I mean..." Listen," she said reasonably. "If he starts to get out of line I have asimple plan to avoid trouble. So why don't you just relax and enjo... theevening?" I..." He thrust out his lower lip. "I'll try." Good boy. Oh, and I need you to run out and pick up some snacks and acouple bottles. There's a list on the kitchen table. You should goright away, unless you want Kurt to get here and find me alone." No!" he blurted. "I'll leave now." That's my big man. I'll see you when you get. How certain things turn me. Nate, I do like the idea of i****t.” Her breath had gotten feathery. Was she getting turned on?“What kind?” I asked.“Nate,” Abby said. “There’s something you should know. Over the years, I’ve used a word, kind of like a safe word, for when I play this game. You say the word ‘consent’, and if I say it back, it means no matter what I say, I’m into it. I know it’s confusing—”I cut her off. “It’s not. I remember it with Steven. I get it. Consent?”“Consent,” Abby. As she looked through the crowd of passengers disembarking, she felt someone watching her. She saw him, standing off to the side, smiling. She ran to him where he swept her up in his strong arms and hugged her tightly. Their lips embraced and they kissed like lovers who hadn’t seen each other in a long time. She led him to her car and were soon off to her place, talking, smiling, and wanting. She was soon unlocking her front door in a matter of minutes. As soon as she had, he pulled her close. He had the most sincere wish that he could burry himself right along with her. For a long moment he couldn’t breathe through the pain in his chest. Would that pain always be there when he thought of her? A memory of her smiling and happy flashed through his mind. How her raven’s dark hair shone in the light, how her eyes sparkled as she beat him in a fair fight. With a sad shake of his head he turned to the cottage and waited. Maggie came out a few moments later and nodded. Cien dropped his.