Chapter Ten

The air in Ashe’s apartment had changed. The scent of Cohen lingered, but the charged energy that had once filled the room was now muted. She curled into the cushion of her deep-seated chair while Kaylee emerged from the kitchen.

There were three pints of ice-cream in her hand. Joanna emerged with three spoons. They sank onto Ashe’s couch and threw their feet onto her coffee table. A stack of movies, romantic comedies, surrounded the television.

It was a girl’s day, but her mind kept backtracking to the night before.

“Earth to Ashe,” Joanna said, waving the pint of ice-cream in front of Ashe’s face.

She startled, her head snapping up. Joanna raised a brow, but Ashe shook her head and reached for the pint.

“You’re quieter than usual,” Joanna noted.

Ashe offered a small smile. No matter how she tried to distract herself, her mind kept slipping back to the night before. She could practically feel Cohen’s hands on her skin, feel him inside her. It had been unlike anything she’d ever felt, and then she’d ruined it.

Her words had made him run away. She glanced down at her phone. There was still no response from him.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Cohen,” Kaylee noted as her spoon broke the surface of the ice-cream. There was a knowing smile on her lips.

Could they all smell it? The scent of Cohen and their love-making that hung in the air? Ashe’s face warmed at the thought, making her flip open the lid of the ice-cream. There was a thick layer of chocolate across the top and it was satisfying to be the first to break it with her spoon.

“Now,” Joanna cut in, holding her spoon up. “Ashe said that was nothing.” Her voice was pointed and dripping with sarcasm.

The two shifter women knew what it felt like to be mated. They’d each found a Vancourt man and fallen in love. Joanna’s had been a long time coming, a fate that had stretched so thin it rebounded and bounced them back together. Kaylee had been an utter surprise, yet she fit in so seamlessly it was as if she’d always been there.

Was that what Ashe would become? A mate? A feeling stirred within her, one of hope and fear. It excited her, yet she worried that it was already crumbling in her hands. She was a witch, not a shifter. Cohen kept running from her and she didn’t understand how to keep him.

“You should try fucking him,” Kaylee offered.

Joanna’s laughter broke through the stagnant air and filled it with life. “Ashe is a virgin! I highly doubt she’d start with casual sex!”

Ashe’s face darkened. She shoved a spoonful of ice-cream into her mouth and avoided the conversation. Joanna’s laughter died, and her lips formed the shape of an O.

“You did sleep with him?”

“Uh, maybe?”

“Ashe! Why didn’t you tell me? I thought we told each other everything!” Joanna’s face crumpled.

“Because it only happened last night. I’ve barely even had enough time to process it myself.”

Kaylee threw down her pint of ice-cream. “Details. I need them all.”

Ashe licked her lips and smiled. She told them what she could, what she could manage to say through her embarrassment. She didn’t talk about how she used her magic on him, but did tell them he came in the middle of the night like something out of one of the rom-coms they had pulled out.

“Huh,” Kaylee said. “I thought he’d be a lot scarier than that.”

Joanna smiled with satisfaction. The look slipped, as if a thought struck her. “You don’t seem happy about it.”

“Oh, I am. I mean, I was…” Ashe searched for the right words. “I may have upset him last night and I haven’t heard back from him since.”

Joanna shrugged. “Guys have pride issues. The Vancourt brothers are among the worst of them. If the sex was as hot as you said it was, just let him cool off for a little while and he’ll come back.”

“Crawling back,” Kaylee added.

Ashe wasn’t convinced, but she nodded.

“Cohen is…” Joanna paused. “Well, you know. He’s quiet and it comes off as intimidating, but I think deep down he just wants someone to understand him. Of all people, I think that’s you.”

Ashe nodded. “I thought I did, but it feels like we aren’t speaking the same language sometimes.”

Kaylee laughed. “You’re telling me. I don’t think men and women speak the same language at all. I could tell Gage all night that I was tired, but to him that means just poke me harder with your dick.”

“You wouldn’t give in if you didn’t have the energy,” Joanna added.

Kaylee smiled like a cat who ate the cream. “You’re right.”

They went back to their ice-cream, pouring over images of Joanna’s wedding dress and the possible bridesmaids colors. Joanna made a big show of asking Ashe to be her maid of honor. Of course, Ashe squealed with delight and accepted.

She’d been silently hoping she could be a part of the wedding, but hadn’t wanted to intrude. The joy pushed back some of her insecurities. She could sit back and look at the night before with fresh eyes. She admitted that she wanted Cohen to come back, she hoped he would, sooner rather than later.

The girls spent the rest of the day picking out wedding favors, sampling DJ’s, and investigating bakery websites. It was something fun that took their minds off what was happening around them.

Yet, after Joanna and Kaylee passed out on the couch together, slumped on one another, Ashe retreated to her own bed. Her mind slipped back to Cohen. She wanted to peek on him, see what he was up to. Would he let her in, or would he ignore her presence?

She spent hours, laying in bed, debating whether she should or not. Eventually, the desire to see Cohen again overwhelmed her and she gave in. Her spirit slipped away from her body and she sought out the vibrant energy of Cohen. She was drawn to it as if there were a current that ran between them.

She found him lying in bed. Even though the room was dark, he lay awake on top of the blankets. As soon as she arrived, his body tightened. She could tell he sensed her. She moved to leave when he spoke.

“I missed you today,” he whispered.

Her heart swelled.

“Tell me I’ll see you tomorrow? I need to hear it.”

She hesitated, still overwhelmed with relief. “You’ll see me tomorrow.”

He let out a long breath and a smile slipped over his face. The shadows he wore were slipping away, she noticed.

“It’s late,” he said. “You should get some sleep.”

She approached and laid a ghost of a kiss on his forehead before slipping back into her body. The sheets slipped across her skin, echoing the sensation of his touch. She smiled.