Page 2 of Mochas and Minotaurs

“Is he moving in already? That’s fast.” I hadn’t met him yet.

“He is. And he’s hot too. Totally the type to own a gym. Heard he’s a minotaur. But I don’t think he swings my way, or I’d go try to convince him not to sell.”

That had me grinning. “I don’t think we need to worry, considering the god-awful offer they gave me at first. Plus, Kyla isn’t exactly endearing.”

“You can say that again. She’s a bitch.” Nick was never one to mince words.

Aside from Kyla, there was now a panhandler parked just outside of my property. He started showing up around the same time Kyla had, and I was pretty sure Arcane had sent him as well. I’d followed him one day, and he’d gotten into a new Lexus a few blocks over.

Faux Hobo harassed anyone who tried to come in. I’d already started to notice fewer customers. It sucked, but if Arcane was trying to starve me out then the joke was on them, because my grandmother had already paid off this place. All I had to do wasmake enough to pay property taxes and feed myself. And I had a rainy-day fund set up so I could play this game for years.

“Why don’t you take off early today?” I suggested, eyeing the empty shop. “Doesn’t look like anyone else is coming.”

“I did want to check out that new exhibit at the museum.”

“That sounds fun. You go check it out. I’ll close up.”

He helped me clean up, and I packed a few of the leftover baked goods for him to take home—baked goods that usually completely sold out by this time of day if it weren’t for the assholes Arcane had sent.

Then, deciding it was time to suss out the new neighbor, I packed the rest of the goodies in a paper bag, folded the top, and stuck a Witch’s Brew sticker on it before marching out and around to the entrance. The sign that had once readEver After Bookswas now one forBullseye Fitness. The logo showed a red and white target with bull horns sticking out the sides. I tried the door, and to my surprise found it unlocked.

I poked my head in. “Hello?”

“Back here,” yelled a masculine voice that sounded awfully familiar. Where had I heard that voice before? “And you better not have any papers for me to sign, or else I’m tossing you out.”

“Oh no, nothing like that,” I said hurriedly. “You must have met Kyla. I’m not sent by the condo developers. I’m your neighbor from the Witch’s Brew. I come bearing goodies. Cookies and scones.”

There was a movement, and a curtain hiding the back room lifted.

I froze, because right in front of me was the super sexy one-night-stand from two weekends ago. The one who’d rocked my world so hard that I’d worried I’d see the disappointment on his face when he woke, so I snuck out of his bed without saying goodbye.

Marcus.

How could I ever forget that name? I’d screamed it at the top of my lungs for hours.

I could never forget that chiseled face or perfect body either. Dark hair fell in pieces around light brown eyes that were almost inhumanly amber. That must be his glamor spell working, hiding him behind a human guise.

Didn’t Nick say he was a minotaur? Marcus had been in glamor that night as well, but I should have guessed it. I could see the bovine cast of his nose now, even though he still wore the illusion spell. The septum ring too should have given it away, but I’d been kept too distracted with pleasure that night to realize it.

Marcus’s eyes went to the bag of goodies in my hands, then to my face, and I knew the moment recognition dawned.

What I didn’t expect was the bitter tone in his voice when he said, “It’s you!”

Chapter 2

Marcus

It was her.

Her hair was a rich, dark black, instead of the vibrant red it had been two weeks ago, but it was her.

The woman who’d come in like a bulldozer, destroying my perfectly curated bachelor life and making me fall madly in love with her in one single night, was standing in my gym. And she was every bit as mind-numbingly beautiful as I remembered.The last time I saw her, she’d been curled up in my arms, exhausted after we’d both spent hours exploring each other.

It had been the most magical night I’d ever experienced. I’d gone to bed a changed man holding the woman of my dreams in my arms, sure that I’d foundthe one.

I woke up the next morning, reaching for my little spoon, only to find that side of my bed cold and empty. How she’d managed to sneak out of my arms, bed, and home without waking my extremely sensitive minotaur senses, I didn’t know.

I’d told myself it was for the best. It wasn’t like I was allowed to have a happily ever after like everyone else. Her leaving only meant that she was protecting both of us from guaranteed heartbreak.

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