'She’s all clean and changed, Mommy,’ Lynne said, glancing at her sister-in-law. ‘And she really was awake. I heard her when I went in to put the coffee on.’ ‘Right,’ Ann said, disbelief in her tone, but her expression held nothing but loving indulgence. Lynne continued to rock the baby, stroking a finger tenderly along the Mandy’s cheek. In response to that touch, a small, pursed mouth made sucking motions as the infant turned her head toward Lynne’s breast. ‘Wrong fountain, angel-face,’ she said with a laugh, dropping a kiss on the soft, downy, pale red hair before passing the baby over to Ann. ‘Better go see your mom.’ Ann, quite unselfconsciously, discreetly lifted her T-shirt, snuggled the baby close and let her nurse. Cliff looked at Lynne, and the heavy, dragging pain grew to unmanageable proportions. ‘I have to go,’ he said, abruptly shoving back his chair. ‘Thanks for dinner.’ ‘Oh, dear, I’ve embarrassed you,’ Ann said. ‘I’m sorry. Come on, Lynnie, let’s us girls go ins

Mindful that Lynne had left her bicycle in the office building over the weekend, Cliff arrived at her house Monday morning in what he thought would be plenty of time to offer her a ride to work. Once he learned from the old man upstairs she had set out walking half an hour before, he slammed his car door so hard, it likely did internal damage to its workings. Why couldn’t she have waited for him? Didn’t it occur to her that he’d come by to get her? When he arrived at the office, she was safely ensconced behind her desk, peering at the top sheet of a sheaf of papers as Joe tapped a pencil on it and explained something to her. Unseen, Cliff watched as Lynne slanted a smile up at Joe and thanked him for his help. Before they could notice him, he slipped into his own office and shut the door. All the rest of the day, he forced himself to keep his office door closed, to ignore the sound of Lynne’s voice, her laughter, both of which he heard during the lunch break. He knew half the men

“Yesss ...’ His breath whistled in and out and then, as she made the same motion again with her hand, he capitulated. He covered her hand with his and moved it just the way he wanted, then, only moments later, he tore it from him and entered her in one strong thrust that filled her with his power, sent need spiraling again deep inside her. This time, he moved slower, holding her so she couldn’t increase the pace, taking it slowly, kissing ‘her eyelids, her face, her mouth, all the while stroking in and out of her with a deliberate rhythm. The sensations grew stronger, rippling through her, sending her head tossing from side to side, making her squeeze her eyes tightly shut. ‘Look at me,’ he said raggedly, and she opened her eyes to see the darkness of his turned even blacker, lines of strain in his face, his mouth a hard, taut slash. She managed to lift one trembling hand and cup his cheek with her palm. He pressed his lips into it, thrusting with his tongue as he thrust with his bo

If he was ‘smitten’, Cliff took great care not to let it show for the rest of the weekend. Though he agreed to stay in one of the spare rooms that had been finished and furnished since his first visit, Lynne knew without having to be told that he — and she — would both be sleeping alone Saturday and Sunday nights. Taylor was delighted with both the gifts Cliff had brought, and equally pleased by the expert help he could provide. The fanlight, installed in the front door, sent great splashes of rainbow color across the deep shine of the hardwood floor in the foyer. The two men spent the rest of the afternoon and even an hour after dinner hard at work, cutting, fitting, nailing, discussing, while Lynne and Ann did finishing work, sanding, painting, and even wallpapered one bathroom. Despite the busy schedule, Lynne was not deprived of time with her niece who was now making her first, all-too-successful attempts at crawling, and was very proud of herself, not to mention very apt to ge

If he did, he gave no indication of it. He seemed, instead, to ignore the entire situation. He was kind, loving, considerate, and concerned for her health and comfort. In bed, he was the lover she’d always dreamed of, and she tried hard to please him. There, locked in an intimate embrace, making love with him, was the only time she truly believed in the love he professed every day. In him, she sensed a deep need she suspected she could never fill, a hint of desperation in his loving, as if each time might be the last. Was this a hold-over from his first marriage? Did the hurt he’d felt at its dissolution linger? Did he distrust her because Julia had left him and he expected no better from her? How could she ever hope to prove to him that her love was forever, except to be there for him, with him, forever? Or was it something from his childhood that still disturbed him? She knew virtually nothing of it except it had been unhappy. Frequently, she tried to draw him out, but he evaded h