Once in the bathroom, she turned to face herself in the mirror. Two
crisp peaks in her shirt met her gaze, and she saw she was flushed. Hurriedly
flicking off the light she drew a drink of water and sat down, taking a deep
breath. Her fingers trembled as she drew the water to her lips to sip.
Counting to twenty, she tried to recall the meditations he had taught her.
She folded up her legs and found her center, her breath becoming normal.
Sara darted back into the bedroom and slipped under the covers next to
him, opposite Julie. He turned obligingly and she lay on his arm. This was
familiar, this was natural, she thought. Soon she drifted off to sleep.
He awoke to extreme darkness. The fire was dead, though some of its heat
remained. Concentrating, he found that he lay on his back, and felt Sara
curled up to his left, wrapped around his arm. With a mental start he realized
that the heat he felt came from Julie, who had closed the distance between them
and was now nestled with her back to him, around his other arm. Stretched but
comfortable, he relaxed, concentrating on the sensations of the room. There
was a low hiss emanating from the fireplace, almost beneath notice. The heavy
wool blanket weighed upon him reassuringly, and he felt Sara’s warm breath
dance along his upper arm. The fingers of one of her hands were laced with his.
His other hand felt a soft sponginess he couldn’t identify. He moved his
fingers gently, sliding the tips along and pressing slightly. As he searched,
a bulge formed underneath the surface of the cloth, and with another start he
identified the sensation. He was gently stroking Julie’s left nipple as his
palm cupped her heavy breast.