Circle of Desire (Damask Circle 3)

Kat nodded. It wouldn’t be the first time she had done that. The noise of the Mustang sometimes got a bit much for Gran, even if she didn’t like to admit it. She glanced at Ethan. “You want to carpool?”

He nodded. “We’ll take my Cadillac. You can leave your Mustang garaged at my place. It’ll be safe enough.”

That made sense. If, for some reason, the three of them had to travel in the one car later on, it would be more comfortable to do so in a Caddie. She looked at her grandmother again. “And after we get to Rogue River?”

“It’ll be dark, but I suggest you two do a walking tour of the town and see if you can sense anything unusual.”

“Then?”

“Then we fortify our defenses, sit back, and wait for their first attack.”

THEY’D BEEN DRIVING FOR A GOOD FOUR HOURS AND HAD barely exchanged a word. But the silence between them was comfortable—something Ethan found strange, considering how sexually tense they both were.

Not that he was any sort of expert when it came to knowing what it was like to spend time with a woman beyond the immediacies of sex. He satisfied his needs, made sure both parties had a good time, then he walked away. His work, his past, and what he was allowed for nothing else. And yet here he was, enjoying silence. Amazing.

“You hungry?” she asked.

“Is that a question, or are you actually saying you’re hungry?”

“The latter.” Her cheeks dimpled. “I need to eat.”

So did he. But he also needed her. And with night encroaching, that need was becoming fiercer, harder to deny. He pointed to the Mercedes up ahead. “You want to phone your grandmother and see if she wants to stop?”

She nodded and reached for her cell phone. The conversation with Gran was short, and when she’d finished, there was heat in her cheeks.

He raised an eyebrow. “What did your grandmother say?”

“She said she’s booked two adjoining cabins at the Rogue River Lodge. She said we should meet her t

here by ten.”

That was over four hours away. Plenty of time to satisfy everyone’s needs. “What else did she say?” There had to be something else to account for that flash of color in Kat’s cheeks.

She met his gaze boldly. If she was embarrassed, she’d gotten over it quickly enough. “She said that werewolves are extremely fertile during the moon phase.”

He didn’t know what to say. Or think. The old girl certainly didn’t miss a trick.

“She also said I should remember to use condoms.”

Was that tacit approval? Or merely acceptance of the inevitable? “That goes without saying.”

“I haven’t got any.”

He smiled. “I have. They’re extra strong, to catch those over-fertile little rockets.”

“Well … good.” A warm smile touched her lips. “You know, of course, that the trigger to release those rockets involves food?”

“Including chocolate?”

“Chocolate will definitely earn you bonus points.”

Then he was damn well going to find some chocolate. “The next town we hit is Bandon. Keep your eyes open for something to eat.”

“And somewhere to have sex?”

Her voice was little more than a throaty purr and damn near shot his control to hell. He shifted slightly, but it did little to ease the sudden ache. “There’s a blanket in the back, and we are near the ocean. That generally means beaches.”

She raised an eyebrow, expression amused. “What is it with you and behavior that’s likely to get us arrested?”