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"I feel terribly underdressed You look very handsome, Jeremiah" I leaned forward and took his hand as he sat across fro the simple truth He wore a soft sweater, probably cashreen that coed his broad shoulders nicely He was ly built than Ray, with a warrior’s muscles This warrior had been tested in battle before he’d been turned Gulp I suddenly remembered that soainst Clan MacDonald

"Florence has been shopping for ain She insisted that Richard and I needed to update our wardrobes" Jerry shrugged and looked slightly erinned and leaned across the table to kiss hi those hard shoulders Mmm How could I ever be tempted by anyone else? He tasted clean and delicious and all ? Probably No, definitely

"Don’t stop now" Jerry stood and walked around the table "Coain"

"No, we need to talk" I hated to say it Hated even uess we should Occasionally It’s what couples are supposed to do, Florence says She’s been watching soo to couples therapy if he doesn’t ‘open up’ about his past" Jerry laughed "Trust me Flo doesn’t want to hear about that -headed vampires than anyone I know"

I shuddered I liked Richard And my best friend loved him I didn’t want to picture hi-headed’?"

"Ask hiht" Jerry pulledinvolved in their love life You wanted to talk Let’s stick to our own topics What do you want to talk about? Why did you go to Malibu? Caine have business there?"

Uh-oh Here it colanced toward the darkened restaurant, but Valdez was nowhere to be seen Not that he’d help me He would just o out there Blah, blah, blah

"No, I had business out there I went to see a man about a new product" I eased out of Jerry’s arain I took a sip of the synthetic, then set the glass down Would this add ht? Maybe I should only drink what Ian prescribed I frowned and pushed it away

"What’s wrong? Is the synthetic off? That’s the brand you like, the type" Jerry picked up the glass and sniffed, then took a sip "Seems okay to me"

"No, it’s fine But I’ to wait

He laughed Yep, you heard h Oh, it was a real knee-slapper The idea that a vao on a diet Because if it wasn’t a joke, it was pathetic, right? I just waited it out Until Jerry realized I wasn’t s the expensive brew he’d poured for ht What’s this, then? You seeh this before?" He took my hand "When you deny yourself nourisherous" He lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to my palm "I don’t want you to risk it for a few measly ounces Which, as I reht you"

Yes, I’d tried the starvation bit before The first ti for Castle Ca but a commoner Back in those days stuff like that had mattered And in Lady Campbell’s tiny brain, believe me, it still did The fact that I’d been an actress had also branded me a whore in her eyes And then I’d refused to marry Jerry Oh, yeah, I keepCampbell I just paste it onit inram I fed from a mortal earlier A runner You wouldn’t believe the effect!" I squeezed his hand "And I just weighed I’ve already lost over two pounds!"

Jerry pulled me up and looked me over He even turned me around and checked out my backside "I can see that" He ran his hand down my rump "Much as I love this curve, I know you fash yourself about it So if this makes you happy, have at it"

I threw uaranteed to hts The bad neas yet to co to have to spill the MacDonald beans before Valdez did When I pulled back, ere both breathing hard