A Will and a Way

and perhaps tomorrow. It had to be enough. Everything she felt, wanted, feared, went into the kiss.
    It left him reeling. She was often passionate, wildly so. She was often demanding, erotically so. But he’d never felt such pure emotion from her. There was a softness under the strength, a request under the urgency. He drew her closer, more gently than was his habit, and let her take what she wanted.
    Her head tilted back, inviting, luring. His grip tightened. His fingers wound into her hair and were lost in the richness of it. He felt the need catapult through his body so that he was tense against her sudden, unexpected yielding. She never submitted, and until that moment he hadn’t known how stirring it could be to have her do so. Without a thought to time and place, they lowered to the sofa.
    Because she was pliant, he was tender. Because he was gentle, she was patient. In a way they’d never experienced, they made love without rush, without fire, without the whirlwind. Thoroughly, they gave to each other. A touch, a taste, a murmured request, a whispered answer. The fire sizzled gently behind them as night fell outside the windows. Fingers brushed, lips skimmedso that they learned the power of quiet arousal. Though they’d been lovers for weeks, they brought love to passion for the first time.
    The room was quiet, the light dim. If she’d never looked for romance, it found her there, wrapped easily in Michael’s arms. Closer they came, but comfortably. Deeper they dived, but lazily. As they came together, Pandora felt her firm line of independence crack to let him in. But the weakness she’d expected didn’t follow. Only contentment.
    It was contentment that followed her into that quick and final burst of pleasure.
    They were still wrapped together, half dozing, when the phone rang. With a murmur of complaint, Michael reached over his head to the table and lifted the receiver.
    “Hello.”
    “Michael Donahue, please.”
    “Yeah, this is Michael.”
    “Michael, it’s Penny.”
    He rubbed a hand over his eyes as he tried to put a face with the name. Penny—the little blonde in the apartment next to his. Wanted to be a model. He remembered vaguely leaving her the number of the Folley in case something important was delivered to his apartment. “Hi.” He watched Pandora’s eyes flutter open.
    “Michael, I hate to do this, but I had to call. I’ve already phoned the police. They’re on their way.”
    “Police?” He struggled into a half-sitting position. “What’s going on?”
    “You’ve been robbed.”
    “What?” He sat bolt upright, nearly dumping Pandora on the floor. “When?”
    “I’m not sure. I got home a few minutes ago and noticed your door wasn’t closed all the way. I thought maybe you’d come back so I knocked. Anyway, I pushed the door open a bit. The place was turned upside down. I came right over here and called the cops. They asked me to contact you and told me not to go back over.”
    “Thanks.” Dozens of questions ran through his mind but there was no one to answer them. “Look, I’ll try to come in tonight.”
    “Okay. Hey, Michael, I’m really sorry.”
    “Yeah. I’ll see you.”
    “Michael?” Pandora grabbed his hand as soon as he hung up the receiver.
    “Somebody broke into my apartment.”
    “Oh no.” She’d known the peace couldn’t last. “Do you think it was—”
    “I don’t know.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “Maybe. Or maybe it was someone who noticed no one had been home for a while.”
    She felt the anger in him but knew she couldn’t soothe it. “You’ve got to go.”
    Nodding, he took her hand. “Come with me.”
    “Michael, one of us has to be here with Sweeney and Charles.”
    “I’m not leaving you alone.”
    “You have to go,” she repeated. “If it was one of the family, maybe you can find something to prove it. In any case, you have to see to this. I’ll be fine.”
    “Just like the last time I was away.”
    Pandora lifted a brow. “I’m not incompetent, Michael.”
    “But you’ll be alone.”
    “I have Bruno. Don’t give me that look,” she ordered. “He may not be ferocious, but he certainly knows how to bark. I’ll lock every door and window.”
    He shook his head. “Not good enough.”
    “All right, we’ll call the local police. They have Fitzhugh’s report about trespassers. We’ll explain that I’m going to be alone for the night and ask them to keep an eye on the