Page 24 of Witch Please

“I can’t imagine myself ever leaving. This might sound strange, but my mom’s buried here. It would feel like abandonment if I moved, if I couldn’t stop by and leave flowers now and then. Is that…weird?” He seemed worried about her response, a little anxious about sharing that much so soon.

“Not at all. I haven’t lost anyone I was close to like that, but I suspect I’d feel the same way.”

“Plus, I have friends here. And while running a bakery wasn’t my lifelong dream, I do love it. It’s awesome seeing how happy people are, eating something delicious that I made.”

“I can vouch for your skill,” she said.

It took Titus ages to look away and finish his turn. He won their match by a huge margin while she barely got eighty, and she couldn’t have cared less. As they returned their shoes, she wondered if he would kiss her again when he dropped her off.Can I risk letting him?

Crap, Clem might be home. It would be supremely humiliating if her cousin turned on the porch light like a disapproving parent. Even worse if Clem came out to stare at them with arms folded. Honestly Danica didn’t know what bothered Clem more—the idea of Danica fooling around with a mundane or if she sensed the depth of Danica’s attraction and suspected Danica might be tempted to break their pact.

Whatever, I’ll worry about that later. The rest of the coven thinks I deserve some fun.

When they left the bowling alley, Titus touched his hand to her lower back, a faintly proprietary gesture. While the implications worried her, she also delighted in the fact that he felt possessive, even if she shouldn’t want that.I’m in so much trouble.

“Did you have fun?” he asked as he opened her door.

“It was wonderful.”

He flashed a boyish smile. “I’m glad you thought so too. I’ve had some terrible dates, but this one was—”

“Perfect?” she suggested.

If only it hadn’t been.

That would make it easier to cut him off, if their chemistry turned out to be mostly in her imagination. Sometimes, she admired someone’s physical attributes, and then five minutes of conversation cured that dazzlement. But no, Titus was sweet and passionate and delicious, exactly the sort of man who could—

No,notsteal her heart. She couldn’t allow that.

“Yes. That. I don’t use that word lightly either.” His eyes glittered in the neon lights from the flashing bowling pin.

Danica didn’t say much as he drove her home. The station she’d selected before was playing a melancholy song. Most people connected their phones to their vehicles, but either Titus didn’t mind relinquishing musical control to the radio, or he was more interested in her company than in the tunes.

In short order, Titus pulled up outside her house. The lights were on, a sure sign that Clem was home. Danica turned to him with a faint smile. “Thanks for a lovely evening.”

“The pleasure was mine.” He started a slow lean.

She should move back. She didn’t.

But instead of trying to rekindle the flames from before, he kissed her delicately on one cheek and then the other, a soft brush of lips to her chin, and finally her forehead.Oh goddess, the brow kiss—my kryptonite.It was a tenderness grenade, reducing the defenses around her heart to rubble.

Titus offered a crooked smile. “I don’t want to get carried away and give your neighbors something to talk about. Hope that’s okay.”

“More than,” she whispered. “Good night.”

“I’ll text you,” he said.

Danica rubbed her aching chest as she got out of the car and hurried toward the house. It wouldn’t be easy to forget him.

Even if that was for the best.

***

Titus basked in the afterglow while watching Doris frolic in the backyard.

The dog acted like he had been gone for ten years instead of a few hours, but it was impossible to mind that sort of devotion. He ran after her and threw her soggy tennis ball until she got tired of chasing it. Doris dashed over and flopped on top of his feet, a classic plea for belly rubs if he’d ever seen one. Obligingly he knelt and scratched her belly until she was a wiggling puddle.

“Did you propose yet?” Maya teased, propping herself against the doorframe.

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