at the place she’d been perched.
“Why was he trying to climb the tree? Marty is afraid of heights.”
“Because he saw…me.” Her ears burned at her admission.
“You?” Donovan gave her a curious look, but before he could say anything else, the familiar sucked in a tiny, mongoose-sized breath. “Marty.”
His beady eyes blinked open, his gaze darting between Alice and Donovan as he recovered fully from his fall. “It was her!” His tiny arms flailed about, splashing in the water until Donovan lifted him to his chest. “She was in the tree, spying. I told you we can’t trust her.”
“I was not spying.” Alice parked her hands on her hips. Marty was a lot nicer when he was unconscious. “And I just saved your life, so you should show a little appreciation.” She should have known he’d give her away with his first breath.
“You knocked me out of the tree,” Marty accused.
“You jumped and missed the branch while trying to attack me.” She crossed her arms. “What do you have against me, anyway?”
“You’re a threat to our mission.”
“What mission?”
“All right, Martin. You need to calm down. Are you injured?” He placed the mongoose on his shoulder and took Alice’s hand, guiding her toward the bank.
“I’m fine,” Marty pouted.
“Tell Alice thank you for bringing you into the water. If she hadn’t been there, you might still be lying unconscious in the dirt.”
“If she hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have—”
“Martin…” Donovan’s voice held an edge of warning.
“Thank you, Alice,” Marty grumbled.
“You’re welcome.” She clambered onto the shore and grabbed her shoes, slipping them onto her feet. She was soaked from the waist down, and her jeans were already starting to chafe. Fan-friggin-tastic.
Donovan set the mongoose on the ground and pulled on his pants. “Go to the house, Marty. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“But…”
“Are you injured in any way?”
“No,” he pouted.
“Then don’t make me tell you again.” He sounded like a father scolding his son.
“Fine.” The mongoose scurried through the grass toward the manor, and Donovan turned toward her.
“I apologize for his behavior. I’m afraid he feels threatened by you.”
Alice laughed. “As if a crow ever threatened anyone. We’re not bad omens, either. That’s just superstition.”
“He’s scared of losing me, should I find a mate.” He buttoned his jeans and looked into her eyes, pausing as if giving her time to respond.
A mate? Did he just mention finding a mate? As in a life partner, someone to spend forever with, a wife? Whoa, Nelly. Don’t put the cart before the stallion. Just because the mongoose was scared it was happening, it didn’t mean Donovan was heading in that direction.
She’d only known the man a few days. Then again, shifters did bond quickly when they found a compatible mate—animal instincts and all—and if she were honest with herself, she’d admit her instinct was drawing her to this man like he was the shiniest thing she’d ever seen.
But Donovan wasn’t a shifter. As far as she knew, warlocks treated love the same as humans: as a game or a quest. And they didn’t have bonding instincts. Best to play it cool.
“Oh, I see.” She swept her gaze down the length of him, lingering first on his scrumptious abs and then taking in his scar. That must’ve been wickedly painful. “And have you…found one?”
He smiled. “I’ve found potential for the first time in my life.”
“Potential.” She nodded. Good answer. “I think I’ve found it too.”
“I’m glad we’re on the same page.” Still clutching his shirt in his hand, he closed the distance between them and trailed his fingers down her cheek.
She wasn’t sure if it was the cool spring breeze or his touch giving her goosebumps, but when he leaned in to kiss her, warmth unfurled in her chest, cascading downward and settling below her navel.
She glided her hands up his stomach, and he responded by deepening the kiss, wrapping his arm around her lower back and pulling her hips to his. The man was hard…all over. Holy mother of smoked sausage!
Leaning into him, she linked her fingers behind his neck and kissed him like she was a diver and he was the last ounce of air in her tank.
As the kiss slowed, he pulled away, his tongue gliding over his swollen lips, and she couldn’t help but imagine it caressing another set of lips. Her mind wasn’t just in the gutter, it had tumbled down the storm drain, and she wasn’t the slightest bit ashamed. The man was sex on a stick. She shivered.
His brow