Chapter 4 Breakfast and Bossholes
Caspian
Her words echoed in my head—“Goodbye, breakfast”—as she poured out her cup.
Was that coffee supposed to be her breakfast?
The thought dominated my mind. She needed a real breakfast. I couldn’t let my mate go hungry. That was absolutely unacceptable.
My scowl melted into a feral grin. My mate.
She was in the next room, working for a boss who was clearly an asshole.
I’ll deal with him later.
She was mine to protect, mine to provide for, and simply mine .
Cautiously, I glanced down the hall to where she’d disappeared.
The hum of electronics emanated from that direction.
Satisfied she was occupied, I casually strolled into the kitchen and started exploring.
I hadn’t expected to find much, but to my delight, it was the type of vacation rental that stocked pantry goods.
My smile widened as I started my task. There was no milk, but she had an all natural coffee creamer in the fridge—that would work.
Everything came together easily, and I poured batter into the heated pan. As I watched for bubbles to rise to the top, I replayed our interaction.
“You could say I’m your husband now.”
What the fuck was I thinking?
Some deep-seated intuition told me she wasn’t ready to accept a fated mate bond, and the safer option was an accidental husband. Seemed less intimidating than a soul bond. But I hadn’t thought it through. I’d acted on instinct.
And now she’s going to try and lose my coat.
I’d have to keep a close eye on her. The thought sent a rush of tingling energy down my spine. I needed to see her and make sure she was okay. I wanted to study every inch of her, listen to her talk for hours, learn every cadence of her voice. One short conversation wasn’t enough.
In between breakfast tasks, I opened up the windows to let in a cross-breeze and freshen up the space, washed the handful of dirty dishes, and straightened all the pillows on the sofa. My mate deserved a clean, beautiful space to enjoy.
Half an hour later, I crept down the hallway, gripping a plate stacked high with pancakes tight in my hand. The door hung half-open, and I nudged it open further with my foot.
Juniper sat curled up on the chair, her knees up and her chin resting on them as she hit the delete key aggressively.
“What is this absolute fuckery?” she whispered under her breath.
Her scent of crisp bergamot and ocean water washed over me. She smelled like home.
Not wanting to startle her, I cleared my throat.
She nearly fell out of her chair, whipping around and flinging her arms out to brace herself on the desk.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I said, trying to soothe her. She was my mate, so my voice should have comforted her, but I couldn’t tell if it worked.
Lowering her feet to the carpet, she straightened and eyed the plate suspiciously. “What’s that?”
My goofy grin was back. I couldn’t help myself. “I made you breakfast.”
Juniper stared blankly, and I imagined a spinning wheel on her forehead as she processed what was happening. Finally, she wrinkled her nose. “Are you trying to be a husband?”
“No,” I said, recoiling before I thought better of my answer. “Actually, maybe. I’m not sure. But you didn’t eat breakfast, right? I feel like I need to feed you. ”
She scrubbed her hand over her face. “Caspian, you shouldn’t have.”
From the way she grimaced, I could tell she wanted to reject my offering, but she was definitely hungry.
“Don’t let this food go to waste, please,” I said. “I promise it’s good.”
Her dark eyes darted between the computer screen and the plate in a last-ditch effort to find an excuse.
“I’ll feed you each bite if you want to keep typing,” I offered, arching an eyebrow.
The most beautiful shade of dusty rose colored her cheeks.
Damn, she is stunning when she blushes.
“I can feed myself. Thank you,” she said, grabbing the plate from my hand. “You didn’t poison it, right?”
Chuckling, I shook my head. “I’m not looking to become a widower, little witch.”
That earned me another scowl, but she used the side of the fork to cut off a wedge of pancake. I stared as she wrapped her lips around the bite and slid it from the fork. She let out a soft moan that would haunt my dreams.
My tongue darted out, wetting my lips. Her gaze snagged on the movement.
Is it possible she feels the same pull I do?
I didn’t think witches were sensitive to fated bonds.
“It’s yummy. Thanks,” she said between bites. “But I still have to finish this project. Could you make sure to clean up after yourself? I’ve got a really busy day already.”
“Consider it done.” I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face.
“You’re the best,” she murmured absently, turning back to her work. It was an offhanded platitude, but my chest glowed with pride. I’d pleased my mate.
Elated, I practically skipped back to the kitchen and definitely didn’t hum happily while I washed the mixing bowl and pan and wiped down the counter a second time, just in case.
With an audible exhale, I threw myself down on the sofa. My hand trailed over my coat absently as I typed out a message to my brothers saying I’d need some clothes and toiletries dropped off. After all the things I’d done for Adrian over the years, he owed me.
Down the hall, a door closed. I bolted upright, watching for my beautiful mate to appear. After an age, she walked down the hallway, her lips a thin line as she regarded me.
She’d changed into jeans and a silky button-down blouse. It looked so soft, I had to clench my hands into fists to keep from reaching for her.
“So, I know we need to figure out the whole lose your coat situation, but I’m late for brunch with my mom and sister,” she said apologetically. Her cheeks wrinkled as she grimaced.
“I’ll come with you,” I blurted.
Her brows furrowed. “ You can’t meet them. I’m not telling them about you. They wouldn’t understand. ”
“That’s fine. I’ll come and sit by myself. I just want to be there in case you need anything, but don’t leave me here alone,” I said, the words vomiting out of my mouth.
Fuck! What am I saying?
Juniper closed her eyes for a second like she fought to accept the inconvenience. “Fine, you can sit at the bar or whatever. It won’t take too long. They aren’t my biggest fans so we never spend that much time together.”
My posture went rigid. “What do you mean they aren’t your biggest fans?”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about it. We aren’t close, but it doesn’t matter.”
She was so self-possessed, unafraid to say exactly what she thought. Every little thing I discovered about Juniper just made her more appealing. The idea that anyone wouldn’t like her was unfathomable to me.
“It’s pretty close, so I was gonna walk,” she said, reaching for my coat.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
She blinked. “Um, you didn’t want to leave this here, did you? Plus, I figured I might accidentally lose it.”
Yeah, that is what I told her she needed to do.
I had a feeling the situation wasn’t going to go the way I’d imagined.
“Of course,” I said, nodding dumbly.
“Cool, then, I guess we should go,” she said, jerking her head toward the door .
Two minutes later, we walked down the street side by side. My hand itched with the urge to reach out and take her hand, but from the tense look on her face, she’d probably slap it away.
The coffee shop was a few blocks in from the beach. As we stepped in, I scanned the familiar, cozy space. Pottery and art lined the shelves and walls, and the air smelled of bacon.
“You go over there,” she hissed, lightly pressing against my stomach with her fingers splayed. I tensed my abdomen under her hand, and her eyes widened a fraction.
Feeling smug, I let her push me back a step before I slunk off to sit at the bar made of a long piece of driftwood sanded smooth and shellacked.
“Coffee?” the owner, Rick, asked. His wavy brown hair and flannel looked a little more disheveled than usual, but he’d just get mad if I asked him about it.
“Sure, cream please,” I said, nodding at him before returning my attention to Juniper.
She picked her way across the restaurant to a table along the window already occupied by an older woman. She had the same tan skin tone and dark eyes, but where Juniper’s hair was platinum, her mother’s hair was brown with fake caramel highlights.
She didn’t stand, but instead let Juniper bend at the waist to hug her while she stayed in her seat. My lip curled at the snub, although I didn’t mind the fantastic view of my little witch’s ass. Her jeans showed off every curve .
Juniper sat in the chair across from her mother and ordered a drink. I strained to hear what she liked so I could order for her in the future and get it perfect.
A few minutes later, a younger woman entered. She was the mirror image of Juniper’s mother, who immediately stood up to hug her. As they sat back down, her mother fawned over her sister. My fingers strummed across the counter harder.
Both her mother and sister sat opposite Juniper on the bench, and their saccharine smiles boiled my blood. My beautiful little witch shifted in her chair uncomfortably. Her palm pressed to her collar as she listened to them talk at her.
She shrunk back, losing all of the confident sparkle that I’d admired so much. My jaw ticked as I restrained myself. It was an exercise in patience, but I managed to stay in my seat.
Juniper sipped her tea as her mother and sister picked at pastries and traded knowing looks. Finally, her mother slid a folded piece of paper across the table. Juniper’s brows pinched as she unfolded it and studied the writing.
A few minutes later, her mother and sister left together, and Juniper sat alone. It felt like I was being released from prison as I stalked across the restaurant and dropped into the seat beside her.
“What is that?” I growled.
Indigo eyes slid from the paper to my face. Her pupils expanded as she took me in. With my next breath, I smoothed my features.