Daniel had stopped dragging the skirt up now. Having pulled it up high enough that he could reach beneath it, he now skimmed his fingers up along the bare skin of her upper leg, pushing the light cloth of her gown ahead of it. The sensation caused a confusion of feelings within her. Excitement, anticipation and fear all roiled through her making her moan and squirm a bit, her hips unconsciously rotating on the bed. Suzette froze, however, the breath whooshing out of her when his hand suddenly slipped around to the inside of her leg and began to creep up her thigh, still pushing her gown higher. Those fingers were a bare inch from the core of her when Suzette suddenly snapped her thighs closed. It was an instinctual rather than intentional move, her untried body responding to the situation.

Daniel immediately stopped ministering to her breasts and raised his head to kiss her again. Oddly enough, the fears and tension claiming her miraculously began to slip away then, and after a moment Suzette allowed her legs to ease open with a little moan, but before Daniel could take advantage of what she offered, a knock at the door had them both stilling.

“Suzette?” Lisa’s voice came to them through the door followed by another knock. “Suzette, I need to talk to you.”

When Daniel broke their frozen kiss and lifted his head, Suzette bit her lip and turned to glance toward the door, wondering if Lisa would go away if she simply remained silent. Her answer came when the doorknob rattled as Lisa announced, “I am coming in.”

“No!” Suzette squawked, sitting up abruptly as Daniel leapt off her. Much to her relief the door didn’t open. Still she struggled to slip her arms back into the sleeves of her gown and pull it back on as Daniel snatched up his vest and coat and rushed to the window.

“Just a minute,” she called, scrambling off the bed now to finish straightening her gown. Her worried gaze was on Daniel as he reached the window and paused to shrug on his vest and jacket. He started to climb out the window then, but suddenly hesitated, glanced back, and then pulled himself back in and rushed back to her side. His kiss was so swift it was done almost before it started. He then whispered, “Tomorrow,” and turned to hurry back to the window.

“Suzette?” Lisa called impatiently.

“Just a moment,” Suzette snapped and watched worriedly as Daniel climbed out onto her window ledge and then dropped out of sight.

“What are you doing?” Lisa asked.

Suzette rolled her eyes and then hurried to the door. Yanking it open, she scowled at her sister, annoyed that her arrival had brought an end to such a wonderful interlude. She growled, “I was preparing for bed. What are you doing?”

Lisa stared at her, worry creeping across her expression. “Are you all right? You are quite flush.”