Page 98 of Bewitched & Bewildered
Of course,someone comes in as I’m about to lock the door. That’s just my luck.
“We’re closing soon.” I glare at the doorway.
Oh, how I long to close the apothecary for good. We’re staying open a little longer to move as much of our product as possible, and the shelves are emptier by the day. It’s a comfort to know we won’t be left with an unmanageable amount of stock, but…
Reality is slapping me in the face. It’s almost the end.
My somber tune changes when I see who’s at the doorway.
Ozan stands there with a smirk on his lips. He crosses his arms.
I lift my brows in a challenge.
“Sorry,” he says. “I’ll go?—”
I cross to the other side of the shop in an instant. My fingers move to the lock, twisting it shut. “Don’t go anywhere.”
Laughter passes from his lips. It transforms into asurprised sound when I grip his shirt, pulling him in for a kiss.
Glass windows surround us. Ozan doesn’t care; he kisses me without question. His hand rises to the back of my neck, holding me in place as his tongue explores my mouth.
We’re getting good at this dance. As the days pass, I spend more nights at his apartment than at my family home. He knows my body like it’s his favorite song, and I learn to let him take the lead.
He guides me backward, pushing me toward the office. Before we can make our way there, he pauses.
“What’s going on?”
I lift a brow. “We’re about to have sex, I imagine.”
“Not that.” He looks at my potion cabinet, his brows furrowing. “Your stock is low.”
I freeze. Of course, Ozan notices something is different. He pays more attention than I once gave him credit for. There’s no real reason for me to keep the secret of the shop closing from Ozan…
But I don’t want to see him look at me with pity. I know he’s going to give it, or else he’ll try to convince me not to give up. That isn’t what I need from him. Ozan is a distraction, and so far, we haven’t allowed our relationship to be more than that.
“I’ve been too busy to brew,” I say.
That doesn’t explain the rest of our empty shelves.
His eyes narrow. “I hope that’s not my fault. Am I too distracting?”
“You are.” I tug on his shirt. “Do you hear me complaining?”
“Maybe you shouldcomplain. I don’t want to get in the way of your work, Juni.”
“I welcome the distractions.” Letting go of him, I walk into the office. “Please, Ozan? Come give me another one.”
“Another what?”
“A distraction.” I look over my shoulder. “Or an orgasm. Whichever you prefer.”
Both are good.
He may be perceptive, but Ozan is easy to distract, like any man. A groan falls from his lips as he pushes past the curtain and follows me into the office.
The room is more organized than before. Rowan transferred everything onto the computer. The old filing cabinets are gone, and the desk is clean…
It’s ready for me to sit on, and I do, crossing my legs and watching Ozan.
