Page 49 of Bewitched By the Siren
I stiffen as the memory of that guy on the beach comes back to me. Who was he? Why was he taking pictures of me? What’s he after?
My tension must wake Brendan, because he stretches against my back and presses a kiss to my bare shoulder before murmuring, “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I mumble back, my body relaxing back into his embrace.
“How did you sleep?” he asks, his voice husky and thick.
“Really good,” I say.
And it’s true. I can’t remember the last time I slept so deeply.
“Good,” he says and squeezes me closer before I can fall down the rabbit hole of what that might mean. Then he kisses my shoulder again and adds, “I’ll go make us some coffee.”
I thank him quietly and roll onto my back to watch him while he pulls on a pair of shorts over his boxer briefs. He beams at me when he catches me checking him out, then pounces on me with a playful growl, pressing a closed-mouth kiss to my lips with a loud smacking noise.
Pulling back, he looks down at me with a soft smile and an eyebrow waggle. “Like what you see?”
I roll my eyes. “Like your ego needs any more stroking.”
His eyes darken with that last word, and I’m sure he’s going to make an innuendo out of it, but he only smiles, presses a kiss to my forehead, and rolls off me to land on his feet before striding toward the door.
I lay there with a goofy smile on my lips for a moment, then drag myself out of bed to use the bathroom and get dressed. I use the toilet, and while I wash my hands, my gaze lands on a few items lined up on the counter. A new toothbrush, still in the package. A wide-toothed comb. An elastic hair tie. A small package of facial-cleansing wipes.
A small sticky note sits next to the row of items, the strong, masculine handwriting telling me to use whatever I need. My head swings toward the bathroom door, as my lips form a small “o.” Brendan had to have gotten up after I feel asleep to set this up for me.
“How thoughtful,” I whisper as I tear open the toothbrush and turn on the water to wet it.
After brushing my teeth, cleaning my face, and combing my hair before tying it up into a high ponytail, I leave the bathroom and go in search of Brendan. I find him in the kitchen, pulling asteaming mug from the platform of the single-cup coffee brewer. He smiles when he sees me and holds the cup in my direction.
“Thank you,” I say as I take it. “And thanks for the toiletries.”
He shakes his head slightly. “The bathroom came stocked. I just put it on the counter for you.”
I nod. “Thank you, all the same.”
“You’re welcome,” he says, picking up a mug from the counter and taking a sip.
I take a drink of mine, and we hold eye contact the whole time. Both of us are smiling when we lower our cups, and something unlocks in my chest. I feel like I can take a full breath for the first time in my life. It’s a strange feeling of elation, like finally solving a riddle you’ve been working on for decades.
I look away first, mentally locking down the impulse to imagine a life where every day starts like this one. I can’t afford to even dream of it.
Not when I know Brendan is leaving. Not when I have a secret that would burn this thing we’re building to the ground in an instant.
“I should go,” I say, setting my mostly-full mug on the counter.
“Already?” he asks, his voice laced with disappointment.
“Sorry,” I say with a sad smile, “but I need to go check on Mom and get her some breakfast. We don’t have a nurse coming until later this afternoon, and I promised I’d spend the day with her today.”
“Okay. I understand,” he says. “I can’t wait to see you perform again tonight.”
“I’ll see you atMemaw’s,” I say with a nod as I try to squelch the giddiness that bubbles up inside me at his words.
“Bye,” I say, and head toward the door.
I freeze when fingers circle my wrist, and I turn back to see Brendan standing right behind me. Before I can even wonderhow he caught up to me so quickly without making a sound, his free hand cups my jaw. Then he’s kissing me, and every thought I had flies right out of my head.
Pulling back, he meets my gaze with warm eyes and says, “I’ll miss you today.”
