THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

number of small glasses filled with various clear liquids.
    “What do you think?
    “I think I’d like an enormous baked potato slathered in creamery butter, along with about half a cow. And to wash it down, about three pints of stout. But I take your point. Small, bland portions washed down with a little apple juice or water is probably a better reintroduction to the joys of eating.”
    “Okay, have a seat. I’m going to brew some tea. Tea is good.” She plugged in an electric kettle. “Would you like me to make some white bread toast?” A frown pleated her brow. “Or not. The butter probably isn’t the best idea.”
    “Relax. There’s plenty here.” He sat down at the table and pulled the dish of noodles closer.
    “The noodles? Good choice. But let me warm them.” She snatched the bowl right out from under him and whisked it off to the microwave.
    He shrugged and pulled the bowl of sliced bananas closer. Spearing a slice with his fork, he popped it into his mouth and chewed it slowly, savoring the burst of impossibly intense taste on newly awakened taste buds.
    “Wow,” he said, when he’d swallowed it, “This is … indescribably amazing.”
    “Better than you remembered?”
    “I never had a banana before.”
    “Of course.” She returned with the reheated noodles. “They wouldn’t have been introduced to Europe yet. I’m an idiot.”
    “Ainsley, you are far from an idiot. But apart from that applesauce, it’s probably safe to say I’ve never eaten any of these things.” He ate the rest of the banana slices quickly, but with no less relish than the first bite.
    She plunked a glass of water down beside him. After he’d taken a bite of the steaming noodles, she asked, “So, what’s the verdict?”
    He chewed slowly and swallowed, considering. How to answer? He took another bite, chewed, swallowed. “Well, if bland was the object, I think you can say they were a success.”
    She laughed. “They’re totally naked. You’ll have to give them a fair chance when you’re able to handle something more adventurous.”
    Delano put his fork down, suddenly sober. Their positions had been reversed, he realized. When she’d been so rudely thrust into his world where vampires — the good, the bad and the ugly — dominated, she’d been forced to depend on him in a milieu that was completely foreign to her.
    Now the tables were turned. Now, he was the babe in the woods, learning his way.
    He pushed his chair back. “Thank you, Ainsley. I feel much better. But the blood work … I really shouldn’t put it off any longer.”
    She stood, and he knew her stiff, awkward posture mirrored his own. And when her eyes met his, he saw uncertainty there. No doubt about it, she wanted to talk about their relationship. Females hadn’t changed that much in two centuries. But dammit, he wasn’t ready for that talk yet. Not feeling like this. So … off balance.
    He looked away. “I’ll be back after I’ve run those tests.”
     
    Ainsley felt the little flame of hope in her heart sputter as she watched Delano beat a hasty retreat to his lab. He knew she needed assurance, but he was dodging her. Oh, his excuse was legitimate enough; they definitely needed the results of those tests to assess Eli’s condition and plan his further treatment. But if that convenient task hadn’t existed, he’d have invented another one. She didn’t need a psychic link with a man to recognize when he went into avoidance mode.
    And if he couldn’t give her the reassurance she needed, there could only be one reason. His feelings had changed. He regretted what he’d said when he believed them to be eternally and irrevocably blood-bonded. Now that they were no longer inextricably linked, he didn’t know how to break the news to her that he felt differently now.
    At the thought, devastating pain ripped the air from her lungs. She sank into the chair Delano had just vacated, a wave of loss threatening to swamp her and drag her under. Oh, Ainsley, what now? What now?
    Now, you get your ass up and get on with it.
    She was a big girl, and not without some experience in this area, usually, to her shame, as the avoid er . And that experience had taught her that the avoid ee gained nothing by protesting or begging. She promised herself that if she left here with nothing else, she would leave with her pride intact.
    With that vow, she pushed the sick, empty feeling down, squared her shoulders and went to check on Eli.
    She found