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Authors: Patricia Watters
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his fingertip to the blood on her lip and placed his blood-laden finger on his tongue, and as he looked into her eyes, she felt something almost mystical passing between them, that precious moment for a man and a woman when the physical and spiritual come together. She knew he felt it too when he said, "Some force is drawing us together. Something beyond our ability to stop. I know you feel it too."
Joanna nodded. "I felt it the first time I looked into your eyes."
Stefan brushed her lip where another drop of blood was emerging. "I'm sorry for doing that," he said, brushing the blood away, "and for what I said on deck last night. I believe you when you say nothing happened between you and Karl Porter, and although it wouldn't change my feelings for you, I'm glad what I heard was a lie. But if I don't leave now, you won't remain chaste." He kissed her and left, closing the door behind.
Joanna clutched her arms across her chest and rocked back and forth. She'd never felt such a strong reaction. She ached for his caresses, longed to have his mouth on hers, even as her lip throbbed from their heated kiss. Heart racing, the area between her thighs burning with need, she curled on her side, unable to dismiss thoughts of Stefan's naked body entwined with hers as she gave up her virginity to him during a long, passion-filled night. She imagined his magnificent male body in all its glory hovering over her...
Her thoughts went to the scar that disappeared beneath the waistband of his drawers. Did it reach that part of him that would be hers as man and wife? She felt a bizarre sense of possessiveness. And anger. She'd seen Rafat's claws extended, curved, deadly barbs that could strip Stefan of his masculinity in one swipe...
...when he's with the cats, the terrible fear is always there. It starts in your belly and moves up to your chest and grips you like a vise...
Tears welled as Helen's words, surfaced.
And the terrible dream. Had Tekla Janacek foretold the dream, or had the dream been triggered by worry over the old woman's words? Maybe the old gypsy had foretold a prophetic dream, but the warning was for Stefan, a premonition of him falling in the ring, his cats attacking him, clouds of dust billowing. She stared at the shadows dancing on the wall, unable to sleep...
.. .do you have any idea how often you will lay awake at night, wondering if tomorrow's performance will be his last...?
She wrapped her hands around herself and imagined Stefan secure within the circle of her arms, his body pressed to hers... until at last, sleep overtook her...
She awakened two hours later, peered through the latticed shutters and was greeted by a dismal overcast sky. Tentacles of dampness clung to the window, and the muggy air held the promise of rain. Weary from lack of sleep, she climbed out of bed, wondering if she had the energy to struggle through another day of strenuous physical activity. To add to her discomfort, her lip throbbed, and when she passed her tongue over it, she felt the swelling, a bittersweet reminder of the depth of her passion with Stefan.
But in the light of a new day, things were clearer. What happed was perfectly logical. Her reaction to Stefan had been brought on by finding a tiger cub in her room, followed by a disturbing dream, followed by a half-naked man coming into her stateroom and sitting on her bed at a time when she was vulnerable. When he kissed her, she responded like any woman would to the feel of a man as virile and commanding as Stefan, holding and caressing her. Nothing more...
...you need to know these things before it's too late, before you fall in love...
It was still not too late. And she would not let it happen. It was as simple as that.
She dressed in a pair of knickerbockers and an over tunic and prepared to jog from the landing to the lot, a vacant area near the river, on the outskirts of Greenville. But before leaving her quarters, she opened the door and peered out, hoping to slip
Joanna nodded. "I felt it the first time I looked into your eyes."
Stefan brushed her lip where another drop of blood was emerging. "I'm sorry for doing that," he said, brushing the blood away, "and for what I said on deck last night. I believe you when you say nothing happened between you and Karl Porter, and although it wouldn't change my feelings for you, I'm glad what I heard was a lie. But if I don't leave now, you won't remain chaste." He kissed her and left, closing the door behind.
Joanna clutched her arms across her chest and rocked back and forth. She'd never felt such a strong reaction. She ached for his caresses, longed to have his mouth on hers, even as her lip throbbed from their heated kiss. Heart racing, the area between her thighs burning with need, she curled on her side, unable to dismiss thoughts of Stefan's naked body entwined with hers as she gave up her virginity to him during a long, passion-filled night. She imagined his magnificent male body in all its glory hovering over her...
Her thoughts went to the scar that disappeared beneath the waistband of his drawers. Did it reach that part of him that would be hers as man and wife? She felt a bizarre sense of possessiveness. And anger. She'd seen Rafat's claws extended, curved, deadly barbs that could strip Stefan of his masculinity in one swipe...
...when he's with the cats, the terrible fear is always there. It starts in your belly and moves up to your chest and grips you like a vise...
Tears welled as Helen's words, surfaced.
And the terrible dream. Had Tekla Janacek foretold the dream, or had the dream been triggered by worry over the old woman's words? Maybe the old gypsy had foretold a prophetic dream, but the warning was for Stefan, a premonition of him falling in the ring, his cats attacking him, clouds of dust billowing. She stared at the shadows dancing on the wall, unable to sleep...
.. .do you have any idea how often you will lay awake at night, wondering if tomorrow's performance will be his last...?
She wrapped her hands around herself and imagined Stefan secure within the circle of her arms, his body pressed to hers... until at last, sleep overtook her...
She awakened two hours later, peered through the latticed shutters and was greeted by a dismal overcast sky. Tentacles of dampness clung to the window, and the muggy air held the promise of rain. Weary from lack of sleep, she climbed out of bed, wondering if she had the energy to struggle through another day of strenuous physical activity. To add to her discomfort, her lip throbbed, and when she passed her tongue over it, she felt the swelling, a bittersweet reminder of the depth of her passion with Stefan.
But in the light of a new day, things were clearer. What happed was perfectly logical. Her reaction to Stefan had been brought on by finding a tiger cub in her room, followed by a disturbing dream, followed by a half-naked man coming into her stateroom and sitting on her bed at a time when she was vulnerable. When he kissed her, she responded like any woman would to the feel of a man as virile and commanding as Stefan, holding and caressing her. Nothing more...
...you need to know these things before it's too late, before you fall in love...
It was still not too late. And she would not let it happen. It was as simple as that.
She dressed in a pair of knickerbockers and an over tunic and prepared to jog from the landing to the lot, a vacant area near the river, on the outskirts of Greenville. But before leaving her quarters, she opened the door and peered out, hoping to slip
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