Tempting…so tempting. Both Stefan and the dinner. But if she let him in now, he'd only expect to be able to come back whenever he felt like it. "So go home and eat it.'' She was too tired to deal with him now.

"Listen, Alana, she's my daughter, too, and I barely got a chance to look at her."

A tiny twinge of guilt poked at her. "She has all ten fingers and toes, is in perfect health, and the longer you bug me, the madder she's going to get about being denied her dinner."

Stefan pushed his ...