Romance Rules for Werewolves (Charming Cove, #3)(31)

And he was an incredible kisser. I’d felt like the center of his world, and the pleasure that had rushed through me had been like nothing I’d ever experienced before. He’d swept me away, making me lose all rational thought as I’d disappeared into the kiss. I’d forgot where I was—hell, I’d almost forgot who I was. Every part of me had been focused on him and the feeling of his mouth on mine, of his strong hands around my waist. As soon as I’d realized how far I’d lost myself, I’d panicked.

I don’t even like you.

My words echoed in my head. They had been a lie. It didn’t matter how grumpy and moody he was—I still liked him. But I didn’t want to. I couldn’t afford to fall for another guy, not when I was finally finding myself.

Ugh. Enough of that.

I forced myself out of bed. There was no time to lie here daydreaming, and no point. He’d made it perfectly clear that he regretted the kiss just as much as I did. Anyway, I would be living with Rafe until I heard from the solicitor, who reported that he was having a hard time getting solid answers, so I needed to keep things nice and casual between us.

I started the day with a quick trip to the hardware store to pick up supplies for the work ahead of me. Of course, I had to swing by Margot’s for a pastry and coffee, and I spent a lovely few minutes chatting with her while she made the latte. It was amazing how quickly I was starting to feel at home in Charming Cove.

By the time I made it back to Lavender House, it was nearly nine. I had a long day ahead of me and would only manage it with the help of a bit of magic.

Poa was nowhere to be seen as I collected my supplies from the boot and headed into the house. Immediately, that familiar stink rose in the air, and one of the remaining blinds went up and down as if discontented.

“Oh, chill out,” I said. “I’m here to help.”

Air seemed to rush out of the door, as if the house were giving an irritated sigh. I smiled. My life was full of grumps lately—the house, the wolf I lived with, and even Poa if she didn’t get her snackies right when she wanted them—but I knew they were lovely on the inside. They just needed a little care.

Not that I cared about the wolf. That would be beyond foolish. I did my best to shove him from my mind and turned my attention to the job at hand.

First things first. I drew in a deep breath and recited the spell that would give me enhanced strength and speed. Every time I used my magic, I felt a little more confident in it. There was no doubt that ignoring my power for so long had been bad for it. The magic inside me had been left to go rusty, but I was changing that.

Once I finished reciting the spell, I felt the faint buzz of power through my whole body. Energized, I got to work.

I spent the next two days cleaning out the house, removing all the horrible kitchen cabinets and bathroom fixtures. It was a lot of hard labor, but my magic made it easier. Every night, I returned to the boathouse exhausted and dirty. Rafe was never anywhere to be seen, as if he knew I was coming and wanted to avoid me.

He probably did. He’d even managed to fix my shower without me seeing him. I thought I heard him downstairs occasionally, but he was always gone when I left to go to Lavender House.

I hardly saw Poa, either, and the days were a blur of work and sleep. The house didn’t make it any easier, of course. Every time I entered, it complained. And every now and again, it made its dislike for me known. Blinds fell on my head while I was removing them, and water shot me in the face while I tried to fix a toilet using instructions from the internet.

Things were moving forward, but not as quickly as I wanted. I really needed help. Unfortunately, my second visit to Judith hadn’t revealed any new information about how the house had come to be enchanted, but she’d promised to look in one other place. I was less hopeful she’d find anything, but there was always a chance.

It was my seventh day in Charming Cove when I started to remove the wallpaper. By midafternoon, I’d stripped all of it and bundled it into the garden, where I’d been putting all the rubbish. As I looked at the pile amid the weeds, the autumn breeze blew my hair off my face.

“You might need to hire a skip for that.” A woman’s voice carried from the far side of the garden fence, and I turned to see who it was.

Judith stood there, a smile on her faintly lined face and a picnic basket propped on top of the fence railing.

I grinned. “I think you’re right. There’s no way I can haul all this away on my own. Better to have a company bring out a big bin and deal with it.”

“Clever girl.” She nodded down at the basket. “Brought you some cookies and lemonade—the American kind.”

At the sound of her words, my stomach growled. It’d been too long since breakfast, and a snack sounded divine.

“Thank you.” I approached, stopping on the other side of the fence. “You didn’t have to come all the way over here. I would’ve stopped by your house if you’d called me.”

“Oh, I know. But it’s nice to get out.” She looked at the house, interest on her face. “And if I’m being honest, I wanted a glimpse inside—see how you’re getting along.”

“Come in, I’ll show you.” I gestured for her to follow me to the garden gate, and I led her into the house, pointing out the newly removed carpet and wallpaper.

“Well, I’ll say, it really does look better in here!” She shoved her