“Or maybe you didn’t want to go into that house because you thought I was in there.” He tilts his head, his allure drawing me in, his stare skeptical. “Which one is it, Cecelia?” The rawness in his voice threatens to open the reinforced scars in my chest. “Stop eye-fucking me, and tell me which is it? You’re not happy about the car or the fact that you were going to have to face me in that house?”
“What?”
“You heard me.” In two strides, he’s in front of me, his presence invading. I’ve never been immune to him, and playing indifferent to my attraction at this point is ridiculous—not only that, he knows better.
“That was my second run today. You’re not alone in what you’re feeling.” He glances at the car. “We can get rid of it, but I was the one who took it away from you, so I thought I should be the one to return it.”
“It just surprised me, that’s all. I didn’t think I’d ever see it again.”
“Right,” he mutters in a dejected tone. I grip his forearm when he steps around me, and he stops, shoulders tensing as he lifts amber-colored eyes to mine.
“I love the car,” I say honestly, but we both know it’s not the car I’m talking about. “I’m just…” Anger surges through me, and he reads the agitation taking over.
“Ready to talk?” He turns and moves in, causing me to take a step back. “Fight?” Another step. Nothing in his demeanor hinting of exhaustion, though he just ran for miles. He’s pure wolf as he leans in, faint hints of citrus and spice invading my senses. “Fuck?”
When I remain mute, his shoulders sag. He presses a kiss to my temple before he dips to whisper. “More time, then. That’s all we have, Cecelia,” he reminds me before he makes his way into the house.
“That looks awesome,” Marissa speaks up from behind me as I pull more of the fake web and tape it to the side of the window. Stepping back, I admire my handiwork and glance around the café, satisfied with the progress. After the morning rush, Marissa and I managed to transform the restaurant with monster motif. It’s a bit premature with the holiday weeks away, but I needed the distraction.
“Looks good,” I agree. I’ve never dreamed of being a shop owner, but I admit having a place like this is satisfying in so many ways—a place I myself would frequent as a patron. There are a few gathered around the cozy fire in the reading nook. There’s a steady crispness in the air now as the leaves on the ancient oaks opposite the parking lot rapidly turn brilliant shades of pumpkin, red, and yellow, officiating fall’s arrival. A season I used to loathe due to a few life-altering summers that I never wanted to end.
“Now,” Marissa says sharply. “I’m going to whip us up some lattes, and you’re going to tell me what the hell is going on. I’ve been patient enough.”
Just as she speaks, a school bus pulls up and a few dozen kids start filing out before heading toward the café.
“Oh, shit,” Marissa says. “Did you know they were coming?”
“No idea,” I reply, equally as taken aback just as Tobias pulls up in the parking lot, his attention shifting from me to the school bus of children piling into the restaurant. By the time he reaches the door, he’s already rolling up his sleeves. He winks at Marissa in greeting before leaning in and pressing a brief kiss to my lips.
“Just tell me where you need me.”
Chaos, utter and complete chaos would be how I describe the next hour. Rows and rows of school children fill every table and booth monitored by just a handful of teachers who looked to be at their wits end. Though I relieved our third waitress after the morning rush, Marissa and I, along with Tobias’s unexpected help, manage to do a decent job of expediting the food and drink orders—but the noise is deafening. Tobias zooms around with a bin, collecting plates like the job comes first nature, sweeping up spills and taking orders for the few stragglers who come in to dine.