For a while, both returned to their meals until Bennett abruptly put down her fork. “Okay. I can’t handle it.”

Ruby looked up. “Yeah, I was surprised you ordered that,” she said, pointing to the bowl of shrimp scampi linguine in front of Bennett. “You almost always get a steak.”

“I’m not talking about my dinner. I’m talking about your silence. That little furrow of yours has come and gone a few times, yet you’ve kept quiet.”

“I’m trying to behave,” Ruby said, reaching for her wine.

“So, you have a question, but you don’t want to ask it for fear you won’t be getting any tonight? Is that it?”

Ruby said a quick prayer, thanking God for giving her enough time to swallow her wine before it came out her nose. “Um…blunt, but yes.”

“I appreciate your honesty,” Bennett said, smiling. “What say we meet halfway?”

“What do you mean?”

“Ask the question that’s been on your mind since we’ve sat down. Once you do, you don’t ask another for, let’s say, for a few hours? That way, that little ridge between your eyes goes away, and the evening pans out like we both want it to. How’s that?”

“Oh, that so works,” Ruby said, sitting forward in her chair. “Because you’re right, I do have a question.”

“Imagine that,” Bennett said, picking up her glass.

“So, here’s the thing. It sounds like you’ve crashed and burned with a lot of mortal women. Why not stick to your own kind?” Ruby winced almost instantly. “Okay, that sounded way wrong, but you know what I mean. Why not just find a nice vampire to settle down with because they can’t all be like your exes. I mean, you aren’t nasty or arrogant, and Max wasn’t either, so it can’t be an inherent trait for all of your kind—right?”

“You do realize that was two questions, don’t you?”

“Was it?” Ruby squeaked.

“Yes,” Bennett said, taking a leisurely taste of her wine. “And I’ll answer them in reverse order. No, being obnoxious and vile isn’t intrinsic to our kind. Like I told you before, this disease brings with it powers and strength, and in the wrong hands or the wrong mindset, it enhances certain morals or lack thereof. As far as becoming involved with one of my own kind, I’ve had literally hundreds of affairs with lady vampires; however, love never played a part in any of them. I can’t explain why. It’s just never happened. You said it yourself. Love isn’t something you can control or create. It either exists, or it doesn’t. You can’t force the issue.”

“But you can deny it. Isn’t that what you said you would do if you felt those feelings again? Deny them?”