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The look he gave me tempted me enough to consider pulling him back in the house and to my room. If Mama weren’t in there, I may have. I knocked my head back against the door.

“Let’s get this questioning over with,” I said, not wanting to look at him anymore for fear of losing control. “Have a seat on the swing.”

Binx settled onto the porch swing, arm thrown casually over a pillow. I dropped onto the front steps, as far away as possible, while trying not to seem awkward.

“Do you know about the murder?” I asked, wishing a breeze would pick up.

“I heard. It’s horrible.”

“Okay. Do you know who may have done it?” Mental note: never question a suspect when you’re this hot and bothered because you sound like an idiot.

“From what I hear, it was probably a were,” Binx said, leaning forward. I couldn’t help but admire his long dark lashes and eyes the color of maple syrup. His hair was a shade darker than his skin and almost as black as Julian’s, and I wondered whether all of his body hair matched as my gaze traveled downward over his smooth, perfectly muscled torso.

“I’m afraid I won’t be much help with that since I can only interact with the mortal world when the sun is down.”

“Right. Of course. Did you, uh, know Maryanne?” I rubbed at my eyes, trying to focus.

“I visited her in a dream once when I heard her having a nightmare. She’d been reliving something awful, and I’d felt bad for her, so I’d decided to replace it with a much more pleasant experience.”

I couldn’t help meeting his eyes as he waggled his thick brows suggestively.

“Isn’t that assault?” I accused, coming out of my hormonal fog for a moment.

Binx recoiled. “No! I never do anything without consent. Even in a dream.”

“Sorry.” He had been trying to help her in his way, I supposed. “Thank you. If we need to ask anything else—”

“I’m available. Darlene has my number. Take care of her, Char. She’s a special lady.”

Speechless, I stared open-mouthed as he skipped down the porch steps and off into the night, whistling.

When I got back inside, Mama was eating ice cream from a carton.

“How was the rest of your day? You were dead to the world when we got home from shopping,” she said between spoonfuls.

I shoveled the rest of my chicken and green beans in my mouth and contemplated how to answer that. “It was…a lot.”

She nodded as though she understood and passed me the ice cream and a spoon. “I imagine it’s difficult to question people with all the supes around here. I have to admit the incubus is my favorite so far.”

I nearly gagged on my ice cream. “Mama!”

“What? I’m not blind or even that old. He’s as ancient as your vampire.”

“He isn’t my vampire,” I snapped, despite having thought that myself more than once. Now that she’d mentioned it, I wondered what was taking said vamp so long on his emergency job.

“Better tell him that since he looks at you like he is. Speaking of which, isn’t that his car out front?” Mama licked her spoon and took the carton back to the freezer.

“Yeah,” I said. “He had to go when he dropped me off. Part of the job. He’ll get it later.”

She plucked the utensil from my hand and cleared my plate with a hum.

“Mama? What’d Binx smell like to you?” I asked, standing.

“Like fresh cut wood and tobacco. Just like your father,” she mused, biting her bottom lip.

Oh boy. Maybe Julian really was my vampire.

Chapter 5