Page 48 of Oohs, Ahhhs, and Orbs

I shook my head slowly. “There is too much paranormal at play. My guess is that the killer will strike again soon.” I looked down at the ground and wished with every part of me that the next victim wouldn’t have to be the one to end things. Bridgette was adamant that she could handle whatever came her way. I’d only seen small examples of her magic so far, but I trusted the woman. I just hoped the killer hadn’t become so powerful with their stolen magic that my little witch would be outmatched. I looked back up at Mac, who seemed to know the turmoil I was going through. “I have to believe that they will be defeated. I couldn’t say what the showdown would produce. If I can use cuffs on them, I will.”

“That’s all I can ask for. Take care of Bridgette, Storm,” he urged.

“With everything I am,” I swore back to my partner. “I’m going to head to the shop. I don’t like letting her out of my eyesight, and I haven’t seen her since midnight.”

I walked into Oohs,Ahhhs, and Orbs, not hesitating in the slightest to lock the door and turn the CLOSED sign over. It was late enough in the day. I was sure Bridgette was just as tired as I was.

I strode through the shop until I was standing in front of my woman, who was looking up at me with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher, but it made me think she was anxious about something. Cupping her cheeks, I leaned in and took her lips in a hungry kiss. I may have been starved for some warm food, but I was ravenous for the taste of my mate.

As my tongue swept over hers in an erotic dance that I was eager to replicate with more intimate parts of our bodies, Bridgette’s sweet little moans had my blood rushing to my cock so fast I nearly became light headed. I pulled back, taking her full bottom lip between my teeth, then licking the soft flesh there.

I rested my forehead against hers and looked into her beautiful mossy green eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

She smiled softly, a hint of sadness hidden in the depths of her eyes. “No. You don’t have to be sorry. You can’t control everything, Detective,” she teased quietly.

I shook my head. “Still?—”

The sound of my phone dinged in my pocket, alerting me to a text. I gave Bridette an apologetic frown, but she just smiled and waved toward my phone. “You better get that. It might be important.’

With a frustrated sigh, I withdrew my phone and opened my texts, then nearly growled when I saw it wasn’t from work at all.

Kristy: Can we have dinner at our favorite restaurant? I’ll make reservations.

Before I could delete it, reply with “fuck no”, or finally block my ex permanently from my phone and my life, Bridgette was pulling away. I dropped my phone on the counter, uncaring atthe moment if it broke into a million pieces. “Where the fuck are you going, little witch?” I demanded as I gripped onto her hand.

Bridgette looked as if she were fighting back tears, and I could have strangled Kristy with my bare hands for hurting my mate. She may not have intentionally tried to hurt her, but she knew sending a text like that would raise questions if my girlfriend saw it.

“Logan,” she began softly, “maybe you should hear Kristy out.” I watched as she turned her head to stare through the window out into the street that was quickly turning dark. She winced and swallowed hard. “She needs you right now.” Her words sounded concerned, even while the pain couldn’t quite be hidden in her eyes.

“You know about the baby,” I said, barely biting back the curse that wanted to explode from me. Even after the threat of incarceration if they didn’t leave Bridgette alone, somehow Kristy and her minion still managed to get to my softhearted woman.

Bridgette turned to look up at me, her eyes shining brightly. She brought a hand up to cup my jaw. “I do. I can understand why she is trying so hard. It must be a scary time for her…” she paused, and I trailed my gaze over her face as she appeared to be in pain, “being a single expectant mother. You and Kristy have a past, Logan. You used to love her for a long time. Maybe it’s time to give her another chance. For the baby’s sake?”

All I could do was blink down at my mate in confusion. Didn’t she know how much she meant to me? The Fates had brought us together because we were perfect together. “What the fuck are you saying, Bridgette?” I demanded. “Help me understand why you would want to throw what we have away.”

Bridgette bit her lip and dropped her hand from my face. She appeared to be struggling with an internal war, and I finally began to panic as I watched every wall that I had torn down twoweeks ago, rebuild brick by brick.Fuck, little witch, don’t do this.I begged silently.

“Bridgette,” I grabbed her hand, which was just touching me, and brought it to my chest so she could feel my heart pounding. “I swear to you, there is no reason for you to give up on us. Kristy has meant nothing to me for a very long time. I feel bad for her, but that is as deep as my feelings go. That is not my baby, and I refuse to take responsibility for it.”

“Logan,” she began as she stared at her hand covering my heart, no doubt feeling the racing heartbeat there as my chest rose and fell with the breaths I was having trouble regulating. “I—” She blinked before turning away again.

At the loss of her eyes on me, I felt my world begin to crumble. I was immediately drawn back into the dream where I watched her die, and how it felt to know I was losing her forever. My chest ached with a pain so strong I nearly doubled over with it.

“Is it my job?” I rasped. I cleared my throat, but the grittiness didn’t go away. “I will quit for you, little witch.”

Bridgette whipped her head around in surprise. “What? No! Never. I wouldneverwant you to change who you are for me, Logan. I know how much you love your job. Why would I ever want to take that from you?” she demanded with tears swimming in her eyes.

I swept my gaze over her beautiful face and realized that she needed more from me than I had given her. She had pushed aside a lifetime of fear and reservations to try for me. What my mate needed most of all, more than my promises or my presence, was all ofme.

“But I love you more, little witch.”

Her indrawn breath was sharp as she stared up at me, searching my face for something only she could identify. “Logan…”

I placed my fingertip over her lips to silence her, needing her to hear what I had to say first before she tore my heart out of my chest. “From the moment I saw you, I felt a connection. Every single second I’ve spent with you since has done nothing but strengthen that to the point that I wouldn’t want to live without you. I would literally die to save you, Bridgette. If you were to leave me now, tomorrow, weeks from now, that isn’t going to change. If anything, my obsession with you will only grow worse as I get to know every part of you even more. I look forward to it, because I know I will only find more things to love about you.”

I swept my thumbs over her cheeks, wiping away the tears that fell as she stared up at me with hope in her eyes.

“You really feel that way about me?” she choked out after a long minute.

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