Page 40 of Paws and Claws

She smiled despite herself. "Maybe I should apologize." She chewed her bottom lip, adding streaks of silver to break up the gloom in her painting. "Though he'd probably just lecture me about proper apology protocol or something."

The thought didn't annoy her like it usually would. Instead, she found herself missing his lectures, missing the way his jaw would clench when she deliberately pushed his buttons.

"What if he's done with me though?" The brush trembled slightly in her hand. "I mean, I did tell him my life was none of his business."

Her wild magic sparked in response to her anxiety, making her coffee cup rattle on its saucer.

"Easy girl," she whispered to her magic, taking deep breaths to calm herself. "We've screwed up bigger things than this."

A sharp knock at her front door made her jump, splattering paint across her shirt. Her heart did a weird little flip-flop in her chest.

"Coming!" she called out, then immediately regretted it. What if it was Bruce? Or worse - what if it was Dominic coming to tell her he never wanted to work with her again?

She glanced down at herself - paint-stained clothes, bare feet, and she was pretty sure there was purple paint in her hair. Great. Just great.

Another knock, more insistent this time.

"Just a minute!" Tabitha called, frantically trying to smooth down her hair while simultaneously searching for shoes. "Keep your pants on!"

Tabitha swung open her front door. Her heart skipped when she found Dominic filling her doorway. He looked imposing in his sheriff's uniform, his shoulders squared, and his jaw set in that determined way of his. Her wild magic tingled under her skin in response to his presence.

"Can I help you, Sheriff?" She aimed for casual, but her voice came out softer than intended.

"I owe you an apology." His green eyes met hers directly. "I shouldn't have come down so hard on you the other night."

Tabitha crossed her arms, trying to ignore how good he smelled - like cedarwood and citrus. "That's... unexpected."

"I heard what the fight was really about." He took a step closer, his presence making her painfully aware of her paint-splattered appearance. "Someone was talking trash about me?"

Heat crept up her neck. "Maybe." She shrugged, aiming for nonchalant. "She wouldn't shut up about you being this horrible person, and I just... snapped."

"You actually defended me?" His lips quirked up slightly.

"Don't let it go to your head," she replied with a half-smile. "I just hate when people judge others without knowing them."

"Like I judged you?"

"Yeah, well..." Tabitha sighed. "I'm sorry too. For saying I wouldn't work with you anymore. I was angry and-"

"I want you back on this case," he cut her off, his voice carrying that commanding tone that probably worked wonders on his deputy. "If you're willing."

Her heart beat faster but she forced herself to stay cool. "Miss me that much, Sheriff?"

"Maybe I do." The intensity in his gaze made her breath catch in her throat.

"Well..." She stepped back from the doorway. "You might as well come in then. We've got Hunters to catch."

He hesitated for just a moment before stepping inside, his presence somehow making her cluttered living room feel smaller. Tabitha's wild magic hummed contentedly, happy to have him back in her orbit even if she wasn't ready to admit that to herself.

"Just don't lecture me about the mess," she warned, closing the door behind him.

"Wouldn't dream of it." His smile held a warmth she wasn't used to seeing. "At least, not today anyways."

Tabitha watched as Dominic moved through her cluttered living room with surprising grace. He paused at each canvas, studying them with an intensity that made her fidget with the hem of her paint-stained shirt.

"This one's interesting," he said, stopping before a canvas dominated by swirling blues and silvers. "It looks like... movement frozen in time."

"That's exactly what I was going for." Heat filled her cheeks at his accurate assessment. "It's about dancing in a thunderstorm."

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