Life Blood: Cora's Choice #1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

piece, holding it as if he were saluting me.  “Or, in this case, I pay a great deal of money.”
    He bit down, and I watched, mesmerized, at the movement of his teeth and lips.  Another bite, and it was gone.
    I blinked and looked down at my plate.  There was something seriously wrong with me.  No man could possibly be that fascinating.  I picked up my own squid-ink toast, whatever that was.  I took a hesitant bite.
    Involuntarily I gasped, my gaze snapping up to meet Mr. Thorne’s.  The cream and salmon and salt melted together in my mouth, and the toast was the perfect level of crispness to balance the smooth melding of the other ingredients.
    Mr. Thorne was watching me with half-lidded eyes.  “Exactly,” he said.
    I ate it greedily—perhaps too greedily.  It had been four days since my appetite had finally returned after discontinuing the alemtuzumab, and I couldn’t have invented a better way to celebrate. 
    The rest of my protests died in my throat.  Whatever reason he’d chosen to have our consultation at a restaurant, I was willing to go along for the ride, as long as that ride included more food like that.
    As if by magic, our plates were whisked away as soon as I finished, and another appeared.  “A spoon of minced scallop with Greek yogurt dressing,” the server explained before vanishing again.
    It was a different taste revelation, complementary to the salmon toast but tart and complex.
    “I didn’t know that food could do this,” I marveled.  I considered whether it would be considered rude or—far worse—suggestive to put the whole bowl of the spoon in my mouth and suck off the last savory molecules of scallop.
    “Think of all the other things in life you haven’t had a chance to experience,” Mr. Thorne said softly.  “That you won’t, unless you are cured.”
    Suddenly, I was no longer as hungry, and I set the spoon down.  “And you believe that you can save me?  You aren’t even a doctor.  Why should I trust you?”
    “I doubt the CEO of Merck has a medical license, either,” he said.  “Rest assured, I have a team of doctors at my disposal.  Medical researchers, to be precise.  And they have been working for years at making the outcome of our methods more reliable.”
    “Do you own a pharmaceutical company, then?” I asked as another course appeared before us.
    “I own many companies.  The medical research is but one endeavor, and it is not run for profit.  In fact, none of the patients are charged for our services.” 
    He took another sip of wine, and I found myself unconsciously starting to mirror him.  With an effort, I put my hand in my lap instead.  I needed to keep a clear head.
    “So you do it out of the goodness of your heart, rescuing the terminal from their afflictions,” I said, not bothering to keep the skepticism out of my voice.
    “There is a benefit to me, as well,” he said.  “But you must fully understand the scope of the risk before you make a decision.”
    “Is that what this—” I waved my hand. “—appointment or meeting or whatever is for?”
    “Precisely,” he said.
    “If you’re supposed to be informing me of this procedure of yours, you’re doing a bad job of it,” I said.  “All I seem to be doing is asking questions, and you’re only half answering them.  If giving an explanation was what you wanted, we could have met in your office, like we did before.”
    His blue eyes went dark, and my breath caught.  He held me in his gaze.  “It is safer here.”
    “Safer,” I echoed, somehow believing him even as I didn’t understand.
    “Look around you,” he said.
    I did.  Half a dozen servers bustled among twice as many tables in the warm candlelight.
    “There are so many witnesses,” he said, the words so soft I almost felt them more than heard them.  “Too many witnesses to lose control.”
    I turned back to be caught up in his gaze again, knowing what he meant, the mere mention of the words calling up