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overwhelmed.
    She had never had anything like this handed to
her in her life, and would never have asked or expected it.
    She had worked very hard for everything she had.
The trust fund from her mother only went so far. She had to pay the
debt her father owed to many people because her stepmother had
disappeared after using up her own inheritance - she was out there
somewhere, now hiding from creditors.
    Holliane and Adam had both worked hard to stay
above water and survive. Somehow, they had kept going, clinging to
each other like castaways on a raft.
    But then, when they were finally over the hard
times, he died. That had seemed to be the cruelest jest of all.
    She turned to Erick.
    "Thank you very much. I'm quite sure that this
will be more than enough for my needs. It's very kind of you to go
to all this trouble."
    "It was no trouble at all, Hollianne. Besides,
no one ever uses these rooms. You're actually doing me a huge favor
by agreeing to stay in one."
    Hollianne's mouth twitched and she burst into
laughter, looking at him in shock and alarm, expecting him to be at
best astonished and, at worst, offended. However, Erick found that
her laughter was infectious and he joined in, his laugh full of
relaxed and easy good humour.
    "Please forgive me," Hollianne finally gasped.
"It's just that these past few days have been very stressful and
this is all such an unbelievable relief." She was fighting herself
for control, yet the feeling of letting go like this was a release
rather than a source of mortification.
    "Think nothing of it," Erick replied. "I enjoyed
that bit of levity myself. It's not something that I've experienced
much, either. These rooms could do with a bit of laughter in them,
so it's doubly welcome. Now, take your time getting settled in.
Dinner will be served at seven. Don't worry yourself about what to
wear. It's my house and I favor comfort over formality."
    "In the meantime, you should find that the
kitchen is well stocked with refreshments. If you need or want
anything else, just pick up that phone over there. It's the house
phone and the extensions are clearly marked. Don't feel shy about
it, either; this is your home as long as you're here, so my staff
is fully at your service."
    When Erick had left her alone, Hollianne sat
down on one of the loveseats and simply looked around, unable to
move for several minutes. She still couldn't believe her great
fortune. In fact, now that she was here, she was starting to feel
completely at home. The place felt neither strange nor oppressive,
but peaceful and homelike; it invited her to unwind and stretch
out. She hadn't felt like this in a very long time. She was so
relaxed that she dozed off on the loveseat.
    As she napped, something tugged at her
subconscious. There was a memory about Adam that lurked there but
it didn't seem to be a pleasant one and she tried to drive it away.
Suddenly, beside Adam, there stood Erick in front of her. He was
smiling at her slightly and held out his hand to her. Without even
hesitating or glancing at Adam, Hollianne took Erick's hand. He
pulled her lightly over to him and wrapped his arms around her. She
could feel the beating of his heart and the warmth of his body as
he cocooned her against him. Now, she did look over at Adam. The expression on his face was one of
anger mixed with regret. Now, how could she tell that? There was no
reason for it, but she somehow just knew what he was thinking in
that moment. Something else that she acknowledged was that she
didn't miss him any longer. She had Erick with her now and that was
all she cared about.
    They continued to stand there, Erick's arms
around her. She slowly became aware that he was very lightly
kissing her neck. These feather kisses felt so real and so exciting
all at the same time. She leaned her head back against his chest
and he continued to move his mouth all over her neck and earlobes.
At last, he turned her around and claimed her mouth with his. The
kiss was still light