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"What's going on here?" he asked with lazy interest

She straddled him and smiled slowly "My turn"

"Oh, "

She felt hiret and a strange resenth her She opened her eyes and stared at the wall, listening to hi What had she expected hi? What would be the point? This was a summer affair

But she was not about to let hioodbye when he left her bed, da for hi for the bathroo across the carpet

He stood at the , one hand braced against the sill, and looked out at the lass etched his shoulders in steely silver and cast his profile into deep shadow

"Nick?" She levered herself up on her elbows "What are you doing?"

He turned his head to look toward the bed "I was just thinking"

"About what?"

"About what happens at the end of the summer"

She did not move She did not even breathe "This isn't The Talk, is it? Because if you're trying to sneak it in now--"

"It's not The Talk," he said, his voice roughening abruptly

She stared at hi to have a rational discussion here and you're throwing that crap about The Talk in h She was rapidly losing her temper, too

"Okay, sorry," she said stiffly "I just wanted to be sure you weren't going to try to deliver that stupid talk now Because it's much too late"

He did not move for a few seconds Then he came away fro down at her

"Too late?" he repeated neutrally

"Whether you like it or not, we are involved in a relationship It may not work out for a variety of reasons, but I'll be damned if I'll let you put some arbitrary limit on it"

"There seems to be sobetween us ends, but I' Eclipse Bay in a feeeks"

She opened her ue and then closed it quickly

Okay, he had a point

She cleared her throat "That's different"

"Like hell"

She glowered "I have to be pragot a business to sell That takes ti And then there's the ements on a last- "You're the one who's running scared here"

"That's not true"

"Hell,scared for a while" He ca her back onto the pillows "But I think it's time we both stopped"

"You do?"