Page 37 of Extra Witchy

He felt heat bloom in his cheeks. “It’s not really a secret. More that there was nobody interested in finding out.”

“I am,” she said. “Interested, that is. And it’s no problem, I’ll keep my thirst in check. Tonight we spoon, but it would be knife if we fork tomorrow.” Leanne caught his gaze and winked at him, utterly shameless about that pun.

“Why are you so cute, even when your jokes are this bad?” he demanded.

“Generations of anthropological scholars will ask themselves that very question.” After pressing another little kiss to his throat, she pulled back. “Gonna brush my teeth. You?”

Trev smirked. “I endorse oral hygiene as well.”

Probably better if he didn’t admit how long it had been since he’d been to the dentist or how there had been days when he couldn’t bring himself to shower or brush his teeth because everything seemed so fucking pointless. Hell, he didn’t even know how to bridge a subject like that or tell her that LBL (Life Before Leanne) had been one endless dark night with no promise of light, each day the same as the last. And he knew simply meeting someone new couldn’t fix everything that was wrong in his head, but fear made it difficult to consider confiding in her, and he couldn’t have afforded therapy before either.

Maybe I can soon.

His old man didn’t believe in it, and he’d have mocked Trev for even considering it. Real men didn’t admit to having emotions, let alone get dragged around by them. Tanner seemed to be the exact same way. It was only Trev who didn’t fit the mold, weak and sensitive and—

“Your turn,” Leanne said, saving him from that dreadful loop without even realizing it.

“Thanks. I’ll be there in a sec.”

He spent some time in the bathroom, just breathing as he brushed his teeth, trying to understand what she saw in him. In Trev’s mind, he might as well have the loserLtattooed on his forehead.Cut it out. You’ve got potential.Damn, but he loathed that word. Eventually, the breathing exercises calmed his brain enough for him to act like he was okay when he wandered out of the bathroom five minutes later.

Leanne was already under the covers, and the lights were off. “Come to bed,” she mumbled. “I’ll only grope you a little, I swear.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

He slipped under the covers, and she immediately rolled over, curving her soft body against his side. She seemed to be wearing shorts and a T-shirt.Aw, she’s trying to honor my request for us to have an actual wedding night.It moved him that she cared to that extent. How long had it been since anyone heeded his requests or cared about how he felt?

Hell if I know. What an unsatisfying answer.

“We’re getting married tomorrow,” she whispered into his shoulder. “You nervous?”

It took him a while to answer, trying to decide if the truth would upset her. He swallowed hard and finally answered, “So much.”

But she was already asleep and didn’t hear his honest response. Hopefully, he could keep his shit together long enough to roll around in this delightful fantasy.

Because when they got back to St. Claire, Trev suspected the magic wouldn’t last long.

Chapter 13

Leanne woke up when room service arrived.

Since she didn’t order it, Trev must have. He’d chosen an assortment of options: pastries, yogurt, and fruit, along with a heartier breakfast that they shared. Before he moved in, she usually grabbed a protein bar and coffee. This qualified as luxury. There was something subtly charming about a partner who tended to the details, taking care of her without being overt about it.

She genuinely liked Trev, and she enjoyed sleeping next to him, which wasn’t the norm. Generally, she preferred for people to get out of her bed when she was done fooling around with them. In a rom-com, Leanne would be the character who rolled over right after sex and offered to call a rideshare without a flicker of hesitation. While she loved the idea of marriage, she’d never been able to get comfortable with relying on someone else, and she knew herself well enough to accept that her marital failures were mostly her own fault. The fact that someone could choose to go always hovered in the back of her head, so she pulled the plug before anybody bailed on their own.

Better to leave than be left, right? But here I go again.

Yet this time, her heart ached when she imagined the inevitable ending of this agreement. Nothing lasted, no matter how much she wished otherwise. The important thing was to get what she needed before Trev decided to go his own way. It wasn’t that sheplannedto discard him once he served his purpose, but the minute he showed signs of restlessness, she knew herself. When the time came, she’d pull the trigger preemptively on reflex, to preserve her dignity.

With effort, she put aside those negative thoughts and set up their food on the two-person table in front of the window. They ate a lazy brunch, then her phone beeped. She glared at it.If that’s Junie…

“It might be important,” Trev said.

If it was about work, they could go to hell. Despite her better judgment, she read the text, and sure enough, it was from her mom.You’re really not home? Are you avoiding me?

As her mother had done to hermanytimes, Leanne left the text on read. “Should we go for a swim? We have time before we need to get our license.”

“I packed my trunks,” he admitted with an endearingly sheepish grin. “Better to be prepared, I thought.”

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