Page 38 of Dragon Detective

Lifting my head, I gazed down at her, taking in her lips pinkened from my kiss and the way her eyes focused on my mouth.

It took every bit of willpower inside me not to kiss her again, not to tug off her clothing and explore her body.

I backed away from her and ran my fingers through my hair.

Her gaze slid down my body like a caress, focusing on my groin. I might be able to contain my inner drive—somewhat—but there was no denying my body’s response to hers.

“Well,” she said.

“Yes, well.” A smile teased across my lips. I wanted to slip back into the drawling, flirty guy I was when I placed her on the counter, but something had changed inside me during our kiss.

I’d started to fall in love.

Chapter 19

Hannah

He backed away, and while I wanted to snarl at him for doing so, I was also grateful. I needed to process all this; from the mating marks I couldn’t deny to the way I lost all control when he kissed me.

I hopped off the counter, grateful that my wobbly legs supported my weight.

“We should go to bed.” I was instantly barraged by thoughts of us beneath the blankets, entwined together. His body sinking into mine. The way he’d hold me after. Dreams of a future with Reylor swirled through my mind, and I couldn’t seem to drive them away.

Hiatus, I reminded myself firmly, but the thought kept slipping sideways, replaced with images of us solving this case, then putting it behind us while we finished renovating the B&B. He’d share my bedroom, my home, my life. Pretty pictures of him going to work in the morning flashed through me. I’d stand on the front steps waving while he walked away, and I’d be waiting for him there when he came home at the end of the day.Then, he’d lift me into his arms, kiss me, and once the sun had slipped below the horizon, he’d carry me to our bed.

Laughter. Teasing.

And the promise of a loving future.

Did I dare take a chance?

“You’re right. We should go to bed.” Reylor backed toward the outside door.

Max looked from him to me, his little pussy cat mouth tightening. You’d think he was playing matchmaker, and I’d just told him I would never allow Reylor to touch me again. At this point, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold him back for even one more day.

“I’m going to walk around outside and make sure everything’s secure,” Reylor said. “Though I’ll do the inside first, starting with your room.”

“Thank you.” I wasn’t someone who gave up easily. But it was nice having another person here to talk about this and to help me come up with strategies to make sure whoever was trying to sabotage me didn’t succeed.

With a nod, he stepped into the hall.

I followed him to my suite with Max on my heels.

My sitting area and bedroom looked the same as when I left this morning, as did my bathroom. My phone lay on my bedside table, plugged in as usual, and the lights overhead worked like they should.

Maybe this would be the end of it. Whoever this was would see that I had protection and back off. It was one thing to go after a single woman; it was another to challenge not only her but a dragon shifter detective who might bite off their head before they started asking questions.

Not that he could legally do something like that. Monsters had rules they were required to follow.

He checked all the windows and even looked under my bed, finding nothing suspicious.

After rising, he strode over to stand in front of me, studying my face. Even his simple look made heat flare through me. While he was kissing me, I would’ve done whatever he asked. Debased myself, even.

I hadn’t felt that way with my ex, and that scared me because it meant that if this guy betrayed me, I might never recover.

“You’re okay?” he asked gently. “I can stay here in your room with you if you want. I don’t like sleeping a floor above you, though I’ll hear you if you call out. One peep, and I’ll come running.”

“I’ll be fine.” I was a big girl. If I could handle whatever a possible ghost might toss my way, I could take on anything else. “Thank you, though.”

---