“ Will you stay the night ?” she invited , already reaching for the door latch .
“ I would be honored ,” he replied .
She stood before him without embarrassment or fear and calmly removed her clothing . He stood patiently , admiring her in the candle ’ s glow . She slid naked into the feather bed and he quickly blew out the candles , removed his clothing and slid into bed beside her . Everything seemed to move so slowly . Each meandering caress , each furtive whisper of passion . His kisses were gentle yet insistent and she sensed his rising ardor . His hands moved delicately over every part of her leaving nothing unexplored , nothing unattended . With a sudden gasp , she was startled as , at the moment of his entry , he bit her shoulder and burrowed tightly up against her . But the sensation of the bite was immediately lost in the shearing away of all else . The walls seemed to shimmer and disappear . The blankets and bedding seemed to fall away . It seemed that they floated , interlocked , intertwined into each other . There was nothing else ; there could be nothing else but their passion . It was a feeling as none she had ever known , and weakened by it all ; when it was over , she slept deeply . When she awoke , she was alone , with only the lingering pain of his bite to prove it had not been a dream .
She passed through the next day as if in a cloud . By day ’ s end , she had nearly convinced herself that it had not happened . Until the moment when the door once more opened and the cold evening wind swirled . They sat and talked as before , the evening disappeared , and the stairway to passion beckoned . It was as before only more intense , because now there were expectations brought on by
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