the door
to Hope's room was still closed, he shut the door to their bedroom and then
turned the lock. Mary had strewn her clothes on the foot of the bed. He added
his to the pile and then headed for the bath. The water was warm on Mary's skin
as she closed her eyes and turned her face to the jets, but when she heard the
shower door open then close, her breath caught in the back of her throat.
Suddenly, Daniel's hands were tracing the length of her back, then around,
cupping her breasts and pulling her back against his body.
'I love you, Mary Faith."
Tears welled against Mary's eyelids. To hear these words and to feel her
husband's touch after all this time was staggering. Why and how this was happen ing was no longer of concern to her. If this was
madness, then so be it. God knew it was better than what she'd had.
She turned in his arms, her heart pounding, her body weak with longing. With
a soft, desperate moan, she threw her arms around his neck, relishing the
roughness in his kiss.
Reluctantly, Daniel stepped back and began touching her all over, as if to
assure himself that she was truly okay.
'You scared me today," he said softly. "When you went limp in my
arms, my heart almost stopped."
Mary didn't want to think or talk about anything that had to do with before.
All she wanted was Daniel.
'Make love to me, Daniel. I need to feel you on me...in me...I've been so
lost."
Daniel turned off the water and then pulled her out of the shower and into
their bed, his need to be with her driving caution completely out of his mind.
Mary had a few brief moments of cognizance as Daniel laid her down and then
took the phone off the hook. After that, there was nothing left in her head but
a series of mind-numbing images.
The slight drip of a faucet in the other room. The beads of water still on
Daniel's hair and the shuttered look on his face as he beheld the woman beneath
him.
The sound of her own heartbeat loud in her ears. The flare of Daniel's
nostrils as he slid inside her body.
The shattering of her thoughts when he began to move.
The curl of need deep in her belly.
The building heat.
And then ultimately, the blinding insanity of re lease.
They lay wrapped in each other's arms, their hearts still pounding, their
muscles weak and lax. But the unity that Mary had remembered was still there
even stronger than before.
Daniel had his arms around his wife, and when he rolled onto his back, he
took her with him. Now, Mary lay with her cheek against his chest, feeling the
strong, even heartbeat beneath his ear and closed her eyes.
Heaven. Sweet heaven to know this again.
'Love you, Danny."
He couldn't remember the last time Mary Faith had called him Danny, but the
sound of it on her lips made him smile.
'Ah, baby ...I love you, too," he said softly and held her a little bit
tighter.
She sighed with pleasure.
Somewhere within the next few minutes, Daniel felt her go limp and knew that
she slept. Carefully, he slipped out from under her and covered her with a
sheet. Aware that Hope's nap wouldn't last much longer, he hurried into the
bathroom and cleaned up the mess that they'd made, then dressed. Pausing be
side their bed to look at his sleeping wife, he felt a familiar tightening in
his chest. For all these years, it was still the same feeling he'd had the
first time he'd seen her. She was the anchor to his world.
As he watched, a slight frown creased the middle of her forehead.
Impulsively, he leaned down and brushed a kiss across her lips and as he did,
the frown disappeared.
'Yeah, baby ...I know. That's what you do to me, too," he said softly,
and then closed the door behind him as he left.
It wasn't until much later that he remembered what she'd said just before
he'd taken her to bed-something about being lost. But it didn't make sense.
There hadn't been a day in the almost seven years of their married life that he
hadn't known where she was.
Mary woke with a start, her heart pounding, her body covered in a
to Hope's room was still closed, he shut the door to their bedroom and then
turned the lock. Mary had strewn her clothes on the foot of the bed. He added
his to the pile and then headed for the bath. The water was warm on Mary's skin
as she closed her eyes and turned her face to the jets, but when she heard the
shower door open then close, her breath caught in the back of her throat.
Suddenly, Daniel's hands were tracing the length of her back, then around,
cupping her breasts and pulling her back against his body.
'I love you, Mary Faith."
Tears welled against Mary's eyelids. To hear these words and to feel her
husband's touch after all this time was staggering. Why and how this was happen ing was no longer of concern to her. If this was
madness, then so be it. God knew it was better than what she'd had.
She turned in his arms, her heart pounding, her body weak with longing. With
a soft, desperate moan, she threw her arms around his neck, relishing the
roughness in his kiss.
Reluctantly, Daniel stepped back and began touching her all over, as if to
assure himself that she was truly okay.
'You scared me today," he said softly. "When you went limp in my
arms, my heart almost stopped."
Mary didn't want to think or talk about anything that had to do with before.
All she wanted was Daniel.
'Make love to me, Daniel. I need to feel you on me...in me...I've been so
lost."
Daniel turned off the water and then pulled her out of the shower and into
their bed, his need to be with her driving caution completely out of his mind.
Mary had a few brief moments of cognizance as Daniel laid her down and then
took the phone off the hook. After that, there was nothing left in her head but
a series of mind-numbing images.
The slight drip of a faucet in the other room. The beads of water still on
Daniel's hair and the shuttered look on his face as he beheld the woman beneath
him.
The sound of her own heartbeat loud in her ears. The flare of Daniel's
nostrils as he slid inside her body.
The shattering of her thoughts when he began to move.
The curl of need deep in her belly.
The building heat.
And then ultimately, the blinding insanity of re lease.
They lay wrapped in each other's arms, their hearts still pounding, their
muscles weak and lax. But the unity that Mary had remembered was still there
even stronger than before.
Daniel had his arms around his wife, and when he rolled onto his back, he
took her with him. Now, Mary lay with her cheek against his chest, feeling the
strong, even heartbeat beneath his ear and closed her eyes.
Heaven. Sweet heaven to know this again.
'Love you, Danny."
He couldn't remember the last time Mary Faith had called him Danny, but the
sound of it on her lips made him smile.
'Ah, baby ...I love you, too," he said softly and held her a little bit
tighter.
She sighed with pleasure.
Somewhere within the next few minutes, Daniel felt her go limp and knew that
she slept. Carefully, he slipped out from under her and covered her with a
sheet. Aware that Hope's nap wouldn't last much longer, he hurried into the
bathroom and cleaned up the mess that they'd made, then dressed. Pausing be
side their bed to look at his sleeping wife, he felt a familiar tightening in
his chest. For all these years, it was still the same feeling he'd had the
first time he'd seen her. She was the anchor to his world.
As he watched, a slight frown creased the middle of her forehead.
Impulsively, he leaned down and brushed a kiss across her lips and as he did,
the frown disappeared.
'Yeah, baby ...I know. That's what you do to me, too," he said softly,
and then closed the door behind him as he left.
It wasn't until much later that he remembered what she'd said just before
he'd taken her to bed-something about being lost. But it didn't make sense.
There hadn't been a day in the almost seven years of their married life that he
hadn't known where she was.
Mary woke with a start, her heart pounding, her body covered in a
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