39

“Or hunches,” he said, and he smiled. “This feels more like a hunch,” he said, putting both the grape and his ring into the pocket of his jacket. “But just in case, I’m glad I have them.” He patted his pocket affectionately.

“I am, too,” I said, leaning over to kiss him.

I loved when he was playful; his humor always put me at ease. It reminded me of when we were kids and we’d play pranks on each other. I longed for the day when we would have the liberty to tease each other and be playful again.

At that moment, there were three hard knocks at the door, and without warning, it blasted open as Lex and I were still kissing. At that moment, Polonius strolled into our room, Gabrielle behind him. I could feel Lex’s body tense and his temperature rise, and my wolf knew that he was about to shift.

“Don’t,” I said in a harsh whisper. “No shifting,” I reminded him.

“Well, well, I can see that I’ve interrupted the two of you,” Polonius laughed. “As I thought I might.”

Lex clenched his fists as he