Page 20 of Dragon Detective

“We’ll make this work,” I said. “I’ll solve this case and when it’s over, we can . . .” I couldn’t say go our separate ways. A mating bond didn’t work like that either. I’d crave this woman forever.

Was there a way to convince her to be mine?

“Can what?” she asked. “Erase that mark so you can find someone new? Because I’m still on my hiatus, and I’m notbreaking it, not even for a gorgeous, much too sexy dragon shifter.”

“You think I’m much too sexy?” I purred. I could work with this.

“That was a slip of the tongue. You’re notthatsexy.”

Rising, I advanced on her while she pressed her back against the sofa cushions. I braced my palms on either side of her shoulders and lowered my head until there was only a whisper of a breath between us. “You’reincredibly sexy.” I breathed into her ear, my smile flashing when she started to quiver.

She lifted her hands and placed them on my arms. She didn’t nudge me away, something I would’ve respected and acted on, though it would’ve killed me and made my inner dragon snarl. Her fingers tightened on my skin, her nails digging in just enough to hold me in place.

“I want to lick every inch of your body,” I added, sucking in her heady scent. Earlier, in her bedroom, I could scent her arousal, and there was nothing more wonderful than that.

“I don’t believe that’s part of your contract either,” she said in a thready voice. Her eyelids slid shut, and she lifted her chin. Her lips parted, essentially begging for my mouth to claim hers.

“Contracts are negotiable.”

“There’s no way licking would show up in a business agreement.”

I leaned back, watching her facial expression. “Would you like it to?”

“Yes,” she breathed. Her eyes popped open. “No. I mean no.”

“No to licking or no to a kiss?”

“You’re not going to kiss me, are you?”

“I definitely could.”

Her swallow took a very long time to go down. “We shouldn’t.”

“Say yes or no, Hannah, because I’m going to take your hesitation as yes unless you tell me to back off and retake my seat.”

“Not giving you an answer means yes in your book?”

“With you, yes.Onlywith you.”

“Let’s try it. Once it’s over with, we can get back to figuring out who’s trying to make me leave my building, and put all this behind us. Neutralize this, more or less.”

“It doesn’t work that way, sweetheart.”

“I also shouldn’t like it when you call me that.”

“Why not? You’re sweet.” She’d soon claim my heart.

“You haven’t licked anything to prove that, now have you?” she said quite primly.

That was all the yes I needed.

I slanted my mouth across hers.

Chapter 11

Hannah

Kissing Reylor was like touching a live wire. Shockwaves blasted through me, centering between my legs.

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