That left his right arm and hand free so that he could stroke her back.She lay there acquiescent but rigid."Relax, Sharon, and enjoy," he whispered.No...response so he continued to stroke her upper back and shoulders marvelling at the smoothness of her skin. There wasn't a blemish that he could feel.He kept his hand above her waist and resisted moving it anywhere near her breast. He stopped the stroking and gently combed her back with his finger-nails. She sighed and he resumed the soft stroking.. With a new understanding of the situation, James slowly removed the sexual energy from around Claire's soul, pulling on and unraveling the string that ensnared her, just as he had done to himself.The magic James now pulled from the husk was much weaker than the power he'd unlocked within his own soul, so it was easy enough to contain. But the added pressure of knowing one misstep could kill Claire added a healthy amount of caution to the process. Soon enough though, James had exposed the. This wasn’t unusual, our kids rarely surfaced before midday on a Saturday. I had no idea what the time was, I didn’t want to reach for my phone. I didn’t want to disturb Pete but I also didn’t want him to wake and think I was messaging Liam. Had he meant what he said last night? Or was it just passion talking? Was last night all a final hurrah to twenty-one years of marriage and twenty-five years together?Twenty-five happy years together and we still loved each other, we still liked each other,. ’ A kiss on her left cheek, soft as a whisper, soft as his voice. It only sharpened the sting of wanting and not having. He pulled away but the challenge in his eyes was clear. I’m here, take what you want. Wasn’t moving here all about a fresh start, being open to the possibilities and not so overly cautious? Fear rarely stops me from trying something. She cupped his jaw between her palms, guiding his head down to hers. She fully intended to go for a no-holes-barred kiss, until their eyes.