Chapter 34: The Mood

Watching Aliana lying on the bed like a doll, all fresh and lovely, Santino suddenly could not bring himself to break the spell of the moment. He reached out and lightly tickled the tip of her nose. Seeing how tense she looked, he chuckled and teased, "What are you thinking about? Go to sleep." "Oh..." Her voice carried a trace of disappointment. He gently pulled the covers up around her, then seemed to decide against lying on the bed. He dragged the stool over to the desk, sat on it, and prepared...