When I removed the second container from the bag, I spotted something that made me squeal with delight. “You brought me potato chips!”
He approached the counter. “Noah mentioned how you liked junk food. Hope you’re not on a diet… Not like you need it.”
I immediately dropped down and shoved them inside a soup pot in a lower cabinet. Noah didn’t like me snacking or eating a lot, and salty chips were my weakness.
When I rose, he watched me with an indecipherable expression that made me self-conscious.
“Well, I need to head out,” he announced loud enough that Joy could hear. “If you two need anything, call me.” As he reached the door, he half turned. “By the way, what’s the name of the club Noah works at?”
“Pink Lady Studios. It’s a cover so humans won’t walk in. Why?”
“Just curious.” He winked at Joy, who drifted into the living room in a floral pink robe and nightie. “Any message you want me to give Salem?”
Joy adjusted the front knot on her headscarf. “Let him know if he wants more books, he should check his budget first.”
“Girl…” Archer laughed. “I’ll just tell him you miss him. How’s that, Miss Pot Stirrer? G’nite, ladies.”
When he didn’t look back at me one last time before leaving, my shoulders sagged.
“Joy?”
“Yes?”
I worried my lip. “I’m sorry about this morning.”
Shaking her head, she asked, “Sorry for what?”
Feeling the weight of shame, I stared at the floor. “For not doing anything to help. I froze up.”
“Is that what’s been bothering you all day?” She wrapped her arms around me, the scent of roses lifting off her clean skin. “You’re so thoughtful. I’mrelievedthat you didn’t intervene. Men like that are capable of terrible things. Don’t you dare blame yourself. I’m fine.” She drew back and switched off the kitchen light. “Are you ready for bed?”
“Let me get the sheets out of the closet for the sofa.”
She took my hand. “Nonsense. You’ll sleep with me tonight. I promise my wolf never comes out while I’m sleeping, so you don’t have a thing to worry about.”
Could I trust a wolf?
She led me into the bedroom, so I must have. While Joy settled in on the right side of the bed, I slipped on a long T-shirt and brushed my hair. “I’m sorry you have to be away from your mate.”
“Salem won’t even notice I’m gone.” She propped herself up on her elbows and looked at my T-shirt. “Gracious. Is that all you have to wear?”
“I like these better than pajamas,” I admitted while climbing under the covers. “I’m always tossing and turning, so I get twisted up in too many clothes.” After switching off the light, I said, “This feels weird.”
“What does?”
“Sleeping with a woman.”
She giggled. “Didn’t you ever have girlfriends when you were a child? There used to be a darling girl who lived across the street. I’m not sure when sleepovers with children became commonplace, but they weren’t in my time. I suppose families were paranoid that someone might use their child to spy on their personal affairs. Since we didn’t have television, gossip was all the rage.Can you imagine? Her parents often traveled and left her with us during the summer.”
“Didn’t they have a pack?”
“She was human. We didn’t live in a pack, so it didn’t matter. We had a wonderful time, and it was like having a sister. Long after I left home, I wrote her letters to keep in touch. Then I heard she died from influenza.” After a long silence with her staring at the ceiling, Joy added, “I miss that time. Everything was so innocent, the future uncertain.”
“I hate growing up.”
“Oh, not me, honey. Sure, you see the world for what it really is, but you also have more control. You can go anywhere, be anyone, do anything. You can’t control your path, but you can choose the road to walk on.”
Lacing my fingers across my stomach, I listened to the crickets trilling outside. “Sometimes I feel trapped. I’ve never been in a relationship before, and it’s harder than I thought. Do you ever feel like that, or is it just me?”
