"Huh?"


    "You remember how she dealt with Dan, right?" Ste asked.


    "Oh, yeah. I remember," Susanna said with a shiver. "It was like a hurricane. She practically tore him to pieces." Dan had ended up in the hospital for weeks.


    "Exactly. If Yvonne was truly furious, she would have gone nuclear. So, if this is how she''s ''settling the score,'' consider yourself forgiven."


    "Then I''ll do it right," Susanna said, immensely relieved. "I''ll stand for a few nights just to be sure."


    Ste justughed. She couldn''t believe Susanna was so eager to be punished. They chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up.


    When Hull emerged from the bathroom, towel-drying his hair, he found Susanna beaming. It was the happiest he''d seen her in a while. He walked over.


    "What''s got you so happy?"


    Her eyes strayed to his chiseled abs, and a blush spread across her cheeks. "It''s Yvonne. She forgave me."


    "Hmm?" Hull raised an eyebrow. Forgiveness? He was surprised. The Yvonne he knew was a firecracker; she didn''t let things go easily. Just look at what she''d done to Dan. She''d nearly killed him.


    "Star told me to act cute and apologize, and it worked. She really has a heart of gold."


    "How did you do that?"


    "Huh?"


    Hull''s eyes glinted with amusement.


    Susanna pouted. "I''m not telling you." She buried her head under the covers trying to hide her burning face. He was just so ridiculously handsome, with a perfect body... and she felt so... petite next to him.


    Her shy, flustered reaction was exactly what pushed all his buttons. Hull tossed the towel aside and crossed the room in a few long strides. He scooped her into his arms, tumbling with her into the sheets.


    Susanna gasped, but his mouth found hers, silencing any protest. He kissed her softly at first.


    "Little one," he murmured against her lips, "why don''t you try that innocent voice on me, hmm?"


    Susanna''s mind went nk. This man... He pinned her easily, his strength overwhelming her feeble attempts to resist.


    "Why don''t you beg me a little?" he whispered.


    Beg...? Her whole body felt like a bird with clipped wings,pletely at his mercy as he took her on a wild flight. And in the end she did beg, far more desperately than she ever had with Yvonne. But Hull didn''t let her go.


    Meanwhile, Yvonne was finally feeling stress-free, but her stomach had other ideas.


    The weird thing was, the hot wings stayed down fine... but the fruit she ateter came right back up.


    "We''re going to the hospital


    tomorrow," Xander said, his voice


    firm. After thest fiasco with the mental patient posing as a doctor, Xanden washit taking any chances by just calling someone to the house. This town, Litamark, was insane. A psychiatric patient posing as a psychiatrist...


    After throwing up, Yvonne felt weak and drained. "Yeah, I think I need to go. I''m really starting to think I might have stomach cancer or something."


    Compared to Xander''s paranoia about the town, Yvonne''s fear was a little more conventional. She was convinced her vomiting was a symptom of a serious illness.