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Did you like it?

He barely believed this was actually happening He spelled out his answer: Lots

Open your mouth this time

That was even better A soft pressure entered his ue He followed her lead; now they were kissing for real He had always i of surfaces, lips upon lips, but kissing was, he now understood, farThey did this for a while, exploring one another’s mouths, then she backed away in awas over Caleb wished it weren’t; he could have done it for a long while more Then he understood the nature of the interruption Sara was calling to theood kisser

And that was all, at least for a tiain, and done different things as well, but it hadn’t a Yet always those slender ular point in his life When he joined the Arhteen, his CO said he should find someone back home to write to He chose Pim His letters were all cheerful nonsense, cohthearted stories of his friends, but hers were unlike anything he’d ever read, richly observant and full of life At ti so re food--would catch his e, with its unequivocal coe see--a richer kind of truth, closer to the heart of her He wrote to Pi forat last--and it wasn’t long before he began to fall in love with her When he told her, not in a letter but in person when he returned to Kerrville on a three-day pass, she laughed with her eyes, then signed, When did you finally figure it out?

To these memories, Caleb drifted into sleep Soone He didn’t worry; Piht owl Theo was still asleep Caleb slid into his trousers, lit the lantern, got his rifle fro with her back against the stuht, she signed Come sit

She earing only her nightgown, though it was actually quite chilly; her feet were bare He took his place beside her and extinguished the lantern In the dark, they had a systened in

He understood what she was saying, between the lines This is ours

I like it here

I’lad

Caleb detectedto their left Not a raccoon or possuer

Pim sensed his sudden alertness What?