Page 5 (1/2)

I popped open the kitchen door and practically leaped into the middle of the floor "I have returned!" I cried

"Yeah, so have I," Jessica said She was still in her caramel-colored coat, a man&039;s coat that ca in one hand and her gloves in the other Nobody else looked up Maybe I&039;d better rethink the dramatic entrance; tooon me, you evil whore"

"Oh, coed the shit out of the Ant And I have to cancel on you tomorrow, too, because I&039;what to the baby?"

Tina and Sinclair actually looked up "We didn&039;t catch that one, dear," Sinclair told ht it You heard exactly what I said" I pulled my cold hands out of ood "Yeah, that&039;s right I&039;h the Ant doesn&039;t, she&039;s desperate to get out of the house So I&039;ht"

"Back into your stepmother&039;s home"

"To be alone with her baby," Tina clarified

"Your stepmother&039;s baby," Sinclair added

"I know! It&039;s a Christmas miracle!"

"Well, I&039;ll come with," Jessica decided "Keep you company And I&039;d like to see-John, is it?"

"Jon Yeah It&039;ll be fun! Weird But fun We can zap soet&039; it in the back of her closet" I tossed uys working on?"

Eric Sinclair leaned back so I could take a look He was the king of the vampires, my lover, my fiance, my nemesis, andyear

As usual, I was so distracted by Sinclair&039;s essential deliciousness, I alrossed in He was just so well, yu and tall and broad-shouldered and so so fine Should-be-against-the-law fine Big hands Big shting my attraction to hi We both were It was nice not to be looking at hiall over each other

I brushed soingly into his black eyes, let aze back to the table In half a second, ood mood evaporated like the Ant&039;s taste at a sa, your grip-" He put his hand on ed me, because I&039;d twisted the cloth of his lapel in e to his windpipe than ruining the line of his clothing

"Don&039;t get upset," Tina began

"Ahhh! Ahhh!" I ahhh&039;d, pointing

"The UPS ht it," she continued

Jessica and I stared at her

"No, really," she said

"The UPS guy brought that?" Jessica squeaked, also pointing at the Book of the Dead

"And a box from your mother," Tina added helpfully

"Christ, I&039;d hate to see what&039;s in the other box!"

"I thought we-" Jessica glanced at Sinclair, as as s in a way that one for good"

"Shit, shit, shit," I muttered It was open-open!-and I slammed it closed "Shit! Don&039;t look at it Shit! Why were you looking at it?"

"Oh, well, the best-laid plans and all of that" Sinclair smiled, but he didn&039;t look especially happy "Better luck next tiain"

Long story short: I&039;d read the Book of the Dead around Halloween and had gone nuts for a while Really nuts Biting and hurting my friends nuts Even now, three months later, I was still so desperately ashamed of how I&039;d acted, I could hardly think about it I had punishedKmart sneakers for a ht note of penitence