Page 90 of Bewitched & Bewildered
“You’re right.” I let out a nervous laugh and turn around. “This was a mistake.”
“Juni!”
I don’t stay to find out why he’s calling after me. He’s right to ask. WhyamI here?
And why is my heart still pounding long after I leave?
Chapter 20
Juniper
I haven’t seenOzan in a week. Halloween comes and goes, and the buzz of our shop dies shortly after. Everyone is at his apothecary—and why shouldn’t they be? I would rather be over there with them.
Where he is, it’s lively and warm. He may have fixed the heating, but our shop feels colder by the day.
Even when I’m busy with customers and brewing potions, it doesn’t feel worth it. I sit inside all day. The shop leaks money, and we keep putting more into it. The home repairs are stacking up. The funds our mother left may not cover the fees.
I could sit around and curse her name. I can shout at her ghost if I want to. Why shouldn’t I? It’s not like she’ll hear it. She’s been gone for a year now without a sign.
Everyone keeps telling me I’ll feel her spirit, and I never do.
It’s pouring outside. The shop is even slower when it rains. I close up in the dark, alone. I do everything alone. I have my sisters, but as the days pass, I realize they don’twant to be here anymore than I do. Laurel enjoys her tarot readings, but the rest of us…
We’re lost. I’m supposed to be the one who finds our way, but I can’t.
Rainwater splashes against my feet and collects in my hair as I journey home. But I’m not going home at all. I don’t realize it at first, but my body is moving in another direction entirely. I can’t seem to stop myself.
I’m going to see him.
Entering through the front door isn’t an option—his shop is closed, quiet, and dark. I sneak around the back instead, climbing the rickety stairs until I arrive at the little studio apartment at the top.
Why am I here?
Before I overthink it, I bang a heavy fist against Ozan’s door.
He may not answer, and that is probably a good thing. I should run away. It’s not too late to take it back.
My feet are planted.
He opens the door before I can uproot myself. He leans against the doorway, crossing his arms, looking me up and down.
I’m soaked and shivering. The rain hasn’t been kind to me, and I haven’t cared enough to do anything about it. My clothes cling to my frame, my hair is a mess of wet frizz, and I can’t find it in myself to care.
How can I worry about anything when he’s standing here looking like a god?
No shirt, sweatpants, and I realize I didn’t pay him enough attention to him the last time we were together. Thank goddess, I’m back. My gaze wanders over the abundance of hair on his chest and down his belly. It disappears intohis pants…
There’s a layer of softness around him, but he is made of firm muscle underneath it. He’s tall enough that he needs to duck on the way inside.
He gestures for me to follow, and I do.
Electricity pulses through me. Does he feel it? Neither of us speaks. We don’t need to.
He turns to face me.
I inhale, preparing to say something. The words never come. Tension breaks. He’s closer, his arms around my waist, and I fling myself at him with full force.
His powerful hands grip my ass, pulling my body flush against his. Our mouths touch, a tangle of lips and tongues. Moans pass between us instead of words. I push against his chest, and we stumble through the little apartment.
