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“Yes.” I clear my throat, trying unsuccessfully to seem nonchalant. "That's all. I just thought I'd let you know that I'd remembered something. Just out of interest. So...

um... anyway. Nice to see you. Bye.“ I pick up my shopping bags with clumsy hands. My cheeks are flaming miserably as I turn to leave. This is so embarrassing. I need to get out of here, as quick as I can. I don't know what I was thinking ”Is it enough?“ Jon's voice takes me by surprise. I swivel, to see he's come halfway down the steps, his face taut with hope. And at the sight of him, all my pretense falls away. The last three months seem to fall away. It's just us again. ” I . . . I don't know,“ I manage at last. ”Is it?“ ”It's your call. You said you needed a memory. A thread linking us to...us.“ He takes another step down toward me. ”Now you have one.“ ”If I do, it's the thinnest thread in the world. One tune.“ I make a sound that was supposed to be a laugh. ”It's like... a cobweb. Gossamer-?thin.“ ”Well then, hold on to it.“ His dark eyes never leaving mine, he's coming down the rest of the steps, breaking into a run. ”Hold on, Lexi. Don't let it snap.“ He reaches me and wraps me tightly in his arms. ”I won't,“ I whisper and grab him. I don't ever want to let him go again. Out of my arms. Out of my head. . When at last I resurface, three children are staring at me from the next-?door steps. ”Ooh,“ says one. ”Sex-?eee.“ I can't help laughing, even though my eyes are shiny with tears. ”Yeah,“ I agree, nodding at Jon. ”Sexy.“ 388 ”Sexy.“ He nods back at me, his hands spanning my waist; his thumbs gently caressing my hip bones like they belong there. ”Hey, Jon.“ I clap my hand over my mouth as though in sudden inspiration. ”Guess what? I suddenly remember something else.“ ”What?“ His face lights up. ”What do you remember?“ ”I remember going into your house... taking the phones off the hooks...and having the best sex of my life for twenty-?four hours solid,“ I say seriously. ”I even remember the exact date.“ ”Really?“ Jon smiles, but looks a bit puzzled. ”When?“ ”October 16, 2007. At about...“ I consult my watch. ”Four fifty-?seven p.m.“ ”Aaah.“ Jon's face clicks in understanding. ”Of course. Yes, I remember that too. It was a pretty awesome time, wasn't it?“ He runs a finger down my back and I feel a delicious shiver of anticipation. ”Only I think it was forty-?eight hours solid. Not twenty-?four.“ ”You're right.“ I click my tongue in mock reproof. ”How could I have forgotten?“ ”Come on.“ Jon leads me up the stairs, his hand firm in mine, to the cheers and jeers of the children. ”By the way,“ I say as he kicks the door shut behind us. ”I haven't had good sex since 2004. Just so you know.“ Jon laughs. He peels off his polo neck in one movement and I feel a bolt of instant lust. My body remembers this, even if I don't. ”I'll accept that challenge.“ He comes over, takes my face in his two hands, and just surveys me for a moment, silent and purposeful until my insides are melting with want. ”So remind me...what happened after the forty-?eight hours were over?"Advertisement

I can't hold out anymore. I have to pull his face down to me for a kiss. And this one I'll never forget; this one I'll keep forever. “I'll tell you,” I murmur at last, my mouth against Jon's hot, smooth skin. “I'll tell you when I remember.” pqdm.com