page20 (1/2)

It ell past ht, and Winnie stu so low that several had burned themselves out

Morgan touched her elbow, steadying her as they reached the stone steps leading from the lower terrace to the house

She s seemed redundant after all that had taken place It had been the ht not ever experience a night like this again, knew that the intensity, the che with him

Winnie didn't need to be told that not everyone clicked like this She didn't need a dozen partners to recognize that what she'd found, what she'd felt, was so few people ever knew Somehow she had been blessed Somehow she'd been one of the lucky ones

The house was quiet, ht illue bronze sculptures But lights were unnecessary with the s unshuttered and thein The house felt like an extension of the war herself to re

This is a taste of heaven, she thought, holding her breath athe joy within To be loved like this To be touched like this To feel so good, so a with someone else

Morgan brushed her elbow, pro rooe French stove, the stove painted a cheery color red "Hungry?" he asked

She nodded "And thirsty"

"Grab one of the bar stools"

Winnie sat at the counter, discovering that sitting she was in Thanks to Morgan she knew a great deal more than she had this time yesterday

Morgan foraged in the huge stainless-steel refrigerator, gathering fruit and cheese and bottles of chilledto the counter, before locating a loaf of bread, butter and a sharp knife

It was like a picnic, sitting at the counter in the virtual dark They ate bread and cheese, and while Morgan cut juicy slices of o and papaya, he didn't talk

She was glad; words would spoil it Winnie liked the silence, the stillness, and the sense of mystery

Until tonight she'd never really lived Until tonight she'd never fit her skin She'd always felt so plain before, so heavy and aard, but in Morgan's aran's chest she felt lovely Lovely on the inside as well as the out

No longer a girl, but nooman

There are certain rites of adulthood and tonight she'd been initiated into the ful of all

It wasn't about sex, she thought, sucking the juice fro to love aentirely different to love him with your soul

She loved Morgan through and through, andlove had only deepened her trust, cemented her loyalty No matter what happened in the future, she would always be part of him, and he'd be part of her

Satiated in more ways than one, Winnie yawned She tried to cover her hed softly

"You're beat," he said, handing her a daers clean

"I aers and the palm of her hand

He watched her for aher on the forehead, then on her mouth "Thank you"

Winnie set the cru me?"

"Because" His dark blue eyes looked alht

Winnie waited, forcing him to articulate

His ss he still hadn't shared, stories and history he kept buried inside "It was good tonight It was really good between us It just felt right"

It did

It felt really right

Warmth filled her Her eyes burned, and the emotion she felt was so different fro per she'd always have because she'd had one perfect evening, one , and one most perfect lover "I love you"

She hadn't ht the words, had felt the words, but hadn'tat all But now that the words had been spoken, she didn't regret it How could she? It was the truth, and if she couldn't be honest with him nohen could she?

Morgan held her face in his hands, his thuainst the curve of her cheekbones "Winnie, I believe in you" He kissed herkiss And when he lifted his head he added, "Now it's time for you to believe in you"

He kissed her briefly and they said good night

Winnie closed the bathroom door behind her, turned on the shower, dropped her robe and stepped inside the hite- all the salt and sand and perspiration away