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With a little advance warning, she might have saved herself. But he was so familiar to her, so dear to her, that she didn’t have a single defense. He drew her up, wrapping her against him, while he made a meal of her soft, parted lips.
She linked her arms around him and gave in to the sweetest temptation she’d ever known. She didn’t protest, even when she felt his lean hands go under her blouse, against soft, warm flesh.
“No maidenly protests?” he murmured against her mouth.
“Depends,” she managed to say.
“Depends on what?”
“On whether you want children right now.”
He lifted his head. “What?”
“Well, I don’t know beans about precautions, despite all those lectures I survived in high school and college,” she said.
He chuckled. “Point taken.” He bent again. “So we’ll just maul each other a little bit and I’ll go home and have a cold shower.”
She pressed close, loving the warm strength of him against her, the slow tracing of his fingers against her breasts inside their lacy coverings. He was potent. She hadn’t realized just how experienced he was until she was almost ready to plead with him to undress her.
Unexpectedly, she had an ally. A big, bushy red tail interposed itself between Dal’s mouth and her nose.
He tried to get past it, but it kept slapping Meadow’s nose.
She drew back a breath. “Dal? There’s a furry cushion on my lap.”
“I noticed.” He kissed her again.
“Dal, it’s not moving.”
He chuckled. “I noticed.” He sat back and drew in a breath. “Jarvis, you pest, how did you get in?”
“Dog door,” she said, brushing her mouth over his nose.
“It was a rhetorical question,” he murmured.
“That was a rhetorical answer.”
“Jarvis!” he groaned as the big red cat banged him in the chin with his head, purring all the while.
She petted the big cat. “He’s just jealous.”
“Of whom? You or me?”
“That’s a very good rhetorical question . . .”
She sat up, her eyes wide and blank.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Jarvis. Blood on his claw. Scratch on Mike Markson’s son’s cheek. Antique store. Former art supply store. Canvas bag . . .”
“My God!” Dal exclaimed as she shot off his lap. “It was right under our noses the whole time!”
She was already diving for her phone and dialing. Jeff answered on the first ring.
“Slow down, slow down.” Jeff laughed. “Start over.”
She did, listing the facts that had suddenly jelled in her mind. “It’s got to be him!”
