Nick awoke to sunlight streaming into his face and had a momentary
impression that it was dawn; then he realized that the sunlight had a
reddish cast to it. He blinked at the bedroom clock, amazed to find that
he had slept until late afternoon.
My God, he thought groggily.
His headache was nearly gone, he noticed as he threw off the covers and
swung his long legs to the floor. The soreness was still there, thumping
dully in his stiff muscles, but sleep had been deep and brought no fresh
nightmares to worry about. He cleaned himself up in the bathroom and got
a pair of slacks and a shirt from the closet, still feeling somewhat
like a stranger. While he dressed himself, he thought of the woman he
was married to.
Despite the feeling of being a stranger in a strange world, and of being
caught up in a strange set of circumstances, he found himself feeling
delightful tremors when he thought of Beth. Even now, there was a tight,
fluttering sensation in his insides when he thought of the talcumed
satin of her skin, the warm lift of her brightly nippled breasts and the
strong response of her rounded thighs. She was a beautiful woman. She
was sex all rolled up in a frame of gentle curves and soft flesh, and he
could see that to love a woman like her would not only be easy, it would
be a privilege.
He buckled the belt about his waist, trying to dispel the thoughts of
the woman, and went downstairs to the kitchen. Hunger gnawed at him
violently.
The coffee was cold. He turned the gas on under it and the note on the
table caught his eye. He picked it up to scan it briefly.