He’d washed my body last night in the bathtub before we’d crawled into bed and fallen asleep in each other’s arms, but a nice warm shower would do wonders for all of the aches currently plaguing my body. I turned around, finding him watching me with rapt attention, not having moved from his spot.
“Breakfast.” I reminded him. And if I swayed my hips, knowing his eyes were glued on my ass, who could blame me?
He nodded, running his hands through his hair and tugging on the ends. “Right.” Barrett swallowed roughly, and I traced the motion with my eyes.
“Feed me, Wolf-Man,” I said, blowing him a kiss.
That made him laugh, and he shook his head as he made his way out of my bedroom as I stood under the warm water, letting it wash all of my fears and pain down the drain.
The whole time, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. This thing between us might have been crazy, but I didn’t regret a single second. I definitely didn’t regrethim.
After we were both dressed—me in a turtleneck, one of my favorite plaid skirts and a pair of black tights with my trusty pair of combat boots, and him in a cozy knit sweater, jacket, and black jeans with his own pair of boots—we headed out into town. I still couldn’t believe how perfect this morning had been. He’d fed me breakfast, kissed my forehead again, and then went and took his own shower.
All my life, I’d always taken care of other people, but who had taken care of me? Barrett had asked me that last night, and the answer had stared back at me in the face.
No one had ever taken care of me like he was now.
This was what I’d been missing.
Companionship.
Barrett’s fingers were interlaced through mine as we took the long route from my house into town, like both of us knew this little bubble of just the two of us would pop as soon as we went back to reality.
Could I let myself fall into this, to feel comfortable with him, when I knew he would leave eventually? No matter what he said, this was just another job for him. Maybe a no-strings-attached fling while he was here would be okay, though. If the sex was anything like last night… I bit my lip. Yeah, I wanted more of that.
“What’s going through your head, Eryne?” Barrett asked, squeezing my hand.
I wasn’t sure I was ready to confess everything I was thinking. We barely knew each other. If I told him I was getting upset thinking he was going to leave, I’d scare him off. “Nothing.” I gave him a small smile, like I was trying to reassure him as much as I was myself. “Should we stop and get coffee on the way to the newspaper office?”
He nodded. “Sure.” His lips dipped low, pressing against my ear. “But only if you’ll make me one.”
I blushed, and then nodded, not sure why he likedmycoffee so much. Still, it made me a little giddy, like a schoolgirl, that he liked my drinks. That he seemed to likeme.
The bats were back in my stomach, and I couldn’t deny the flutters every time I looked at him. Yeah, I might have had a tiny, okay, giant crush on Barrett Lockwood.
“Alright, Sugar. Lead the way.” He kissed my forehead again, and I fluffed my bangs after he pulled away, hiding the flush to my cheeks with my hand, not sure why such a small action made me so flustered.
The Witches’ Brew was busy—like it was every morning—and I slid behind the counter, saying hi to my employees as I busied myself making two cups of coffee, just the way I liked it. Barrett hadn’t complained yesterday when I’d given him one loaded with sugar, so I figured he didn’t mind. We’d already eaten breakfast, but I also stashed a muffin and scone in my bag for later, in case we got hungry while we were sleuthing around.
Two coffees in hand, I walked back around the counter, only to come face to face with Willow and her mate. They looked like they were sharing a moment, his hand curving over her pregnant belly, both of their eyes locked on each other.
Damien had stopped glamouring himself to look more human a few months into living in Pleasant Grove, and his blood red eyes hardly blinked as he looked down at my boss. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a braid, and she was wearing a dark purple dress that hugged her belly, while he—as usual—wore all black.
Much like Barrett, her mate was massive, standing over a foot taller than her.
I cleared my throat, not wanting to interrupt their moment.
“Oh.” Willow looked over at me, blinking. “Hi, Eryne. Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
I shifted awkwardly with both cups of coffee in my hands. “You’re fine.”
Barrett slipped in behind me, taking one of the cups from my hand and looking at me expectantly. His hand rested on the small of my back, and I relaxed into his touch.
“Who’s this?” Willow asked, her bright green eyes darting between us.
Damien narrowed his, like he was evaluating another apex predator and taking him on for size.
“This is…” I looked up at Barrett, who tilted his head at me, reminding me of his wolf. “Barrett.” I smiled at him, and wondered how to explain the rest of how we’d met. “I… you remember those healing potions I asked you for?” I asked Willow.
