Page 55 of Bewitched & Bewildered
“I guess…” Her hands hang loosely at her sides. “I don’t understand why you’re helping me. I’ve been horrible to you.”
“Horrible is an exaggeration.”
“Is it?”
“It is—and I don’t understand why a little neighborly help confuses you. I guess we don’t understand each other.”
“I’ve always known that.”
The heater is on, but the building is old and drafty. It will take time to warm up. Juniper’s cheeks are still pink, matching the rose color of her lips, and I can’t look away. She doesn’t know how to accept help—that’s obvious—but I’m fighting the urge to offer her more.
What I want to give her is something she may reject.
I rub my hands together, muttering a spell under my breath. My hands grow warm, and I take hers in mine.
This may end badly. She might pull away—or slap me. I wouldn’t put it past her. I may even deserve it, considering I forgot to give a warning. The sting never comes.
“You’re warm!” she gasps.
“It’s magic.” I chuckle. “You’re not telling me you don’t know about magic, are you?”
“No.” Juniper glares, but it doesn’t have the usual effect when she’s fighting off a smile. “It’s a simple spell. I know all about it.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“I’m terrible at spells,” she says. “Big, small, and everything in between… they take a lot out of me.”
“Oh?”
I’ve never heard Juniper admit she’s bad atanything.
She shakes her head. “There’s something about summoning energy. I struggle with it.”
“Hm…” I rub my thumb against the back of her hand. “Potion-making is a powerful skill. You can do anything with your potions that I would do with a spell. I wouldn’t worry too much.”
Her gaze softens, and her eyes meet mine. We stay like that, in silence for some time.
“Thank you,” she says, breaking the quiet with her soft, smooth voice.
“It’s nothing. Just neighborly help, like I said.”
“Really?” She lifts a brow. “That’s all this is?”
What is she asking? I gulp.
Itcan’tbe anything else, no matter how sweet she looks when smiling at me and how good her velvet hands feel in mine. I doubt Juniper wants anything more. Even if she does, I can’t give it.
Not yet.
“Do you want it to be something else?” I whisper. Saying the words aloud feels daring.
I’m afraid of her answer, searching for clues in her expression. We’re feet from where we first kissed near the cash register. She grabbed my shirt and pulled me in. I gasped when our lips touched for the first time.
Then I kissed her again.
It wasn’t the most romantic spot, but it wasn’t supposed to be.
Something about it feels romantic now. I can’t give her anything she deserves, but I think… if she asks me to, I would still kiss her. I’m as weak for her now as I’ve always been.
