Base Nature (32 page)

“
P
a
rd
o
n?”
H
e’
d
l
o
st
his
t
r
ain
o
f
th
o
u
ght
and wh
e
n
she
c
o
ntin
ue
d
u
p
the st
e
ps,
the t
r
ain
der
ail
e
d
e
v
e
n
f
ur
th
er
.
He wa
t
ch
e
d the t
u
g
and p
u
ll
o
f
h
e
r m
u
scl
e
s
u
n
de
r
that l
u
st
re
d
r
o
b
e
a
nd
all
he c
o
u
ld pict
u
r
e
was
dr
iving
in
t
o
h
e
r
again.
F
u
ck
i
ng
h
e
r
s
o
that
she ma
d
e
that n
eed
y
l
ittle
s
o
u
nd
in the
b
ack
o
f h
e
r
th
r
o
at.
Sc
re
w
the
bee
r
and
the
f
oo
d
,
L
iv was all he
n
ee
d
e
d
f
o
r
the
re
st
o
f the
n
ight.

“
T
he
b
lami
n
g
mys
e
lf
f
o
r things.
F
o
r
e
v
er
y
bre
ath
a
nd
f
r
o
wn
a
nd
a
n
g
r
y
glance
o
f
e
v
er
y
p
er
s
o
n
i
n the
w
o
r
l
d
.
A
ll
o
f it is
u
s
u
ally
m
y
fa
u
lt,”
s
he
sai
d
,
br
o
wn
e
y
e
s
fla
s
hing in the
l
o
w
light
f
r
o
m
the
st
ree
tlamps
ou
tsi
de
.
“So
wh
ere
v
e
r
y
o
u
w
e
nt
in
y
o
u
r
h
e
ad
j
u
st th
e
n
was cl
e
a
r
ly my fa
u
lt.”

“
O
f c
o
ur
s
e
,”
he
sai
d
, wa
t
ching h
e
r
s
t
o
p
at the
d
oo
r
way to
h
is
r
o
o
m.

She t
ur
n
e
d
and th
e
y
w
er
e
f
u
lly
c
l
o
se
th
e
n.
H
i
s
ch
e
st
an
inch
f
r
o
m
h
e
r
bre
asts.
His lips
n
o
t
m
u
ch
fa
r
th
e
r
away.
He cl
o
s
e
d
his
e
y
e
s
and
the
sm
e
ll
o
f
h
e
r
fill
e
d
his
h
e
a
d
.
Ab
o
ve
the
be
e
r
and the
ch
ee
se
and
the
c
r
ack
er
s
and
o
ld
ca
r
p
e
t
and
r
ain,
the
sc
e
nt
o
f
h
e
r s
o
a
red
.
He
h
e
ld
his
bre
ath
and
h
e
a
r
d
h
e
r
h
e
a
r
t
be
ating.
Fast and
liv
e
ly, she
was
e
xcit
ed
. He
kn
e
w
that
this
tim
e
,
y
e
s,
he
c
o
u
ld
h
e
ar
h
e
r
h
e
a
r
t
b
e
at
be
ca
u
se
she
was
cl
o
se
e
n
o
u
gh to
lick and
sniff
a
nd
f
u
ck. “
I’
m
s
o
rr
y,”
s
he
sai
d
.

“
F
o
r
what?”

“I
s
h
o
u
ld
have
ask
ed
.
C
a
n we
e
at
i
n y
o
u
r
r
oo
m?
M
ay
I
?”
She
smil
ed
. “
L
iv,
b
a
b
y, y
o
u
can
d
o
anyt
h
ing y
o
u
want.
A
t all.”

She
b
l
u
sh
ed
,
d
ipp
e
d
h
e
r
h
e
ad
a
nd
at
that
m
o
m
e
nt
he
re
aliz
e
d
that
w
hat
he
f
e
lt
in his
ch
e
st,
his
s
t
o
mach—his
c
o
ck—was
the
fi
r
st
t
e
ntative
sti
rr
ings
o
f
l
o
v
e
.
He was sc
re
w
e
d
.

G
a
rre
t
t
wa
t
ch
e
d h
e
r lick
the ti
n
y
b
it
o
f
ch
ee
se
o
ff
h
e
r p
o
int
e
r fing
e
r and t
h
o
u
ght
he might
dr
o
p
de
ad
r
ight
th
ere
.
C
o
u
ld
y
o
u
d
ie
f
r
o
m wanting a
w
o
man? He
t
h
o
u
ght s
o
.
H
is h
e
a
r
t
f
e
lt
t
o
o
b
ig,
his
b
ag
g
y
sw
e
ats
t
o
o
sma
l
l,
e
sp
e
cially
in
the c
r
o
tch
a
re
a.
A
nd his win
d
pipe
had
appa
re
ntly
s
h
ru
nk
to
dr
inking
st
r
aw
s
iz
e
.
N
o
t many w
o
m
e
n
aff
e
ct
e
d
him at
all,
l
e
t
a
l
o
ne
th
i
s
fi
er
c
e
ly.
L
iv
was
a
w
h
o
le
n
e
w
b
all
gam
e
.
L
iv
was
a
n
e
w
sta
r
,
a p
er
f
e
ct
st
o
r
m,
a
fantasy
h
e’
d
n
e
v
e
r
e
xp
e
ct
e
d
to
re
aliz
e
.
L
iv
had
ma
d
e
him
s
hift
in
f
r
o
nt
o
f
h
e
r
a
s
e
asily
as
dr
awing
a
bre
ath.
L
iv,
s
o
fa
r
,
h
ad
ma
d
e
h
im
think
the w
o
r
d
l
o
ve with
o
u
t wanting to
w
re
ak ha
v
o
c,
sc
re
am
at the
sky
a
nd
de
st
r
o
y.