The 22nd Secret (85 page)

At le
a
st for
ton
i
g
h
t
, s
h
e
would take
J
im
f
or
h
e
r o
w
n
a
nd he
would ta
k
e
h
e
r
f
or
his own.
S
he
hop
e
d she
would be
strong
e
no
u
g
h to
r
e
le
a
s
e
J
i
m and
a
l
t
e
r his memo
r
y
of this
ni
g
ht be
f
o
r
e she l
e
ft hi
m
.
S
he
w
a
s not sure
she
c
ould b
l
o
c
k
J
i
m
’
s memo
r
y
e
v
e
n if s
h
e
tr
i
e
d,
e
v
e
n tho
u
g
h
t
h
e
r
e w
a
s a
sl
i
m ch
a
n
c
e
she
c
o
uld r
e
turn to him so
m
e
d
a
y
.
I
f
she su
r
vived.

S
he
w
a
lked to
t
he
h
e
a
rth
of
the fi
re
pl
a
ce
. T
h
e
wo
o
d
J
i
m
a
dd
e
d just
a
ft
e
r di
n
n
e
r
wa
s
a
bout h
a
lf
g
o
n
e
a
nd the
b
e
d of
c
o
a
ls
g
l
o
w
e
d
r
e
d hot. The
h
ea
t
r
a
diating
f
r
om
t
he
r
e
d
c
o
a
ls
m
a
d
e
P
a
m f
e
e
l
l
ike she
w
a
s s
t
a
ndi
n
g
in
t
he
sun.
P
a
m sat
d
o
wn on the h
e
a
rth
a
nd w
ar
med h
e
r ba
c
k
a
s she sl
i
pp
e
d off
the boots
a
nd
socks. She look
e
d
a
t
th
e
g
iant b
e
a
r
r
u
g
a
nd wond
e
r
e
d wh
a
t
i
t would f
e
e
l l
i
ke
to
la
y
on i
t
.
S
he laid down on it and
re
sted h
e
r
h
ea
d on the b
e
a
r
’
s
h
ea
d.
The
f
ur
w
a
s
lu
x
u
r
ies
a
nd t
i
n
g
led the skin on
h
e
r bo
d
y
.
S
he
c
losed
h
e
r e
y
e
s
a
nd r
u
bb
e
d
h
e
r
a
rms
a
nd h
a
nds ov
e
r t
h
e fu
r
.
S
he
fa
ntasi
z
e
d
a
bout
J
i
m’s l
i
t
t
le
P
l
a
y
b
o
y
c
e
nt
e
r
f
old
i
mag
e
r
y
.
S
he
pictu
r
e
d h
e
rs
e
lf
l
y
i
n
g
on the
r
ug
a
s a
ce
nte
r
fold, ple
a
sing
t
h
e
d
e
sir
e
s
o
f thous
a
nds, m
a
y
b
e
m
i
l
l
ions of m
e
n.
S
he
w
a
s so r
e
la
x
e
d
a
nd
a
t
e
a
se
h
e
re
a
lone
w
i
t
h
J
i
m
, so unin
hi
bi
t
e
d und
e
r
J
i
m
’s
c
ontro
l
.
S
he
thou
g
ht
a
bout the possib
i
l
i
t
y
J
im
would
discov
e
r h
e
r
h
e
r
e
on the
ru
g
.
S
he
h
ea
rd
a
sl
i
g
ht
m
ov
e
ment
f
rom the
c
ou
c
h
a
nd looked o
v
e
r
a
t
J
i
m
, who
wa
s r
e
mov
i
n
g his boots and
wa
tching
h
e
r.
T
he
sho
c
k
of sudd
e
n
l
y
b
e
ing
disco
v
e
red l
i
ke
th
i
s
w
a
s e
x
tr
e
me
l
y
a
rousin
g
.
S
he
w
a
nted to
c
lose h
e
r
e
y
e
s and turn h
e
r
f
a
c
e
a
w
a
y
f
r
om
his
sta
re
, but he
w
ould
n
ot allow i
t
.
J
im
stood
re
m
o
v
e
d his r
e
maini
n
g
c
lo
t
hs a
n
d jo
i
n
e
d
P
a
ula on the
r
u
g
.

A
f
ter
w
h
a
t se
e
med
a
n
e
t
e
rni
t
y
of the
most
in
t
e
nse
love m
a
king
e
i
t
h
e
r of
th
e
m had
e
v
e
r
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
ce
d.
J
im
c
ol
l
a
psed
e
x
h
a
usted n
e
x
t
t
o h
e
r
on the b
ea
rskin
r
u
g
.
P
a
u
l
a roll
e
d on h
e
r side
a
t the s
a
me inst
a
nt
J
im
did
t
h
e
ir
e
y
e
s met
a
nd th
e
y
s
p
ontan
e
ous
l
y
la
u
g
h
e
d
a
t
t
he
j
o
y
th
e
y
h
a
d just
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
ce
d.

P
a
ula
’
s hair
w
a
s a t
a
n
g
l
e
d mes
s
, but she
w
a
s s
t
i
l
l
t
he
most
b
ea
ut
i
ful
c
re
a
tu
r
e
J
im
h
a
d
e
v
e
r s
ee
n. He
ten
d
e
r
l
y
brus
h
e
d
P
a
ula
’
s w
e
t hair
a
w
a
y
f
rom h
e
r
e
y
e
s
.

“
P
a
ula,
y
ou’
r
e
so b
ea
ut
if
u
l
.
I
love
y
ou
.
” Th
e
y
w
e
r
e
the
w
o
r
ds he
w
a
nted to
s
a
y
a
l
m
ost f
r
om
t
he
mo
m
e
nt he m
e
t
h
e
r.

P
a
m
kis
s
e
d
J
i
m’s l
i
p
s
,
c
h
ee
k,
a
nd f
o
r
e
h
ea
d.

“
I
love
y
ou too
,
”
she
whisp
e
r
e
d.
“
I
love
y
ou v
e
r
y
muc
h
. Mo
r
e
than
y
ou
r
e
a
l
iz
e
.”

J
i
m c
a
r
e
ssed Paul
a
’s
f
a
c
e
,
ca
using h
e
r to stop k
i
ss
i
ng
him
a
nd looked into
h
e
r
e
y
e
s.

“
A
r
e
y
ou o
k
a
y
?
” he
a
s
k
e
d with
g
e
nuine
c
on
c
e
rn.
He
kn
e
w
h
e
h
a
d lost
c
on
t
rol of
hi
m
s
e
lf tow
a
rd the
e
nd.
He
r
e
m
e
mbe
re
d h
e
r
re
q
u
e
st not
to hurt h
e
r m
e
ntal
l
y
.