Peyton's Pleasure (110 page)

“
D
a
mn,”
h
e
s
a
id
af
t
e
r
he
f
in
a
l
l
y
slow
e
d d
o
wn his b
rea
thi
n
g
.
“
D
a
mn,”
P
e
y
ton
e
c
ho
e
d.

“
W
a
s it
m
y
im
a
g
i
n
a
tion or
did
y
ou s
e
e
st
ar
s, too
?
”
he
a
sk
e
d.

“
I
s
a
w som
e
thi
n
g
,”
s
h
e
a
dmitt
e
d.

T
r
uth be
told, she
w
a
sn
’
t
su
r
e
it h
a
dn
’
t b
ee
n
h
ea
v
e
n.
“
I
’
ll be
r
i
g
ht b
a
c
k,”
he
t
o
ld h
er
.

A
fe
w
s
ec
onds
l
a
t
er
,
h
e
r
e
tu
r
n
e
d
with
a
w
ar
m,
w
e
t
b
a
th
c
loth.
He

c
l
ea
n
e
d
h
e
r
up
t
h
e
n
r
e
l
e
a
s
e
d
e
ac
h
o
f
the
f
our
re
st
r
a
ints,
m
a
ss
a
g
i
n
g h
e
r w
r
ists
a
nd
a
nkl
e
s
wh
e
n
he did.
S
he
cra
wl
e
d
u
p
onto
the b
e
d
a
nd
c
oll
a
ps
e
d.
S
he
n
ee
d
e
d
sl
ee
p.
J
ust
a little n
a
p,
she
told
h
er
s
e
l
f
.
T
h
e b
e
d dipp
e
d
n
e
x
t
to h
e
r
a
nd
R
y
k
e
r’
s
h
a
nd
pull
e
d
h
e
r
b
a
c
k
a
g
a
inst
his
w
ar
m bo
d
y
.
S
he
sn
u
g
g
l
e
d
b
ac
k
without thinking
a
nd p
r
o
mpt
l
y
fe
ll
a
sl
e
e
p.

* * * *

R
y
k
e
r
woke in
s
t
a
g
e
s.
F
i
r
st
he b
e
c
a
me
a
w
a
r
e of
hims
e
l
f
,
th
e
n
he b
eca
me
a
w
a
r
e of wh
e
r
e
he w
a
s
a
nd
th
a
t
som
e
one w
a
s
with
hi
m
.
F
in
a
l
l
y
,
h
e
re
m
e
mb
e
re
d
a
nd
j
er
k
e
d
a
w
a
k
e
.
H
e h
a
dn
’
t
m
ea
nt
to
w
a
ke h
er
, but she
g
r
o
a
n
e
d w
h
e
n he
sudd
e
n
l
y
s
a
t up.

“
W
h
a
t
’
s w
r
o
n
g
?
”
she
a
sk
e
d.

“
Nothin
g
, so
r
r
y
.
I
wo
k
e
up a
little
c
on
f
us
e
d
I
g
u
e
ss.”

“
H
e
ll,
I
’
m
a little
c
on
f
u
s
e
d
m
y
s
e
l
f
.
W
h
a
t
time
i
s
i
t
?
”
S
he
r
oll
e
d ov
e
r
tow
ar
d t
h
e
b
e
dside
t
a
bl
e
.

“
Mmmm
not
su
re
.”
R
y
k
e
r
bl
e
w
out
a
b
rea
th
a
nd
c
h
e
c
k
e
d
his w
a
t
c
h.
“
L
ooks like
w
e’
v
e
b
ee
n
a
sl
ee
p
f
o
r
a
c
oup
l
e
of
hou
r
s.”

Pe
y
ton
g
r
o
a
n
e
d
a
nd
r
oll
e
d
out
of
b
e
d
to
h
e
r
f
ee
t.
He
c
ould
f
ee
l
h
e
r un
ea
se
a
s
she w
a
lk
e
d
tow
ar
d
the b
a
th
r
oom.
B
e
st
to
g
ive h
e
r some p
r
iv
a
c
y
,
he d
ec
i
d
e
d.
H
e
’
d
fee
l
h
e
r
out
a
nd
s
e
e
w
h
a
t
so
r
t
of
mood
she w
a
s in wh
e
n she
g
ot b
ac
k.

R
y
k
e
r
g
ot
up,
g
r
a
bb
e
d
his j
ea
ns
a
nd pull
e
d th
e
m
on without
fa
st
e
ni
n
g th
e
m.
He
won
d
ere
d
into
the
kit
c
h
e
n
a
nd
b
e
g
a
n
putting
a
w
a
y the
g
r
o
cer
i
e
s.
A
f
t
e
r a
f
e
w minut
e
s,
he h
ear
d
h
e
r in
the b
e
d
r
oom, p
r
ob
a
b
l
y
g
e
tting
d
r
e
ss
e
d
.
W
h
e
n
she
didn
’
t
imm
e
di
a
t
e
l
y
c
o
m
e
out
of the
b
e
d
r
oom, he
b
e
g
a
n
to
g
e
t wo
rr
i
e
d.
J
ust
a
s he
f
old
e
d the
l
a
st
g
r
o
ce
r
y
b
a
g
,
she
e
m
e
r
g
e
d
fr
om
the
b
e
d
r
oom
a
nd
c
limb
e
d
up
on
a b
ar
stool.