Free Midnight Kiss by Marcia Evanick Page A

it reached for another handful of popcorn.
    She glanced around the living room and bit back a sigh. The room was bathed in shadowy darkness, with the only light coming from the television. She was sitting mere inches from a handsome, healthy male who was more interested in some movie made before either one of them was born than in the intriguing possibilities the night held. Last night’s good-night kiss had been hot, wild, and entirely too short. She had never considered herself a highly passionate person until Thane took her in his arms. Something magical and rare happened whenever he touched her. The feeling was so fleeting and intangible that it begged to be explored. With an impish smile she decided to tempt the fates.
    She lightly brushed the toe of her sock against his leg as she moved closer. Thane threw her a glance before turning back to the movie.
    Autumn shifted toward him, tucking her feet under her and leaning against him.
    Thane’s arm absently came out and hugged her to his side. “It’s okay. It’s only a movie.”
    She ducked her head and hid a smile. He thinks I’m scared of vampires. During the next gruesome scene she squirmed closer and enjoyed the feeling of his arm tightening protectively around her. The next scene earned her a fleeting kiss on top of the head as she buried her face against his chest.
    Autumn was debating whether climbing onto his lap would seem a little extreme for the scene in which they pulled out the wooden stake and mallet, when Thane finally caught on.
    Thane glanced down at the woman in his arm pressed to his side like flypaper and frowned. Something wasn’t right. The previous night she had gleefully described in gory detail every scene that was about to happen in the movie. Tonight she appeared bored with Lon Chaney’s werewolf and disinterested in the blood-sucking count. So why the scared-little-girl routine all of a sudden?
    A wicked grin lit up his face as the answer dawned on him. Autumn wasn’t scared; she was snuggling under false pretenses, the sneak. He gently cupped her face and pressed it against his chest. “Don’t look!”
    Autumn squirmed as a button dug into her cheek and air became scarce.
    In a sudden movement Thane plucked her off the couch and deposited her surprised body on his lap, while keeping her face buried in his shirt collar. “This movie is sick, Autumn. We can’t show it at the home.”
    She tried to lift her face to see what was happening.
    Thane kept his hand on the back of her head. He suppressed a chuckle as her lips moved against his neck to try to mutter something. “Autumn, why didn’t you tell me there was nudity in this film?”
    Nudity! She brought up both hands and tried to push against his chest. What was he watching? There was no nudity in Dracula .
    Thane groaned and raised his eyes toward the ceiling as her bottom wiggled. “Geez, look at the size of them. I hope she doesn’t catch a chest cold. It could kill her.”
    Autumn felt his arms tighten around her like steel bands. Her hands slipped upward around his neck.
    A moan caught in the back of his throat as Autumn’s chest flattened against him. The jig was up, in more ways than one. Any second now Autumn would be feeling exactly what was up, considering she was sitting on it. “Look, isn’t that our Darlene Freeman? I didn’t realize she was an actress before she went into her other profession.”
    A throbbing vein snaking down his neck pounded under her mouth. She ran the tip of her tongue over it and felt him shiver. His hand fell away from the back of her head and leisurely caressed her back. Every resident of Maple Leaf could be streaking his or her way across the silver screen and she wouldn’t have cared. Thane Clayborne was turning into putty beneath her mouth.
    The gentle grazing of her teeth broke his control. He shifted positions and stretched out across the couch with her beneath him. His gaze turned tender as he looked down into her face.
    Autumn