Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.

Thank you to all of you guys who take time to read these stories! You're the reason I'm still going after 50 chapters! After reading your reviews it seems that most of you are undecided when it comes to your favorite chapter, which is awesome because that means you like a lot of them equally! Anyway, I just wanted to see which kinds of chapters you guys like most and it seems that the people who were able to pick a chapter or two were fond of the fluffy chapters. Hehe! Who doesn't love fluff? Especially of the Sydrian variety! So here's a random kinda/sorta fluffy chapter for you. Hope you enjoy!

P.S. To the guest who requested jealous Adrian, I'm working on a chapter but it's still only half written. It's coming though :)

I blinked my eyes a few times, trying to take in the bright Palm Springs sunlight spilling in through the window. I stretched, slowly remembering last night. And what a good night it had been.

Adrian had taken me out to dinner in Los Angeles. We'd gone to a romantic Italian restaurant and we'd cuddled in the booth and shared desert. We'd gotten home late and Adrian informed me he'd already taken care of things with Ms. Terwilliger. He'd gotten her help to get me permission to stay out all night under the pretense of an independent study assignment I was helping her with. It wasn't the first night I'd spent at Adrian's, not by a long shot, but it was still sweet and perfect.

I stretched some more, rolling over onto my back so I could see Adrian lying next to me. A chill swept over me and I rolled closer to him, tucking myself snugly into his side. His arm wrapped around me instinctively, tugging me closer.

"Ahem." Someone cleared their throat from the doorway.

I sat up abruptly, startled, and pulled the blankets up around me, not wanting to give whoever was there a show. Adrian was still fast asleep.

I took in the bright red suit and dark skin, cringing a little on the inside. The man standing in the doorway stroked his goatee, smiling good-naturedly at me, but I knew better. His twisted, manipulative mind was coming up with the perfect way to hold this against me.

"Miss Sage," Abe Mazur said, still smiling. "I was not expecting to see you here." He pulled his hand away from his goatee and gestured at Adrian. "Although maybe I shouldn't be so surprised. Mr. Ivashkov does have quite the reputation. I made sure to... warn him about it when he was dating my daughter." His head tilted to the side and he gave me an oddly concerned look. "Maybe I should do the same for you?"

I shook my head, confused. "No. Adrian and I are adults. We don't need to be warned off of each other. Besides, his reputation is just that. A reputation. It's not who he really—Why am I even explaining any of this to you? What do you want?"

Abe put a hand to the bright red lapel of his suit jacket in mock hurt. "I was just trying to be a concerned parent. I don't really have much opportunity with Rose, and I know you don't see your father much. I figured he'd want someone to step up and tell the boy to take care of you."

My lips mashed together of their own accord, trying to stop the grimace that I could feel trying to warp my features. "My father wouldn't tell anyone to take care of me," I said flatly. "He'd disown me if he knew about this. Or worse."

Abe didn't look surprised, but he also didn't look as amused as he had a second ago either. "I'm sorry to hear that."

I shrugged, uncomfortable with this new concern and also with the fact that I was very much still naked in Adrian's bed. "What do you want?" I asked again.

Abe straightened his suit jacket and sighed. "I have some business to discuss with Adrian. If I had known you'd be here I wouldn't have come by so early, but I just got in."

"What business?" I asked wearily. There was no way Adrian was doing anything this man wanted him to. I wouldn't allow it.

Abe looked uncomfortable for a split second before Adrian stirred next to me, giving him a pass on the question. For now, at least. "I'll just be out here when you two are ready," he said, gesturing down the hall. Then he was gone, probably out to the couch in the living room to wait.

"What time is it?" Adrian murmured. His voice was thick with sleep and his eyes remained closed.

"Seven," I said, glancing at the clock.

Adrian groaned and rolled in my direction, his arm wrapping around me. "Why are you awake so early, baby? We can sleep in today." He kissed my hip bone and I could feel his lips stretch into a sleepy smile as he kissed his way even lower. "Or I could tire you out again if you can't sleep."

I closed my eyes and ran my fingers through his hair. "Abe's here," I said bluntly, because I wasn't sure how else to say it.

Adrian's head snapped up to look at me. "What?" He didn't sound sleepy so much as he sounded confused.

"Abe Mazur," I explained. "He's here. He said he needed to talk to you about something."

Adrian's beautiful face was all screwed up, at a complete loss as to why his ex-girlfriend's mobster father would need to talk to him so suddenly, and without even a phone call of warning. Then his eyes traveled over my body, dressed only in his sheets. "He was in here?" he asked, incredulously.

I pulled the sheets further up and tucked them under my arms. "He's in the living room now. He was... kind of nice about the whole thing, I guess."

Adrian huffed and jumped out of bed, while I leaned back and watched him search for his jeans, forgetting we had company just outside the door. He caught me staring and smirked. He threw me the button down he was wearing last night and then stepped into his jeans. "Put that on," he said. "I'll go tell him to get lost and then I'll be back to peel that shirt off of you."

I grinned and leaned up when he came over to kiss me. His lips were warm and comforting and I wanted to pull him back into bed with me. "Just do me one favor," I said when he finally pulled back.

Adrian smiled. "Anything for you."

"Whatever he asks, whatever he promises," I said, suddenly serious. "Don't agree to it."

Adrian raised his hand, wrapping it around the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair. He leaned his forehead against mine. "Never," he promised and then he was walking away, out to the living room to talk to Abe.

I didn't bother getting dressed, I didn't want to go out there and listen to whatever deal or blackmail Abe was going to try to use against Adrian. Just the thought of Abe trying to use this morning as blackmail to make Adrian do something for him made my blood boil. How could anyone be that self serving?

When the door opened a few minutes later and Adrian walked back into the room I was relieved. "What did he want?" I asked.

Adrian shook his head, a bemused look on his face. But when he looked up at me he smirked. "You didn't put the shirt on."

I grinned. "Figured I'd save you some time when you got back."

"How considerate of you." Adrian crawled into bed, kneeling next to me. He kissed my bare shoulder and then laid me back on the pillows.

"Adrian?" I said, meaning to ask him what happened with Abe, but it came out too breathy.

"Don't worry," he said, kissing my jaw. "I took care of it."

I was so close to letting go, letting myself get swept away in the feelings Adrian was causing within me with each and every kiss, but there was this little nagging sensation I couldn't quite escape.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

Adrian stroked his fingers down my arms, trailing them underneath the sheets. "It means he's gone. And it's still early."

He placed a kiss on my lips and I got caught up in it. What choice did I have when he was kissing me like that and crawling under the sheets? Soon though, something in my brain flipped back on and I pushed him away.

"What did he want?" I demanded.

Adrian rolled onto his side, pulling me close. "He wanted me to help him with something, I don't know what. I figure it had something to with compulsion though. He didn't tell me."

"He didn't tell you what he wanted?" I asked, completely baffled. "He came all the way here and didn't even give you any details?"

"Nope," Adrian said, running his fingers through my hair. I closed my eyes, ever so briefly, and relaxed into his side. "He didn't even ask me, really. When I went out there he was on the phone. He said he was going to ask me because I had the 'right qualifications for the job', but that he'd already gotten someone else and that I should go back to 'that beautiful young woman in there'," Adrian said in an awful impression of Abe's voice.

"He said that?"

Adrian grinned. "Of course he said that, Sage. I mean, really? Have you looked at yourself." He lifted the sheet covering us up, looking me over. "A guy would have to be dead not to notice—"

"Adrian!" I yelped, pulling the sheet tight around me. For some reason his blatant staring was making me blush, even though we'd spent the night together.

He just laughed and rolled on top of me, the sheet a thin barrier between me and his bare chest. He still had his jeans on and I could feel them roughly brushing against my bare legs as he twined our limbs together.

"He told me I better take care of you," Adrian whispered, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "I told him I would." He kissed one cheek and then the other. "He told me not to go screwing this up between us." He kissed my chin, then trailed down to my neck. "I told him I never would."

I let out a shaky sigh as he kissed lower, pulling the sheet down as he went.

"He told me if I hurt you he'd do any number of painful things to me." He kissed down my stomach and then stopped to look up at me. Ugh. "I'm inclined to believe him since he—"

"I'm going to do any number of painful things to you if you don't stop talking and start kissing!" I hissed.

Adrian shut up, but raised an eyebrow at me. "Someone's cranky in the morning," he murmured. "Maybe I should have taken my chances with Abe."

I rolled my eyes and pulled him back up to me. "How about we finish talking about Abe later, over breakfast?" I said with a smirk.

"Later," he laughed, slowly lowering his lips to mine. "Much later. It is still pretty early, after all."