Dear God! He sounded like a junkie!

“Fruits and vegetables next, I think,” Paxton said besides him.

“Your obviously in serious need of vitamins. Have you ever considered going to a tanning salon?”

“I can’t. I have an … er, skin condition. And I’m allergic to the sun, too.”

“that must make life difficult at times,” Paxton commented.

Peering at Raven wide-eyed Paxton asked, “Is that why you are so difficult about book signings and other promo stuff?”

Raven shrugged. As Paxton began picking up all sorts of green things, Raven grimaced. In defense, he picked up a twenty-pound bag of potatoes to fill the cart, but it was soon covered in green: little round green things, big round green things, long green stalks. Dear god, the man had a green fetish!

Raven started moving the cart along a little more quickly, forcing Paxton to hurry as he started on other colors. Orange, red, purple, and yellow vegetables flew into the cart and were followed by yellow, red, and purple fruit. Before Raven managed to at last force him to the cash register.

The moment he stopped the cart, Paxton began throwing things on the conveyor belt. He was watching him absently when the plump shopper pushed his cart by. He smiled and batted his eyelashes again, then gave him a little wave. Raven smiled back, his gaze affixed to the pulse beating in his neck. He could practically hear the thump-thump of his heart, the rushing sound of the bloody tenderizing-

“Raven? Mr. Remington. Where are you going?” Pausing, Raven blinked his eyes, realizing only at Paxton’s question that he’d started to follow the plump shopper like a horse walking after a dangling carrot. His possible dinner looked back and smiled again before disappearing down the frozen-foods aisle. Raven started after him. “We forgot ice cream.”

“ice cream?” he heard the confusion in Paxton’s voice, but he couldn’t have stopped to answer had he wished. He hurried to the frozen-foods aisle only to find another shopper there in addition to his plump lovely, they hadn’t crossed paths with any but plump shoppers all night, yet now there was another one present, hindering him for a quick bite! Sighing inwardly, he moved to the ice cream section and glanced distractedly, over options. Chocolate, cherry, rocky road, fish food. He glanced up toward his plump lovely. He looked like a big, smiling Stake on legs. Damned Man! It’s not nice to tease, he thought unhappily and opened the cooler wider as he stared. He approached, smiling widely as he pulled ice cream out of the cooler. He didn’t say a word, just smiled naughtily as he walked past, his arm brushing against him. 

Raven inhaled deeply, nearly dizzy from the scent of him, Oh yes, his blood was sweet his flesh was tender and plump. Or was that the ice cream he held? He grabbed another carton and watched him disappear around the corner with a sigh. He wanted to follow. He could use brain-control trick to lure him into the back of the store for a little bite. But if he was caught … ...