“JJ,” she exclaimed, trying to push him off of her. He was too heavy, even though he had angled his body so she couldn’t feel the place where his leg ended; with his good leg, he had pinned her. She was trying not to panic, but she could hardly breathe. She managed at least to shove his hand away before it reached her breast.

He stopped for a moment, and leaned up to look into her eyes. “Do you think you could ever love me, Anne?”

She gasped. “What?”

“I think you could,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss her lips. She tried to twist her head away, but he pressed her face with his hand to get her mouth to line up with his again. “I really think you could. Even if maybe you don’t know it right now.” He kissed her again, and shifted his weight a little, so she could breathe.

“Stop it, JJ,” she pleaded. Turning her head away again, she tried to appeal to his conscience. “You can’t do this, JJ. I’m going to marry Harry. Your uncle!”

“Maybe you just thought you were supposed to meet Uncle Harry. Maybe you really only met him so you could meet me.”

She shook her head. “An hour ago, you said you didn’t believe there was a reason for anything. Let me up now.”

He kissed her neck. “Maybe I was wrong, an hour ago.”

She was getting desperate. She thought if she could reach the bedside lamp, she could knock it over his head, weaken him enough so he would let her up. But when she tried to reach back over her shoulder for it, he sensed her movement, and pressed her arm back down, gentle but unyielding.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Anne,” he said. “I’m sorry I’m being a little selfish, but—you won’t laugh at me if I tell you something?”

She tried to appease him; he had sounded sincere. “What?”

She could see his rueful smile in the dark. “You’re the first girl I’ve kissed in four years.”

She swallowed.

“And you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life.” He touched his lips to hers, and whispered, “So can you forgive me?”

She nodded once, despite herself. “But you really need to let me go now.”

“Please don’t make me,” he said. Then he raised his head and looked in her eyes. “Will you at least let me hold you?”