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“No. I would still be sitting in my apartment sulking and staring at the television,” she replied with a wan smile.
“You would be safe.”
She shook her head. “Blake, no matter what I said, I don’t blame you. I suppose I was angry with myself.”
“Why?”
She ran a hand through her red-dyed curls, in a weary gesture. “Maybe because I was having a good time today. In the theater, at dinner. I suddenly felt...I felt so guilty for enjoying myself after—” She groped ineffectively at the air with her right hand, unable to finish.
“How often do you allow yourself to really have a good time, Tara? And I’m not just talking about the last three days.”
She flinched, and he knew he’d struck a nerve. “I know how to enjoy myself,” she said, her tone defensive.
“Oh? What are your hobbies?”
“I—” She stopped, biting her lip, then shrugged. “I like to read.”
“What else?”
“I work,” she answered simply.
“And now that you have no job?” he asked gently. “What will you do with your time?”
Her arms tightened, her hands rubbing her forearms as though to ward off a sudden chill. “I don’t know,” she whispered.
He loosened her fingers and tugged her icy hands into his, holding them tightly, sharing some of his warmth with her.
“If there is one thing I’ve learned during the past twenty years, it’s to take your pleasure where you can find it,” he said. “The situation we’re in is serious, there’s no denying that. And what we’re planning to do Friday night will not be fun. But there is no reason for you to feel guilty because you enjoyed yourself for a few minutes today.”
He lifted her hands to his mouth, kissed one, and then the other. “You’ve been amazing during the past three days. Don’t fall apart on me now. I need you.”
Her face softened a bit, but she shook her head. “You don’t need anyone. Especially me.”
“Now that,” he said, leaning over to brush her mouth with his, “is the first really foolish thing you’ve said all evening.”
He kissed her again. And then again. And, finally, she began to respond.
Her hands slipped out of his to go around his neck. She pressed closer. “Blake?”
Already he could feel himself responding to her, aching for her. Maybe he’d believed—maybe he’d even hoped—that making love with her last night would blunt the edge of his desire for her. Maybe he’d thought he could keep his emotions under control once he’d satisfied that first urgent hunger.
He’d been wrong. He wanted her as much now as he had before. More. Now that he knew just how spectacular it could be.
His hands slid down to her hips, holding her against him. “Mmm?”
Her lips moved against his cheek, her breath warm and arousing against his skin. “What you said about taking pleasure where you can find it...”
He smiled. “Yes?”
“I’d really like to find some now.”
“I’d be more than happy to oblige, ma’am,” he murmured. “What would you like me to do to entertain you?”
“Well...I suppose you could juggle.”
He laughed softly. “I suppose I could.”
“Or...you could take me to bed.”
