Then reality reminded her she was technically still married. She broke the kiss and went down onto her flat feet to stare at the tile on her floor. “Now it’s my turn to apologize. We said no kissing. And I’m not even divorced. I’m sorry.”

“Are you really?” His voice was dark and edged with desire.

“Sorry?” She bit her lip. “No, but—”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her some more, causing her to let out a little gasp of surprise. His mouth moved across her jaw and down her neck with small, feathery kisses and the occasional scrape of his teeth.

“I’m…still…married…” she managed to get out.

“His signature is a formality,” Alex growled back.

Which echoed what her lawyer had told her months ago. She started to say something else, but Alex found the soft spot below her ear, and her bones turned to jelly, and she exhaled a long, shuddering sigh that racked her entire body.

Then he broke the kiss. “I’m not sorry about that. Are you?”

She didn’t know what she was. Who she was. Where she was. She just focused on breathing and not melting into a puddle. She nodded. That seemed right.

He looked hurt. “You are?”

She shook her head. “No. What was the question? You can’t ask me questions after doing that to me.”

He grinned. “Doing what?”

She gave him a lighthearted smack on the chest. Her fingers bounced off the muscle there. “You know. Kissing me like that.”

His grin widened and became very smug. “Like what?”

“Oh, stop it. It’s a wonder parts of me didn’t burst into flame.”

He cocked his head, his expression going serious. “Something to shoot for next time.”

“Next time?” She put her hands on her hips. “What happened to no kissing and just being friendly neighbors?”

He stepped back and nodded. “You’re right. If that’s what you want—”

“I don’t know what I want. I like you. Obviously.”

“But your life is complicated enough right now. I get it. And so yes, no kissing. I promise to cool it until you tell me otherwise.”

His restraint was impressive. “And if I don’t tell you otherwise?”

His mouth curved into a casual smile, but it didn’t match the lingering smolder in his eyes. “Then we’re just really friendly neighbors who’ve kissed.”

Except it didn’t feel that way to her. Could it really feel that way to him? She narrowed her eyes at him.

He cleared his throat. “Where’s your phone?”

“On my desk, why?”

“So you can call Delaney and make this spa day happen. By the time you get home tonight, I should be able to tell you whether or not your ex is in town.”

“Didn’t you just get off your shift?”

“Yes. Why?”

“You’re not Superman, Alex. You need to sleep.”

“I’ll be fine.”

She put her hands on her hips. “I’ll do the spa day with Delaney only if you promise me you’ll get some sleep.”

He smiled. “Can I at least make a few phone calls first? Get some things working?”

“I guess. Do you really think you can find out something today? Can you get results that fast?”

“Sometimes.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t know when to take my time, either.”

And despite agreeing that there would be no more kissing, a trill of anticipation zipped through her. Apparently, her body hadn’t gotten the message.

Or didn’t want to.

When Alex left Roxy’s, she was twenty minutes from meeting Delaney at the spa. He was glad Delaney had been available and the spa thing had worked out. Roxy would be safe there, and not just because Delaney was a vampire with the strength and speed to overpower any human, but because no one else would know Roxy was at the spa.

Especially her ex. Unless he was watching her. In which case, he also knew about Alex. And that was fine with Alex. He didn’t know much about Thomas, but if he was the kind of man who made his wife fear his temper and treated her like a piece of property, then he was probably also the kind of man who thought himself superior to everyone else. If he thought he was superior to Alex, he was in for a big surprise.

Big.

Because when it came down to human versus supernatural, the odds were not in the human’s favor. But Thomas wouldn’t know that until it was too late. Until the battle was well under way. Because the other thing Alex knew about Roxy’s ex was that he thought he was clever. The note, the rose, checking what was in the mailbox, yeah, the guy thought he was sly. Clearly.

Alex snorted. If the man wanted to play games, he was sorely outclassed. Besides being a cop, Alex had the same skill set that all shifters did. Speed, strength, heightened senses. Being a feline shifter gave him some bonus points in stealth and cunning, too.

The lack of crime in Nocturne Falls wasn’t a random occurrence. It was due in great part to its supernatural police force. Human criminals didn’t stand a chance. And that kind of word of mouth spread, usually in the form of rumors along the lines of the town having a secret force of vigilantes that roamed the streets at night, or a lot of retired special ops guys on the police roster, that sort of thing.

Whatever. It worked.

But of course, Thomas wouldn’t know that. So he’d have to find out firsthand just how dangerous it was to tick off a shifter and go after his woman.