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"Yeah, it&039;s a specialized field," Raet rid of a vampire"

"Do you have any faot an old o, and a couple of cousins in Boston What about you?"

"My folks live in Florida They o when my dad retired My brother, Mike, lives in Denver He&039;s a stockbroker I haven&039;t seen him since last Christ to Florida to spend it with my parents," Marisa said "I&039; me My brother and his family will be there It&039;s about the only tiether"

"Must be nice," Edward re to do?"

"I don&039;t know Maybe I&039;ll go back to Chicago and see e rinned crookedly "Sounds like a fun holiday, doesn&039;t it?"

"I&039;m sorry"

"Hey, no probleet back," Marisa suggested

"Yeah, I&039;d like that"

They spoke of inconsequential things over dinner Marisaa raise the first of the year; Edward said he was thinking of buying a new car

"Would you like to go to a movie?" Edward asked as they left the restaurant

"Sure, why not?"

They drove uptown Marisa gazed out the , adhts and decorations that adorned the houses Hard to believe it was al to a close

"You know, I still can&039;t believe it was real," she remarked as Edward parked the car "It all seems so bizarre"

"I know Soot out of the car and came around to open her door "It&039;s just so unreal Ito the movies as if it had never happened I can&039;t believe that just teeks ago, ere fighting a vampire Tell me," she said as they walked toward the theater "How do people get in touch with you? You don&039;t advertise in the phone book, do you?"

He laughed at that "Not quite It&039;s hout the country who knohat I do When they hear of unusual killings, they notify ht two tickets for the latest Mel Gibson movie and they went inside "Popcorn?" he asked

Marisa shook her head "Not right now I&039;m still full fro as you are"

Marisa grinned at him

They held hands in the shoent out for ice cream afterward

"Thanks," Marisa said when they reached her apartment "I had a really nice tiain"

"I&039;d like, that" She looked up at hiht "Marisa - " He put his ar tentative in his movements now, no hesitation

Marisa closed her eyes as hisneither passion nor revulsion

"Good night," lie whispered

"Good night And thank you for a nice tiet into his car and drive away, and still she stood on the landing, staring into the distance, at the twinkling lights on the houses across the way, at the twinkling stars overhead

She wished that she could love Edward, but she didn&039;t feel passion for hie difference After all, he was eighteen years older than she was, she ori o hundred years older than she was and she didn&039;t have any trouble whipping up a grand passion for hi, slow sigh Was that why she was feeling so ht as well admit it," she muttered "Vampire or not, you&039;re in love with hiet over it"

"Get over what?"

She whirled around, her heart in her throat, at the sound of his voice "What are you doing here?"

"I coht"

"What?"

"You heard me"

"What for?"

He lifted one dark brow in an all too faesture "Why the hell do you think?"

"I told you I don&039;t want you here"

"I stopped doing what other people tell ht"

"Sweet drea the door, she went inside and sla for her when she turned around

"Marisa"

"Oh! I hate it when you do that" She threw her purse on the chair, and then crossed her arms over her chest "What do you want?"

"I want you"

"Well, that&039;s too bad"

"Tell me you don&039;t want lared up at hi to the surface Before she realized what she was doing, she slapped hi his flesh seemed to echo and re-echo in the stillness that fell between them

She stared at hiht do in retaliation

"Feel better?" he asked quietly

"No" She blinked back the tears welling in her eyes "Please leavethis?"

"I told you I want you"

"I can&039;t I don&039;t believe in casual affairs"

"Is that what you think I want?"

"I don&039;t know I don&039;t want to know"

"Marisa"

His voice moved over her, whisper quiet, whisper soft She shook her head, her heart fluttering like a kite caught in a high wind, as his knuckles caressed her cheek

"Don&039;t" She forced the word froht" She sed hard "It isn&039;t natural" She&039;d hurt him now She could see it in the depths of his eyes those devil black eyes that could look as soft as velvet or as hard as granite

"There&039;s nothing unnatural about what I want froh "Do you deny you&039;ve thought of it, wondered about it?"

She yearned to deny it with every fiber of her being, but she knew she couldn&039;t lie to him She could lie to herself as much as she wished, she could even voice the words aloud to Grigori, but it would be a waste of breath, because he could read the truth in her ori held out his hand "Come to me, Marisa"

"Please, don&039;t ask me" He was close, so close Too close She shoved her hands in the pockets of her pants to keep fro for him, and yet, in spite of all she could do, she felt herself being inexplicably draard hi its influence over her, she wondered, or was it her foolish heart overruling herin slow motion, she withdrew her hand froers curl around hers

His arht, yet she felt the latent strength in that arm, knew he could break her in half if he had a mind to But there was no violence in hiently, he wrapped her in his eic flowed between theh for only the two of the or right, only one man and one woainst hihten around her waist as he deepened the kiss His free hand skimmed over her back, slid forward to brush the curve of her breast Fire shot through her at his touch Heat uncurled deep within her as every nerve, every fiber of her being, responded to his nearness, to the silent invitation of his lips Never before, she thought, never before had she felt like this She had been kissed, she had been caressed, but nothing had aroused her like the tender touch of Grigori&039;s hands, the gentle persuasion of his kisses

She felt the heat of passion warm her skin and flush her cheeks She ached deep inside, ached for his touch, for his possession He was the reason she had never slept with anotherfor the enchantment that came with this man&039;s touch

"Marisa," His breath fanned her cheek His lips feathered across her brow, the tip of her nose, the curve of her cheek "Cara mia, mi vita,in his voice, a wanting that thruh her with every beat of her heart

She felt his lips at her throat, felt his tongue explore the pulse beating in the hollow there

He groaned as, abruptly, he put her away from hi?" She stared at hihtly between them

"I think we shall have to postpone this for another time"

"Why?" Even as she asked the question, she knew the answer He was staring at her throat, his nostrils flared, his hands tightly clenched

"I should have known better than to coed a hand through his hair, hating the Hunger raging through hies that chased thees of Marisa enfolded in his ars bared "Good night, Marisa"

"Good night," she replied, but he was already gone, leaving her feeling bereft and unfulfilled