Maybe this time she'd find the strength to resist the temptation altogether. Maybe this time she'd truly believe that Larry running off with a college girl wasn't an indictment of her beautyit was an indictment of him.

She took another sip of the red wine and sighed. Just for tonight, she decided, she'd open her arms to the unlimited possibilities of her life right now, as it was. Where was the harm in that? It was permissible to let her imagination run free every once in a while, wasn't it? It was all right to let it out to play.

Even if it wanted to play with Lucio Montevez.

Ginger stretched out her legs and wiggled her toes in the moonlight. She fiddled with the hem of her skirt, feeling her fingers skitter across her thigh. It was still smooth and firm flesh, aching for a loving touch. Lucio had reminded her of that today. Melting under his caress, drowning in his kissit had flipped a switch inside her. She couldn't deny it another second. Her body was on fire for a man's attention. That man's attention.

It had been a long time since Larry had touched her with love. She couldn't even remember what it felt like. The last few years of her marriage had been confusing, hurtful, and lonely. Near the end, there wasn't a shred of devotion left in Larry's touchjust a cold, slimy guilt that he tried to cover up with words he knew Ginger longed to hear.

She held on to those words and pretended all was well for as long as possible. But she knew better, and it was a struggle to keep the truth pushed down inside her. She'd convinced herself that infidelity was something that happened to other couples, not themnot Larry and Ginger Garrison, college sweethearts, good and decent people who worked hard to build a life together and raise their sons.