Page 44 (2/2)

"She’s been wonderful"

"Any otten that was the excuse she’d given hied "None" And then, because she was eager to change the subject, she told hiot every minute planned"

"Every minute?"

"Well, al I couldn’t think of any way to get out of it"

"It ood idea to see them"

"Why?"

James frowned, and she noticed the dark circles under his eyes He orking too hard, not sleeping enough, not eating properly That would all change when she got to Seattle The first thing she’d do was make sure he had three decent meals a day As for time in bed, well, she didn’t think that would be a proble date," he said reluctantly

Suht not work, after all" He paused "It doesn’t matter, does it? We’re already married"

"I know, but…"

"We can talk about it later, with your fa to waste even one preciouswhen she already wore his ring

Seven

For years James had lived an impassive and sober life He’d never considered hi Suhts than it had in the previous thirty-odd years combined

"How far is it to your apartment?" he asked, as they walked to her car

Summer didn’t immediately respond

"Sus to discuss"

"All right," he said, forcing hi at her She had hireed to just about anything, no ot to her place soon As long as they could be alone…

"I want to knohy there’s a proble date"

He should’ve realized "Sweetheart, it has more to do with your parents than you and me Let’s not worry about it now"

"You want to delay the wedding, don’t you?"

"No," he responded vehe this separation? I couldn’t be more miserable"

"Me, neither"

"Then you have to believe I wouldn’t do anything that would keep us apart any longer than necessary" Ja the truth, although not, perhaps, the whole truth Tiht He orried about Su well or eating right This situation wasn’t good for either of them

After fifteenHe carried in his suitcase and set it down in her s around

Summer’s personality seeht and cheerful The kitchen especially appealed to him; the cabinets had been painted a bold yelloith red knobs Without asking, he knew this was her special touch

She led him into her bedroom, and he stopped when he noticed the five-foot wall poster of her as Beauty posing with the Beast She looked so beautiful he couldn’t take his eyes off it He felt a hint of jealousy of the ht, even if it was in costule He supposed it wouldn’t htlove anyway

He turned toward his wife She smiled softly, and in that instant Jareat that his entire body seemed to throb with a need of its own

He held out his hand, and she walked toward hias, it was that he’d been so eager for her, so aard and cluht would be slow and easy, he’d promised himself When they made love, it would be leisurely so she’d kno much he appreciated her They’d savor each other without interruption

"Summer, I love you" He lifted the shirt over her head and tossed it carelessly aside His hands were at the snap of her jeans, treency of his need

He kissed her with teeks’ worth of pent-up hunger, and all his accumulated frustration broke free

He eased the jeans over her slender hips and let theh to re his shirt, he watched her slip out of her silky underwear His breath caught in his throat

When Jaether And then he lost all sense of ti off-key in the kitchen The man couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, as her dad liked to say Slanced at her clock radio--almost 6:00 pm She reached for her housecoat and entered the kitchen to find hierator

"So you’re one of those," she teased, tying the sash of her robe