Blue Moon by Lisa Kessler Page B

think it’s a rule for champagne.”
    She looked over her shoulder at me. “Okay, but it doesn’t mean anything.”
    I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing and popped the cork. Anna jumped. “Sorry about that.”
    She got up and came over to lean on the kitchen bar. “Were you saving it for something?”
    “I usually crack it open when we finish recording new music to put online.”
    “No new music lately?”
    I poured the champagne into a tall flute glass for her and opened my Corona. “We have one more session to polish the last song.” Handing her the glass, I held up my bottle. “Here’s to second chances.”
    She didn’t clink my bottle. “I didn’t agree to a second chance. I agreed to come to your place. That’s it.”
    “All right.” I raised my bottle again. “Here’s to my place.”
    Her face lit up as her glass kissed the neck of my bottle. “I can drink to that.”
    We both sipped our drinks in silence. I wanted to talk to her, to tell her everything, or at least part of everything, but how did I start?
    It was going to take more than one beer.
    I grabbed another beer and brought the bottle of champagne, too. We went to the couch and sat down. My house wasn’t a palatial estate, but it was fenced and quiet. I had a big picture window facing the backyard. All the stars were bright. New moon was tomorrow night. Damian would be a jaguar. At least we thought he would. His scent definitely still had jaguar along with the wolf. Either way, we’d be on high alert.
    Shifting my gaze from the window, I stared at Anna’s profile. Would she resent being pulled into my world? Once she learned there were dangers no one could imagine out there, she could never go back. I polished off the rest of my beer and opened the second.
    She set her empty glass on the table. “So, I thought we were going to talk.”
    “We are.” Another swig. “Just trying to figure out where to start.”
    She shifted a little so she was facing me on the sofa. I struggled to keep from staring as her skirt slid even farther up her thigh. Desire was clouding my judgment.
    “I wasn’t the only who dressed hot tonight.” She ran a finger down my chest, burning my skin through the thin cotton. “This shirt is so tight, your entire six-pack distracted me while I was singing. Almost missed my cue at the beginning.”
    I caught her hand. If it wandered any lower, I’d lose the tenuous hold I had over my self-control. “I wanted to look good, but unlike you, I hoped you’d touch me.”
    The sexy smile on her red lips had my heart pounding. “I miss touching you.”
    Fuck. Whatever was left of my restraint snapped. I pulled her into my arms, our lips fusing together. My tongue found hers, and I groaned. Her hands pushed my shirt up. Breathless, I broke the kiss just long enough for her to pull it off and toss it away. Her lips were like oxygen. And I needed more.
    I laid her back, growling as her fingernails slid down my spine. Her hands moved lower, gripping my ass and pulling my hips in tighter. My fucking jeans needed to be off. Now.
    I got to my knees, staring down at her as I unbuttoned my Levis. Her short leather skirt was pushed up, exposing red satin panties that matched her top.
    She stared up at me and whispered, “How did you get more handsome? How is that even possible?”
    “I was thinking the same thing about you.” My voice was raw, hungry. “You’re sure about this?”
    She nodded. “I’ve wanted this since you kissed me during the interview.” I ran my hands up her thighs. Her eyes drifted closed as she whispered, “Maybe then I can get you out of my system.”
    Ice cold shower. I froze, brain function returning. “You’ll never be out of my system, Anna. Never.”
    “In case you didn’t notice, I’m throwing myself at you.” Her eyes opened, her blissful smile fading away. “You don’t have to lie to me to get me into bed.”
    “Shit.” I got up, raking both hands back through my hair.