Chapter Twenty

Jasmine scooped in a quick breath, '...they chase each other endlessly around the bowl. I think Rhett and Scarlet did that, even after the book ended.'

'Perhaps they simply feel trapped,' He released her waist and slowly ran his fingertips up her arms, a feather-light touch that gave her the freedom to move if she wanted to. She didn't. She held herself completely still and the tiny little tremors under her skin told him how sensitive she was to his touch.

Another swift intake of breath. 'No. They're happy fish,' she insisted.

'How do you know?' He trailed his fingers up her neck, over the soft thickness of her pinned-up hair to the dark red rose.

'Because I watch them play. They like their bowl. Its hexagonal shape is good Feng Shui, promoting peace and harmony. They have fun pushing the pebbles around at the bottom and the aquarium plants offer ready food beyond what I feed them. They're happy fish.

' He'd tucked the rose in his breast pocket and was pulling out the hairpins. 'W