Hitched by Mia Watts, Katie Blu Page A

a shit for turning her in.”
    “Because you liked her.”
    “Yeah,” she said tapping a finger on the glass and staring at the ripples. “I did.”
    “Maybe they’ll let her off lightly because she doesn’t have priors.”
    “International crime has different consequences,” she reminded him.
    She looked up, searching for comfort in his solemn black gaze. There were other reasons she was upset, and as she looked at Bruce’s concerned face, she knew their relationship would come to an end now.
    “Something else is bothering you, isn’t it?” he asked.
    How did she tell him that the rules had changed for her? He’d been assigned to work with her because of his ability to keep her from shifting when he was near. Out of necessity, they’d spent countless hours together. His faery sexuality and her interest had naturally brought them together physically, too.
    That’s all it was meant to be. Just physical. Just work. Just—comfort. Just for a time, and that time had finally come. Those had been the rules. They could have any other partner they wanted at any time. She’d chosen not to, until Kane entered the picture. She’d also chosen not to ask Bruce about the other women he’d been with since they’d hooked up.
    She should be happy, right? She still had Kane. She could still work something out with him, even if Bruce left her, couldn’t she? Yet, they’d both felt Bruce’s loss in that public bathroom. They’d both wanted him to be there, and that scared her. That thinking meant something. She’d been avoiding the meaning for the past several days, but with Bruce possibly leaving, it forced her to examine it now.
    She didn’t want to. She wanted things to go on the way they had been. Indefinitely. No commitments, but no end either. Was that possible?
    It had been several minutes since she’d said anything. Bruce carefully took her glass away and set it down. He stood in front of her, bracketing her against the kitchen countertop. “Talk to me,” he begged softly.
    She tried to smile when he lifted her chin, but her lips felt twisted.
    “What is it?” he asked, sounding more alarmed.
    “It’s over.”
    His face took on a strange cast. Like he understood what she meant but was pretending not to. “The case? Yes, it’s over. You found the artifacts and the thief. You were amazing.”
    Willow blinked back the fine sheen of tears that clouded her vision. “The case is over, so you’re leaving. You’ll be going back to faery.”
    Relief flooded his features, and he smiled slightly. “Oh. Is that it?”
    A fire poker stabbed her heart. “Is that it ?” she repeated incredulously. But what did she expect him to say? The boundaries of their relationship had been clear from the beginning. No strings. So why did it feel like watching him walk out the door and back to faery would require a lot of cutting?
    She swallowed hard.
    Bruce kissed her. With a quiet sob, she rose up and wrapped her arms around his neck.
    “Don’t go,” she whispered.
    Bruce pulled back, his gaze intense as he studied her. “What?”
    Oh, God. He was going to push her away, leave her. Why couldn’t she keep her mouth shut?
    “Nothing,” she said quickly.
    “No, it’s not,” Kane said from the kitchen doorway. His look encouraged her.
    “Kane,” she whispered. She looked between the two men.
    “I called Sage. He told me you were here, upset,” Kane explained. Kane turned to Bruce. “I think it’s time you came clean.”
    “About what?” she asked confused.
    Kane lifted his eyebrows.
    Bruce grinned. “I was about to before you stormed in all knight and shining armor-y.” His grin transferred to Willow. “You don’t want me to go,” he began. “I don’t want to leave.”
    Were they talking about the same thing? She barely knew her own mind when it came to Bruce and Kane.
    Bruce seemed to think the explaining was finished. Kane seemed to disagree.
    “All of it, Bruce. Everything she needs to