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He didn't intend to disappoint her.
Softly at first, he brushed his lips over hers, satisfied with her soft noise of pleasure. Holding her close,
he let his lips dance on her skin, over her eyelids, along her perfect cheekbone, around the sweet curve
of her ear.
He felt her tremble under his touch, and he nibbled at her neck, thrilled with the way their bodies
melded together perfectly. Like a man craving nourishment, he kissed his way to her mouth, then feasted
on her lips. She opened her mouth for him, and he tasted her, warm and sweet like fine wine.
Groaning, he slid a hand under the back of her shirt, caressing the soft skin under his hands. She shifted
against him, reaching up to bury her fingers in his hair as she pressed closer to him, deepening their kiss.
He wanted, needed her. Self-control was abandoning him, and, conjuring the last remnants of his
willpower, he gripped her shoulders and pushed himself back, his determination almost shattering when
he heard her little moan of protest.
"We can't," he said, forcing the words out.
"Nicholas," she whispered, her breath caressing his face. "I want "
He stopped her with a finger over her lips. "I know. I want, too. But..." With supreme effort he pulled
away, taking her hand as he leaned back against the couch. He took a breath, trying to control his body
and his emotions. "So .. . want to watch a movie?"
She stared at him for a moment, looking slightly bewildered. Well, he was a little confused himself. But
he wanted to take this slowly, wanted to be sure that the sparks that were igniting between them would
light a fire that would burn forever, not burn out in the blink of an eye.
"Like a date," he said. "A last-minute, late-night date, but still a date."
After a moment, she smiled. "Can we have popcorn during the movie?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Sure. I can handle the microwave."
She cast him a sideways glance. "Can we snuggle during the movie?"
This time he chuckled. "You drive a hard bargain, but yeah. I'd say snuggling is definitely on the
program."
"In that case, I'd love to watch a movie with you."
As he took her hand to kiss her fingertips, he glimpsed a sparkle of silver on her wrist. Curious, he
pushed back her sleeve, revealing his mother's faux emerald bracelet.
She tugged her arm away, hiding the bracelet under her free hand. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I was just surprised. Where did you get it?"
"From the floor," she said. "The cat was playing with it. I like it."
And he liked it on her. It looked right somehow, the green perfectly matching her eyes, the deep color
of the gems accentuated against her pale skin. Funny, he'd always wanted to give the heirloom to a
woman who'd appreciate it. He tried this afternoon and failed miserably, but somehow despite all of his
stumbling about the right woman had ended up with the bracelet on her arm. And in his heart.
She started to fumble with the clasp. "Do you want it back?"
He put his hand over hers, stopping her. "Why don't you wear it for a while."
Their gazes locked, and, after a moment, she nodded. He wasn't sure what she saw reflected in his
eyes, but he hoped like hell his soul wasn't making promises the rest of him wouldn't be able to keep.
Chapter Seventeen
Hoop guided his car to a stop in front of Nick's house, shifting into park behind Deena's little Mustang.
He shook his head, still not sure he believed everything he'd just heard, but at the same time, knowing
everything she'd said was the absolute truth.
"Sure you don't want to come with me on this stakeout?"
Deena shook her head. "I'm gonna move my car, get some breakfast, and then go sleep for twenty-five
years on your couch. Try not to wake me when you have your next few birthday parties."
"You're gonna sleep? I couldn't sleep if I wanted to." Which was fortunate. They'd spent the night
talking mostly about Maggie, but they'd veered off onto a variety of other goofy topics and he hadn't
had one bit of sleep since Deena had rapped on his window and finagled her way into his house so she
could tell him her so-wild-it-had-to-be-true story.
"I still can't believe it," he said. But for some reason, he did believe it. For that matter, he hadn't
doubted her for a second. Maggie turning out to be a cat might be bumping up against "The Twilight
Zone," but putting all his faith in Deena well, that was downright scary. Except that it wasn't. Where
things like magic and enchanted cats were concerned, there wasn't a person in the world he would
believe more. Couple that faith with a few of the images his mind had been conjuring whenever she was
around, and he was left with either a damn good relationship or one hell of a way to piss off his best
friend.
He sighed. "I really don't believe it," he said, and this time he wasn't referring to Maggie.
"I know, but it's been right here in front of us the whole time."
His mouth went dry. "What?"
"I mean, she's so obviously a cat."
"Right. Maggie. Of course."
"What else would I be talking about?"
He grinned. "Maggie's old news. I meant I couldn't believe that you figured it out before me."
She laughed. "Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah," he said, backing away and trying to melt into the side of the car, holding out his hands to ward
off the tote bag she tried to wallop him with.
"Very funny. You're not the only hotshot investigator on the block."
"Apparently not." Leaning over, he popped open the glove compartment, then dug around until he
found what he was looking for. "And for your brilliant contribution to the wide world of detecting, I
bestow on you the seal of the loyal order of investigators."
Her grin matched his own as he pinned to her sweater the little button with the cartoon blood drop that
he'd kept from the last time he'd donated plasma. So what if it said "I Gave Blood Today"? It was the
thought that mattered.
"Thank you, thank you all, for bestowing such a great honor on me." Her hand closed over the pin. "I
shall treasure it always." Even though they were just goofing around, he sensed trust in her words.
"Well... I should go." She opened her car door, and Hoop realized he was more than a little
disappointed that she wasn't going with him on his stakeout.
"You're sure it's okay if I stay at your house?"
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