Eternally Yours by Jennifer Malin

other side. She realized it had begun to rain.
    Following the beam of the flashlight, she took in the wooden panels, devoid of any hangings. The light played on the frame of the window and landed on a wide sill--a window seat. The glass panes above stood in place, but not a speck of light seeped in through the barrier on the outside.
    “Why in the world would anyone wall up a room like this?” she asked. Then a horrible thought occurred to her and she looked at Mark. “Do you think a murder might have been committed in here?”
    “You don’t see any skeletons lying around, do you?” He shot her a grin that eased her anxiety. Redirecting his attention to the wall, he said, “I doubt the room’s origin is quite so diabolical. One possible explanation is that this house was a stop on the Underground Railroad. There are legends that it ran through the area.”
    “Really? I had no idea.” Thinking out loud, she said, “I’ll have to brush up on local history.”
    “This window should be possible to restore.” He squeezed her fingers, and she closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation. “I wonder if the fireplace is functional. I’ll bet so. This house has so many chimneys that an extra one would probably go unnoticed.”
    Telling herself not to act like a schoolgirl, she thought about what he was saying. The fireplace, fronted by a medium-size wooden mantel and slate hearth, looked intact. A strong intuitive feeling told her the chimney would work. She could picture a blaze crackling in the room, filling the small space with heat and soft, flickering light.
    “A fire would be wonderful in this room,” Mark said, his voice hushed. He seemed to have read her mind. He looked down at her and their gazes locked. The light rain beat out a soothing patter, unbroken by any other noise. In this secret place that no one but they knew about, the rest of the world seemed far away. She saw him glance at her mouth and knew that this time he really was going to kiss her.
    He bent and met her lips, his mouth warm and soft. She closed her eyes and let her other senses take him in. As he pulled her closer, she soaked up rapid impressions. He was tall. He smelled clean. His back felt warm and strong through the soft cotton of his shirt.
    A rumble of thunder broke the quiet--as well as the moment. He drew away, staring at her as though he had surprised himself.
    Her heart seemed to drop inside of her. She didn’t want him to stop. The taste of him had only tantalized her. Now she wanted more.
    “I’m sorry,” he said. He looked away from her. Watching the beam of the flashlight, he pointed it at the floor and shook his head to himself. “I can’t believe I did that. The timing is so wrong.”
    She suppressed a sigh. The timing had felt right to her. Touching her lower lip, she murmured, “Don’t worry about it.”
    He turned back to her and stared as if waiting for her to convince him. Well, too bad. If he hadn’t gotten over his break-up with Karen, then he never should have kissed her .
    She looked away from his puppy-dog eyes. “Maybe we should bring some more lighting in here so we can take a better look around.”
    “Good idea.” His voice sounded strained. “Do you have an extension cord you could run in from the studio?”
    “Sure. I’ll be right back.” Before he could offer--or not offer--to help getting her over the couch, she hurried to hoist one leg over the side. In her haste to pull her second leg up, she bumped her knee on the bookcase. “Ow!”
    “Are you all right?”
    “I’m fine,” she snapped. She didn’t bother looking back at him.
    Once out of his sight, she took her time getting a cord from the parlor. Her exasperation over Mark surprised her. Just that morning she’d told Di she had no interest in him. Now she was pining over him.
    When she got back, he’d come out into the studio. He stood by the drawing table, holding her desk lamp. Glancing at her, he asked, “Mind if I take this