Second, this little witch was my fated mate.
Chapter 3
You Can Touch It
Juniper
He was so tall, I had to tip my head back as I blinked up at the stranger. A goofy smile warmed his pale face. Freckles decorated his cheeks, making him seem younger. Soft gray eyes bore into mine, and my insides turned to goo.
It was the stranger from the bar the night before.
He had to be magical. If the height wasn’t enough of a clue, silver hair fell in waves around his face, long enough to curl at the nape of his neck.
His hand brushed over mine where I gripped the door, and my magic sparked violently in my blood. My inhale turned to a gasp. I could have controlled an entire tsunami as his magic swirled with mine.
I jerked my hand back, my breath coming in ragged pants.
What the hell is this guy?
He didn’t look like a witch, not with the muscles visibly defined under his t-shirt. It was too easy to use spells for everything, so witches rarely got ripped like that. He looked like he spent all day in the gym. Either that or he was a shifter, but he didn’t look like a wolf to me.
“Okay, well, I can just get your coat for you,” I said awkwardly.
“Actually, we need to talk.”
His long lashes fluttered as his gaze flicked up and down my body. It should have made me uneasy to be appraised by a stranger, but my instincts whispered that he was safe.
Inviting a strange man into my rental was a momentously bad idea, but I needed to be near him. My magic had retreated once his touch left mine, and I was desperate for a reason to touch him again.
Besides, if he ended up being a creep, one of the decorative blue-and-white striped paddles leaning against the wall of the entryway was always an option as a weapon. Or maybe I would have cracked one of the Mason jars decoupaged with starfish over his head…
“Yeah, come in.” I left the door open and padded back across the living room. The silvery brown coat lay draped across the sofa where I’d dumped it last night. My fingers slipped over its silky texture.
The man let out a low noise in his throat that made me twist around suddenly. His gaze was fixed on where my handtouched his coat. Flinching, I withdrew my touch.
“Sorry. Here it is, safe and sound.”
He nodded, his tongue pressing into his cheek. “What’s your name?”
“What’s yours?” I quipped, bristling at his blunt question.
“Caspian Rafferty.” He answered without hesitation, and I relaxed a fraction.
“I’m Juniper Beck.” The last name still tasted strange. The week before, it’d been Mallory…
He didn’t move from his spot in the middle of the room, like his feet were glued down.
“Juniper,” he murmured, rolling the sound around his tongue. Another slow smile spread across his features, sending my stomach swooping.
It’s unfair how pretty he is.
“So what did we need to talk about? I mean, you can just take your coat and go.”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “I’m a selkie, Juniper.”
“Oh? Oh!” I said, jumping back another step and pressing my hand against my chest. “Oh! So this coat is yourcoat. So you can shift. Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry I touched it.”
My cheeks flushed, the color spreading up to my ears. I’d been petting the coat thinking it was just a fashion item, not that it was someone’s actual skin.
