consumed her.
Oh, God! she thought, stiffening in shock, a moan caught in her throat. This was the dream! This was what she had been yearning for each morning when she awoke.
Placing her hands on his chest, she pushed away and stared at him in confusion. He seemed to tower over her, his features fierce in the darkness. Then slowly he relaxed, his eyes settled to gray and he was Danny again.
Rising, she pushed her hair back with a shaking hand. "You'd better go to sleep now, Danny," she said, her throat painfully tight.
"I'm glad you came to see me," he said softly. "Goodnight, Mandy."
"Yes," she rasped out. "Good night, Danny."
She couldn't get out of the room fast enough and felt her knees give way as she pulled the door closed behind her and leaned back against it. She pressed a hand to her eyes, blocking the light, wishing futilely that she could block out what had just happened in the room behind her.
When her heart stopped pounding crazily, she lowered her hand to find Tom Dicks standing not two feet away from her, watching her with that awful, knowing smile.
Pulling herself together, she moved away from the door and brushed past him without a word.
Chapter Five
Amanda stood in the middle of her darkened bedroom in taut silence. Her hands were still shaking. She couldn't see them, but she could feel them. Or maybe it was her soul that she felt shake.
Swallowing ah anguished sound, she began to pace back and forth in the dark. She had been so angry with Virgie. But how much of that anger had been directed at herself because—God forgive her—she had wanted to touch him, too?
Think logically, she told herself, running trembling fingers through her hair. Danny was an attractive man. It was natural that she should be physically drawn to him. She would have to be blind not to be. It was tike seeing a Rodin sculpture or a fresco by Michelangelo. Those things were untouchable in the way
Danny was untouchable. One could admire and feel stirrings deep within, but the admiration and the stirrings were detached. They were separated from reality.
She sank to the bed. The logic hadn't done an ounce of good. She still felt a tight knot of guilt in her stomach. It was as though her very human emotions had touched something that was above all that. It was not a very comfortable experience, and for her own mental well-being, she knew she would have to stay away from him, at least until she came to grips with her own feelings.
The long night showed on Amanda's face the next morning as she walked around the grounds before breakfast. The haunted restlessness that had begun in Danny's room had stayed with her through the night and now nagged at her like the dull remnants of a migraine headache.
It was not going to be easy staying away from Danny, she thought wearily as she followed a narrow path to an almost too picturesque wooden footbridge. In the middle she stopped, staring at a small waterfall in the distance, a frown adding lines to the sides of her mouth.
It meant rearranging the life she had made for herself at Greenleigh. It meant rearranging her emotions. She had weekends off, but until now she hadn't felt the need to leave. Perhaps now was the time. She needed to get back to the real world.
Maybe she would call her friend Eric in Long Beach. She shook back her dark hair, thinking of the tall, blond lawyer she had dated occasionally in the past. He would probably do her a world of good, she thought, rubbing her temple. Eric was always fun to be with. He always—
Who the hell did she think she was kidding? she thought in frustration. She had no interest in seeing Eric again. She couldn't call up one ounce of enthusiasm. And that was what worried her.
Turning, she walked off the bridge and ran straight into Virgie. "Oh...hi," she said, feeling embarrassed as she backed up a step.
Virgie laughed harshly. "Don't worry," she said, raising a cigarette to draw on it deeply. "It's not catching."
Amanda couldn't pull
Oh, God! she thought, stiffening in shock, a moan caught in her throat. This was the dream! This was what she had been yearning for each morning when she awoke.
Placing her hands on his chest, she pushed away and stared at him in confusion. He seemed to tower over her, his features fierce in the darkness. Then slowly he relaxed, his eyes settled to gray and he was Danny again.
Rising, she pushed her hair back with a shaking hand. "You'd better go to sleep now, Danny," she said, her throat painfully tight.
"I'm glad you came to see me," he said softly. "Goodnight, Mandy."
"Yes," she rasped out. "Good night, Danny."
She couldn't get out of the room fast enough and felt her knees give way as she pulled the door closed behind her and leaned back against it. She pressed a hand to her eyes, blocking the light, wishing futilely that she could block out what had just happened in the room behind her.
When her heart stopped pounding crazily, she lowered her hand to find Tom Dicks standing not two feet away from her, watching her with that awful, knowing smile.
Pulling herself together, she moved away from the door and brushed past him without a word.
Chapter Five
Amanda stood in the middle of her darkened bedroom in taut silence. Her hands were still shaking. She couldn't see them, but she could feel them. Or maybe it was her soul that she felt shake.
Swallowing ah anguished sound, she began to pace back and forth in the dark. She had been so angry with Virgie. But how much of that anger had been directed at herself because—God forgive her—she had wanted to touch him, too?
Think logically, she told herself, running trembling fingers through her hair. Danny was an attractive man. It was natural that she should be physically drawn to him. She would have to be blind not to be. It was tike seeing a Rodin sculpture or a fresco by Michelangelo. Those things were untouchable in the way
Danny was untouchable. One could admire and feel stirrings deep within, but the admiration and the stirrings were detached. They were separated from reality.
She sank to the bed. The logic hadn't done an ounce of good. She still felt a tight knot of guilt in her stomach. It was as though her very human emotions had touched something that was above all that. It was not a very comfortable experience, and for her own mental well-being, she knew she would have to stay away from him, at least until she came to grips with her own feelings.
The long night showed on Amanda's face the next morning as she walked around the grounds before breakfast. The haunted restlessness that had begun in Danny's room had stayed with her through the night and now nagged at her like the dull remnants of a migraine headache.
It was not going to be easy staying away from Danny, she thought wearily as she followed a narrow path to an almost too picturesque wooden footbridge. In the middle she stopped, staring at a small waterfall in the distance, a frown adding lines to the sides of her mouth.
It meant rearranging the life she had made for herself at Greenleigh. It meant rearranging her emotions. She had weekends off, but until now she hadn't felt the need to leave. Perhaps now was the time. She needed to get back to the real world.
Maybe she would call her friend Eric in Long Beach. She shook back her dark hair, thinking of the tall, blond lawyer she had dated occasionally in the past. He would probably do her a world of good, she thought, rubbing her temple. Eric was always fun to be with. He always—
Who the hell did she think she was kidding? she thought in frustration. She had no interest in seeing Eric again. She couldn't call up one ounce of enthusiasm. And that was what worried her.
Turning, she walked off the bridge and ran straight into Virgie. "Oh...hi," she said, feeling embarrassed as she backed up a step.
Virgie laughed harshly. "Don't worry," she said, raising a cigarette to draw on it deeply. "It's not catching."
Amanda couldn't pull
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