wry grin and peruses my defined, broad chest. “So, a bodyguard, huh? I might have to quiz you on that so I can write a bodyguard trope.”
“Is that a romance thing?” I rub my face in embarrassment. “Uh, I guess it makes sense. Feeling safe and protected is something people want and need.” I laugh. “Too bad it isn’t as sexy as in your books.”
Her face flashes with surprise. Whoops. I hope she doesn’t quiz me about romance books. I only know how steamy her stuff gets because I peeked. And wow, she described things that made me blush.
“Well, that’s the job of the author, isn’t it?” She rubs the condensation off her cold glass. “We must take a mundane relationship or situation and heighten it until it’s extraordinary. Life is messy. It’s not like passionate romances with happy little bows at the end happen all the time. Most of us don’t get scorching sexual tension that winds up being amazing, earth-shattering sex with syncronized orgasms with a perfect partner that completes us, heals our emotional wounds, and makes us better people.”
I study her for a moment. “You’re not wrong. But you’re not completely correct either.”
She laughs heartily at that. “Oh, boy, I know what you’re going to say.”
“Do you?” I lean forward, drawing her in with my intense gaze. She unconsciously leans toward me. “Tell me then,” I dare her.
“You were going to say something like passion and romance happen all the time, and it’s not that bleak.” She lifts her glass, points with her index finger, and waves it at me, as if it gives weight to her argument. “But I’m sure you get all kinds of whirlwind hookups and torrid nights of passion. Except, not all of us have the supermodel thing going on. Or we are extroverted enough to go out and stumble upon someone who wants to be with us. Some of us are introverts. And we don’t go outside where all the people are.”
I nod my appreciation for her compliment. “Thank you for the vote of confidence concerning my sexual prowess, but I’m not getting laid every time I walk out the door—”
She interrupts, “Just every other time.”
Laughing at her playfulness, I explain, “I was going to say… we caneasilyfind romance in books, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have the same passion in our lives. Or true love. And yeah, sometimes love is messy. But when you find someone to connect with on a soul level, it’s…”
Jade sets her drink down, waiting for me to finish my thought, but I can’t. It’s too much to think about Osen being gone. Or about my other loves who hurt me. I don’t want to think about how she’ll react when she discovers my lies, my secrets.
“You’ve lost someone?” she asks softly.
“Yeah, but enough of that. I’d rather talk about you.” I try to change the subject. “On that note of the past, I wanted to ask if you’re okay. Is your ex still harassing you?”
“It was just a one-sentence email.” She waves me off, and I watch her energy tighten and shrink.
“Don’t dismiss your feelings,” I encourage her to arm herself with her natural Goddess-given gifts. “Your instincts and intuition are there for a reason. My instincts tell me that you are more worried than you are letting on.”
