“So, how can you have menopause? You’re way too young.”Alia glanced down at her plate and back up, her dark exotic eyes studying me intently. �...�I’m not sure there’s a delicate way to put this, Philip...”“No,” I gasped quietly, leaning forward. “You’re... ?”Alia nodded. She touched the back of my hand. “Eight weeks. I’m so sorry. It seems birth control isn’t one hundred percent guaranteed.”Around us, the quiet chatter of other small groups filled the silence between us. I took a large sip of. And he asked if I wanted to call the whole thing off, but…’ ‘Yeah? Obviously, you didn’t call it off. Why not? You finally realizing what a genius I am?’ Samantha snorted appropriately. ‘No, it was one word he said — ‘us.’ I was sitting there, stewing about how you could do this to me, and he’s thinking about us, rather than just himself. It struck me. Not a lot of guys are like that. I must have smiled or something, but I heard myself say, ‘I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.’ When what I. Two silver vats contained soft drinks and several padded mats covered the entire concrete surface under the wooden awning near the back door.Yuri and Cambria were coiled in a lounger with their hands roaming each other’s body. “We’ll begin as soon as our first, special guest arrives,” Verity announced.Avan was dismayed that anyone would be joining and even more concerned with who that first guest might be. A few minutes later, sounds from the back door drew his attention.Omar! She couldn’t. He could barely hold himself back. Her lips were just too inviting. He felt himself leaning forward, down toward the inevitable kiss...Roger stood up, catching himself before it became obvious what he had planned to do. "Looks like someone needs to take a nap," he smiled. "Tell you what. You just lie down right there and I'll go get you a blanket." Thanks," she said. "You're really nice." Just trying to be neighborly," he replied, somehow keeping his tone friendly without betraying the burning.