“I would have thought you’d pay more attention to your closest competition.”“I would—if you were competition worth paying attention to.”

“I think there are lots of things still to be discovered. You just have to be paying attention.”

“You guys dated, didn’t you?”“Are you insane? Not even if the continuation of our kind depended on it would I be tempted to do something so awful.”

“Is that what you were doing in my room?” he asks after a moment.I sigh. Why am I telling him any of this? “Yes. I was on assignment.”“I was your assignment?”“Yes.” He hesitates a moment, then grins. “That’s kind of hot.”

“Whatever game you’re playing, you’re going to lose,” he whispers. “And I’ll be right there to rub your nose in it when it happens.”“Great. Well, at least I have something to look forward to.” I cross my arms. “Now why don’t you go parade your lack of dignity somewhere else?”

“I refuse to let you talk me into a make-out session in a dodgy, underground tunnel. I have standards, you know.”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t look for you?”“Honestly? Yes. You seemed a little busy losing your tongue down someone else’s throat.”