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masculine press against her belly. The image of Raj naked on the beach flashed into her brain, but this time it provided a dose of reality, not desire. She hadn’t been with a man since her diagnosis. It didn’t seem fair to give herself to him, knowing she could die at any moment. Raj shouldn’t be any different, even if he could be long gone before her heart gave out.
    She pulled away, pressing firmly against his chest until their lips parted. Valerie hated the cold, lonely feeling that swept over her when the gap widened between them. For the last two years she’d been alone , and she was okay with that. It was the whole point of being out here. But when she looked at Raj, when he touched her, she wondered if she had made a mistake on this point at least. Did she want to die never knowing a man’s touch again? Did she want that boring orthodontist to be the last man that ever made love to her?
    It made Valerie frown to think so. She turned away, scooped up a change of clothes and took it with her into the bathroom. Perhaps she would keep the shower water on the cool side today.
     
     
    While his mistress bathed, Raj decided to take a few shortcuts to prepare the cottage. Without venturing out into the rain that had started to fall in the early morning hours, he ensured everything outside was brought in, all the window shutters were closed and secured and the doors were bolted.
    He cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast and was waiting patiently on the sofa when she emerged.
    She came out carrying a box. Valerie set it on the coffee table where Raj could see it was filled with emergency supplies like flashlights, batteries, candles, matches and a radio. She was preoccupied with sorting through that when she looked up and noticed the room was dark. She glanced around, then up at the shuttered windows. "Did you close all the windows up already?"
    " Yes."
    " You didn’t have to do that by yourself. I just asked you to help me."
    " Is it not helpful to have the chore already completed?"
    She looked at Raj, a battle of wills visibly raging in her mind. She wanted to accept his help, but the terms of it still concerned her. "Well, yes, but there was no reason for you to go out there and get wet all by yourself."
    " I am not wet. I did not go outside. I have told you—"
    " You’re an all-powerful genie," Valerie interrupted. The words seemed to taste bad in her mouth the way she spit them out. "I know. I just…well, thank you. Let’s leave it at that."
    A crack of lightning shot through the air close by, quickly followed by a loud roar of thunder. Valerie cried out in surprise, clutching her chest and closing her eyes. The air was electrified by the proximity of the strike, the hairs on his arms standing up. "The worst of the storm is almost here," he said, "but do not be frightened."
    She closed her eyes and nodded, taking a deep breath. "It just startled me. I’m fine." Raj didn’t believe a word she said, but he wouldn’t push the issue. After a moment, she opened her eyes and returned to sorting through her box. "These are here in case we lose power. It tends to happen when the weather is bad, so I like to be prepared."
    As if by fateful cue, the rain began falling harder on the roof. It was coming down in buckets, the wind starting to howl through tiny cracks in the doors and windows. The shutters rattled against the sills. This was a fierce storm, indeed.
    Valerie shivered and tugged on the sweater she’d carried out with her. "Well, this may be a very long, boring day. I hope you’re not looking for much excitement. We could watch a movie unless the power goes out. If it does, I started a puzzle a few days ago. We could work on that."
    Why his mistress felt the need to entertain him, he did not know. "I am happy to be in your company, Mistress." And he meant it. It was very pleasant to be around Valerie once he found useful ways to pass his time here. He liked doing things for her. When she smiled, the gold in