The 22nd Secret (123 page)

Pam moved her chair next to Jim’s and put her arms around him. She laid her head on his shoulder and unbuttoned his shirt. She ran her fingers through the hair on his chest.

“I love you so much. I need you more than anything else in the world. You’re the one that’s special. You’re the one I can’t live without. The hardest thing I’ve ever done, the hardest part of going to China, was leaving you. I was so afraid that I would never get you back. What I thought would never happen finally did happen and I was leaving it behind.”

Jim took Pam’s chin in his hand and kissed her. He looked deeply into her eyes. She was completely open to him. She felt him inside her mind absorbing her feelings. They were the special feelings they shared with each other, and only with each other.

“I understand,” Jim said. “I understand everything now. I understand
I am
the man of your dreams and how precious that is to you, to us.”

Pam’s eyes were totally absorbed by Jim’s power. Her body was wrapped in his strength. “Make love to me now, Jim. It’s been so long and I’ve needed you so badly.” They stood together. Jim picked her up and carried her to the bearskin rug and the warmth of the fire. A half hour later, Pam lay on her side next to Jim while he lay on his back with his arms under his head. She played with the hair on his chest, twirling it into little spikes before rubbing it back. The fire warmed them, Pam felt truly satisfied for the first time in a year.

“Walker said you had some money,” Jim said, interrupting her afterglow.

“Money, what in the world made you think of that?” She propped herself up on her elbows so she could see Jim’s face.

“How much money? Walker seemed to think you had a lot.”

“I guess so. I have as much as I need. Why in the world do you care about that?” Pam said trying to find Jim’s thoughts.

“Well, since we’re going to have to get rid of this place”

“
G
e
t rid of this p
l
a
c
e
?
D
i
d Tom t
e
ll
y
ou that?
I
to
l
d him
not
t
o tell
y
ou that
.
”
J
im
s
e
ns
e
d
P
a
m’s
a
ng
e
r.
“
I
to
l
d him
I
didn’t
g
ive
a
d
a
mn
a
b
o
ut h
i
s ridiculous se
c
u
r
i
t
y
.
J
i
m
, we
don
’
t have
to le
a
ve
h
e
r
e
.
W
e
c
a
n l
i
ve
h
e
re.
I
t’ll be o
k
a
y
.
W
e
’ll
f
i
g
u
r
e
out somethi
n
g
.
I
c
a
n
’
t ask
y
ou to
g
ive th
i
s pl
ac
e
up.
I
know
w
h
a
t
i
t
m
ea
ns to
y
ou.”

“
Tom’s not r
e
spons
i
ble
f
or
y
ou
a
n
y
mor
e
.
I
a
m.
Y
ou
know th
e
r
e
’s
a
d
e
t
a
c
h
ment of
A
r
m
y
S
p
ec
ial
F
o
r
ce
s prot
e
c
t
i
ng us ri
g
ht now. T
h
e
y
’
r
e
a
ll
r
ound the lodg
e
. Tom s
a
id we
wouldn
’
t be
a
ble to s
e
e
them, but
t
h
e
y
h
a
d to be h
e
r
e
to prot
ec
t
y
o
u.
W
e
c
a
n
’
t
l
ive like t
h
is.
W
e
don
’
t ne
e
d to l
i
ve
th
i
s w
a
y
.”

“
A
r
m
y
! Th
i
s is
g
odd
a
mn
r
id
i
c
ulou
s.
”
P
a
m
rose
sudd
e
n
l
y
.

J
i
m
w
ra
pp
e
d his a
r
m
a
r
o
und h
e
r should
e
rs b
e
fo
r
e
she
c
ould stand up
a
nd
p
ul
l
e
d
h
e
r b
a
c
k down.
H
e
laid h
e
r h
e
a
d
o
n his
c
h
e
s
t
.

“
P
a
m
,
y
o
u
’
r
e
g
oi
n
g
to h
a
ve
to a
c
c
e
pt c
e
rt
a
in f
a
c
ts about our
re
lationship.
Y
ou m
a
y
b
e
the sma
r
test p
e
rson in
t
he
w
o
rl
d
, but
I
’m the
o
n
e
r
e
spons
i
ble
f
or
y
our
s
a
f
e
t
y
.
C
a
ll
me old
fa
shion
e
d
, but
t
h
e
re
a
r
e
g
oi
n
g
to be
c
e
rt
a
in
t
hin
g
s that
I
will
e
x
p
ec
t
.
I
d
ec
ide
w
h
a
t’s
b
e
st for
our s
a
f
e
t
y
.
I
d
ec
i
d
e
wh
a
t
m
ea
s
u
r
e
s
w
e
n
ee
d
to
t
a
ke
to provide
f
or
y
o
ur
s
ec
u
r
i
t
y
.”

P
a
m had
wa
i
t
e
d
a
ll
h
e
r l
i
fe
to f
e
e
l
t
he
se
c
u
ri
t
y
she
fe
lt
l
y
i
n
g
in
J
i
m
’s
a
rms.
S
he
spoke soft
l
y
.
“
I
und
e
rst
a
nd
a
nd
a
ll
I
r
e
a
l
l
y
w
a
nt
i
s be
a
t
i
ng
in
m
y
e
a
r.”

J
i
m roll
e
d on to h
i
s s
i
de
a
s
P
a
m roll
e
d onto her
b
a
c
k. He
h
e
ld up h
i
s h
e
a
d
with h
i
s ha
n
d
a
nd le
a
n
e
d on his
e
lbow.
His f
ac
e
a
nd voice
g
re
w
wi
t
h
e
x
c
i
t
e
ment.
“
Th
e
r
e
’
s th
i
s pl
ac
e
I
know of in
C
olor
a
do.
W
e
l
l
,
ac
tual
l
y
i
t
’s mo
r
e
than
a
pla
ce
.
I
t’s
a
1,000
-
a
c
re r
a
n
c
h
n
e
a
r
G
len
w
ood
S
p
r
in
g
s. You know
w
e
re Gl
e
nwood is
?
”

P
a
m shook h
e
r h
e
a
d
ac
k
n
owl
e
d
g
i
n
g
h
e
r un
d
e
rst
a
n
ding.
S
he
b
e
ca
me
a
bsor
b
e
d
b
y
J
i
m
’s sm
i
l
i
ng
fa
c
e
a
nd
e
nthusi
a
st
i
c
voice
a
s he
to
l
d h
e
r
a
bout h
i
s pl
a
ns for
their
f
u
tur
e
.

“
I
t
’s n
e
a
r
A
spen
.
”
S
he
w
a
s s
m
i
l
ing
with
t
he
c
ont
e
nt
m
e
nt and s
ec
u
r
i
t
y
J
i
m
’s strong
bo
d
y
g
a
v
e
h
e
r. She
b
e
g
a
n to r
u
n h
e
r
f
i
n
g
e
rs t
h
ro
u
g
h
his
h
a
ir
a
s her
e
y
e
s
d
a
rt
e
d
a
b
out h
i
s f
ac
e
a
nd m
i
nd.