Page 14 of Hollow Moon

“Good thinking.” He looked toward the window, then back to her again. “And we can weave a cloak of invisibility around us so they won’t know where we are.”

“How?”

“Sex magic.”

“What?” She heard the syllable come out like a squeak.

“You know. Use the magic of sexual arousal to ward off evil.”

Oh God, what had she gotten herself into by playing along? “Wait a minute . . .”

He looked into her eyes, his gaze making her heart pound. Just that look sent heat surging through her body.

“Where did you hear about sex magic?” she managed to ask in a strangled voice.

“I read about it.”

“Why?”

“I’m interested in . . . the unusual.”

“You’ve never used it before?”

“No. I never needed to before.”

They were having what sounded like a rational conversation about magic. A particular kind of magic. It might seem crazy to go along with him, but she understood that he was completely serious.

He looked like he was listening to something, and she tipped her head to the side. But there was only the rustle of leaves in the trees.

“They’re closing in. Hurry.”

Before she could protest further, he reached for her, making a low sound in his throat, pulling her close.

She barely knew this man, and he was taking liberties she wouldn’t have permitted with anyone else. Yet this was hardly a normal situation. From the first, he’d meant her no harm, and now he was trying to protect her—although there was no way to make that protection logical. Either he was putting her on, or the drug was still affecting his brain. And if he was putting her on, then he was a damn good actor.

What would the stuff be doing to him if he’d had a different personality? What would he be planning now? Some other guy might think that the only way to save himself was to sacrifice her to the aliens.

But not Knox Marshall.

He lay back, pulling her down on top of him. His hands stroking up and down her back, pressing her hips to his, then sliding upward to tangle in her hair.

“Don’t.”

“It’s the best we can do.”

With someone else, she might have concluded that he was using an insane excuse to cross a personal boundary. But she was sure Knox was completely serious. In his fevered mind, he thought he was protecting the two of them—protecting her.

One hand cupped around the back of her head, bringing her mouth to his. This was wrong. He was going too far. She should get the hell out of this tent, and yet honesty compelled her to acknowledge that she liked the feel of his lips on hers—liked it when he began to nibble at her—sexy little nibbles that he followed by the nip of his teeth.

“Knox,” she murmured against his mouth, unable to stop herself from responding.

“That’s right. Don’t fight it. We need to build the magic.”

Despite the way this had started, she didn’t really want to fight the arousal stirring through her body. She sank against him, closing her eyes as he cradled her close. Slipping his hand under her sweatshirt, he stroked her back, sending little tongues of fire over her skin.

He pressed his nose to her neck and breathed in. “You smell so good. And you feel so delicate,” he murmured.

She struggled for coherence. “I’m not.”

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