Page 36 of The Lone Wolf Café
On the other side of the counter, Rowena had also been busy cleaning. But now, she had the pastry case open and was tugging on the heavy glass shelves.
“Can you help me pull these out so we can clean them?” she asked.
“Oh, yes,” I scurried over to the pastry case. “Of course.”
The thick glass panels were heavy and cool, and I curled my long fingernails around the edges as I pulled them out so I wouldn’t drop them. I delicately set each shelf on the counter, spreading them several inches apart and wiping cookie crumbs off the glass. They really did get dirty fast.
But just as I stepped around the counter to grab the last panel, I realized Rowena already pulled it out. The problem was I realized this too late, and we collided chest-first into each other.
“Oh, sorry!” Rowena blurted out, clearly frazzled by the interaction.
But as startled as I felt – since we both nearly toppled over – I couldn’t deny the trickle of warmth that the collision sent through my belly. In that brief moment, I’d been able to feel thethick purple fabric of her corset pressed against me, bosom to bosom, with her elegantly curved torso just inches from my own. It made me want to hold her longer,closer, and those feelings sent me into a lust-filled panic.
My face burned. This was no longer just werewolf hormones.
I had a crush on Rowena.
But I didn’t have time to dwell on the attraction bubbling to the surface. Because once we both collected ourselves, I had a new problem.
When I’d bumped into Rowena, Aria had let out a squeak as her little breezy body was crushed between us. Now she was quiet, still tucked into my pocket, but I could feel little wisps of cold air blowing up from my chest and tickling my nose.
“What was that?” Rowena pointed at my chest pocket.
I cocked my head, pretending to be oblivious. “What do you mean?”
Rowena stepped towards me, and I stepped back.
“Nettie…” Rowena’s tone was low, serious but not punitive. “It’s okay. You don’t have to hide anything from me.”
Except the fact that I’m a goddamn werewolf.I could feel nervous sweat dampening my temples.
Rowena stepped forward again, and I felt the warm, prickling heat that always consumed me when she was close. My stomach twisted, and my heart thumped like a drum.
Her dark eyes are so gentle,I noted as she came closer.
She stopped right in front of me, our chests less than an inch apart. I ached to close the gap, to reach out and touch her skin…
But she did it first.
I flinched as she reached up, settling her hand against my neck. Her fingers were small, slender, and cold, and I wondered if the flushed heat of my skin could warm them. I let out a long, slow breath, sinking into her touch and letting my attraction lull me into a trance.
I had no idea what was going on.
But this was heavenly.
She brushed my long, thick hair away from my neck, tucking it behind my ear and pressing her fingers against the skin just below it.
Wait.
Fear coursed through my veins like electricity as I remembered the night before.Aria. The tornado. The stinging sensation on my neck.
The mark I saw in the mirror.
I tried to pull away, but Rowena’s previously gentle touch hardened from an embrace to a grasp. I winced as she rubbed her fingers over the mark that I knew was still there. It still stung a little bit when touched.
“I…” Rowena was speechless. “I don’t understand.”
“W-what do you mean?” I replied. Partially because I was still playing dumb, and partially because I was confused. I still didn’t know what the mark meant or why I had it.
