She thought that at most she would spend a half hour or so taking care of the cats and it had already taken more than that. Still determined to make i... to the party, she left Ralph’s room long enough to put the wash load into one of the dryers, then returned.Leah spent a few more minutes poking at the water bowl with the broom, getting even more frustrated by the fact that Ralph insisted on getting in her way by rubbing against the bars right next to her. At last she became annoyed enough to. Her hands were soft and dainty, with long, elegantly tapered fingers and graceful oval nails. Aidan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He had never been so turned on by a woman’s hands in his life. ‘This is lovely,’ he said to distract himself from the knot of desire forming in the pit of his belly. He let the tip of his much larger finger stroke the pink stone in the center of the silver setting. ‘It…it’s my high school ring,’ she said quietly, sitting perfectly still as he continued his. ”“Oh.” Anne blushed and tucked the card into her purse.Max turned to Emily and raised an eyebrow. As they’d been picking out a TV, he’d asked why Nick hadn’t just taken Anne in at the loft and Emily had laughed until tears ran down her cheeks. Now he understood. If Anne was blushing already, she wouldn’t have lasted long on Lafayette Street.Anne turned to start cooking. “So, are you Emily’s boyfriend?”“No, but he’s apparently been considering marrying me.” called Emily.“I said I’ve been. – ahh – Paul.”“You’ll like this park. It’s toyland, compared to Norfolk. But don’t swing for the fences. Just try to stay relaxed, get used to the pitchers in this league.”I smiled. “Yeah, I hear they’re pretty good.”“There’s a real difference, Marty. There’s a lotta awfully good arms up here. And they’re smarter, too. More experienced, stronger, and wicked smart. They can make even the best hitter look like a monkey sometimes.”“I’ll stay awake, Paul. I’ll keep within myself. Wait for my.