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Free Island Romance Novels
"Island Recess" by
Sonora Rayne
Heat
Scale: 3 of 5.
(Adult Language And
Situations)
Chapter 1.
Chapter 2.
Chapter 3.
Chapter 4,
Chapter 5,
Chapter 6.
Chapter 7.
Chapter. 8
Chapter.
9.
Chapter 10,
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter
13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter
17
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British Virgin Islands Romance Novels, Island romance stories
with a tropical and sailing theme free to read.
Island Recess, Chapter 13.
The light turned to green, and Neil turned his attention once more to the road
ahead. The expression in his eyes was soft, and touched with gentle affection.
He continued, the almost unbearable intensity of his earlier near-confession
suddenly altered to his familiar teasing levity.
“Okay, you wanted to know what you should do. I may be able to help with a plan
for a fresh start, but that comes later. What we’re going to do now is this: I’m
going to treat you to a night in a hideously over-priced hotel with wining and
dining and love-making. In the morning, we’ll book you on an outbound flight, if
that’s what you decide to do. Of course we’ll just see if you can stay away from
me after tonight.” Though he was smiling as Helena pulled back to look at him,
there was a wistful look in his eyes.
“I’m not even packed. All my things are at Ben’s or on the boat, but that sounds
so wonderful,” Helena breathed softly.
“It’ll be okay, Helena. I can box up your clothes and send them snail-mail to
your mom‘s place. You will be staying there, won’t you? I mean, you won’t go
back to your own place, will you? It might not be safe for you to be alone.”
“No, I think my mom’s is a good place to be. I won’t really feel like being by
myself after all this.” Helena’s hands spread wide to indicate the breadth of
her distress. Neil nodded with satisfaction and slipped an arm around her hip,
pulling her against his side for a quick kiss. As they drove toward Great Cruz
Bay Beach, Helena leaned her head against the headrest, gazing out her side
window at the dizzying movement of others’ living and loving in the
mid-afternoon sun. In the bright light, even the pavement seemed bleached and
sandy, an extension of the beach ribboning the expanse of ocean. The well-known
five-star hotel, as they viewed it from a distance, seemed massive and bulky in
contrast to the smaller buildings that seemed typical of the island. Approaching
the imposing entrance and the valet-parking station they joked about having to
hand over the keys to Neil’s battered truck. The immaculately groomed attendant
helped Helena from the vehicle, and hopped in the driver’s seat without batting
an eye, despite the fact that he typically handled only the most luxurious
imports and custom jobs.
Stepping into the air-conditioned lobby, Helena felt suddenly chilled, her skin
cold and clammy with the abrupt change in temperature. While Neil made discreet
arrangements for their accommodation, Helena glanced idly about the lobby,
marveling as she always did at the sheer number of people who seemed in the
habit of surrounding themselves with luxury. She glanced ruefully at her
wrinkled cotton shorts and tank top, then back at Neil, about to make a
whispered comment on the contrast between their apparel and that of the other
guests.
“Do you want to put your documents in the hotel safe?” he asked, interrupting
her fashion commentary with a significant look. Helena rooted about in her
oversize shoulder bag for the envelope and slid it across the desk to the hotel
clerk. With a sudden twinge of foreboding, she found herself heartily regretting
that the copies they had planned to distribute had yet to be made. Tomorrow,
first thing, they would stop at the copy shop, she promised herself.
Turning her attention to Neil, she noticed with a start that he was counting off
bills from a large wad and handing them to the desk clerk. There had to be four
or five hundred dollars in cash passing between the offering and receiving
hands. Helena shook her head, as if to silence the warning bells that tinkled in
the back of her mind. Firmly, she told herself: one more night and then … She
didn’t have a chance to continue her reverie, as Neil took her hand and pulled
her to him, whispering a graphic invitation in her ear, and then patting her
bottom in a manner that caused two passer-bys to look the pair of them up and
down with a definite sneer of disapproval. Helena smiled back coolly as she
returned the pat with a smack of her own that resounded like gunshot through the
chilly lobby.
Their suite was located on the beachfront, with sliding doors and a wide balcony
opening out onto a sweeping view of the ocean. Helena gasped as she drew apart
the long, heavy curtains. The late afternoon light was softening into the pale
blush that precedes the setting sun. Standing at the window, marveling at the
sunlight dipping into the foamy toss of the surf, Helena felt Neil’s arms about
her waist, and his mouth at the nape of her neck. His voice, breathing her name,
was husky as he took her hand and spun her around to face him. Grasping both her
hands in his, he gently kissed her upturned hands before leading her to an
enormous bed topped by a scatter of plush pillows. Easing her onto the bed, he
lowered himself gently over her, caressing her exposed skin with his mouth and
hands until Helena was panting her desire against his ear. His fingers moved
deftly over her, unbuttoning, unzipping, and pulling away clothing, until she
lay beneath him, tanned skin tawny against the pristine white of the sheets. He
paused a moment, gazing openly at her nude form, and then began a slow tracing
of the contour of her hip and belly. Before his hand found its goal, Helena had
sunk her fingers into the glossy strands of his hair, and pulled his mouth
against hers, exploring with a wanton tongue. Then, with the grace of a dancer,
she moved against him, thighs wrapping his, and rolling with him until she
straddled his hips and enveloped the length of him with a fluid tilt of her
hips. Moving first slowly, then with increasing urgency, she thrust against him,
reveling in the naked desire in his eyes as he pulled her toward him. Neil’s
arms were tight around her bottom, and hers around his neck, as he lifted her
from the bed and carried her toward the doors opening onto the deck. The long,
heavy curtains swayed gently with the soft breeze, and the early-evening air was
warm against their damp skin as he stepped with her onto the balcony. Neil
braced Helena’s back lightly against the door-frame. Hands grasping the metal
frame, Helena gasped and arched her back as Neil thrust into her with long,
hungry strokes. He collapsed against her with a moan, momentarily losing his
grip on Helena’s bottom so that she slid slowly to standing. Skin glistening ,
suffused with sex-flush, he slipped his arms around her, grazing his damp lips
against the side of her neck. Helena groaned, reaching up to tighten her arms
around his neck, as his hands cupped and stroked her buttocks. Then, his hands
were sliding over her shoulders, the jut of her breasts and the line of her
waist before reaching around to grasp her about the knees. His mouth followed
the path his hands had taken, then paused, lips opening, and tongue seeking
until it slipped between the juncture of Helena’s thighs. Hands tight against
Neil’s ears, Helena sunk into the rapturous caress of his mouth. Silhouetted
against the open window, Helena’s body tilted against the door frame as she
wrapped her calf around Neil’s kneeling form. With a cry, she climaxed, her body
tightening, then relaxing as the spasms subsided. Neil’s arms were again around
her waist as they walked slowly across the room to the bed, bumping hips as they
strove to tighten their grip on one another. Helena yawned sleepily as she
raised a knee to crawl onto the wide bed, assisted by a wide hand on the curve
of her bottom.
Neil smiled at her, “Why don’t you have a little nap and make sure you’re rested
up for later?” He winked suggestively.
Collapsing against the disarrayed bed linens, Helena stretched luxuriously and
nodded. “Mmm…” she murmured as she nestled her cheek against the pillow. “Join
me?”
“For a few minutes,” he replied. “Then I have a little errand to run. I won’t be
long. I’ll be back to wake you up soon.”
Helena pulled the sheet up over the swell of her breasts, and smiled up at Neil
as he bent over to kiss her on the forehead. He drew back the sheet and slid in
alongside her, nestling against her until they lay like spoons in a drawer. As
Neil stroked her hair and cradled her against him, Helena felt her eyes drift
closed and was soon fast asleep.
She woke up alone. Stretching and yawning in the big, empty bed, Helena gazed
about her. She soon caught sight of a slip of paper on the pillow beside her.
I’ve got the key so don’t open the door to anyone, ok? I‘ll be back within the
hour. I miss you already and I haven’t even left the room yet! Back soon - Love,
Neil
Helena hugged herself with pleasure. “Love” he had said. “Love!” Helena grinned
to herself and hummed softly as she slipped lazily from the bed and padded
leisurely toward the bathroom. The ensuite was huge and well-furbished. Casting
her eye over a selection of pretty little bottles, Helena chose one, uncapped it
and sniffed the fragrance. “Yum!” she exclaimed, before reaching down to the big
faucets of the deep soaker tub and turning on the flow of warm water. The
bathroom soon felt like a jungle with the heat from the bath water, and the
fragrance of coconut and pineapple bath gel cast Helena’s mind back to the beach
where she had first caught sight of Neil. To think that only a month ago, she
had felt little other than contempt for the man who now had her in such a state
of anticipation. As she lowered herself into the warm, scented water, Helena
allowed her mind to wander freely. Resting her head against a rolled up towel,
Helena idly swished about the bath water, pondering the many directions their
night together could take. Perhaps Neil would return while she was still in the
tub, and they could make love until the water cooled and they were wrinkled like
prunes. Maybe they could stroll hand-in-hand along the beach and then, on a
deserted stretch, re-enact that famous scene from the movie From Here to
Eternity until sand had collected in all their most sensitive regions. Helena
smiled wryly. Maybe life wasn’t exactly like the movies, but it seemed like
there might still be a few good leading men left to take a casting call. Waving
her toes in the direction of the hot water tap, Helena made a vain attempt to
warm the cooling water. Sighing, she sat up and leaned forward, and then thought
better of the gesture. Her fingertips were wrinkled enough to tell her she‘d
soaked sufficiently. Rising to her feet, Helena brushed off the stray soap
bubbles and squinted into the other room as she tried to catch a glimpse of the
clock radio. Nearly eight! Or so it appeared, through her slightly myopic gaze
and the fog in the bathroom. Toweling herself off with brisk movements, Helena
realized suddenly that she was famished. Deciding that room service, her treat,
would be a start to evening the score between her and Neil, Helena draped her
towel on the rack and moved quickly to the bedside telephone table. Extracting
the plush leather-bound room service menu from beside the phone, Helena quickly
scanned the pages and began mentally composing the ingredients of a light
supper. Then, she picked up the telephone, made the appropriate connection and
began dictating her selection.
“Mmm, yes. Everything looks so delicious! I think we’d like to start with the
pastry-wrapped brie with raspberries, then the salad of mixed greens, the
chicken crepes with asparagus and mushrooms, and to finish…the white chocolate
mousse with dark chocolate sauce.”
Helena smiled as she gave the dessert order, conscious of her plans for the
rich, creamy mousse and its accompanying side of smooth chocolate syrup.
Repeating her room number, she replaced the receiver. Half closing her eyes in
rapture, Helena leaned back against the bed, ruffling the damp hair at the nape
of her neck. Then, propping herself on her elbow, she checked the time on the
bedside alarm. Eight-twenty. Only a matter of minutes before dessert arrives,
she thought, expressing her motives in the form of a lascivious chuckle. She
flopped back on the bed, stretching languidly. Her hand found the curve of her
belly and stroked it absent-mindedly, her fingers taking a leisurely path
downward, as she allowed herself to again wander into the world of fantasy.
“A very pretty picture.”
Helena bolted upright, hand flying to her mouth as a familiar voice came at her
from across the room. Heart thudding painfully in her ears, she scarcely dared
breathe his name.
“Karl.” The name was the merest whisper on her lips.
“And I must say your choice of cuisine has improved considerably. I’m afraid I
can’t say the same for your choice of dinner companions, but still, it seems you
learned something from our time together, after all.”
From a darkened corner of the room, a figure emerged into the light. A
fine-featured, elegantly slender man inclined his head as he spoke. His ivory
silk shirt tapered at the waist and tucked into slim linen trousers. Spotless,
white-soled deck shoes housed tanned bare feet. A slow, ironic smile touched his
thin lips, as he opened his arms as if to embrace Helena’s cowering form.
Shaking her head as if to erase the image before her, Helena suddenly froze,
then grabbed for the bedclothes, pulling them toward her in a futile attempt to
conceal her nakedness. Her hair, still damp from the bath, fell in curls over
her eyes, momentarily masking Karl’s approach.
“I must say Helena, that I would have expected a great deal more of you than a
tacky little fling with a local tradesman.”
He gave her a look of appraisal that bordered on the affectionate.
“Still,” he continued, “I shouldn’t like to hold that against you. As we are
both aware, I have had my share of faults in the past and I am now quite
prepared to overlook yours. You see, you may not think that I need you, but
truly I do.”
The gaze that Helena maintained through her fringe of wet curls underwent a
transformation from horror to distain. For the first time since Karl’s
appearance, Helena spoke.
“How the hell did you get in here? Get out!’’
“Ah, but my dear Helena, we are both aware of the things that money can buy.
Amazing what a hundred dollars can still buy in this day and age.” He shook his
head as if in great bewilderment and chuckled ironically to himself.
“Karl, I don’t know what you want from me, but I want you to leave, and I want
you to do it now. If you don’t, I’m calling the police.” Helena’s face was hard
as she reached her hand toward the bedside telephone.
Karl laughed softly at her words, the merest suggestion of a mocking smile
flashing over his face.
“Helena, if you were going to call the police, you would have done so by now.
And honestly, the police really haven’t helped you much, have they? Besides, you
aren’t a foot away from the phone, and you haven’t even screamed yet. Please,
let’s be reasonable. Let’s sit down and talk. I’m ready to do that, just as long
as you are ready to accompany me home at the end of the evening.”
“No.” Her words made a dull echo in her ears. Karl laughed and shook his head.
Then he assumed a look of mock concern and the words he uttered were tinged with
sarcasm.
“Oh dear, are you worried about your young man making an untimely appearance?
Please don’t. My employees will ensure he does not make it beyond the lobby.
Believe me, Helena, our little chat will take place without interruption.”
Helena sat bolt upright, her heart beating a painful tattoo. Shock registered
plainly on her face and she found her tongue thick in her mouth.
“No.” The word passed her lips as a whimper, and Karl’s smile was smug.
“And I almost forgot. Whether or not your little friend makes it through the
afternoon in one piece depends entirely on your actions. It’s up to you, Helena.
Your choice.”
A hand brushed her shoulder, and the bed dipped under his weight as Karl seated
himself beside Helena. Like an animal, she cowered back, putting distance
between them.
Karl laughed as he slid back a few inches and turned to face her.
“So that’s how it’s going to be, is it? Fine, then. Cover yourself up. I don’t
need any distractions at the present time.”
Helena gathered the bedspread from where it had fallen to the floor and wrapped
it tightly around her, drawing the softly quilt fabric against her skin as if it
could shield her from the scene unfolding around her. Like a marionette, she saw
the strings being pulled, and knew she had no choice but to follow along.
Numbly, she watched Karl’s mouth working, and watched her new life unraveling
with no power to stop it. Neil. Neil.
Karl was leaning back on one hand, the other gesturing theatrically as he spoke.
Occasionally he reached toward Helena, and then laughed as each time she pulled
away.
“Helena, dear Helena, you must understand now how much I need you. Just look to
what lengths I’ve gone to find you and bring you home. With all the work I’ve
gone to, I’m sure you understand that you have a certain responsibility to me.”
Pulling the bedclothes more tightly around her naked shoulders, Helena attempted
to draw herself up until she was sitting ramrod-straight. Her eyes were steely
as spoke in measured tones. While rage coursed through her like a forest fire
she had seen first-hand Karl’s violent temper and was terrified of provoking it
while Neil’s very life could hang in the balance. She needed to defuse the
situation, but every word she spoke would be a gamble.
“Karl, you might think you need me, but you don’t. You already have other women
for sex, and with your money and charm I’m sure you can buy whatever else you
require. I don’t belong in your world, and you most certainly do not belong in
mine.”
Breathing rapidly, Helena watched Karl with eyes betraying her anxiety,
attempting to gauge the impact of her words.
Karl’s face suffused with color and his eyes glittered sharply as he resumed
speaking.
“Helena, there are many, many things you do not know or understand about the
life I lead. Come now, you know what we shared. We were happy together and with
a little growing up on your part, we still can be. All we have to do is forget
the past and move forward with a full and adult understanding.”
Unable to reign in her emotions, Helena heard herself starting to plead.
“Please. I’m happy now. I can’t go back and even if I could, I’d be no good for
you. The love I felt for you is gone.”
Karl, for a moment, looked incredulous, and then began to shake his head. He
chuckled to himself as if appreciating a private joke.
“I see. I see. What you don’t see, Helena, is that this is not about love. True,
I do hold a certain affection for you, but I haven’t followed you here because
I’m in love with you.”
Helena’s heart was thudding painfully against her ribs. One question repeated
over and over inside her skull until it pounded. Holding her hands to her head,
Helena whispered one word.
“Why?”
“It’s business, my dear! What you are to me, Helena, in addition to being a
rather pretty girl, is the perfect cover. A very naïve and quite unsophisticated
schoolteacher is hardly likely to be the wife of someone who, shall we say,
lives below the radar? Your child-like innocence lends to my business dealings a
certain legitimacy that is something my money just cannot buy.”
The breath caught in Helena’s throat, her thoughts spinning beyond her control.
A wave of nausea swept over her as she realized everything had been a lie.
Everything.
A dizzying confusion swept over her, the soothing tone of Karl’s voice playing
havoc with the hurt she had nursed over the past few months. She wanted to run,
to hide, to disappear, but it seemed Karl would always be there, ready once more
to hold her hostage.
Through the tangle of her thoughts, she was vaguely aware of hands on her bare
shoulders, kneading and stroking the skin. Old hurts, rising viciously to the
surface of her consciousness, were temporarily anaesthetized by the comfort of
touch and the hypnotically soothing voice. Her throat was tight, tears were at
her eyes, and a sob of frustration caught in her chest. She made a weak movement
as if to push him from her and the bedspread slipped from her shoulders and fell
to her waist. Seizing the moment, Karl leaned forward, scooping her naked body
into his arms and silencing her struggling protestations with the front of his
silk shirt. At that moment, there were sounds of scuffling in the corridor, and
the door swung open.
Karl looked up with an alarm that quickly turned to anger.
“What the fuck?” he hissed, as into the room came two burly men, half-dragging a
third between them. The first of the two men, she had already met, when he
delivered Karl’s message to her in the restaurant. Helena’s gasp was involuntary
and he glanced at her with a contemptuous sneer.
As their prisoner held up his head and gazed in their direction, Helena locked
eyes with Neil. One side of his face was deeply bruised, and a deep gash to his
cheek looked pulpy and raw. His eyes were wide and filled with hurt and
confusion. Forcing herself from Karl’s grasp, Helena pulled the wrapper around
her body and struggled to her feet. Karl pushed her roughly back, stabbing a
finger toward her cowering form and snarling, “Don’t you fucking move.”
Advancing toward the men, Karl spoke in low, measured tones.
“You were supposed to take care of him. You are disobeying my instructions.”
Swallowing audibly, the larger of the two men spoke.
“Sorry, Mr. Pennington, but there’s something you gotta know. We were, uh,
trying to keep him quiet, and when we were tying his hands we saw this.”
He grabbed Neil by the wrist, twisting his arm at a painful angle and pulling it
forward for Karl’s inspection.
Karl peered, frowning, at the small tattoo inside Neil’s wrist. His brow
furrowed, his look of annoyance turning to one of confusion.
“So?” he queried, feigning casualness.
“Sir, don’t you know what that means?”
Karl’s expression was self-consciously blank and he waited with obvious
impatience for his employee to continue.
“This tattoo marks the employees of the Scarpelli family.”
Through swollen and bloodied lips, Neil finally spoke. His words were low and
harsh.
“Spent time in New York, Karl? Heard of the Scarpelli family? Yeah? Well, I work
for them and they’re no friend of yours, or the Reyes. Scarpelli Sr.’s phone
number is programmed into my speed dial if you’d like to chat with him. ”
Neil’s captor loosened his grip a notch, and his partner rubbed his forehead,
transparent with worry. Karl’s face blanched slightly and he nodded slowly,
dawning understanding twisting his face into an ugly mask. For a few moments, he
was speechless.
Helena spoke up into the silence, her own confusion masked by a false show of
bravado. Karl’s obvious nervousness suddenly gave her the upper hand.
“Karl, do you really want to take on the Scarpelli family? You’re a pretty small
fish without the Reyes behind you.”
Karl paused, considering. A shadow passed over his face at the mention of the
Reyes family, and vanished. Then, as Karl had always done, he found and played
his trump card.
“The problem, Mr. Streep, is that I have done nothing wrong. I came looking for
my fiancé, found her, and am taking her home. As you could clearly see when you
and my employees burst in on us, we were in the middle of a rather tender
moment.”
Karl smiled back at Helena, triumph playing at the corner of his lips. He
extended a hand in her direction and she rose slowly from the bed, moving
forward to take her place at his side. Then, with one hand lightly raised to his
shoulder, Helena made an abrupt gesture with her knee that caused Karl to gasp
and crumple like a cast-off marionette.
“For God’s sake, Neil, he bought his way in here. Nothing is going on!”
Karl, half-kneeling at the floor, grasped to regain control of the situation.
With a pained smile, he gasped, “Didn’t look like ‘nothing’ a minute ago, did
it? She opened the door to me, you fucking half-wit!”
. Helena shook her head violently, the look of distain on her face so vehement
that the question was answered without a word being spoken.
Karl licked his lips. A look of defeat crossed his face and then settled there.
Suddenly, he looked much older than his thirty-six years.
Sensing the shift in power, Neil’s captors simultaneously released their grip
and took a few steps back. Karl’s mouth twisted as he struggled back to a
standing position. He looked from Helena to Neil and finally spoke.
“What do you want from me?”
Neil nodded, a smile playing about his lips. He cleared his throat, and his
voice gathered strength.
“Well, Karl Pennington, if that’s really your name, what I want if for you to
make a choice. Choice number one is you get on the next plane out of here and
never contact Helena again. Choice number two is you do anything other than
choice number one and I call Mr. Scarpelli and get you fitted for a pair of
cement shoes.”
With these words, Karl’s employees looked to each other, nodded, and backed up
out of the room.
Karl’s face was pale as Neil took a step toward him. Grabbing Karl by the
collars of his ivory silk shirt, he spun him around and wrapped a muscular
forearm around his throat. From where she stood, Helena could hear Karl struggle
to draw a breath. Helena gasped sharply as she saw Neil remove a black object
from the pocket of his windbreaker and press it forcefully to the base of Karl’s
skull.
“I certainly hope you don’t need any further convincing,” he murmured in a voice
heavy with threat.
Karl shook his head carefully, half-turning as Neil pocketed the object.
“Helena…” he began in a chocked voice.
“No,” said Helena simply.
“Okay, Mr. Pennington, I’m going to be the good host and escort you personally
from the premises. Remember, no trouble.”
Neil gave Karl a shove toward the door. Karl hesitated for a moment, then opened
the door and turned to Neil for direction.
Looking backward over his shoulder, Neil smiled at Helena. His eyes were tired
but sparkling with triumph. With a tremendous sigh of relief, Helena moved away
from the door and cast herself backwards on the bed. Sheer fatigue threatened to
overwhelm her, but pumping adrenaline kept her eyes on the door, counting the
minutes until Neil’s return. She wondered suddenly what had become of the meal
she had ordered. She was in the process of phoning room service when she heard
Neil softly calling her name and the door opened.
In the suddenly quiet room, they faced each other. Helena replaced the receiver
quietly, as Neil locked the deadbolt behind him. A giggle broke the silence.
Helena’s hand covered her mouth as she began to shake uncontrollably with
suppressed tears and hysterical laughter. Rising from the bed, she walked across
to Neil, and slipped her hand into his pocket. What she held was a small metal
flashlight. Waving it in his face, she choked out through her tears, “I call
your bluff, Mr. Streep.” He laughed as he caught her around the waist and pulled
her to him, planting a lingering kiss on the top of her damp head. She lifted
his fingers to his face and gingerly examined his injuries.
“It’s over now,” he whispered, wincing slightly at her touch. For Helena, who
had several quite pressing questions about Neil’s connections to the notorious
Scarpelli crime family, it was not yet over. Her lips parted as she prepared the
first of her queries. Then, she spotted something lying near to the door. Neil’s
eyes followed hers, and he chuckled wryly as he went to retrieve it.
“Sorry I took so long,” he said, pausing in his tracks to reassemble the two
halves of the box before presenting it to Helena. “It took me a while to find
what I was looking for, but it was getting jumped in the lobby by those two
thugs that really held me up.”
He made a half bow, as the box passed into her hands. She lifted the lid and
gasped as she caught sight of the heart-shaped locket and delicate gold chain
within. Sighing with pleasure as his hands fastened the slender chain about her
neck, she pushed her questions to the back of her mind and allowed his arms to
embrace her tightly. By the time the room service waiter announced his presence
with a discreet knock, they had already returned to bed.
Chapter 14
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