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noticed and the sleek little head was soon nestled back on curled furry
paws.
'That was quick,' Luke commented, as he picked up the mug and
sipped at it appreciatively. 'This is just right.'
She was seated at the table, minus her pretty shoes which she had left
at the foot of the stairs for later retrieval. 'Mmm,' she replied, setting
down her own mug. 'I didn't bother to heat the water to an
undrinkable temperature.' She looked at her hands. 'Thank you for a
wonderful evening, Luke, I loved every minute of it.'
He was smiling a little, and his eyes were soft as he regarded her over
the rim of his mug. 'I enjoyed it, too. We'll do it again soon, all right?'
She nodded, flushing slightly. 'I'd like that.' He picked up her cup and
took it over with his own empty one, depositing them for future
washing, and then turned back.
'I'll walk you to your room,' he said softiy. 'Come on.' She stood
readily, and they walked slowly, arm in arm through the downstairs
hall, stopping only for her to pick up her discarded shoes and dangle
them from one hand. Neither spoke; theirs had been an evening of
conversation, and further speech seemed unnecessary.
At the top of the stairs, in front of her bedroom door, h.e stopped and
touched her just once with a quick finger. His lips formed the smiling,
silent words, 'Good night. I'll see you tomorrow in the evening as I'm
sure you will want to sleep in,' and he started to walk away from her,
but he was stopped by her sudden detaining hand on his sleeve. He
looked back, this time unsmilingly, and it took all her courage to drop
her dangling shoes and go to him. She stood on tiptoe and put her two
cold hands behind his neck. He did nothing to assist her, and it was
she who had to gently apply pressure to bring his head down far
enough so that she could plant a careful, lingering kiss on his warm
lips.
That was enough to make him move, as quickly and as suddenly as
she had moved to detain him, and he swept her into his arms for a
crushing hug and a deep, searching kiss to which she responded
wholeheartedly. This had been,' after all, what she had wanted ever
since the kiss from the night before. This time, she was not startled
into any undue alarm. This time, it was he who broke away from the
long kiss. He raised his head as if coming up for air, and then put his
lips close to her ear, giving a quick kiss to that curving shell. 'I made
you a promise last night that I didn't keep very well,' he whispered.
She shook her head vehemently, causing him to start back away from
her ear.
'I acted stupidly last night,' she whispered back, and smiled into his
shadowed eyes. 'I wanted you to kiss me tonight.' Planting a kiss on
her finger, she carried it to his straight lips and was rewarded with a
gently planted kiss in the same spot. His arms loosened, and he
stepped back. With a quick and suddenly shy smile, she backed away
and went into her bedroom for the night.
Her newly opened eyes caught the pale gleam of the fresh early day.
Her clock said exactly five minutes to six, and she slid out of bed to
swing her hair back from her face and pad over to the wardrobe,
drawing out her silk dressing-gown and belting it firmly about her.
She was a bit surprised to find herself so wide awake after getting to
bed around two in the morning, but she hadn't slept well all night and
had awoken several I times in the course of her sleep. One of her
dreams, in I which Luke figured prominently, had her wondering I if
he was awake yet or not. She opened her door and I went downstairs,
finding the kitchen dark and the I front hall shadowed. Apparently no
one else was up | yet. Luke, she surmised, had most likely decided to I
catch an extra half-hour of sleep before a full day's I work. Turning on
the overhead kitchen light, she I moved around quickly and prepared
a full pot of I coffee to brew. After that, she rummaged around for a I
tray and set it with one plate and silverware and two I mugs. Then
from the refrigerator she took two eggs I and the wrapped package of
bacon. While the bacon I sizzled and the eggs slowly poached, she
popped in I bread to toast. Rescuing the bacon before it became I too
brown, she added the poached eggs on top of the | buttered toast and
covered the whole plate with a lid. I The coffee was brewed and she
poured two cups, I adding to one enough cream for herself and to the
I other Luke's habitual teaspoonful of sugar.
Then, treading the stairs as carefully as she could, she travelled down
the hall to the end door which was closed and opened it silently. What
she saw made her nearly lose courage and take the breakfast back
downstairs, for Luke was sprawled across the huge double bed, his
chest bare and the golden skin rising and falling regularly. One arm
encircled a pillow, and the other was flung straight out. About his
hips was haphazardly strewn the top sheet, the only cover he was
using. She saw the quilted bedspread kicked into a humped-up mess
at the foot of the bed, and putting down the laden tray, she went
forward to take it and pull it up to his chest, for she suspected that he
didn't have anything on under the sheet. When she felt a little better
with him covered up, she returned for the tray and set it on the
bedside table. A quick look showed Luke's usually stern-looking
countenance quite softened in sleep. He looked years younger with
his hair tousled and a darkened chin from the stubble of an overnight
beard. Her eyes traced the pattern of chest hairs as they swirled up
and out from the middle, and she saw the wide, muscled strength in
the rise and fall from his breathing. The lean, graceful fingers from
the outflung arm curled up. She stuck out her own slim forefinger and
inserted it into the half- covered palm of his upturned hand, tickling
gently. Her eyes were on his face and when he opened his eyes to
stare into her own, with no change of expression nor any other sign of
having wakened, she found herself drinking in the soft, brilliant glow
from those eyes. As she became aware of how she must look to him,
with her long hair tumbled down her back and her dressing-gown
belted carelessly about her, and especially the open, expressive look
that must be in her eyes, she started to straighten up from her bent
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