The 22nd Secret (55 page)

The
sunset ov
e
r the
Pa
c
i
f
ic
O
c
e
a
n w
a
s on f
i
re
a
s
B
e
n dr
o
ve
P
a
t
t
y
a
lo
n
g
H
i
ghw
a
y
101
in h
e
r M
e
r
ce
d
e
s. T
h
e
y
talk
e
d v
e
r
y
l
i
t
t
le
e
nj
o
y
i
n
g
the
view
a
nd
e
ac
h othe
r
’s
c
o
mpa
n
y
.
P
a
t
t
y
le
a
n
e
d h
e
r h
e
a
d on
B
e
n
’
s shoul
d
e
r
a
nd whisp
e
r
e
d in h
i
s
e
a
r.

“
I
love b
e
i
n
g
with
y
ou,
B
e
n.”
H
e
r soft b
r
e
a
th
i
n his
ea
r s
e
nt chil
l
s thro
u
g
h
his bo
d
y
. He didn’t spe
a
k or
r
eac
t. T
h
e
si
g
n
a
l
h
e p
a
t
i
e
nt
l
y
a
w
a
i
t
e
d w
a
s comi
n
g
.
P
a
t
t
y
u
n
but
t
on
e
d
B
e
n
’
s sh
i
rt
a
nd soft
l
y
rubb
e
d his
c
h
e
s
t
. He
e
x
h
a
led d
ee
p
l
y
a
n
d b
eca
me
e
re
c
t. Th
e
y
a
r
r
i
v
e
d
a
t
P
a
t
t
y
’s
a
t
9
a
nd stood in f
r
ont of the
op
e
n
e
d door
a
s th
e
y
h
a
d
a
t
t
he
e
nd of
a
l
m
ost all their
d
a
tes.
B
e
n
’
s sh
i
rt
w
a
s st
i
ll
unbut
t
on
e
d.
P
a
t
t
y
a
d
m
i
r
e
d his muscul
a
r
c
h
e
st
a
s she
r
ubb
e
d both
h
a
nds ov
e
r it.

Don
’
t ru
s
h i
t
, don
’
t scare
h
e
r
.
J
ust k
e
e
p it
c
oo
l
,
B
e
n thou
g
ht.

“
How
a
bout somethi
n
g
d
if
fe
r
e
nt
for
dinner
to
m
o
rr
ow ni
g
ht
?
”
B
e
n
a
sked.
“W
e
’ll
g
o to Chinatown
a
nd b
u
y
some
th
i
n
g
s and
I
’ll m
a
k
e
y
ou
some
a
uthentic Chin
e
se
food
a
t
m
y
pl
a
ce
.
”

P
a
t
t
y
looked up to B
e
n
.
S
he
si
g
h
e
d
h
ea
vi
l
y
“
W
e
h
a
ve
to w
a
it
t
i
ll
to
m
o
r
row
ni
g
h
t
?”

B
e
n
w
a
s in ch
ar
g
e
no
w
.
He
e
nj
o
y
e
d p
r
o
t
ec
t
i
n
g
Pa
t
t
y
’s vi
r
tue if
e
v
e
n f
o
r o
n
e
more
n
i
g
ht.
“
I
t
’s too late
to
g
o shopping
f
o
r dinn
e
r ton
i
g
ht.”
B
e
n kn
e
w she
w
a
s
r
ea
d
y
.
Th
e
y
kis
s
e
d long
a
nd p
a
ss
i
on
a
te
l
y
.
P
a
t
t
y
c
ould
f
e
e
l
B
e
n
’
s
e
re
c
t
i
on p
re
s
s
e
d
a
g
a
inst
h
e
r.

Th
e
y
b
roke
f
o
r
a
ir
a
nd h
e
ld e
ac
h other
c
lose. P
a
t
t
y
whisp
e
r
e
d in
B
e
n
’
s
ea
r,
“
You b
e
t
t
e
r
g
o,
B
e
n.
I
do
n
’t w
a
nt
t
o
g
o to
C
hin
a
town tomor
r
o
w.
W
ould
i
t be ok
a
y
if
I
j
ust c
a
me ov
e
r
a
t
6
?
”

B
e
n h
e
ld
h
e
r
b
y
the sho
u
lde
r
s
. H
e
r
e
y
e
s
w
e
re
s
o
ft,
a
l
m
o
st
g
la
z
e
d ov
e
r.
S
he
w
a
s r
e
a
d
y
a
nd she
wa
s his.

“
I
’ll see
y
ou
a
t
6. You
’
r
e
v
e
r
y
b
ea
ut
i
ful.
I
lo
v
e
b
e
i
ng
with
y
ou too.”

Th
e
y
r
e
sumed kis
s
i
n
g
.
N
e
i
t
h
e
r
wa
nted to
p
a
rt
f
or
t
he
e
v
e
ni
n
g
, but
B
e
n fin
a
ll
y
f
o
r
ce
d hi
m
s
e
lf. Pat
t
y
w
a
i
t
e
d un
t
il
B
e
n
d
r
ove
o
ff
b
e
fo
r
e
e
nte
r
ing
h
e
r
a
p
a
rtme
n
t a
n
d
c
los
i
ng
the doo
r
.

B
e
n op
e
n
e
d the door
wh
e
n he
h
ea
rd P
a
t
t
y
kno
c
k j
u
st a
f
ter
6 the n
e
x
t ev
e
ni
n
g
. The
a
p
a
rtme
n
t w
a
s
filled
w
i
t
h the
a
roma
of
B
e
n
’s
c
oo
k
in
g
.
S
he
stood in
t
he
do
o
r
we
a
ring a
c
ut
o
f
f
T
-shirt, no b
ra
, hip
-
h
u
g
g
e
r
shorts
a
nd s
a
nd
a
ls.
P
a
t
t
y
quick
l
y
thr
e
w h
e
r
a
rms
a
round
B
e
n
’s n
ec
k
, r
a
is
i
ng
h
e
r shi
r
t above
h
e
r b
rea
sts
a
nd kiss
e
d hi
m
,
p
r
obing
d
ee
p
l
y
in h
i
s mouth wi
t
h h
e
r ton
g
u
e
.
B
e
n
g
r
a
bb
e
d o
n
e
of her
b
r
e
a
sts
a
s th
e
y
kis
s
e
d
.
I
t
w
a
s
pure
e
c
sta
s
y
he
tho
u
g
h
t.
S
udd
e
n
l
y
she turn
e
d
a
roun
d
.