A WHISPER OF ETERNIT

Page 146



"Dominic…" She moaned his name.

Groaning softly, he drew away from her and sat up. She put her hand on his arm. "What's wrong?" He shook his head, but did not look at her.
"Dominic?"

Hestood, his back to her. "I need to go." "Go?" She sat up."Where? Why?"

"You are far too tempting in far too many ways."
"And that's bad?"

His hands clenched at his sides."Right now, yes. It is difficult to separate my desire from my need. I do not trust myself to satisfy one without the other."

"But…"

"And I must feed."

Before she could say anything else, he was gone. "Dominic! Dominic, wait!"

But she was talking to the air.

Pounding her fist against the pillow, she rose and went downstairs. Stalking into the kitchen, she opened the fridge and poured herself a glass of ice water, but it didn't help. She doubted if even standing under a shower of ice water would cool her off now. Her whole body burned for his touch. How could he leave her like that?

Putting the glass in the sink, she cleared away the meal no one had eaten, put the dishes in the dishwasher, washed the pans,then went into the living room.Bryan was asleep on the sofa. Sitting in one of the chairs, she studied him while he slept. Once he had been her son.

"Mama, look at me!"

How often had Jacob called to her, wanting her to watch him? He was her only child and she loved him beyond words. He was a clever boy, always eager to learn, anxious for her approval. She had watched him grow from boyhood to manhood, proud of his accomplishments. In spite of his own grief when his father died, Jacob had tried to comfort her, though it had been Dominic in whose arms she had poured out her grief. And when the South went to war, Jacob had been eager to go, eager to fight the Yankees. She had begged him to stay home, pleading that she neededhim, that she could not run the farm without his help, but he would not be deterred…

And now he was in her life again, this time as a friend. And she felt responsible for him again. And, once