“How come every time I wake up, you’re gone?” Lisa said, seeing Bennett standing in the kitchen.

Bennett looked up and chuckled. “Because every time I wake up, my first thought is to ravish you, and I thought you may need some sleep.”

“Don’t you need sleep?”

“Yes, but not as much as you, apparently.” Bennett opened the mini-fridge and set two units of blood on the counter.

“One of those for me?”

“Yes. Straw or glass?”

“Glass, please,” Lisa said, approaching the counter. “I’m not much of a straw person.”

“Duly noted.” Bennett filled two crystal tumblers with the blood and handed one to Lisa. “Cheers.”

Unlike a few days earlier when Lisa gulped down a glass of blood and ended up with a spinning head and an overly lively libido, this time, Lisa took her time. The surge was still there, her body and mind boosted instantly by the nutrition the blood provided, and even though between her legs a tingle was born, Lisa didn’t feel the need to hurl herself over the counter and take Bennett where she stood.

Lisa handed the empty glass to Bennett and watched as she rinsed both tumblers out before placing them in the dishwasher. “You taste different from Ruby.” Bennett’s eyebrows immediately shot up, and Lisa laughed out loud. “I’m talking about your blood, honey.”

“I know you are,” Bennett said, grinning. “Ruby’s is no doubt more…um…more vibrant.”

“Exactly, but not by much.”

“That’s good to know,” Bennett said, picking up the coffee carafe. “Would you like some?”

“Yes, please,” Lisa said, sliding a nearby mug in Bennett’s direction. “And speaking about Ruby, why did you avoid talking about her earlier?”

Bennett didn’t miss a beat as she filled their mugs. “I thought it would be quite boorish to mention an ex-lover whilst in the midst of mutual cunnilingus…but that’s just me.”

Lisa threw back her head and roared, and several seconds passed before she got herself under control. “That is so not what I’m talking about.”

The sparkle in Bennett’s eyes matched that in her smile. “No?” she said, going to the sofa.

“No,” Lisa said as she joined Bennett on the couch. She took the mug Bennett was offering and crossed her legs. “I’m talking about earlier when I asked if you thought Ruby was a Phoenix, too. You said you hadn’t thought about it, but I think you did. You just didn’t want to admit it.”

“Oh.”

“And to get you off the hook, from where I’m sitting, there is only one reason you saw the need not to admit you’d been thinking about her. You were afraid I’d get jealous or…or angry or something.”