Page 33 of Wedding for My Werewolf

“You’re flushed,” he said, studying her with a look that made her shiver.

“It’s just the coffee.”

“Of course.” He took a slow sip of his own drink, his tongue flicking across his lip, and her knees threatened to give out.

“I should get ready for work,” she mumbled, hurrying into the bedroom and shutting the door behind her.

The problem wasn’t that he didn’t want her. He clearly did. But was something other than his sense of honor holding him back? Was it because she was human? Or was it the secrecy surrounding her past?

Her fingers curled into her palm, the old familiar guilt gnawing at her.I should tell him.But what if he didn’t believe her?

No, this was supposed to be a mutually beneficial arrangement. Nothing more.

So why did her chest ache at the thought of it ending?

She was still worrying at the problem later that afternoon as she dragged the duster mechanically across the ornate mantelpiece in Garrick’s sitting room. The week had passed with no sign of Rick, but experience had taught her that meant nothing. He’d vanished for three weeks in Sacramento once before showing up at her workplace. But what if he’d really gone? What if she didn’t need to continue the charade of being Eric’s mate?

The thought made her heart ache.He still needs me to protect him against Lila, she thought defiantly. There was no reason to suggest ending their arrangement yet.

Something scratched against the window and she spun around, heart hammering, only to find it was nothing but the breeze brushing strands of ivy against the window. Her fingers trembled on the duster handle as she tried to calm her racing pulse.Damn.Apparently part of her was still convinced that Rick was on her trail.

“Something troubling you?” Garrick’s gravelly voice made her jump again before she spun back around. He stood in the doorway, stone features unreadable.

“Just startled myself.” She forced a laugh, but it sounded hollow even to her. “These old houses make all sorts of noises.”

His eyes narrowed. “You’ve been jumpy all week.”

She turned back to the mantel, avoiding his gaze. He was right. Eric’s cabin felt safe, like a fortress in the woods, but every time she left his protective presence, she was braced for something bad to happen. The mansion wasn’t quite the same, but it helped. She felt protected here. Hidden. But how long could she stay hidden?

She set the duster down on a side table and started untying her apron.

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to leave a little early. I need to run some errands in town.”

The words tumbled out before she could stop them.

“Now?” Garrick’s stone eyebrows rose.

“Yes.” She needed to prove to herself that she could do this, that she wasn’t going to let fear rule her life forever. “I’ve been avoiding it long enough.”

She grabbed her coat from the hook by the door, ignoring the way her hands shook as she buttoned it. Maybe Rick really had given up and moved on.

But what if he hadn’t? If Rick found her, would Eric still look at her the same way? Would he believe her if she told him the truth?

No. She wasn’t going to let what-ifs rule her life.

She kept a wary eye out as she walked over to Main Street, but she didn’t see anyone following her. She stopped to buy some fresh fruit for Garrick to make up for her abrupt departure, then bought cupcakes for her and Eric from the rather forbidding orc at Java Joy. The sign over the cupcakes had originally said Chocolate Almond, but someone had scratched it out and put Almond Joy instead.

“That’s a much better name,” she told him when she paid, and he sighed.

“That’s what I said,” a cute blonde woman agreed, joining the big orc behind the counter.

“It’s not necessary,” he grumbled as he put a possessive arm around the blonde, and she grinned up at him, poking a playful finger at his chest.

“But it’s fun, Grondar. Don’t you like fun?”

“I have better ideas for having fun,” he said, pulling her closer.

“Is that a threat?”

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