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"It’s not here It’s just gone, Finn," Megan said, dejected "And I suppose it’s silly to think that I will find it now I shouldn’t have been so careless I mean, if I did lose it here, and someone found it, they’d keep it, surely--I htful owner, where do you turn so in when it was lost at a park?"

"We can still try Morwenna’s," Finn said He looked up at the sky Nearly winter in New England It was already growing dark He shrugged, offering her a hopeful s the park before total darkness Morwenna’s has light--a little, at least"

"Uround, reaching down "What is it?" she asked

Hunkered down, he shook his head "Sorry, just a bottle cap And… fall!" As he stood, he tossed up a pile of leaves In muted but still beautiful colors, they fell around her, a few landing in her hair

She was startled at first, then laughed, reaching down to scoop up a pile of the leaves herself, tossing therabbed ain herself, this time determined to stuff a fen his shirt

"Hey! That’s the e’re going to play?" he countered He had a handful of leaves and a wicked gleam in his eyes

"Finn… noait You can just shake them out of your shirt…" There would be nofor the street He caught up with her far too quickly She sturound in a pile of leaves She squir the leaves down her clothing By then, she was protesting and laughing at the same time

"Stop!" Finn said suddenly

"Stop--so you can fill my shirt with the remnants of an entire oak?" she delass?" she asked

"No--"

"Then… ?" She started to squirain

"No!"

"What?"

"Poop!" he exclai at him

"Great Dane poop, I think," he said seriously "A really big pile Don’tShe started to laugh "Boy, you’d have thought we’d have srinned "Careful, careful--with your every et you out of this"

He started to move She pulled him back for a moment, suddenly dazzled by his se of just howhiainst her own, could make her realize the many layers of just how

She nodded "I know And I’ll be careful I was just thinking that… we’re not really going to let Mr

Fallon influence our nights, are we?"

He watched her gravely for a longas you think you’re capable of keeping the ecstacy down We’ll have hiht!--if he hears you screaeezer would never know the difference between pain and pleasure Ugh

Okay, no matter how incredible I am, you have to keep it down"

She punched him in the shoulder "You could elicit utter silence, you know"

"Nah--never," he teased

"Het up now"

But he didn’t round, and kissed her They were married They’d kissed aerotic about this And so a little painful and desperate as well And yet she found herself thinking that he was right, if they were to continue fro…

Yet, as she was thinking of the pure sensuality of his si He pulled her up with hi "Public park," he said ruefully "Or common, or whatever you call it"

She nodded "Finn," she said softly

"What?"

"I love you"

She thought he would say so like, "I love you, too" Or, "You know I love you, too" Perhaps,

"Ditto, kid," or so moment And when he spoke, his voice was deep There was almost a tremor in it

"I’d die for you," he told her

The wind picked up around the darkness Leaves seearnered in on their private conversation Despite his words, she was suddenly cold

"Well--let’s hope it never cohtly "Hey, we need to head to Morwenna’s We’ll have to skip Aunt Martha’s for today--we’ll see her tomorrow We should look for the bracelet, then head back to the B and B and get ready for tonight You think?"

He nodded He reached out Not taking her hand, the way he usually did He reached out, and waited for her to accept his hand