Page 70 of Blood and Buttercups

I turn to him. “What is this? Are you going to correct everything I say?”

A glimmer of rotten amusement shines in his eyes. “Only the things that are wrong.”

Laughing despite myself, I turn back to Janice and take the clipboard. “I’ll fill this out and get it back to you.”

“Before you go, leave your driver’s license and health insurance card. I’ll take copies and get them right back to you.”

I dig through my wallet, finding both, and then we head to a couch.

“I take it you used to come here often?” I say to Noah as I fill out the forms.

He sits close since the couch is small, his leg only a few inches from mine. “Janice and my mom are friends, so I’d drop by and say hi whenever I’d visit.”

“Your mom knows about all this?”

“Oh, no. She thinks Janice works for a regular dietitian.”

“So, your parents don’t know what you do? Or Britta?”

“They think I’m in human resources,” he says wryly.

“Right. For that pathogen research company.”

“It’s not a lie—I do work for a nonprofit researching a particular pathogen. And technically, I’m a resource to humans.”

“You said you work with a lot of victims. Did you mean pre-vamps?”

“Yeah. A hunter is basically a detective, so when someone is bitten or attacked, I have to interview everyone involved.”

I lift my eyes to his face. “You’re a detective?”

“Pretty much.”

“A detective and…a bodyguard?”

His lips twitch like he’s not sure if he’s amused. “Yes?”

“Are youallowedto hold two crazy sexy titles? Like, come on now. You already look like a casting director hand-chose you from a herd of built and beautiful actors, and now you get to be a detectiveanda bodyguard? It seems a touch unfair, doesn’t it?”

A smirk dawns on his face, and he leans a touch closer. “Built and beautiful?”

I touch his arm. “Don’t get flustered. It’s just a fact I’m stating as a friend.”

“Though I’m flattered, technically, I’ve been temporarily demoted. I’m only a bodyguard right now.”

“Probably for the best.”

“Yes.” He nods solemnly. “You’re already having trouble controlling yourself around me—we wouldn’t want to make it worse. Weak knees and all.”

“It’s probably just my blood sugar.”

“Tell yourself what you need to.”

“Piper?” a nurse calls, smiling when we look her way. “Come on back.”

“Take me to the store,”I command Noah the moment we’re in his SUV. “I’ve been craving cucumbers for a week.”

The dietician gave me the all-clear on fruits and vegetables, and I need a little quality time in the produce department.

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