“You certainly are, and you’ll have to watch that. I don’t think it would embarrass you to kiss a man you’ve been married to for—what is it? Five years. And, according to our established cover, we lived together a full year before that. You were twenty-two when you fell in love with me.”

“I can add,” she muttered.

“You wash my socks.”

Her lips quirked. “The hell I do. We have a modern marriage. You do the laundry.”

“Ah, but you’ve given up your career as an ad executive to make a home.”

“I hate that part.” She slipped her arms around his neck. “What am I supposed to do all day?”

“Putter.” He grinned. “Initially, we’ll be on vacation, establishing our new home. We’ll spend a lot of time in bed.”

“Well, all right.” She grinned back. “Since it’s for a good cause.”

She did kiss him then, long and deep, dancing her tongue over his, feeling his heart pick up its beat and race with hers. Then, slowly, she inched away.

“Maybe I wouldn’t kiss you like that after five years,” she mused.

“Oh, yes, you will.” He took her arm and steered her into his cousin’s shop.

“Well, well …” Morgana set down a malachite egg she’d been polishing. She’d had an excellent view of the show through her display window. “Another few minutes of that and you’d have stopped traffic.”

“An experiment,” Sebastian told her. “Morgana knows about the case.” Even as Mel’s brows drew together, he was continuing. “I don’t keep secrets from my family.”

“There’s no need to worry.” Morgana touched Sebastian’s arm, but her eyes were on Mel. “We don’t keep secrets from each other, but we’ve had plenty of experience in being … discreet with outsiders.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not used to taking people into my confidence.”

“It’s a risky business,” Morgana agreed. “Sebastian, Nash is in the back, grumbling about unloading a shipment. Run along and keep him company for a minute, will you?”

“If you like.”

As Sebastian went into the back room, Morgana moved to the door and turned the Closed sign over. She wanted a moment of privacy. “Nash has gotten very protective,” she said, turning back. “He worries about me handling boxes and lifting inventory.”

“I guess that’s natural. In your condition.”

“I’m strong as an ox.” She smiled and shrugged. “Besides, there are other ways of maneuvering heavy merchandise.”

“Hmm” was all Mel could think of to say.

“We don’t make a habit of flaunting what we are. Sebastian uses his gift publicly, but people think of it as something one might read about in a supermarket tabloid. They don’t really understand what he is or what he has. As for me, the whispers and rumors are good business. And Ana … Ana has her own way of dealing with her talents.”