Faith reluctantly did as she suggested, murmuring to Mandi as the two of them settled in for the night, and then turned off the light.
Charity turned to Ross. His arm slid around her. "Sorry," she whispered.
His arm tightened. "Me, too."
She lifted her face and his lips found hers, pressing softly for a moment in a gesture that filled her with emotion. He let her go, and she slipped out of bed and went into the bathroom to prepare for the night. When she got back, dressed in her nightgown, it looked as though everyone else were sound asleep. She slid under the covers, turning away from Ross. It had been an exhausting day. If she was going to get any sleep at all, she was going to have to pretend he wasn't there. In moments she was asleep.
But Ross wasn't. Lying very still, he watched her long into the night. Moonlight played across her face, spinning gold into her hair. She was lovely, and he couldn't get enough of her. And that very fact was beginning to worry him.
When Charity woke up in the morning, the first thing she saw was Ross, leaning on his elbow, watching her. She smiled and lifted her arms to him. When he bent close, she kissed him and sighed.
"Good morning," he said huskily. His voice didn't seem to work quite right, and he attributed it to early morning rustiness.
"Good morning." She snuggled up closer to him, pull ing away covers where they got in the way of direct con tact. "What a lovely way to wake up."
He traced her smile with his finger. "I agree."
His body was smooth and warm, and she sighed, press ing her cheek to his bare chest. Don't analyze, she told herself. Don't think about next week or even tomorrow. Just live for the moment. Live for what we've got.
"Charity," he was saying softly, his face in her hair. "You smell like a spring meadow." He'd never said things like that to women before. In fact, just a few days before he probably would have laughed at the corniness of that line. Maybe that was what made the difference, because with Charity, it no longer was a line.
"You feel like a hot fudge sundae," she said, her eyes half closed.
He stiffened, then chuckled softly. "Gee, thanks."
"Want to know why?" She took his grunt as assent. "Cool and smooth and delicious," she explained, run ning a hand over his shoulder, "and at the same time-" her hand lingered over his heart and she looked up at him from under her lashes. "-hot and bad for me."