Read Never Leave Me for Free Online

didn’t move. I watched her face in the glow of the cigarette. Her skin was a creamy gold and their were flecks of fire deep in her eyes.
    She was looking at me too, the smile gone from her lips. “I never expected to see you again,” she whispered.
    “Nor I, you,” I replied. “Are you sorry?”
    She thought for a moment. “There’s really no answer, Brad,” she said. “I don’t know how I feel.”
    “I know how I feel,” I said surely.
    “That’s different,” she said quickly. “You’re a man. You feel differently about things. Nothing is as important to a man as it is to a woman.”
    “Isn’t it?” I asked. I flipped the cigarette out the window and put my hands on her shoulders and drew her towards me. I kissed her.
    Her lips did not move, yet were not still; they were not cold but neither were they warm; they did not kiss back, and still they made love to me.
    I raised my lips from hers and looked at her face. Her eyes were wide open gazing into mine. “I wanted to kiss you from the first moment I saw you,” I said.
    She drew back to her side of the car and took out a cigarette. I held a match for her. She drew deeply on her cigarette and leaned her head back against the cushion. She didn’t look at me. “When David was alive, I would not look at another man, nor he at another woman.”
    Her eyes were sombre and thoughtful as I watched her. I didn’t speak.
    “During the war,” she continued, almost reflectively, “we were separated a great deal. You know what Washington was like then. You were there. Everybody was on the make. Nothing seemed to matter. It used to make me sick.”
    I still watched her silently.
    “It still does,” she said slowly. She looked directly at me and her face was carefully impassive.
    I met her gaze evenly. Our eyes met and locked in silent conflict. “Are you still in love with your husband?” I asked.
    Her eyelashes swept low over her eyes, hiding them from me. There was a quiet pain in her voice. “That’s not a fair question. David is dead.”
    “But you’re not,” I pointed out cruelly. “You’re a grown woman now, not a child any longer. You have needs——”
    “Men?” she asked, interrupting me. “Sex?” She laughed thinly. “You think that’s important?” “Love is important,” I answered. “Loving and being loved is necessary to everyone.”
    Her eyes came up again to mine. “Are you saying that you’re in love with me?” she asked sceptically.
    I thought for a moment. “I don’t know,” I answered slowly. “I might be, but I don’t know.” “What are you trying to say then, Brad?” she asked. “Why aren’t you honest with me—with
    yourself—and say what you really want?”
    I looked down at my hands to escape the pull in her glance. “Right now, all I know is that I want you,” I said. She was silent and when I looked up at her, the cigarette was burning, forgotten in her fingers. “From the moment I first saw you, I wanted you. I don’t know what it is, or how or why. But I knew I wanted you more than anything I ever wanted in my whole life.” I reached for her hand.
    Her face was very still. “Brad,” she said quietly.
    I bent my face towards her and kissed her lips. This time they were not still and were not cold.
    They were soft and sweet and trembling. My arms went around her and we drew closer together and our kiss lasted until we ran out of breath.
    She rested her head on my arm across the seat behind her. Her eyes looked up at me gently. They were fond and rich and warm. “Brad,” she whispered.
    I kissed her again quickly. “Yes, Elaine?”
    Her lips moved softly under mine. “Let’s not be like all the others, Brad. Don’t do anything you’ll
    regret.”
    “Up to now,” I said quicky, “all you talked about is me. What about you? What do you want?” “What I want is not as important as you, Brad,” she answered quietly. “You have more to lose than
    I.”

    I didn’t answer. There was