Raphael slept still, his hair a dark shadow on the pillow, when I slipped from the bed. I took a moment to look down at him, my heart aching with love, before pulling on my shift and moving quietly out onto the balcony, looking towards the distant city in the early morning light. The dome of the basilica rose above the pink-tinted mist, seeming to float in the sky. I felt more at peace now I had told him my fears, wondering why I had been so reluctant. I heard him before I felt his arms encircle me. I smiled. ‘Perhaps we should go inside.’
‘I’m certain we should.’
I followed him in and took off my shift before lying on the bed. ‘Tell me what I need to do.’ I felt strangely anxious.
He laughed. ‘You need do nothing.’
I ran my hand down over his chest and belly when he lay down beside me
