AN ETERNAL LOVE

And as he remained there, fixed, he heard a female voice call Adira's name from another room. Adira's head turned toward its summons. She briefly glanced toward the window again, and perhaps had a slight smile on her lips. And then she rose from the water like a goddess, and Damien felt himself burn. Rivulets streamed down her body. She gleamed in the golden light of the candles. She gleamed and shone as she delicately stepped from the tub onto the folded rug beside it. She showed no shyness as she dried herself with a small cloth. Nor should she feel shy, for she was truly magnificent to behold. Sensuality surrounded her like a halo, her every movement graceful. And he was aroused, tempted as he had never been before. His loins were on fire as he watched her. She was, at that moment, the very temptress he had been warned against.

But unwittingly she was innocent. She couldn't know he was watching. And in fact, it was he who was to blame for the fire burning in his soul right then. For he had no business peering through the woman's window. And yet it was as if he had been drawn there by some power beyond his will. And then held there by the force of her gaze.

She moved like a seductress, every inch of her body exposed to him as she turned and reached for a robe. And then she pulled it on, covering her feminine curves and her full, ripe breasts. And finally, she moved out of the room, toward the sound of her aunt, calling her name once again.

"Is she as beautiful as you thought she would be?"

Damien went rigid as the feminine voice came from behind him, and he whirled to face a small, fair woman he had never seen before. "I... that is, I was only..."

"You are the preacher, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yeah. Damien Walter, mistress." He fought to regain his control.

"Well, Damien Walter, if I thought she would mind your snooping, I would kill you right here. Lucky for you I happen to know she would not mind. Not at all."

He felt his face heating and lowered his head. "I was not snooping as you put it, mistress. My attention was drawn to her singing, and..."

door and pulled it open. "Well, come on inside. You may as well let

caught looking at Adira, and yet sensing somehow the small woman beside him held no judgment

the woman called. "You have a

from the small bedroom, then went still as she met Damien's eyes. "Oh," she

he might have heard the words of her song? His name floating from her lips with such longing? At that moment he battled the urge to sweep her into his arms, even though knowing how inappropriate that would be. They barely knew each

have met Allison," Adira said

tell me her name," Damien

care less about my name, Reverend," Allison said. "Adira, take the man out for a moonlight walk. Show him the gardens, introduce him to Onyx, for

all right. If you want to,

to walk

her hands. Moving behind her, he gently draped it over

"Th-thank you," Adira whispered.

to take them away. But he had to, or she would surely know the direction his

still wet, and as

of the cliffs. The wind gusted there, lifting her wet hair from her shoulders and snapping it like a whip. She faced the sea, staring

is my favorite place," she said. "I