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I nodded without lifting my head. “Yeah.”
He whispered something as he nuzzled my hair, but I didn’t catch all of it. Something about his heart and protection.
I lifted my hips, separating our bodies before I snuggled in beside him. “What did you say?”
He looked over at me, searching my eyes for…something. I had no idea what. Finally, he blinked and shook his head. “Sorry, I should have told you this earlier, but I have a file in my desk for a baby abandoned in Salem around the same time as you were. Her name was Ashley, but it’s spelled, A-s-h-l-e-i-g-h.”
“Wow.” I chuckled. “Your pillow talk needs some work.”
He smirked. “I’m trying to explain. I think the people looking for her might be after you too.” He cupped my cheek. “And I wanted you to know I’ll protect you. They’ll have to get through me first.”
I stared at him feeling like I was missing a piece of this picture. We weren’t a couple, and I wasn’t his mate. Why would he be willing to put himself between me and someone hunting witches?
Maybe the reason didn’t matter. I lowered my head back onto his chest to avoid the weight of his gaze. “Thank you.”
He caressed my back, comforting me more than he could possibly know. I closed my eyes and soaked it up like a sponge as I tried to commit every moment of this night to memory.
Because it could never happen again.
I knew that now.
I’d thought I could just enjoy him while I could, but I hadn’t realized how incredible it would feel to be in his arms or to see the emotions that seemed to dance in his eyes when he stared at me. Part of my love for acting came from the opportunity it provided to live in someone else’s skin, to vanish into a different world where I was wanted and valued, not tossed aside.
But right now, he looked at me like I mattered. It was too tempting, too addictive. If I ever allowed this to happen again it wouldn’t just hurt me when he found his mate, it would destroy me.
And if life had taught me anything, it was how to survive.
His breathing slowed and I carefully scooted out of his bed. He stirred, his gravelly voice making my heart flip in spite of my intention to get the hell out of dodge.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just need the bathroom. I didn’t mean to wake you.” I padded across the room and into the bathroom. I closed the door and turned on the light. My reflection filled the mirror over the sink revealing that my stage lashes were still on point, but my lipstick was nonexistent, and my hair was a mess.
I did my best to tame it, but I didn’t have my brush. Close enough. Now to get out of the house without waking the man with werewolf hearing. This would require some magic. I ran through a mental checklist of spells and settled on a simple slumber spell. It required a direct view of the target, so I carefully gripped the doorknob and twisted, praying it wouldn’t squeak. I peered through the crack in the door at Jackson snoozing on his bed. The sheet was down around his waist, and he had one arm up over his head.
Why did he have to be so damned sexy?
I swallowed the lump in my throat and whispered the incantation. I’d casted it so the magic would last for thirty minutes. Just enough time for me to get dressed and catch a Lyft back to the Town Hall theater to pick up my car. Slumber spells always made me nervous, so I rarely used them. I didn’t want anyone to sleep through something important like a fire alarm. Right now, I could clank pots and pans together and he wouldn’t wake up.
He looked so peaceful.
I wandered over and pressed a kiss to his forehead, whispering. “I wish I was your mate.”
Was that true? I’d never been in a relationship that lasted longer than six months, was I really prepared to be the one love of a werewolf?
It didn’t matter. We’d just touched each other all over and no sign of his wolf recognizing me. Whoever she was, she was so damned lucky. Ugh. Enough.
Forcing myself to back away, I turned and went back to the office to get my clothes. This was an amazing night of pleasure. That was all. Merry Christmas to me.
But it was hard to ignore the yearning in my heart.
I got dressed, ordered my Lyft, and slipped out of his loft and into the elevator. The icy wind hit me like reality had just slapped me across the face, snapping me out of the euphoria I’d been drowning in.
The real world was cold and gray. Wake up, Winter. My ride pulled up and I got in, praising myself for not even looking back.
This was the only way to survive.
CHAPTER 8
