Eclipsing Dawn (Dusk takes Dawn) by Celia Sweet Page B

question. And, besides, it wasn’t like they could actually be together.
    Thus their relationship had continued to grow despite the limitations. Their dates consisted mostly of watching movies one of them picked out and leaving messages to discuss. Or they shared videos tours of their favorite places in order to get to know each other better.
    Conversations normal couples finished in an hour took Duncan and Dawn weeks, sometimes months. Yet somehow they’d managed to tell one another all their secrets. She’d learned how demanding a lover he would be and she liked it. Dawn had never had a man she couldn’t manhandle; she wanted to relinquish control with a lover she could trust.
    Duncan, on the other hand, hadn’t ever fully unleashed his passions with a woman. His darker side would drive most of them away. A shudder rode Dawn’s spine at the thought of how the man dominated in word and action.
    But he had another side.
    In the line of duty, the updates they left never failed to make the other partner smile. Their love had begun with laughter. Later, Dawn started waking up to gifts. Some of them were left at the foot of her statue, other times she’d enter her apartment and breakfast would be waiting—still hot. Or Duncan would have wrapped up a case and given her the day off.
    Best of all, once they’d moved in together, he’d started recording himself reading the books on her nightstand out loud. Nothing compared to curling up in her favorite armchair to watch him read chapter after chapter to her. His reading glasses, precariously perched on his nose, gave him the look of a super sexy barbarian scholar. A half-naked, ancient Scottish warrior in spectacles, his hair wild, scars across his chest, and only a plaid blanket covering his nakedness, could thrill the coldest heart.
    Duncan’s voice drew her back into the moment. "We’re almost there. I went out and filled the memorykeeper . I left it for you," he said, holding up the messenger bag in the video. Dawn picked it up from the couch beside her and looked inside.
    A tangy scent of molten metal coated the back of her throat. Yuck. She pinched the edge of the flap in two fingers and pulled the bag off the couch, letting it fall to the floor. The contents jangled.
    Duncan chuckled. "I’m sure you’ll be making your ugly face when you look inside."
    Dawn nodded and exhaled. "You know me too well."
    Her gaze returned to the screen. His face lit in the most temptingly sensual expression. The curve of his full lips, the strength of his jaw, and the spark in his slate blue eyes all benefited from his smile. He remained dangerous no matter what expression he wore, but the intimidation factor only made his sense of humor more exhilarating.
    "You’ll have to fill the timekeeper ," Duncan continued. "Mr. Atreyu’s shop opens at ten a.m. After you meet with him, the Grant Park Crone will be waiting for you."
    Dawn nodded. Activating the timekeeper might be tricky, but Atreyu’s mob-boss-without-a-mob reputation didn’t scare her. The thugs of New Chicago called her the witch with a capital B . Mr. Atreyu would be wise to seek last rites from a priest before attempting to block her path. He had what she needed. Nothing and no one would keep her from finally touching Duncan.
    "I’ve been dreaming about claiming you, my jewel," he said from inside the phone. His tone had deepened into a husky rumble. Dawn closed her eyes and let the echo of his affection wash over her. He called her "his jewel" because he said her skin shimmered like a precious stone.
    "And with the thought of making you beg for it until you’re hoarse, I’m concluding the business portion of this morning’s program. Switch to the laptop."
    Dawn laughed to herself. Duncan got bossy when aroused. She reached for the computer but he hadn’t finished.
    "Before I forget, the pictures you left me were a nice surprise. Really nice.” He moistened his bottom lip. “I had no idea you were so flexible."