3:15 A.M.

HE TOOK OFF HIS glasses, put them on the bureau, slipped into bed. Beneath the sheet, Paula was naked, lying on her back. Against the faint light filtering through the drapes, he could see her face in profile. She was softly, serenely snoring.

He moved close, touched the flesh of her stomach, just below her breasts. She stirred, murmured something, turned toward him. His hand was at the small of her back now. Against his chest, he felt her breasts. He kissed her once, lightly.

“Is it all right?” she asked, sleep slurring her words. “Is everything all right?”

“It’s all right,” Bernhardt whispered. “Everything’s all right.”

“Hmmm …”