Sucker Punch (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #27) - Laurell K. Hamilton Page 0,115

to stand. “Well, if I actually thought you were stupid enough to kill him like that in front of witnesses, I might, but no, I’m not lying.”

He gave me cynical eyes and raised the eyebrow again. “So why run into my arms for the first time ever?”

That was a good question. I tried to think of a good answer. You always seem to have more good questions than answers in life. I stared off into the distance rather than meet his eyes while I tried to put it into words. “I think maybe because he is being so reasonable.”

“You realize that makes no sense, right?” he asked.

I nodded and looked back at Edward’s face. “When we started letting him think I was or would be his serial killer girlfriend, I thought it was just a delay tactic until we had to kill him because he stepped over the line.”

“It was,” Edward said.

“But he’s really being reasonable, Edward. I mean, like therapy reasonable, couple reasonable. I didn’t think he was even capable of that, even to pretend.”

“He’s as good an actor as I am, Anita. Don’t be fooled.”

“You mean the way you fooled Donna?” I asked.

“Donna knows as much as she’s comfortable knowing about who I am.”

Since I’d been in their wedding and spent quite a bit of time around them and the kids, I could only agree. “Fair enough, and I’m sorry if I put you in the same category as Olaf, but he seems to really be trying.”

“Trying how?”

I told Edward about the hand on the knee at breakfast and me reading Olaf the riot act. “And just now he asked permission before he touched my face.”

I actually didn’t want to admit that Olaf had asked for a kiss and I’d said yes. I was embarrassed or scared or something. The moment I realized just how conflicted I was about the last few minutes with Olaf, I knew why I’d run to Edward like some damsel in distress.

“You look calmer,” he said.

“I think we can stop hugging now,” I said.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because I figured it out.”

He let me back out of the hug and then asked, “What did you figure out?”

“I’m not upset because Olaf behaved badly. I’m fucking freaked out because he’s behaving so well.”

“You said that already, and it still makes no sense.”

“Yeah, it does, if you’re inside my head.”

Edward actually smiled at that. “Well, I’m not, so say it out loud.”

“I’m trying to explain it.” I stared up at him, frowning. “You once told me that Olaf agreed to try vanilla sex with me, which was the first time you knew of him being willing to try that with anyone.”

“I remember.”

“I can’t remember if you encouraged me to just let him think I’d have sex with him or to have sex with him.”

“Both at different times, I think,” he said.

“Okay. Where are you on the question right now?”

“No real sex. Just play along.”

“Good, but I can’t keep pretending, Edward. Olaf is actually doing what I ask him to do so we can get to a point of going out on a date.”

“No, Anita.”

“I don’t mean sex but dating, like doing something together to get to know each other better.”

“He won’t understand what that means, Anita.”

“I agree, but if he’s working this hard to try to meet me halfway, then it seems shitty that I won’t go through with it.”

“Run that by me again slowly,” Edward said, studying my face.

“If I won’t actually date him, then it’s shitty to let him keep believing that I will.”

“I told you, if he ever thinks you aren’t his serial killer pinup, he will put you in the victim box. He’ll probably kill me first, quick and efficiently, because he knows what I would do to him if he didn’t. But then you would die, Anita, but it wouldn’t be quick. It will be long and lingering and more terrible than you can imagine.”

“I know you’ve seen what he does to women.”

Edward grabbed my arm, and there was anger in his eyes, but there was also fear. Edward was afraid of almost nothing. “I have, and I never want to see it again. The thought of him doing that to you makes me want to go inside and kill him, witnesses or no witnesses.”

I swallowed, because my mouth was suddenly dry. “Which is why the fact that he just asked, as polite as I’ve ever had anyone ask before, if he could kiss me scares the shit out of me.”

“You ran