She had gotten all the way back to her house before he caught up. He managed to catch the door as it swung shut, and she jumped, turning slightly. When she saw it was him, her cheeks colored, and she turned away quickly.
“Done with Sandy, are you?” she said, her voice shaking slightly.
“I was done with her before she opened her mouth,” Joshua snapped back. “Let’s go. They won’t bother you again. You can ride me back to my place if you want.”
Images of her riding him in an entirely different way swam through his mind. He was glad Kira’s back was to him. He adjusted himself, hoping to hide his arousal. Either he’d have to awkwardly explain or she’d assume it was because of Sandy.She headed away from him, and the scent of cooking food hit his nostrils.
Joshua followed her into the kitchen, which was filled with ingredients and meals. Several pots were on the stove, and the oven was propped open. So she’d been telling the truth.
“I’m not going to your house,” she said.
“Okay. Then I’ll stay here,” Joshua answered awkwardly.
Kira glared over her shoulder. “No, you’re not. People don’t believe that we’re really together anyway. I don’t care what the council thinks. This was a terrible idea, and if they think that they can force Chelsey to marry you in my place, they have another thing coming. I’ll blast this all over the internet and then we’ll see how it goes.”
Her movements were jerky as she shoved fresh ingredients into the fridge. Joshua looked through a few cupboards and selected some containers to store the cooked food in. Kira stopped her work to stare at him, as though she was debating whether she wanted to stop him or let him continue. Her shoulders slumped as she silently nodded once and went back to her portion. Between the two of them, they’d cleaned up the kitchen quickly.
“I don’t want to go to your place,” Kira said, but the fight was gone from her.
Joshua rinsed the last dish off and pulled the plug in the sink. “I did offer to stay.”
“I don’t want you in my house.”
“Kira—”
“I know.” She dried the dish and put it in the cupboard, then wiped down the counters. “I’ll go to your place. There are no good choices here.”
Joshua frowned at her. “So does that mean we’re going to stay married? No blasting the internet?”
“Wouldn’t do any good.” Kira pulled her fingers through her hair and shook her head. She didn’t speak again as they walked to his place. Luckily, the crowd had dispersed. More than one face pressed to the window, peering at them, but Joshua kept close to Kira, and they quickly looked away again.
Once they were at his place, he gave her a quick tour. It was a modest two-floor building. The main floor held an open-concept kitchen and dining room, along with a separate den and half-bathroom. The basement was all for storage, except for the shower and laundry room, so there was nothing interesting down there. The upper floor had five tiny bedrooms.
“I put a door between my room and the next one and converted it into a gaming room and closet. This one I have my home office in,” he said as he pointed out the doors. “The bathroom up here has a clawfoot tub. It’s bigger than most of the bedrooms.”
He chuckled weakly, not entirely certain it was something to joke about. Or maybe it was just because he was so nervous about having her in his space.
“Then this is your room.” He gestured to the last door on this side of the hallway. “Your bedroom is there,” he pointed across the hall. “But I set up this one for you, too.”
Kira nodded. She’d been nodding in all the right places, but her expression was so carefully blank it made his stomach hurt. They came to the last, and largest bedroom. He swung the door open and gestured for Kira to step through.
She froze. Joshua watched her face, holding his breath as he waited for her reaction. He’d done his best with the room. A large cupboard lined one wall, filled with all the ingredientshe’d learned that Kira would need for potions. The carpet had been removed and replaced with an easily-cleaned tile floor. He had installed a hotplate, sink, fridge, and various stock pots and cauldrons.
“I thought this could be a place for you to make your potions or practice other stuff,” Joshua said as she moved into the room.
“Other stuff?” Kira repeated.
“Magic. Or yoga. Or whatever, really. I can redo the room however you’d like, so you can get whatever use you need out of it.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and tapped his foot against the wall in small gestures as his wolf paced. What was Kira thinking?
Kira plucked a jar from the cupboard. “Oh! Powered beryl?”
Joshua shrugged. “The book I looked through said it was good to have in protective potions.”
“It’s used in far more than that. It amplifies a potion’s power. But it must have cost a fortune!” Kira’s eyes were shining as she clutched the jaw to her chest. “All of this must have been so expensive.”
“I only got shelf-stable items. Gwen helped me,” Joshua answered gruffly.
Kira set the jar back. “I… don’t know what to say. Actually, I do. How long have you known that the Council wanted us to marry?”
