“Mornin’, my darling,” Rick whispered, leaning over the curled body on the bed. Laurie lazily opened one eye. “It’s morning now, is it?” A contented smile curved her lips. “Uh-huh.” Rick’s finger traced a path from her unclouded brow down to the tip of her nose. “But not for much longer, sweet thing; it’s almost noon.” Laurie reached her bare arms up and circled his neck, drawing his face down to hers. “Come back here, then, Westin. Let me give you a good-morning kiss. And then soon I can give you an afternoon kiss, and an evening kiss, and—” As his lips met and clung to hers, Rick felt his desire rise in him again like a flame, fierce and consuming. The smell of her, the taste of her mouth, the feel of her silken skin, drove him wild. Reluctantly, Rick pulled away, and sat down beside her. He kissed the one bare shoulder that edged above the sheets and then smiled at her, his dark eyes engraving forever on his memory the way she looked at that moment—fresh and ripe and filled with the bloom of their lovemaking.
