And yet only he had ever accused me of being a lady. Giving in to temptation I raised my eyes to his sinewy chest, balling the silk in my hands I stro...ed his body with my eyes. He was something to behold. Alabaster skin that rippled over muscular hills surrounding the valley of the navel. A smattering of light brown hair trailing down into his breeches led to untold delights. He cleared his throat, and I caught myself staring at the ties to his breeches. I looked away only to realize I have. I could endure the hell of losing a loved one in such a humiliating way. I could endue the hell of having to live like I had. Those things paled in comparison with the thought of Jeffy believing he wasn't loved, or that he no longer had a safe place to call home. I had to stay within myself until I could give him a stable home.Suddenly, I didn't look too stupid to those same fools who had ridiculed me, instead of standing by me as friends should. I was hanging with an entirely different crowd.. She closed both the book and her eyes, desperately trying to lose that last thought before it made her cry. His left arm around her waist would occasionally move up so his hand could caress her breast while he nuzzled her neck. Once he discovered how easily aroused she became… Eliza, sitting across the room, was knitting a sweater for him, a dark russet-brown to match his hair. Aside from keeping the house in order and cooking his favorite foods from his wife’s cookbook, there was little more. But I didn't need to draw attention tomyself.The one in the baseball cap sat down next to Lyfe, brow piercing satbeside me. The try hard bearded hipster stood to the side, trying to lookimposing and not quite nailing it."Roger. Do you have that money you owe me?" Hipster asked, his grinshowing yellowed teeth."Wait. You told me your name was Lyfe," I said. The three toughs didn'tappreciate being interrupted. "Roger..." Phase," Lyfe warned warily. I appreciated that he didn't use my name.Why.