Then he was there between them, finding her, sliding into her. She was almost sobbing with pleasure, wrapping her legs and arms about him with fierce intent. Of all the delights in the world there was only this that really mattered, having your man inside you, feeling the heat of him, smelling his warm, spicy skin, giving yourself to him a thousandfold and taking from him all he had to give. When her moment of release came, she made a sound like a cry of triumph.

As they lay blissfully together afterward, Pippa suddenly exploded with uncontrollable laughter.

"What? What?" he asked, already beginning to laugh with her.

"What we just did-" she choked.

"You've never found it funny before."

"No, not us-Frank and Elly-"

He buried his face against her, and making muffled sounds while his shoulders shook. "Don't," he begged at last. "I can't laugh any more. It hurts. Anyway, perhaps they won't bother."

"Oh, they will. They want lots of children, and Frank believes that everything should be done properly. I suppose we shouldn't laugh. It isn't kind."

"We're not doing them any harm," he gasped. "And he's such a-oh, Lord, perhaps I should have loaned him my book."

"Then he could make a list-and-and tick it-as he-"

And they were off again, clinging to each other in an agony of mirth. The world was theirs, and from their lofty perch of bliss they could afford a little pity for middle-aged people who thought they knew what life was about.

Chapter Four

At the start, four months had seemed to stretch out endlessly ahead, time enough for Luke to see that they belonged together forever. But then four months became three, two, then one, and suddenly it was only a couple of weeks before his work permit expired.

He sat up in bed beside her one night, breathless from the fray, and said, "Oh, baby, I'm going to miss you when I'm gone."