She opened the cabinet and took out a brown eye crayon. She turned it over and over in her hand, the way a former smoker handles a forbidden cigarette. A stroke of the crayon here, a dab there, a smudged line underneath the lower lashes. Should she? Just a subtle highlight to enhance the almond shape of her eyes? A whisk of cheek color in the hollow beneath her cheekbones? A little lip gloss?

She thought wistfully of all the white clothes left behind in New York. Their color made her olive complexion and dark red hair breathtaking by contrast. Cinched waistbands, provocative necklines, flowing skirts, and tailored slacks made the most of her figure. For just a moment she yearned to be as beautiful as she possibly could be.

What would Trent think of his lover then?

“You can’t really love me,” she had whispered in the aftermath of their passion.

“I do.”

“I know what kind of woman you’re usually with. I’m not that type.”

“Maybe that’s why I love you so much. I’ve dated many beautiful women, but they’re so damn shallow compared to you. You have substance. A soul. I love your body. I love what it does to mine. But I fell in love with what you are on the inside. You’re not just a pretty shell. You’re a complete woman.”

Rana returned the eye crayon to the shelf in the cabinet and closed the door firmly. She covered her face with her hands and breathed deeply. Feminine vanity tempted her to be beautiful for him. But would he still love her if he knew she had been exactly the kind of woman he now scorned?

She wasn’t under any illusions about their future. They had none. There wouldn’t be a happy ending. In only a short time he would be leaving for training camp. When he left, she would lose him forever.

But now, while she was with him, she would bask in his professions of love. There had been so few satisfying emotional relationships in her life. Her mother didn’t really know what love was. Morey had loved her, but for some reason he hadn’t felt that he could confide in her.

Every time she thought of his death, she was devastated all over again. Had he taken his own life? The possibility plagued her, but Trent ‘s loving had soothed even that deep wound.

Their time together was destined to be fleeting. But she would live every minute of it without regret. She would be Ana Ramsey, because that was what he needed right now.

She had barely pulled on a pair of sloppy jeans and an oversized blue chambray shirt when he knocked on her door. “Open up.”

“Coming. Please don’t come crashing in again.” When she opened the door to him, she asked, “Are you going to repair the lock before Ruby sees it?”

“Are you going to give me a kiss?”

“You’re drenched with sweat!”

“My lips aren’t.” She leaned toward him and touched only his puckered lips with hers. “Guess that’ll have to do for now,” he said grudgingly.

She laughed. “Are you hungry?”

“We had breakfast at four A.M. In a case like that, what does one eat at nine?”

“How about grilled-ham-and-cheese sandwiches?”

“Sounds great.”

“I’ll start them. You go shower, please,” she said, waving her hand in front of her nose.

Ten minutes later he joined her in the kitchen. “You certainly smell better,” she said laughingly. “I sliced up some fruit for a salad and-”

He stopped her speech by hauling her toward him, encircling her with his arms, and planting a damp, hot kiss on her mouth. He touched her slightly crooked teeth with his tongue. “I love the way you taste.” His mouth slid down her throat. “All of you,” he mumbled into her cleavage. His mouth returned to hers and his tongue delved deep.

“Your sandwich is getting cold,” she murmured drowsily when they came up for air.

“And I’m getting hot.” He nuzzled her middle with his.

Rana cleared her throat and stepped out of his embrace. “You’re shameless. Now, sit down and eat.”

“You’re getting as bossy as Aunt Ruby.”

They ate their brunch, but went about itslowly, because they often lapsed into staring spells. He mentioned her glasses again and asked if she would take them off. “Then I couldn’t see you,” she explained, and diverted him by pecking a string of kisses along his jaw and finally finding his mouth.

“Hello, dears, anybody home?” Ruby called from the entrance hall.

They broke apart. Rana looked dismayed, and her cheeks filled with rosy color. Trent, looking like the cat who got the cream, smiled at her lazily. “In here, Aunt Ruby. I was just eating something delicious.”

Rana glared at him as Ruby came bustling through the door. “What’s that, dear? Oh, how lovely! Miss Ramsey’s feeding you.”

“Uh-huh.”

Rana jumped from her seat and pulled out a chair for Ruby. “Join us, please. Is your friend doing well?”

“Yes, yes, much better. Wanted some company, more than anything. But tell me, how was your trip? When did you get back?”

Rana filled Ruby in on the essential facts surrounding her trip, leaving out the details. “I apologize for leaving in such a hurry without any explanation.”

“Under the circumstances, I understand,” Ruby said, laying a sympathetic hand on the younger woman’s arm. “Did Trent tell you he had your car repaired while you were away?”

“No,” he answered for her. “We’ve seen a lot of each other since she got back, but we never got around to discussing cars.”

Rana shot him another fulminating look, but luckily Ruby was too distracted to notice his double entendre. “Would you like me to fix you a sandwich, Ruby?” Rana asked. “I haven’t put away the makings yet, and you look tired.”

“Thank you, dear, maybe I will let you make me a sandwich. If neither of you needs me this afternoon, I think I’ll stay in my room and nap. My friend and I talked into the wee hours of the morning. The poor thing has no one to talk with. The children rarely visit.”

Rana prepared and grilled another sandwich. Trent nibbled on sliced cantaloupe and watermelon. His eyes rarely left Rana. They transmitted smoky looks full of implication.

“That was delicious,” Ruby told Rana when she had finished eating. “Is there anything either of you needs?”

“No, Auntie,” Trent said, solicitously helping his aunt from her chair. “You go rest. Miss Ramsey and Iare perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves. And why not let me take you out to dinner tonight?”

Ruby patted his cheek affectionately. “Isn’t he a dear boy?”

“Yes, he is,” Rana said with a happy smile.

“Did you mean that?” Trent asked Rana a few minutes later, after Ruby had retired to her room down the hall and they were alone.

“What?” She was rinsing out dishes at the sink. It had taken some convincing, but Ruby had finally consented to let her do the chore.

“About my being a dear boy?” He slid his arms around her from behind. Immediately his hands found her breasts and began to massage them. “Why do you hide these behind such bulky clothes? You’ve got beautiful, enticing breasts. Don’t you have something clingy to wear?”

She tried to struggle free, but she didn’t try very hard. “No, I like loose clothes. What difference does it make to you?”

“Because I’d like to look at them.” His thumbs drifted back and forth across her nipples until they became erect. “See what I mean? I hate to miss seeing that.”

“Stop it, Trent. Ruby might come in.”

“She’s sleeping,” he whispered against the back of her neck. “Wanna go play in the greenhouse?”

“The greenhouse?” A delicious lassitude was seeping through her, robbing her of the strength to protest.

“Yeah. I could go for some hot, steamy sex with you right now.”

“You’re shameless.”

“I’m horny,” he whispered, turning her around to face him.

“Still?”

“Grilled-ham-and-cheese sandwiches always have that effect on me.” She linked her arms around his neck. “Especially when a lusty broad like you has cooked them for me.” His arms went around her waist. He slid his hands into the back pockets of her jeans and drew her against him. “You have the cutest little butt.” He squeezed it as he fitted himself against her.