Circle of Desire (Damask Circle 3)
Page 38
“Give me a call if you find anything.”
“Will do.”
Ethan hung up and walked into the bedroom. Kat’s scent was stronger here, and as he glanced at the bed, his blood stirred. He couldn’t remember much of last night, not until the end, but he’d certainly never felt this satisfied before in his life. And yet he knew she only had to walk into the room and he’d want her again. It was odd how attracted he was to her. Normally, he only sought out his chosen mate as the evening fell.
He cleaned up the room, picking up a still-wrapped condom near the window and discarded wrappers off the floor, then got rid of all the rubbish and made the bed. After showering and changing, he headed into the other cabin.
He knew without looking that Kat wasn’t there. “Where’s she gone?” he asked when Gwen looked up from the paper she was reading.
“Out.” She patted the chair next to her. “Grab yourself something to eat and drink, then come sit beside me. We need to chat.”
He studied her warily. “Why?”
She sighed. “Always questions from a cop. I promise it’s nothing personal, so just relax and get something to eat.”
He didn’t relax, but he did get something to eat. Once he’d warmed up some bacon, eggs, and a couple of Danishes, he sat down at the table opposite her.
“What do you need to know?”
“How old is your niece?”
It wasn’t the question he’d been expecting. “Five. But you know that. You must have seen the files.”
She nodded. “But files only give bare facts. Sometimes it helps if I get a more intimate idea of what the people are like.”
“You said the opposite yesterday.”
A smile touched her lips. “Kat tells me you hate kids, so you’re not likely to blind me with emotional vibes like the child’s parents would.”
“I don’t hate—” He hesitated. He’d given Kat one story, so he’d better stick to it. “Don’t get me wrong. I love Janie, and I’d do anything to get her back. But she’s as close to having a kid as I ever want to get.”
“Why?”
He could feel himself shut down, but tried to shrug nonchalantly. “I like my freedom. I like being able to walk away once the moon fever has passed by.”
“So you’ve never lost your heart to anyone?”
“You weren’t going to get personal, remember?”
She shrugged. “So I lied.”
“Kat understands what lies between us can never be anything more than just a moon dance.”
“I’m not asking this for Kat’s sake. She’s happy enough cruising along as she is for the moment.”
He raised an eyebrow, not sure how to take that bit of information. “Then why are you asking?”
“Just trying to figure you out, werewolf.”
“Then stop trying, because once this case is solved, I’m out of here.”
A smile touched her lips, a smile he didn’t trust. “Maybe.” She studied him for a moment. “Does Janie come from a line of werewolves?”
He hesitated. “It runs in the family, but not everyone is afflicted by it.”
She raised an eyebrow. “That’s a rather odd way of putting it.”
“But nevertheless true,” he bit back. “Can we drop it now?”