“Look.” Sly sat on the step next to him. “Send her flowers. Slip a mushy card under her door. Do whatever you have to do to make her realize you love her, want her, and that you’re sorry.”
“Is that what you mean by groveling?”
“Exactly!”
“Oh. That’s not too bad. I can do that. I can’t afford to send expensive flowers, but I can buy a card.”
“Great. You can alwayspickflowers. The more effort you go to, the more it shows you care.”
“Where do you pick flowers in the city?”
Sly smirked. “Some bush in an unfenced yard, I guess. If youborrowone rose, they’ll never miss it. And for some reason, a single rose seems to mean as much to women as a dozen. That’s one of those things we’ll never figure out.”
Konrad stood. “Okay. Thanks, buddy. I think I know where I’ll take my midnight run tonight.”
“Yeah? Where?”
“There’s a public rose garden on the Fenway.”
***
Roz awoke the following morning, pulled the covers over her head, and groaned. Never had a man driven her to drink before. The night before, she thought she had a point. Now she just felt stupid.
But talk about being taken for granted! I wasn’t even worth the effort of a genuine, heartfelt proposal.Last night’s tears and the lump in her throat resurfaced.
Her logical side took over again. How could he know she wanted a romantic proposal? It wasn’t as if he could read her mind. Well, okay, he could, but only if she was thinking loud and clear. As soon as he said the wordmarriage, her mind jumbled.
Now she couldn’t quite remember why. Had it really beenonlybecause he’d taken her answer for granted and forgot to ask the question? She wasn’t usually that petty. The men she’d known before were unromantic and even prone to insensitivity. They made Konrad look like a poet.
She removed the covers from her pounding head and inhaled a deep breath. “Time to face the music, dingbat.” Roz sat on the edge of her bed, straightened her nightshirt, and waited for her head to stop spinning. Finally she braved the ten-foot walk to the bathroom medicine cabinet.
“Oh, gross.” Why had she looked in the mirror before grabbing the aspirin? Her cute new bob was plastered to her head. She looked toward the shower and figured the warm steam might make her feel better.
“Okay, shower first, then coffee.”
She turned on the water, and while she waited for it to get nice and hot, she plodded to the kitchen to get the coffeemaker started. While transferring the heaping coffee grounds from the can to the pot, her hand shook. Coffee overflowed the little measuring cup and spilled onto the counter.
“Oh, for the love of—” Roz flopped into the folding chair by her little kitchen table and held her still-aching head in her hands.
Why? Why did I do this to myself?
It wasn’t as if Roz didn’t want to get married. She’d been hoping to find a lover to settle down with, as her best friend had. She could picture Merry and her man cuddling in front of the fireplace in their penthouse. She knew her friend had found a once-in-a-lifetime love, and now it seemed as if it washerturn.
“Okay, so it’s not marriage itself. What is it? Konrad?” Whenever she thought of him, a smile stole across her face. She didn’t even notice she was smiling at first. As soon as she recognized the fact, a warm, squishy feeling invaded her stomach, and it wasn’t from drinking too much wine.
The man wasn’t the problem. The beast was. Roz returned to the bathroom and removed her nightshirt. Before she stepped into the shower, she examined the bruise on her shoulder. She was marked, all right. Dark imprints in the shape of a jaw full of teeth showed on both her front and back, with some just above her collarbone and others on her upper back near her neck.
She sighed. She loved Konrad, loved him with all her heart. Loved him enough to let him claim her. But he scared her too. What if they had a serious argument sometime? Would she still be perfectly safe with him?
“Yes, you would,” his voice answered in her head.
“Oh, crap!” He must be right outside her door. She jumped into the shower and stuck her head under the spray.Sorry. I’m in the shower. Can we talk later?
“I think we should. Meanwhile I have something for you. I’ll leave it outside your door. Come upstairs when you’re ready.”
She sighed. Part of her had worried that he’d be angry after she went off on him, but even though he was the animal, she seemed to be the one easily irritated. What was that about?
Maybe that’s why the werewolves in the Newton pack seemed less than fond of humans. Maybe she was the unpredictable and dangerous one. She snorted at that, but something about the notion rang true.
