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to strip and get into bed, where he slipped into an
alcoholic stupor.
    The last thing he remembered was seeing the
vision of Susanna’s naked body next to him. For a fleeting second,
he thought she had come back. Tomas reached out, but touched only
cool bed sheets. The horror that she had vanished from his life,
probably for good, hit him hard. But he passed out again before he
could contemplate the repulsive prospect.

    * * * * *

Chapter 5
    After picking up her coat downstairs, Susanna
made her way to Quays Bar, situated in the heart of Dublin. It
wasn’t far from the Ashling Hotel, where she had left Tomas.
Acutely aware of being naked under her skirt, she sought relief in
the fact that the hem of her outerwear ended below the knee. Thus,
no one could see her state of undress.
    The day at the funeral had left her bereft, but
not so much due to the somber nature of the church affair, as
because of the intimate scene in the hotel room. There was
something satisfying about being the center of a man’s focus, even
if for no more than a couple of hours.
    That should have been comforting, and she had
hoped it would be. Somehow it wasn’t. The look on his face when she
had told Tomas she was leaving haunted her. The need to forget him
was thwarted. The urge to have him again superseded her ability to
block him from her thoughts.
    Which was unusual. Sex was sex. And just because
it was hot with a guy didn’t mean anything. Normally, he forgot her
as quickly as the unmemorable man faded from her mind. Not so with
Tomas. And it was annoying.
    Who did he think he was? A prince or something?
Actually, it seemed that he did. Susanna had to smile at his
rendition of the Celtic fairy tale, or at least what he had told
her of it. She didn’t let on that she had heard the story many
times, but wanted to hear how he remembered it.
    Though he didn’t suspect, Susanna knew he had
altered it, giving his version instead. For one thing, the prince
had fiery red hair, which Tomas did not. His was brown. And for
another, the maiden had blond hair, not strawberry blond.
    Tomas was telling his own tale. But why? Why did
he care? It seemed like he had been trying to get her to lighten
up. That wasn’t possible, so he would only be disappointed anyway.
It was better for it to happen sooner than later.
    Rarely did Susanna’s relationships progress past
the first encounter, and she preferred it that way. The last thing
she needed was some guy getting all doe-eyed with her and falling
in love. That wasn’t going to happen.
    The sex was good, though. And with Tomas it had
been especially so. More than that, in fact. The tingling sensation
that radiated through her when she thought of the time she had just
spent with him confirmed that it stood out above others.
    Normally, when it was over, it was over. And she
didn’t know why she was still thinking about him. Even if she
wanted to, Susanna wouldn’t let herself get involved. He would only
find out what she was really like, and all his visions of her as
some sort of princess would go poof .
    Worse, he might despise her. Susanna didn’t let
anyone get close enough for that to matter, and certainly not a
warm, loving man like Tomas. In a way, she had struck gold with
him. And she could see him easily becoming an addiction.
    Having enough addictions already, she didn’t
need another. And though she was thought of as cold-hearted by
some, Susanna did have feelings. Seeing Tomas hurt wasn’t in the
plans. One afternoon of fucking without inhibition, he would get
over.
    More than that would be tougher. Plus, he didn’t
need to take on her problems. No one did. Which was why she kept
things to herself. But Susanna was lonely. And sad. Just as she had
told Tomas. That had been the truth.
    Sex, and plenty of it, helped to fill the void.
Or so Susanna attempted to convince herself. But it didn’t always
work. A man was quickly satisfied, and none were prone to care
about her emotions or issues. It