Page 59 of Brushed By Moonlight

Finally, he disappeared down the tree-lined driveway. Good riddance.

When I get my claws on that bastard…my dragon snarled.

“Get your claws on this instead.” Bene pressed a plate of bacon into my hands.

I ignored him, watching Mina. She crossed her arms and gazed down the driveway for a long time. Longingly? Hopefully? Or was she, like me, happy to see him leave?

Chapter Fourteen

MINA

I stood in the driveway for a long time, replaying what Clement had said.

Look, I don’t like this.

Ha. That made two of us.

Any of this, I mean,he’d said, waving to the house.Those men. At least one of them is a shifter. Maybe the others too.

Yes, I knew that. And I knew it was iffy. But, honestly. Did he think I needed him to point out the obvious?

He meant well, but it grated somehow.

And damn, Mina. What are you doing, keeping a vampire in the house?

Keeping him, like a pet? Not exactly.

I’d explained about needing the money — desperately — but Clem had just shaken his head.

Nothing is worth keeping a vampire around.Nothing.

In principle, I agreed. But principles wouldn’t feed me, and they sure wouldn’t fix the roof.

I’ll come by again,Clem swore.Often.

To him, it was probably a gallant gesture. To me, it was a giant red flag. I was not a damsel in need of rescuing. I was a damsel harboring four mercenaries, and the less my police officer friend knew about them, the better.

You will not,I’d insisted a little too quickly. He eyed me suspiciously, and I rushed to cover up my slip.These are my clients — paying clients — and I cannot afford for them to feel harassed.

Poor Clement had looked up at me with an expression that asked,What happened to you? When did you change?

Funny, I was tempted to ask him the same thing.

Then I caught myself. It was sweet of him to look out for me, and my fault for being too stressed to appreciate his concern. And, really, in a few weeks — okay, months — my clients would be on their way, and Clem and I could pick up where we’d left off. We could spend more time together — nonjudgmental time — and enjoy a wholesome, friends-to-lovers, small-town romance. We could settle down. Have kids. Enjoy long summer walks and quiet winter evenings…

I did my best to keep the list going, but it petered out quickly. So quickly, I found myself wondering. Did I not want those things any more?

A moment of intense introspection told me I absolutely did. Yes to settling down with a good man. Yes to kids. The whole nine yards.

So, what was my problem?

I glanced toward the house, and my heart thumped, telling me exactly what — or who — the problem was.

Which was ridiculous. Clem was perfect for me, while Marius practically hadregrettable mistaketattooed into the underside of his wings — a message I was sure to see the day he broke my heart and flew out of my life, if I was foolish enough to let him in in the first place.

So, no. Marius was an infatuation. An addiction. It was only his dragon aura that drew me in.

Clem was a good citizen. A safe bet. A sweet, reliable man.