Hotter After Midnight (Midnight 1)

“Was he your lover?”

She shook her head. “No, he was—” Damn. What had he been? “All my life, I’ve never fit in with the humans. They don’t understand me, and I doubt they ever will.”

He watched her silently, and she knew that he understood.

“When I was eighteen, I stumbled into Niol’s bar, pulled by the magic I could feel in the air. He knew I was human, of course, but he let me in. I think I amused him.” And he’d watched her, always watched her with those fathomless black eyes of his.

“Niol was the one who introduced me to Myles.” She’d felt the black waves of Niol’s power right from the start, and she’d generally steered clear of him. After he’d arranged for her to meet Myles, well, then she’d known what a true bastard Niol was.

Colin stiffened. “Myles?”

“The charming demon who attacked me at Paradise.”

His hands fisted.

“You know, sometimes I wonder about that. Sometimes I think…”

“What?”

“That Niol was testing me.” Emily shook her head. “But that doesn’t really make sense, does it?” Yet it was a suspicion she couldn’t shake. Niol had casually introduced Myles to her one night as she’d stood, swaying to the music of the band. Every night she’d gone back to Paradise, Myles had been there, waiting for her. Always kind. Always the gentleman.

Until the night he’d attacked her.

And Niol had been watching from the shadows.

“I don’t think a hell of a lot about that bastard Niol makes sense.”

Yes, he was probably right.

The alarm on her wrist began to vibrate. Emily exhaled heavily. Time for her twelve o’clock with Margie.

Colin frowned and the faint lines around his eyes deepened. “What in the hell is that?”

Good old shifter hearing. Emily held up her arm. “My alarm. It’s time for my next patient.” And she was glad. It was a reprieve, of sorts, for her.

“In other words, you mean it’s time for me to leave.” Some of the tension faded from his expression, and his lips hitched into a half smile. “That’s fine, Doc. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Tonight?”

“Sure.” His hand lifted, cupped her cheek. “When I come over.”

Her stomach tightened. In anticipation, not fear. “I don’t remember inviting you over.”

Colin’s head lowered toward hers. “We’ve got to finish our lesson.”

Other 101. “Umm, right.”

One black brow rose. “Is that disappointment I hear?”

She flushed. Way to be transparent. “I—”

His lips brushed against hers. Warm. Wet. Open.

God, but she liked the way he kissed. Liked the slow thrust of his tongue into her mouth. And the man tasted good. Like rich chocolate, and she’d always been a serious sucker for chocolate.

He pulled away slowly. “You know, Doc, I’m glad as hell to know that you weren’t Niol’s lover.”

So was she.

“And now that I’ve been in your office, I’m going to have fantasies.”

She was already having a few of her own.

Colin spared a glance for her couch. “Mainly, I’ll picture that couch. With you on it, naked, of course.”

Of course. Damn. It was hot. She shouldn’t have worn the black turtleneck.

Ah, hell, she couldn’t even kid herself. She was just damn turned on. Because she could picture him on her couch too. And in her fantasies, he was most definitely naked.

Down, girl. You’ve got a patient waiting. It’s not the right time for wild sex.

“I’ll see you tonight.” His hand fell away.

“O-Okay.”

Colin strolled toward the door. Emily followed slowly behind him, trying to calm her racing heart.

“Good afternoon, Dr. Drake!” Margie’s cheery voice greeted her the moment she stepped into the lobby.

Emily forced a friendly smile. She liked Margie, truly enjoyed their sessions, but at that moment she could have easily cursed the elderly woman’s penchant for perfect punctuality.

A few minutes to get her body back under control…that’s all she wanted.

“Hello, Margie.”

In her late seventies, with a mane of salt and pepper hair, Margie was the epitome of elegance. She was dressed in immaculate, very high-end clothing, and a cloud of French perfume hung in the air around her.

A large wicker basket sat on the chair beside her. A basket that was currently hissing.

Colin halted, slanted a quick look at Margie and her basket.

Margie smiled innocently back at him.

“Hello, ma’am.”

The basket hissed, a very loud, very disgruntled hiss that cut straight through Colin’s words.

Emily cleared her throat. Time to intervene before Colin gets too friendly with my patient. “Thanks for stopping by, Detective.

I’ll look forward to our next meeting.”

He tore his gaze away from the basket. “Me too, Doc. Me too.”

Then he was gone.

“Hmmmph.” The grumble came from Vanessa, who was currently on the exact opposite end of the room from Margie and her basket. In fact, Vanessa looked like she was trying to disappear into the wallpaper.

Vanessa didn’t enjoy Margie’s visits as much as Emily did. But in all honesty, her distaste had nothing to do with Margie personally.

Emily motioned for her client to follow her inside the main office.

She shut the door with a decisive click and watched as her client carefully sat the basket down onto the couch. Then Margie lifted the round lid.

The hisses were much, much louder now.

Emily crossed to her desk. Picked up her pen. “What seems to be the issue today?”

Margie pulled a large albino Burmese python from the basket, her fingers smoothing over its brightly colored body. The snake stretched beneath her touch, the orange and yellow marks across its long length immediately catching Emily’s eye.

Then the snake hissed again.

“Oh, George, stop it.” Margie frowned at the snake. “He’s been like this for the last two days. Hissing, hissing, hissing. But he won’t say a dang word to me.”

Emily picked up her pad. Silent treatment from George, again.

“It started when I had a gentleman caller on Friday.” Margie flushed a bit. “Well, George took one look at him and tried to constrict around his leg…”

“Heard you had a bit of excitement last night.” Brooks leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers beneath his chin. “Got jumped in an alley with your pretty psychologist, huh?” There was a touch of humor in his voice, but genuine concern shone in his eyes.