He smiled and reached over to hook his fingers through mine. "But there are a few people who make itworthwhile."
"If you say me, I'm going to blubber all over your truck. I'm an emotional drunk, Hank. Don't make itweird."
Hank chuckled, unclicked my seatbelt and pulled me over to him. He wrapped his arms around me and I leaned against his chest. "Do you think it's because you've been alive so long?" I askedhim.
"Are you calling meold?"
"Ghouls live a long time. It's one of the first things we crazy necromancerslearn."
His breath hitched against my ear. One of his fingers lazily stroked my hair. "No. It's because I've never been around good people. Until recently. I've hired some wonderful people in the nursery. I metyou."
"What aboutCharity?"
Hank chuckled. "I need to talk to her. We haven't actually gone on four dates and there's no way in Hell I'm meeting her parents. I got tricked into one date. Then she invited me to something at the library. The third time I got caught when the nursery guys invited me out for a beer and she was standing right there." Hepaused.
"So youhavebeen on four datesthen?"
"Crap."
"She seems niceenough."
"She's about as bright as a penny buried underneath a pound ofsand."
"Ouch." I tried another tactic. "She'spretty."
"She'stolerable."
"She'stan."
"She uses a tanning lotion and has to be woefully low on vitaminD."
"Do ghouls even need vitamind?"
I felt his shoulder rise and fall. "No idea, but I had to come up with somethingwitty."
"Should we talk about our tablepinching?"
Hank laughed. "Do you want to talk aboutit?"
"I don't know. Maybe now is the best time because I hope not to remember thistomorrow."
Hank kept toying with my hair and it was causing a slow ache to build inside me. "You pinched me," I accused. "I'm going tobruise."
"You pinched me back in an even worsearea."
I smiled against his chest. "You totally deservedit."
"But you didn't quit there, didyou?"
"Only because you wouldn't move yourhand."
Hank tilted my chin up. Our lips were perilously close. "Was that the onlyreason?"
I swallowed hard and shook my head slowly. "Having my hand right there made me realize you didn't mind blondes atall."
"Not blondes, Helen. You." Hank swept his lips across mine, a light feathery touch. I gasped as heat flooded me. He stilled, stared down at me, and placed his lips on mine, this time searching and hungry. His tongue flicked out to touch mine and I fisted his shirt in my hands. His head dipped down and his hand cupped the back of my neck as he plundered my lips. I shifted my body, flicked off his seatbelt, and adjusted myself until I was on top ofhim.
Hank never broke our kiss and I gasped against his mouth as his hands reached down and grasped my waist, pushing me down against the heat of him. I rocked my hips and caught his gasps with mymouth.
