Page 56 of Throne of Secrets

Pulling a wire from between his teeth, he twisted it with another near the small camera he was installing. "Well, if you locked your doors, you wouldn’t have to worry about strangers sneaking in."

She frowned and glanced at the front door. "It is locked."

Ethan sighed. "You have two doors, Star. The front and the back."

"Okay, well, that’s not my fault.” She crossed her arms. “You walked me back this morning, and then you kissed me. And kissed me. And kissed me." She gestured dramatically. "Forgive me if I wasn’t thinking clearly when you shut the door behind me. I had no brain left."

Ethan rested his forearms on the top of the ladder and smirked. "So, you’re saying I kissed your brains out?"

Star blinked, considering, then frowned. "Well, if anyone could, it would be you. So … yeah."

Chuckling, he shook his head. "Maybe I should install self-locking doors."

"Nope, because then I’d get locked out, and you’d have to rescue me. Constantly."

"Also a fair point,” he agreed with a grin. “I’m almost done here. Want to grab a coffee with me?" He paused, then added, "Oh, and a pup cup. Thor’s been pouting all day because he didn’t get one last night."

Star glanced around. "Where is he?"

"Backyard. Refuses to come in."

"Seriously? Just because of a pup cup?"

Ethan’s lips twitched. "Well … no. He’s mostly mad because I didn’t let him sleep in the bedroom last night. He usually sleeps at the foot of the bed, so he’s in full-blown sulk mode."

"Oh no.” Star winced. “Are you saying I usurped Thor’s place in your bed?"

Ethan snorted. "No, he sleeps at the foot of the bed, not against me."

"What do you think he’ll do if I spend the night again?"

Ethan descended the ladder and pulled her into his arms. "If? Why wouldn’t you spend the night?"

"Well, we could stay here …” She grinned up at him.

Leaning in, he brushed a slow, teasing kiss against her lips. "We could sleep in Outer Mongolia for all I care. Just tell me when and where."

Star grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the stairs. "Upstairs. Now."

Laughing, he let her lead him into her bedroom, where she pushed him onto the bed and straddled his lap. But just as his hands settled on her hips, his watch beeped. He groaned and sat up. "Sorry, babe, I have to take this call."

With a sigh, she slid off him. He pulled his phone from his pocket, already grimacing. "Dinner, then a continuation after?"

She smirked. "Sounds like a plan. Let’s go to Wagner’s and eat outside so Thor can come with us."

His expression softened. "Perfect. Sounds good. I’m really sorry about this."

She shook her head. "Go ahead. I understand. I run my own business, too, remember?"

Ethan pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before answering his call, and Star couldn’t help but smile. Yep. She was in deep.

"I do remember." Leaning down, he kissed her again, slow and deep, making her toes curl. When he pulled back, a cocky smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"But I definitely want to continue this … in the position you were in."

With a wink, he turned and jogged out of her room, disappearing down the stairs.

She heard the back door slam, and then a second later, it banged open again.

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