Page 17 of Hollow Moon

He flopped to his back and closed his eyes. “I guess I was attracted to you from the first. Clever of me to make up a reason to . . .”

“To get close to me,” she finished.

He still lay with his eyes closed, and she reached for his hand and folded her finger around his. She should be embarrassed, she knew. And maybe angry. But his remorse made it difficult for her to feel either one of those emotions.

When he didn’t move or speak, she whispered, “I liked it.”

“But you don’t know a damn thing about me,” he answered, his voice barely under control.

“Unless you’re lying, I know you’re a detective who was investigating a drug-making operation.”

“A detective who stumbled onto a drug-making operation and should have called for backup.”

“Okay that was a mistake.”

“Apparently.”

“I know you’re an honorable man.”

He made a snorting sound.

“Otherwise, you wouldn’t be feeling bad about giving me a very pleasurable experience.” She dragged in a breath and let it out. “Did you really read about sex magic?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I read about all kinds of magic and fantasy. The occult always interested me.”

“Why?”

He waited a few beats before saying, “I found a library book—about a kid who could talk to animals. It fascinated me, and I kept looking for similar stuff. One was about King Arthur and Merlin when Arthur was a boy.”

Was that the whole truth? Instead of pressing him on the point, she said, “I think I read that too!The Sword In the Stone,by T. H. White?”

“Yeah.”

“Arthur gets to be a bunch of different animals.”

He kept his gaze on her. “What did you think about that?”

“I wished I could do it.”

A mixture of emotions crossed his features before he said, “We’re getting off the subject of my current fantasy.”

“The important thing is that I’m okay with it. Of course, you don’t know much about me either. I could be the kind of woman who hops into bed with a different guy every night.”

“I don’t think so,” he answered quickly. It’s not the Girl Scout way.”

She laughed, then rolled toward him, slinging her arm across his chest and pressing her face against his shoulder. “You’re a very compelling man.”

“I know.”

“And modest, too.”

“I don’t have any trouble . . . connecting with women.”

“Are you bragging?”

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