Chapter 6 - Joshua
Sandy tutted as Kira walked away. “Looks like I was right. She’s bolting.”
Joshua’s wolf growled low and dangerous.
The woman still had a grip on his arm. He’d been trying to be polite, trying to detangle himself without causing more of a spectacle.
It was certainly frustrating that his attempts to improve Kira’s standing with the pack had backfired so spectacularly.
He didn’t realize she would be so disgusted with him that she’d walk out of the wedding like that!
“It’d be a shame to spend your wedding night by yourself,” Sandy said, a slow, flirtatious smile spreading over her face.
That did it. Joshua ripped his arm away. “Go fuck yourself because I’m not doing it.”
Sandy’s jaw dropped. Her cheeks colored, and she stepped back, one hand clutching at her chest. Her mouth opened and closed several times.
The crowd, which was still watching, had various reactions, mostly shock, but Joshua didn’t have time to care about what they might be thinking about this display.
“I’m a married man. I’m not going to cheat on my mate just because she walked away from being disrespected to her face,” he snapped, taking a step back, toward Kira.
He wanted to rush after her, but he needed to set this crowd straight.
His wolf kept growling as he narrowed his eyes at Sandy.
She was still beet-red, her eyes widening.
“I’ll not be so understanding if this happens again. ”
With that, he turned on his heel and stormed back toward Kira’s house.
He had finally made some progress, and then this happened!
He should have done more to stop the crowd from gathering.
Maybe he should have accepted Kira’s offer, stayed the night at her house.
It would be awkward, and he wouldn’t have his work, but that was better than what happened.
What stung the most was that Sandy actually thought he’d entertain another woman.
And worse… that Kira might believe it, too.
He understood her leaving, just as he had when Sandy was throwing herself at him.
He rubbed his hands over his face, trying to think of what he’d say.
How could she think that he would entertain another woman after he’d told her that he wasn’t going to do that?
Well, that was pretty simple to explain.
She didn’t trust him. He knew it would take time, but he hadn’t thought they’d have such a dramatic hiccup on their very first night as a married couple.
Fuck, if it had only stayed between the two of them, maybe they’d have gotten through a conversation without getting pissed off at each other.
She had gotten all the way back to her house before he caught up. He managed to catch the door as it swung shut, and she jumped, turning slightly. When she saw it was him, her cheeks colored, and she turned away quickly.
“Done with Sandy, are you?” she said, her voice shaking slightly.
“I was done with her before she opened her mouth,” Joshua snapped back. “Let’s go. They won’t bother you again. You can ride me back to my place if you want.”
Images of her riding him in an entirely different way swam through his mind.
He was glad Kira’s back was to him. He adjusted himself, hoping to hide his arousal.
Either he’d have to awkwardly explain or she’d assume it was because of Sandy.
She headed away from him, and the scent of cooking food hit his nostrils.
Joshua followed her into the kitchen, which was filled with ingredients and meals. Several pots were on the stove, and the oven was propped open. So she’d been telling the truth.
“I’m not going to your house,” she said.
“Okay. Then I’ll stay here,” Joshua answered awkwardly.
Kira glared over her shoulder. “No, you’re not.
People don’t believe that we’re really together anyway.
I don’t care what the council thinks. This was a terrible idea, and if they think that they can force Chelsey to marry you in my place, they have another thing coming.
I’ll blast this all over the internet and then we’ll see how it goes. ”
Her movements were jerky as she shoved fresh ingredients into the fridge.
Joshua looked through a few cupboards and selected some containers to store the cooked food in.
Kira stopped her work to stare at him, as though she was debating whether she wanted to stop him or let him continue.
Her shoulders slumped as she silently nodded once and went back to her portion.
Between the two of them, they’d cleaned up the kitchen quickly.
“I don’t want to go to your place,” Kira said, but the fight was gone from her.
Joshua rinsed the last dish off and pulled the plug in the sink. “I did offer to stay.”
“I don’t want you in my house.”
“Kira—”
“I know.” She dried the dish and put it in the cupboard, then wiped down the counters. “I’ll go to your place. There are no good choices here.”
Joshua frowned at her. “So does that mean we’re going to stay married? No blasting the internet?”
“Wouldn’t do any good.” Kira pulled her fingers through her hair and shook her head. She didn’t speak again as they walked to his place. Luckily, the crowd had dispersed. More than one face pressed to the window, peering at them, but Joshua kept close to Kira, and they quickly looked away again.
Once they were at his place, he gave her a quick tour.
It was a modest two-floor building. The main floor held an open-concept kitchen and dining room, along with a separate den and half-bathroom.
The basement was all for storage, except for the shower and laundry room, so there was nothing interesting down there. The upper floor had five tiny bedrooms.
“I put a door between my room and the next one and converted it into a gaming room and closet. This one I have my home office in,” he said as he pointed out the doors. “The bathroom up here has a clawfoot tub. It’s bigger than most of the bedrooms.”
He chuckled weakly, not entirely certain it was something to joke about. Or maybe it was just because he was so nervous about having her in his space.
“Then this is your room.” He gestured to the last door on this side of the hallway. “Your bedroom is there,” he pointed across the hall. “But I set up this one for you, too.”
Kira nodded. She’d been nodding in all the right places, but her expression was so carefully blank it made his stomach hurt. They came to the last, and largest bedroom. He swung the door open and gestured for Kira to step through.
She froze. Joshua watched her face, holding his breath as he waited for her reaction.
He’d done his best with the room. A large cupboard lined one wall, filled with all the ingredients he’d learned that Kira would need for potions.
The carpet had been removed and replaced with an easily-cleaned tile floor.
He had installed a hotplate, sink, fridge, and various stock pots and cauldrons.
“I thought this could be a place for you to make your potions or practice other stuff,” Joshua said as she moved into the room.
“Other stuff?” Kira repeated.
“Magic. Or yoga. Or whatever, really. I can redo the room however you’d like, so you can get whatever use you need out of it.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and tapped his foot against the wall in small gestures as his wolf paced. What was Kira thinking?
Kira plucked a jar from the cupboard. “Oh! Powered beryl?”
Joshua shrugged. “The book I looked through said it was good to have in protective potions.”
“It’s used in far more than that. It amplifies a potion’s power. But it must have cost a fortune!” Kira’s eyes were shining as she clutched the jaw to her chest. “All of this must have been so expensive.”
“I only got shelf-stable items. Gwen helped me,” Joshua answered gruffly.
Kira set the jar back. “I… don’t know what to say. Actually, I do. How long have you known that the Council wanted us to marry?”
Joshua scuffed his shoe against the floor. “Only a couple of hours longer than you. That’s why I was at the store that day with Jenny Carps. I’d just learned about it and I wanted to tell you myself. Then… it just seemed like a better idea not to bring it up.”
“But it would take more than a day to gather all of this,” Kira murmured.
“I’ve been working on it for a while. It’s not a wedding present.
Not really.” Joshua hated how he sounded, almost petulant, as though he didn’t want her to be pleased.
Why couldn’t he share how he really felt about this?
“I was gathering it all to help with your magic. Yours and Gwen’s,” he added.
He didn’t want her to know how much she had been at the forefront of his thoughts with every purchase.
No doubt it would frighten her off again…
or give her the wrong idea about what their relationship was actually going to be.
He was giving himself the wrong idea. Nothing can happen. Unless I get a vasectomy. Maybe he would. Maybe then they could have a physical relationship. Only if Kira wanted one, of course.
“How do you know so much about my magic?” Kira moved a little closer.
Her scent wafted into his nostrils, and a shiver ran down his spine. “I—” He cut himself off. He couldn’t reveal he knew she could use spells now. She’d only done it when she and Gwen were alone. “I told you, I asked Gwen about what ingredients you’d need, and I looked through some books.”
“Thank you. This is very nice. And roomier than I expected.” She tested the sink, smiling when water ran out from the faucet. It had been a simple matter of extending the plumbing, since it was right next to the bathroom anyway.
“Your bedroom is just across the hall,” Joshua said. “It’s basic right now, of course. You can move as many of your things in as you’d like. You still have my credit card. You can use it to get whatever you need.”
Kira opened her mouth, then seemed to think better about whatever she was planning to say.
She headed across the hallway and entered her bedroom.
It held a full-sized loft bed, under which was the only closet space in the room.
It was a tiny room, yes, but Joshua thought she would appreciate being as far away from him as possible.
A tiny desk was placed beneath the window, and a bookshelf lined the wall opposite the bed. That was it.
“I can move my office if you need more space,” Joshua said, his gaze tracing along the vine-like patterns in the carpet.
“This will be fine. Thank you.”
Joshua looked up. He tried to force a smile, but his mouth didn’t quite work.
Kira stared back at him. Neither of them spoke until Joshua turned and walked down the hallway without a word.
Once he was alone, he shut the door and leaned against it.
Considering their history, that had gone well.
At least, it did after they came to the house.
He wasn’t going to count the rest of the day.
***
The next morning, he was in the kitchen, already dressed for the day, when Kira stumbled into the kitchen.
Her hair was even messier than normal, her eyes half-shut.
The pajamas she wore were thin, consisting of a tank top and shorts that only reached mid-thigh.
Her top had ridden up, revealing an inch of skin around her midriff.
A little pink bow sat in the middle of the V-neck, nestled between her breasts.
The outline of her sports bra showed under the thin fabric, but that didn’t stop her figure from affecting him.
“Morning,” Kira mumbled, her voice husky with sleep as she went to the coffee machine.
Joshua grabbed his keys, turning away so Kira wouldn’t see just how his body responded to her. His skin was flushed, and his pants felt too tight. Goddess, she was so appealing it nearly drove him wild. Her shorts cupped her ass perfectly.
“I’m late for training with the special ops,” he grunted.
Kira looked over her shoulder. “You train them?”
“I help. I have a military background, after all.”
“Oh. Right, I remember hearing about it. When will you be back?” As she stretched her arms over her head, it pulled her shorts up, just enough to show the crease of her ass on one side.
Joshua quickly turned and headed for the door. “I’ll let you know,” he called over his shoulder. He didn’t look back. It just wasn’t safe.