THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

am aware of.”
    “Then I guess we can eliminate any possible psychic plundering on my part.”
    “Not necessarily.”
    His brows drew together again in that frown that made him look so fiercely intent. And sexy, dammit. It was all she could do not to put a hand to his forehead to smooth that crease away. A sweet ache filled her heart at the idea of soothing away his cares.
    She blinked the image away. “What do you mean?”
    “I can’t guard my dreams. Nor can I necessarily remember them.”
    Oh, shit. “And I crawled into your bed and possibly into your head, even though I was sleeping myself?”
    “It seems the most likely explanation available to us.”
    He was right. Dammit, why hadn’t the possibility occurred to her? “Ah, I see we subscribe to Charles Peirce’s theory of abduction.”
    If he detected her sarcasm, he must have recognized it for the defensive mechanism it was.
    He smiled. “I would not be much of a scientist if I did not reason to the best explanation, would I?”
    “So this isn’t real? It’s just something I plucked from your head while we were sleeping?”
    His lips firmed into a straight line. “It has to be. We exchanged no blood, and you are not a vampire.”
    Dear God, she wanted to disappear into a crack in the floor. She’d stripped the symptoms of blood-bonding from his mind, then recreated them. How pathetic was that? Was she that far gone on him?
    Yes. God help her , yes.
    She’d been deeply attracted to him from first sight — okay, second sight, since he was just a blur in the alley on first sight. And her reliance on him had naturally grown after having been stranded in his alien world. And it was more than just reliance that had grown in the last weeks. Somehow, he’d slid right in under her radar, old world values and all.
    But, dammit, he clearly did not return the sentiment. She’d joked about not needing to read his mind because all men shared the same thoughts, but hadn’t she read those very thoughts in his mind? Pure, simple, sexual lust, coupled with a blood lust.
    She drew a deep breath, expelled it. Inhaled again. God, give me strength.
    “Okay, then I change my mind. I’ll go to this safe house Eli found for me. And I want to go as soon as possible.”
     
    Delano stood abruptly, sending his chair rocketing across the room. He should be starting the delicate task of inserting the Merzetti Effect gene — or what he was 85 percent sure was the ME gene — into the plasmids, where they would multiply happily. But dammit all to hell, he couldn’t do it. His hands shook, his palms were damp, and his mind refused to focus.
    It was the thirst, of course. How could he be expected to concentrate when the need to feed swelled relentlessly every hour? It had been years — decades, probably — since he’d gone more than a day without at least a modest infusion. He just wasn’t used to this kind of deprivation.
    Yeah, right, that was it. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that upstairs, Ainsley was preparing to take her leave.
    Leaving him, dammit!
    No, leaving here , not leaving him .
    With Eli.
    Per my orders. So Eli could keep her safe.
    Eli with the aw-shucks-Matthew-McConaughey smile, whatever the hell that was.
    His right hand tightened around the positive displacement pipette he held until the instrument snapped. He opened his fist to see the microsyringe tip had embedded itself in his palm. Cursing, he strode to a nearby sink. Dropping the ruined pipette on the counter, he removed the micro tip from his flesh, hit the taps and shoved his hand under the flowing water.
    Idiot.
    He peeled off the latex glove and let the water flow over his bare hand. Good thing he’d conceded he was too distracted tonight to do the transfer as he’d planned, or he’d have a serious needlestick incident to worry about. Belatedly, he noticed the slight pink tinge to the water circling the drain, and cursed again. That’s all he needed, to lose even a few drops of blood while he was forced to fast.
    Shutting off the tap with his elbow, he grabbed a clean towel and wrapped it around his hand.
    Please!
    Delano’s head jerked up, nostrils flaring.
    Ainsley!
    His gaze swept the room, even as he realized she couldn’t possibly have gotten into the lab without his knowing. No, she was upstairs still, in the foyer. Poised to leave, not wanting to go…
    He leapt across the room and hit the intercom. “Eli, wait! Don’t leave yet. I’m coming