Witchcraft

taking her completely. The elemental power of his lovemaking captured her, binding her to him in the most primitive of ways. Kimberly clung, her nails leaving small marks of passion in his shoulders, her legs wrapped tightly around his driving thighs. And then came the moment when her head tipped back over his arm and her body shuddered delicately beneath him. Kimberly was vaguely aware of Cavenaugh calling out her name and heard his fierce demand.
    "Tell me again, Kim. Say you love me."
    "I love you, Cavenaugh . I love you-" Then the words were cut off as he poured the essence of himself deeply into her body. The long moment of violent, male release drained both of them. It was a long while before Cavenaugh stirred and slowly uncoupled himself from her warmth. Kimberly turned into him, seeking shelter and comfort and empathy. "Did you mean it, Kim?" he asked finally, his hands moving through the tangled mass of her hair. "I love you, Cavenaugh ." He muttered something she couldn't understand and folded her more tightly against him. "Remember that, sweetheart."
    "How could I forget?"
    "Kim, I have to be certain you know what you're saying," he said after a moment. "Do you understand? I want to be sure you know exactly how you feel. I want you to be completely free to love me."
    "Don't worry. I'll give up Josh Valerian. It will be hard on the poor man but I expect he'll survive."
    "Honey, I'm not joking."
    Cavenaugh lifted her chin up so that he could study her face. His own was harsh and unreadable. "I don't want there to be any barriers between us." Kimberly's mouth curved with love. "Stop worrying, Cavenaugh . I know what I'm doing. You're so good at reading my mind occasionally, can't you read it tonight?"
    "I'm not sure." His eyes were hooded and brooding in the darkness. "Kim, the day after tomorrow I want to take you into San Francisco with me. We'll spend the night there." Kimberly glowed. "A little time to ourselves?"
    "There's some business we have to handle but then, yes; we'll have the night to ourselves." He hesitated and then asked carefully. "Would you like that?"
    "Very much." A sigh escaped him. "Go to sleep, Kim. You've had a hell of a night." She nestled closer and allowed herself to drift comfortably off into oblivion. The last thought on her mind before she fell into a surprisingly dreamless sleep was that Cavenaugh hadn't told her he loved her. He was saving that for San Francisco, she decided. At dawn Kimberly awoke to find herself deeply enmeshed in Cavenaugh's embrace. She lay quietly for a time, thinking about the night. "Are you awake, sweetheart?" he murmured into her hair. '. Cavenaugh , I've been thinking about something."
    "Not always a good sign in a woman." She pinched his hip and he growled, nipping her shoulder in sensuous retaliation. "I'm serious. There's something we didn't talk about last night." It seemed to Kimberly that he stiffened slightly at her words.
    "What didn't we discuss?"
    "Well, the whole point of your alarm system along the rock wall is to keep int ruders out."
    "True."
    "The only alarm you got last night was the one I set off when I ran toward the winery building."
    "Uh-huh."
    "But the character in the robes who was chasing me was already inside the grounds. In fact, he was inside the garden, near the patio. How did he get there without tripping the alarm when he arrived?"
    "That," Cavenaugh muttered, "is a little matter I've been lying awake thinking about for the past hour."
    "Did he slip in when the invited guests arrived?"
    "I don't see how. Starke was monitoring everyone's arrival through the gates and Julia greeted everyone at the door. After the last guest arrived the gates were locked. Starke is very thorough about these things." Starke. The strange man who shared Cavenaugh's past. Kimberly shivered. But she was afraid to bring up any possible suspicions. Cavenaugh and Starke apparently went back a long way together. Cavenaugh would not thank her for voicing any doubts about his friend. Besides, Kimberly thought, dismissing her momentary questions, she had no reason to doubt Starke in the first place. His loyalty to Cavenaugh had been proven in the past. "What are you thinking about, Kim?"
    "Loyalty," she answered truthfully. "A difficult concept to deal with at five o'clock in the morning."
    "Are you sleepy?" "Want to get up?" He smiled. "Want to tell me you love me again?"
    "How about if I show you?"
    "I'm at your mercy."
    "I've always had this thing for