On the pillow, a trace of perfume. On the sheet, a pool of desire. On their cloud, theirs alone, no getting up, no going home.

Startled for a moment, when the feeling combined all its elements into a single thought, a single warm, reassuring thought, a single hot, unsettling thought.

A voice breathes, Good Morning, at the side of the bed. I know that voice, birdsong enchantment, soft grace notes, enough to stir me from