Chapter 29

Charley drifted asleep in the warm cocoon of his arms and awoke late the next morning to find an empty place beside her in the bed. In a way, it was a relief. No awkward moments having to face him while her defenses were down; no stumbling around trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t come out sounding silly, vulnerable, and gauche. She could shower at her leisure and get her act together.

No, she couldn’t. Instead, she sank down on the edge of the plunge bath and let the whole high-octane event of her wedding night rush through her head and her body in small explosions of remembered feelings, few of which made her feel good about herself—or about him.

What were they doing to each other? Why were they doing it? All Charley knew as she sat there remembering the hot tempo of their passionate coupling was that somehow, in the last week leading up to last night, she had allowed Dami De Santis to become a terrible fever of desire that had built and built inside her until it had