Chapter 14

Katie

My back ached from a long day out in the bitter cold, and I couldn't wait to get into bed and finally rest. I flopped down onto it, with Banjo seizing the opportunity to jump up with me.

"Hey, get your muddy paws off of that," I chided, trying to rescue my blanket before it became necessary for me to spend half a day in the laundry room.

He gave me the saddest eyes of betrayal and I gave up on my attempts to save my bedding. We did this every evening and I never won, I didn't know why I was even trying at this point. He let out a happy rumble and buried his face into the folds of the blanket, his tail wagging while he took up most of the bed.

I stroked his head, enjoying the way it made the magic inside of me glow. There was nothing quite like being recharged by the love of my familiar, and I wouldn't be able to work such long days without Banjo by my side.

"You're a good boy," I said, scratching the base of his tail. It was his favourite place for getting scratches, and I loved being able to give that to him.

Something thudded against my window but I ignored it, writing it off as the start of heavy rain or a lost bat or bird. The noise sounded again, and I remembered the challenge Brew had set himself.

Maybe it wasn't a bird after all.

I got up from the bed and Banjo instantly shuffled to take up my space. He did it with his eyes closed too, as if that would trick me into believing he did it in his sleep. I knew better, but I was also far too curious about whether Brew was keeping his promise.

I opened the latches and the cold wind blew the window open. I shivered as I looked out, surprised to find Brew standing at the bottom with a goofy grin on his face.

"What are you doing there?" I called down, worried that someone might see him. Luckily, Grandpa Jon was likely already asleep and Oliver's training grounds were on the other side of the house.

Brew waved. "I came to see you. Come down!"

"Are you already admitting failure?" I teased.

"Absolutely not." He reached up and used the overgrown ivy and ledges on the side of the house to climb his way up. It was a good thing my bedroom was only on the first floor because it looked dangerous and I was already starting to regret the challenge I accidentally made.

I reached out to him and pulled him in through the window before he fell. Banjo looked up but didn't move from his position on the bed. Instead, he wagged his tail when he saw it was Brew.

Rubbish guard dog.

"You could have used the door," I said. "I was only joking when I said you could climb through my window, you could have hurt yourself."

Brew shrugged, sitting up. "You said to come up so that's what I did. And I didn't want to rouse suspicion."

I snorted. There were definitely some holes in his logic. "I think a strange figure climbing in through my window is a lot more suspicious than you walking in through the front door. You're here all the time."

"Oh, right." He chuckled sheepishly. "Hadn't thought of that."

Amused, I leaned in so I could kiss him. His lips were cold which made me wonder how long he'd been out there and what he would've done if I hadn't opened my window. His arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me down to join him. His lips moved against mine as he returned my kiss with such intensity that it took my breath away. It hadn't been that long since we saw each other but I'd missed him.

I never would've imagined that I would be so infatuated with Rooibos Brewster, but the evidence was right here, making my heart pound and setting my body on fire. His tongue flicked against my bottom lip, and my pulse quickened as I melted into his embrace. I pulled him closer by the back of his neck and he groaned, his eyes darkening.

"That's not what I came here for but I'm not complaining," Brew murmured against my lips, his voice lower than usual.

I shifted in his lap, pleased to feel how much my kiss had affected him. He groaned when I moved again and looked almost apologetic. If only he knew how much I didn't mind it. I liked that I was doing this to him.

"What did you come here for then?" My voice was hoarse from the kiss, making me sound more sultry than I intended to.

"I wanted to ask if I could take you on a secret date," he said, his hands sliding down to the small of my back.

I kissed him softly. "I would. When?"

"The day after tomorrow? I have the early shift, so we could go for dinner, or a walk, or something else. Anything you want, I just want to spend time with you."

He was so damn earnest, it was impossible not to be charmed.

"I look forward to it." I moved in his lap, pleased when it caused him to groan again. Maybe it was a good thing he'd kept his promise and climbed through my window, because he wasn't the only one affected by how close the two of us were.

I pressed my lips against his, kissing him deeply as I trailed my hand down his arm. I wanted to move it under his shirt, but I wasn't sure how he'd respond to that. Or I did, but I wasn't sure if he really wanted that.

"Katie," he murmured against my lips.

"Mmm?"

He broke away from me and started peppering kisses across my throat, each one leaving a tiny trail of fire in its wake. "You don't know what you're doing to me," he murmured.

"Oh, I do," I responded, shifting on his lap.

He leaned his head against my shoulder, his breathing shallow.

I pulled back so I could look at him properly. I cupped his cheek in my hand, making sure I met his gaze so he could see that I meant what I said. I wanted him, he needed to know that.

I leaned in to kiss him, but a knock on the door made us both freeze.

"Katie?" Oliver's voice carried through the door and he knocked again.

I groaned. "Seriously?" I muttered.

"What's he want?" Brew asked.

"No idea." I cleared my throat. "Just a moment!" I shouted back, jumping up and almost kneeing Brew somewhere delicate.

A panicked expression crossed his face and he headed to the window, but I reached out and grabbed him before he could.

"You'll break your neck," I whispered hastily. "Just hide." I pushed him towards my changing screen, assuming that would be safe from Oliver's scrutiny.

"Is everything all right in there?" my brother called.

"Fine." I winced at how high and un-fine my voice sounded. I smoothed down my clothing, relieved that I wasn't Brew right now and didn't have something else to hide. Satisfied that I was in a reasonable state that didn't make it look like I'd just been about to undress my brother's best friend, I made my way over to the bed and sat down, patting Banjo. "Come in."

The door shrieked open and Oliver came in with a sheepish smile. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I was just getting ready for bed." Technically, that wasn't a lie, though it hadn't been for sleep. "What do you want?"

"I need some help. Advice. I wanted to ask Brew but I haven't seen him in a few days. Not sure what's going on with him."

I glanced at my changing screen, knowing exactly why Brew had been avoiding Oliver. It was my fault so the least I could do was help my brother.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

Oliver patted Banjo's head before sitting down in the only chair in the room. "If you knew something was wrong, but you really wanted it, would you do it?"

I suddenly felt very hot and bothered, but not in the same way I had a few moments ago. "What do you mean?"

"So I have a friend and he's caught feelings for the wrong person. He knows people wouldn't approve of the relationship and that it might complicate things. Should he still go through with it?" Oliver asked.

"And this is about a friend of yours?" My voice shook and I resisted the urge to look back at the changing screen. Had Brew talked to Oliver about me without telling him it was me he was talking about? That didn't seem likely, but it was one of the only explanations I could come up with.

Oliver sighed. "Fine. You always see right through me. It's about me."

Relief rushed through me, and I felt my whole body relax. "Oh, thank goodness."

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm just relieved. Excited, I mean. You've got feelings for someone?" I wanted to ask who but I didn't really want to fall down that rabbit hole because my secret was standing three feet away behind a flimsy partition.

"Someone I shouldn't have feelings for," Oliver muttered.

"I think you should follow your heart," I said, letting my statement hang in the room.

"So you would put your heart over your duty?"

I gulped, realising that somewhere along the line, I'd actually decided that was the case. "Yes. Now if that's all, I'm actually really tired."

"Of course. Thanks for the advice, Katie. You're the best sister anyone could have." He patted my head the same way he patted Banjo's and left the room.

I was so not a good sister.

The moment he was out of the room, I put on the latch and leaned back against the door. I closed my eyes and let out a loud sigh.

"We have to tell him, don't we?" Brew asked as he stepped out from behind the changing screen.

I nodded. "If he's already figured out you're avoiding him, and he's also starting to get feelings for someone, then it's for the best. Even if that does sound like an awkward conversation."

"I can do it," he offered. "I should do it, I'm the one crossing a line."

I snorted. "Hardly. We're both responsible." I pushed away from the door and made my way over to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Unless you're not interested in something serious enough to tell my brother about."

"Oh, I am," he responded. "You're my future, Katie. Just you."

My mouth went dry and I waited for panic to set in, but it didn't. Being with him felt right, and that included a potential future together. "All right, talk to him. And soon, because I'd much rather not feel guilty every time I kiss you."

"I'll talk to him tomorrow," Brew promised.

"Thank you. And if you can get him to admit to who he's got feelings for, I really want to know now," I joked.

"There's only really one candidate," he said.

"You?" I joked, only for dread to rise up in me. “It better not be you. That would be awkward.”

He chuckled nervously. "I don’t believe so. I’d put my bet on it being Hana Steeper."

"Ooh." The pieces fell into place. "He did take her eggs last week."

Brew raised an eyebrow. "Like you did?"

"Oliver is actually who gave me the idea," I admitted sheepishly. "He said he lost them to Hana in a bet, but if he was using them as an excuse to see her, that makes a lot more sense."

"It does. But I don't want to talk about Hana and Oliver right now," Brew said.

"Hmm, and what do you want to talk about?" I murmured.

"How much I want to carry on what we started, but that we're going to wait until after I've talked to your brother," he murmured.

"I hope another kiss isn't off the table."

"You know it isn't." He leaned in and brushed his lips against mine in a tender kiss that conveyed the truth behind everything he'd said to me before. He was serious about us, and there would be no going back now that we'd seen what we could be together.

Not that I wanted there to be. Every part of me knew that this was right, and I intended to listen to myself.