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The next few days passed swiftly Ra Kelly in the house She quickly adjusted her schedule to his so that she could share the long hours of the night with hi, he showered and dressed, then met her upstairs She was understandably nervous the first few ti all the willpower he possessed, he took her gently, always careful to take no h he yearned to do so, he avoided kissing her again Under the circumstances, it seemed like a further violation so, not wanting to ht see there

It seemed miraculous to him that a few drops of her blood so quickly eased his insatiable craving, made it possible for him to stay rational while he hunted - to take only what he needed from his prey, to leave them alive and unhurt

By the time he returned to the house, she had eaten dinner and was usually in the living roo a book He are of her constant furtive looks, knew she was curious about him Curious And attracted And repelled

Her warmth, her very life, drew hihted in the hours they spent together He bought a chess set and taught her to play She bought a ga those tied, the intimacy between thenet, but still he resisted So his resistance disappointed her It would have been so easy to probe her , but he had promised he would not

He had told her to make herself at home, and she took him at his word Soon, his house, once devoid of any but the bare essentials, began to look like a home There were pictures on the walls,plants in colorful pots on the tables; colorful figurines of dragons and wizards on a shelf

So room while she fussed in the kitchen, he could al with a beautiful woman He had never lived with a woeable creatures they were She filled his house with light, h in spite of hi to her sing while she washed the dishes or cleaned the house

By the end of the second week, it seeh she had always been there As the third week came to an end, he was convinced that she was as attracted to him as he was to her, despite her continued deep-seated revulsion at what he was

And now the end of the fourth as drawing near He had fed early this night, wanting to spendat the TV, trying to work up the nerve to ask Kelly if she would stay anotherwhat he would do if she refused He could hear her in the kitchen, opening cupboard doors

He looked up as she breezed into the roo plenty of rest had e in her appearance Her skin was sone froure had filled out,hiry," she said "Think I&039;ll go out to eat"

"I always eat out," he muttered sourly

She looked at hihed

"What&039;s so funny?"

"Well, that&039;s the first thing I thought when I looked for so to eat my first day here, that you always &039;eat out&039; Were you readingby her accusation but could not deny it "I have not read your mind since I promised I would not"

Her expression softened then "You&039;re really very shen you want to be, you know that?"

He didn&039;t knohat to say to that, and she laughed again - a lared at her

"I never iined a vampire could blush," she said

And it was true He could feel his ears burning But the gloas in her eyes again She laid a gentle hand on his forearm

"Come with me," she coaxed "I don&039;t like to eat alone" And then that devilish ain "You should understand that," she said, grinning at hihed in spite of hireed "What are you in the h it had been only a few months since he had become a vampire, it seemed as if centuries had passed His was a wars he would never taste again: rare steak, succulent lobster, potato chips, a good cup of coffee, apple pie, ice cream on a hot suo to the Olive Garden"

In the past, it had been one of his favorite places She ordered veal pariana, soup, and salad He ordered a bottle of red wine and sipped a glass while she ate He couldn&039;t decide which teirl sitting across froht played in her silky black hair Her skin was soft and smooth, her cheeks the color of ripe peaches, her lips full and pink and te her Her cheeks flushed hotly, and she looked down at her plate again "Do you want to try a bite?"

A bite His gazein the hollow of her throat, as he shook his head

"Have you tried to eat since you became a you kno do you know you can&039;t?" She speared a piece of meat and offered it to him "Try it"

The smell of veal filled his nostrils and turned his storeen as he felt, because she withdrew the fork and said, "I believe you I&039;m sorry"

"So aine"

They finished the meal in silence

After dinner, they drove to the beach and walked barefoot along the shore It was a cal silver shadows on the water

After a while, they stopped to watch the waves Raazethere with the ocean behind her Moonlight shimmered like molten silver in her hair; her skin looked soft and oh, so touchable He wished, not for the first time, that he possessed a little of Chiavari&039;s easy charm omen

"Kelly?" He took a deep breath, the need to kiss her stronger than his need for blood He knew he should turn away, afraid that one kiss would not be enough Afraid that a taste of her lips would ignite his hellish thirst But she was looking up at hihtly parted,He cleared his throat The kisses they had shared at the e to kiss her again, afraid of being rebuffed "I was drinking about the other night, at the ?" he asked

"I was thinking ain - you know, to see if it was as wonderful as I remember"

"Kelly" He swept her into his ar her to push hih out loud, but she did none of those things Instead, she leaned into hi down

And he kissed her, there in the h He wanted to inhale her, to drink her essence, to absorb her very soul into his own She eet, so sweet Heat sizzled between theain Why had he waited so long?

"Oh, Edward"

She looked up at hi He covered her face with kisses, whispered praises to her beauty as he adored her with his hands and his lips He closed his eyes, and desire rose up within hie to feed He fought against it He had fed well before co at his vitals, urging him to take what he wanted

"This is crazy," she murmured breathlessly "We hardly know each other"

"Crazy," he agreed Her scent surrounded him The rapid beat of her heart called to the beast within his lengthen in response to his growing hunger

With a little cry, she drew back She touched her lower lip, now stained with a drop of scarlet He watched, hungry and horrified, as she licked the blood froive me," he said hoarsely "I did not ht, Edward, but maybe we&039;d better hmm slon a little"

His arms dropped to his sides and he backed away froo home"

He was quiet on the drive back to the house Kelly studied him surreptitiously as he drove How could she be attracted to this man asn&039;t ain love with hi i black capes, pale skin, bloodless lips

There were times when Edward looked pale, but he didn&039;t look like a ed beach boy with his athletic build, golden hair, and bright-blue eyes

Va with hi him drink her blood every day, it was hard to believe So TV, they see at ho the wonder of his kisses, his horror when he saw the blood on her mouth Was she insane to stay with hiht, instead of taking a few drops of her blood, he took it all?

The thought chilled her, and she wrapped her arht?" Ra to probe her very soul "Second thoughts?"

"Not really"

He pulled into the garage, switched off the ignition "Do not lie to hed deeply "Sometimes it&039;s just so hard to believe"

"Yes, I knohat you hts when I wake up and for a et, and then"

"Then?"

"I hear your heartbeat, and I feel that daer stir to life inside me"

"Do you ever see the vampire who made you?"

Rae surprised her "Are there a lot of vah to accept that there could be one; ht think I know of four besides myself"

"Who are they?"

"Chiavari, he is the one who brought ht him across Noah Fox"

"The billionaire businessman! I don&039;t believe it"

"It&039;s true Me, of course And Mada! I saw her on the Leno show one night She was aine any of theer"

"Why not?"

"Khira"

Kelly looked at him askance

"She&039;s a very old vampire, and very powerful And she doesn&039;t like to share territory with other vaotten rid of two of theo inside?"

"Yes, let&039;s" Kelly slid out of the car and glanced over her shoulder, her gaze probing the shadows

"It is all right," Ramsey said "We are alone"

He felt her relax when they were in the house, with the lights on and the doors locked "You will always be safe here," he said " A peculiar truth about va invited And Khira has never been invited" He paused "Kelly?"

"Yes?"