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Relax into him Like I had in bed I nod "Yes"

Slowly, he lowers his head and I feel the warm trickle of his hot breath a asp as his hand leaves ers are inside me, and that arch of my body is like sweet, unbearably necessary pressure I a, so very wrong I won’t beg There isn’t ti to come and there is no question, none whatsoever, that this le reason why that’s a bad thing

• • •

Forty-fivebut Chris’s shirt and standing in the kitchen, watching while he downs the cup of coffee I’ve poured hier tossed, and sexy, and he’s wearing a light blue T-shirt with Spider-Man on the front that one of the kids he’s seeing at the hospital gave to hier to discover what has inspired such fierce dedication to this charity and wish I had more time to ask him about his involvement

"Did you sleep at all?" I ask, and I try not to let my insecurity run wild But if he wanted me in his bed, asn’t he in it with ht That’s when I paint" He reaches for the cup I’ I wanted to paint for one of the kids He’s a bit of a movie fanatic like I am so we’ve bonded over a few favorites"

"How old is he?"

"Thirteen"

"Cancer?"

He nods, his expression tightening "Leukeood people forced to watch their child die"

My chest pinches painfully "You’re sure he’s going to die?"

"Yeah He’s going to die And believe me, if there was an ae that, I’dhair and turns aalking to the phone and calling for a cab I can see the tension ripple along his shoulders I can’t i and be powerless to stop it, but I think Chris does I mean, didn’t he watch his father slowly drink hi with hiet Saturday off, even if I have to use the charity event as publicity for the gallery totofat donation

Chris hangs up the phone and turns toa cab "Come withmore about the charity only makes my reply harder "Not this time"

He does not look appeased by my inference that I would accept a future invitation "That’s not the right answer"