With an audible exhale, I threw myself down on the sofa. My hand trailed over my coat absently as I typed out a message to my brothers saying I’d need some clothes and toiletries dropped off. After all the things I’d done for Adrian over the years, he owed me.
Down the hall, a door closed. I bolted upright, watching for my beautiful mate to appear. After an age, she walked down the hallway, her lips a thin line as she regarded me.
She’d changed into jeans and a silky button-down blouse. It looked so soft, I had to clench my hands into fists to keep from reaching for her.
“So, I know we need to figure out the whole lose your coat situation, but I’m late for brunch with my mom and sister,” she said apologetically. Her cheeks wrinkled as she grimaced.
“I’ll come with you,” I blurted.
Her brows furrowed. “ You can’t meet them. I’m not telling them about you. They wouldn’t understand.”
“That’s fine. I’ll come and sit by myself. I just want to be there in case you need anything, but don’t leave me here alone,” I said, the words vomiting out of my mouth.
Fuck! What am I saying?
Juniper closed her eyes for a second like she fought to accept the inconvenience. “Fine, you can sit at the bar or whatever. It won’t take too long. They aren’t my biggest fans so we never spend that much time together.”
My posture went rigid. “What do you mean they aren’t your biggest fans?”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about it. We aren’t close, but it doesn’t matter.”
She was so self-possessed, unafraid to say exactly what she thought. Every little thing I discovered about Juniper just made her more appealing. The idea that anyone wouldn’t like her was unfathomable to me.
“It’s pretty close, so I was gonna walk,” she said, reaching for my coat.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
She blinked. “Um, you didn’t want to leave this here, did you? Plus, I figured I might accidentally lose it.”
Yeah, that is what I told her she needed to do.
I had a feeling the situation wasn’t going to go the way I’d imagined.
“Of course,” I said, nodding dumbly.
“Cool, then, I guess we should go,” she said, jerking her head toward the door.
Two minutes later, we walked down the street side by side. My hand itched with the urge to reach out and take her hand, but from the tense look on her face, she’d probably slap it away.
The coffee shop was a few blocks in from the beach. As we stepped in, I scanned the familiar, cozy space. Pottery and art lined the shelves and walls, and the air smelled of bacon.
“You go over there,” she hissed, lightly pressing against my stomach with her fingers splayed. I tensed my abdomen under her hand, and her eyes widened a fraction.
Feeling smug, I let her push me back a step before I slunk off to sit at the bar made of a long piece of driftwood sanded smooth and shellacked.
“Coffee?” the owner, Rick, asked. His wavy brown hair and flannel looked a little more disheveled than usual, but he’d just get mad if I asked him about it.
“Sure, cream please,” I said, nodding at him before returning my attention to Juniper.
She picked her way across the restaurant to a table along the window already occupied by an older woman. She had the same tan skin tone and dark eyes, but where Juniper’s hair was platinum, her mother’s hair was brown with fake caramel highlights.
She didn’t stand, but instead let Juniper bend at the waist to hug her while she stayed in her seat. My lip curled at the snub, although I didn’t mind the fantastic view of my little witch’s ass. Her jeans showed off every curve.
Juniper sat in the chair across from her mother and ordered a drink. I strained to hear what she liked so I could order for her in the future and get it perfect.
A few minutes later, a younger woman entered. She was the mirror image of Juniper’s mother, who immediately stood up to hug her. As they sat back down, her mother fawned over her sister. My fingers strummed across the counter harder.
Both her mother and sister sat opposite Juniper on the bench, and their saccharine smiles boiled my blood. My beautiful little witch shifted in her chair uncomfortably. Her palm pressed to her collar as she listened to them talkather.
