Page 94 of Bewitched & Bewildered
“Perfect ass,” he whispers. “Pretty mouth. Do you have a single fucking flaw?”
“Yes.” I laugh breathlessly. “I’m a bitch.”
“And I love it.”
At least he doesn’t deny it. I would have to stop and argue with him if he did. It’s a title I wear proudly.
He pushes me onto my side and spoons me again—butthis time, it isn’t so sweet. There are no soft touches as he thrusts into me, giving me his length all at once.
I cry loud enough for the neighbors to hear.
His hand rests on my plush stomach as he drives himself into me over and over.
When I fall asleep, he’s still inside of me.
OZAN
She’s gone in the morning. I’m not surprised anymore. This is what we are now. We’re not even friends, but gods, the benefits…
I’m convinced Juniper is a goddess of love. She is curves, beauty, and everything in one package. Her eyes capture me. Every time she looks my way, I know our deities are blessing me. For her to let me shove my cock down her throat is something else entirely.
Even though I wake up alone, I think of how her eyes look up at me. She was pleading for my cock, even without words. She wanted me.
And she still wants me. She must. Her being gone doesn’t mean it’s the end. She’ll be back. I comfort myself with the thought as I roll out of bed and amble to the shower.
There’s something more between Juniper and me, even if she isn’t willing to admit it yet. I feel it. She has to feel it, too.
Or I’m in denial. I don’t care. I’ll let her in whenever she knocks on my door.
Chapter 21
Juniper
I never understoodpost-coitus clarity (commonly known as post-nut clarity) until today. Today is different. Today changes everything. Today is the day I realize…
It’s time to close the apothecary—for good this time. We tried it, but it’s as if I can hear my mother’s voice in my head. She wouldn’t want us to keep doing something that isn’t making us happy. And now, I can finally admit the shopdoesn’tmake me happy.
This leaves me with a plethora of unanswered questions and unsolved problems. I need to find a new way to make money and pay for our newly leaking roof. I’ll worry about those things as I go.
At least I won’t be stuck on a sinking ship.
I find my sisters sitting around the breakfast table. Laurel looks at me with a sly smile, and I realize how I must appear. Not only am I returning home at an ungodsly hour, but I’m positively disheveled.
I drop my bag on the table. It’s impossible to hide my smile.
“Let me guess…” she says.
I shake my head. “Don’t start.”
“Fine.” Laurel picks up a piece of toast. “I won’t say it, but I’m still thinking it.”
There is no way for her to know I’m spending time with Ozan… unless Maple tells her. I know my favorite sister wouldn’t do that. It’s still easy for Laurel to connect the dots and realize I’m spending time withsomeone.
And Laurel is the only one who saw us at the party. I still don’t know if she was too drunk to remember. It doesn’t matter. She seems better now, cheerily picking at her breakfast and sipping her orange juice. It’s as if that night, and the words she slung in my direction, never happened.
I still remember everything she said, but Laurel was right. I’m not her mother. The reminder was still cutting.
My sisters are happy. I realize that as I watch them around the table. Maple may not love her workplace, but she’s in the field she loves. Laurel is having fun with her tarot readings, and she can do them without the shop. Rowan is more successful than anyone in the family…
