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on my own. It s time for me to grow up and live my own life at last.
Her voice was a cool breeze blowing through the room. It chilled Joel even lying beside her warm
body beneath the covers. He should be glad of her attitude. She d taken his words well. No tears or protests
that they were meant to be together. She was still a young woman despite her thousand year sleep and
could have been overly emotional and clinging. He should be grateful she was acting so mature and calm,
almost regal.
Instead, his heart felt like stone as he rose from the bed to take a shower.
A somber mood infected the rest of the evening. Aurora appeared to enjoy the restaurant and the stage
musical, but her appreciation was tempered by a sense of aloofness. The joyous, excited girl from the
amusement park was gone and Joel spent the evening trying to find her again. He couldn t break through
Aurora s new layer of reserve and knew he shouldn t even try. After all, he d asked for this. He was the one
who d put up a barrier between them.
They shared his bed that night, but not their bodies. Aurora turned her back to him and went to sleep,
or pretended to. Joel stared at the back of her head and longed to touch the soft nape of her neck revealed
between auburn tresses. But he couldn t reach for her and pull away from her at the same time. It wasn t
right or fair. At last he turned away, rolling onto his side to stare at the glowing numbers on the bedside
clock as they marked the night s passing.
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Chapter Ten
You must try this on. It will look marvelous on you with your coloring.
Vee smiled at Aurora, and the hair on her nape rose. She couldn t figure out why Vee set her so on
edge. The woman was more than kind and charming without a trace of sarcasm as far as Aurora could tell.
That was precisely what continued to bother her. Vee didn t display any jealousy or much curiosity about
the stranger who d entangled herself with Joel. That lack of feeling coupled with the fact that Joel had
certainly had sex with the woman was enough to drive Aurora mad.
But at the moment, Vee was her host, escorting her on a shopping expedition while Joel went to his
office to catch up on some work. The woman had taken time from her own busy schedule to go with
Aurora and give her a woman s perspective on current fashions. Aurora had no right to feel suspicious and
jealous, but nevertheless those emotions churned inside her.
She accepted the emerald green sweater Vee offered her, appreciating the softness of the material that
was not wool or cotton but a fabric she d never felt before. It is very lovely.
Oh yes, it will look stunning with your hair. The older woman regarded her with the eye of an artist
surveying a canvas. We must find a dress in that same color for you to wear to my birthday celebration.
Aurora smiled faintly. She turned to go to the dressing room, then stopped and faced Vee again. I
must ask you something she took a deep breath about your feelings for Joel. We can t go on
pretending it is not odd for him to come back from his holiday with a strange woman. Doesn t it bother you
at all?
Vee s smile dimmed. I must admit I was taken aback when I came over to see Joel and found you
there. But we ve both agreed our relationship is a business arrangement. I don t care for him in the way
most women would find normal . I suppose that s why it s so difficult for you to understand.
Yes, it is, Aurora admitted, almost with a sense of relief to finally have the words spoken. How
can you wish to marry him, even for political reasons, and not at the very least feel a proprietary attachment
to him?
I do. I wouldn t be at all pleased if our marriage plans were derailed by some sexual fling.
Her total honesty took Aurora completely by surprise. She didn t know whether to feel offended at
being called a sexual fling or be impressed by Vee s candor.
Bonnie Dee and Marie Treanor
But Joel is at heart as pragmatic as I am. I fully trust he ll make the right decision, and meanwhile, I
won t stand in the way of this whatever it is. Even after we re married, if he wishes to have extra-marital
relations, I wouldn t be offended, nor would I expect him to be if I should do the same.
Was this an example of a modern woman? If so, Aurora thought she would never ever fit into this
new world. She couldn t bear the thought of her man with another woman, even if the other woman had
been there first like Vee. Aurora kept imagining her elegant features twisted in passion or her stylish hair
mussed from bed or her body naked and her limbs wrapped around Joel. Not only was it difficult to
envision Vee losing control in that way, but the pictures made Aurora almost physically ill.
But now Vee was looking at her expectantly. She must find some answer. That is a very logical point
of view. I don t know if I could be so sensible about my husband.
You re still very young. You ll learn that relationships between men and women are never so easy
and you won t find the kind of happily ever after one reads about in fairytales.
She had no reply for that so Aurora took the clothes Vee had helped her pick out and went to the
dressing room to try them on. As she changed one outfit for another, examining the fit of each in a mirror,
Aurora thought maybe Vee was less comfortable about her presence than she admitted to. Perhaps she was
using this shopping excursion as a chance to learn about the interloper in her life, reconnoitering the enemy,
as it were.
Well, two could play at that. Aurora would use this time with Vee to find out all she could about her
and about Joel from another person s point of view. Maybe then she could understand why he was pushing
her away when every fiber of her being told her they belonged together. Her heart had felt shredded
yesterday when he d told her their relationship must end, but she wouldn t believe it. She was almost
certain Joel was fighting against the same irresistible bond. He was afraid to commit to anything other than
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