Page 83 of The Lone Wolf Café
“Of course,” I whispered into her neck. “I adore you exactly the way you are.”
I gripped Rowena’s petite body tighter, my fingers still rimming the outer perimeter of her ears. It occurred to me I may not have been the only one with performance anxiety. Whenever Rowena was intimate with others, she’d always had to hide that forbidden part of herself. She had to make them think she was a pure-blooded witch.
But with me, I wanted her toneverfeel like she had to hide anything.
After a few minutes, Rowena asked for my other hand to make its way between her thighs. I was nervous, as I’d never fingered a woman before. But the instant I pressed into her and heard those first little sighs and gasps, all my worries dissolved as sweetly as sugar in tea. My lips snapped to her skin, covering her neck, chests, and those perky little nipples in kisses.
And her moans. Gods, no matter what awaited us in the morning, I prayed I would never forget those sounds.
She returned the favor, one of her fingers slipping back to my clitoris, and I wrapped my lips around her right nipple. We took turns, exploring and toying with each other, our bodies pressed tight and our legs tangled in a tryst.
And as the time passed and we continued losing ourselves in each other’s bodies, all of my previous performance anxiety melted away. It was replaced by soul-soothing orgasms, amorous bliss, and most importantly, a deep sense of comfort and security.
Rowena was right. I had nothing to be afraid of when it came to sex. We didn’t have anything to hide anymore.
And that, along with Rowena’s body pressed against mine, was the greatest feeling in the world.
Chapter Eighteen
After several more climaxes, we both curled up in each other’s arms and closed our eyes. Our night together reminded me of drinking honey wine; sweet but intoxicating, threatening to pull me into a stupor if I indulged too much.
But it felt good. So good.
At first, I was so blissfully content, so high on euphoria, I was certain I’d sleep like a newborn pup. But as the hours passed and my anxiety returned, that didn’t happen.
Rowena and I were still naked in her bed, with thick crocheted blankets draped over our bare bodies. Her head had returned to my breasts, using them as a pillow as she happily snoozed away. Her features looked even more delicate and enchanting when she was asleep.
I was exhausted, but my mind wouldn’t let me rest. How could I? In the morning, this beautiful night would be over, and Rowena and I would once again have to face reality. No matter how much I adored her, no matter how well we fit together, a true relationship would be incredibly difficult.
Either I would have to somehow be accepted in this town, as a werewolf, or Rowena would have to leave.
Both options seemed impossible. Wisteria Grove would likely throw me out the minute I was discovered, and I couldn’t bear the thought of tearing Rowena away from her beloved café.
But despite the odds stacked against us, I regretted nothing. No matter what happened, even if I never saw Rowena again after this, we’d always have this night.
These memories would live within me forever.
And no one could ever take them away.
I let out a silent sigh, pressing my head deeper into my pillow. With the passing hours and my post-orgasmic haze long gone, I’d been swimming in a sea of anxious worries and what-ifs.
I could tell the sky was lightening outside, which meant the early morning hours were already creeping over the horizon. It was Monday, so the café was closed – thank the gods – but I didn’t know how I’d be able to handle the next few days. If I’d be able to wake up, make the walk into town, and continue my work as the café baker after everything that had occurred.
There were too many unknowns. Rowena’s father could return and try to kidnap her again. I’d shifted in my wolf form to confront him the night before – what if someone other than him and Rowena saw me?
Even if nothing happened, and Rowena’s and my work at the café resumed as normal, it couldn’t stay that way for long.
Maybe if I could get control of my shifting… not having my ears and tail pop out all the time…
Then it might have been possible for me to stay. But with my nerves as frayed as they were, I was a ticking time bomb. Gods forbid my wolf ears appear while I was serving customers. There would be a mass exodus of witches fleeing the café, never to return.
Not even wearing my hood at all times could save me.
Being banished was something I could live with, as painful as it would be. But would Rowena get in trouble for harboring a werewolf? Even with her being ostracized, this was still her town. The café was her whole life, and I didn’t want her to lose it.
Rowena…
I let my head loll to the side, half my face pressed into the pillow as I studied her sleeping form. She’d removed her head from my chest a while ago – likely due to me tossing and turning all night – and was curled up in a fetal position, her face across from mine, with the blankets pulled up to her chin. Her nosetwitched as she slept, and I resisted the urge to reach out and stroke her cheek.
