that came after last night's close call and the lights-out conversation that followed it, she needed that reminder. Not to mention facing the stark reality of what becoming a permanent resident here would require of her.
That was all the prompting Josie needed to sit up and throw off the warm covers. Even as she blinked in the bright sun coming through the window, she could tell that Knox was nowhere nearby. There was something in the air when he was present—a subtle hum, a vibration below the range of her hearing, a shift in her inner ear—and a chilly emptiness that had nothing to do with the temperature when he was not.
The floor was chilly on Josie’s bare feet as she tiptoed to the door, still wearing the borrowed T-shirt she'd slept in that almost reached her calves. Knox had told her to take whatever she liked from his closet, and after a few days, she'd gotten used to the oversized nature of everything he owned.
"I'm up and coming out into the hall," Josie said in a loud voice, waiting with her hand resting on the doorknob for a few seconds. Even though she'd bet her last dollar she was alone in the cabin, the last thing she wanted was a repeat of last night's near-disaster, coming out of the room just as Knox was heading in and risking touching him.
Though if that was true…why did she feel an odd sense of disappointment when she opened the door onto an empty hall? Actually, it wasn't completely empty: waiting on the floor was a cup of coffee—just like the one Josie set out for Knox every morning.
The mug was only lukewarm when she picked it up, but Josie couldn't suppress a smile as she cradled it in her hands. After the awkward, weird evening marked by Knox's terse words and unprovoked taunting, Josie was more than willing to take any peace offering, even a cup of cold coffee.
She called his name once more for good measure as she entered the hallway, but there was no answer. The main room was still, the blankets neatly folded in a large basket by the hearth. In the kitchen, the good ol' percolator rested on the still-warm stove, and Josie poured out the cold coffee before gratefully pouring herself a fresh cup.
But hot coffee wasn't the only thing that Knox had thoughtfully left for her. A fire warmed the room, and there was a fresh loaf of bread on the table along with a pot of jam and a plate of sliced dried fruit.
Josie suddenly realized she was ravenous and helped herself to a generous serving before taking her plate to sit near the fire. She'd never realized how mesmerizing it could be to simply watch the flickering flames, the logs shifting gently as they burned. In fact, the simple pleasures of the cabin beat the heck out the amenities at even the nicest hotel Josie had ever stayed at.
After polishing off the delicious bread with the tart, piquant plum jam, Josie gazed at a pair of Knox's oversized boots resting on a rubber mat for a while, deliberating before coming to a decision. She rinsed her dishes in the sink, then wrapped one of the blankets around herself, stuck her feet in the boots and laced them as tightly as she could, and headed out into the bitter cold.
There was no point in calling for Knox. Josie knew damn well he wasn't here, sensing his absence just as she had when she first woke. And yet, she wasn't worried, knowing just as instinctively that he'd be back.
Josie had always been practical, discounting whatever she couldn't see or touch. She didn't believe in the woo-woo mysticism popular among so many San Francisco dwellers. Astrology, tarot, crystals—Josie dismissed them all.
And yet, here she was, putting her faith in something she couldn't explain. If someone had told her a month ago that she'd be able to sense another human's presence and intentions, Josie would have laughed. But this new certainty felt as real as the ground beneath her feet, rooted in the very core of her being.
It should have been a red flag, a warning that her dormant omega nature might not be so dormant after all. But Josie couldn't seem to manage to be bothered. She hadn't touched Knox and had no intention to. Besides, it was so peaceful and calm out here, a few snowflakes drifting down from the branches overhead, sun glinting off the