Moment: Carolyn

Carolyn Young was so tired when she got back into Las Vegas that she didn't even notice she had taken the wrong exit off the highway. She realized it when she found herself turning onto the street where her boyfriend lived. Deciding that his driveway was a good place to turn around, she kept going.

He was just getting out of his SUV when she pulled up in her Jeep. He stopped and smiled as she pulled in. He came over to her as she rolled down the window.

"Hey. I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow."

Carolyn smiled tiredly back at him. "I decided three weeks on the road was long enough so I got an earlier flight."

He tilted his head, concerned by the exhaustion he saw in her gray eyes. "Why don't you come in?"

She shook her head. "All I want to do is go home and soak before I collapse for the next three days or so."

He smiled again, this time with a gleam in his blue eyes. "I think I could arrange a nice hot bubble bath for you."

Carolyn briefly considered the time it would take her to get to her apartment, and turned off the engine. "I think I'll take you up on that."

He put his arm around her shoulders and walked with her up to his front door. Inside the house, he made her sit on his bed while he went into the bathroom and started the water. Reaching under the sink, he pulled out a bottle of bubble bath that he could no longer remember why he had. Still, he was glad he did. He poured in the mixture and watched as the water clouded over with bubbles. Testing the water, he smiled and went back into the bedroom.

Carolyn had been listening to Gil move around in his bathroom while she sat there, her eyes closed and shoulders slumped. She was so tired. Publicity tours always drained her, even though she enjoyed meeting her fans. It was the constant moving - from hotel to bookstore to hotel to airport that got to her. She heard him come back into the bedroom and forced her eyes to open. He was looking at her with concern, and she smiled again. Sometimes she still wondered about fate, and how research for her book could have led to this relationship.

He came over to her and gently tugged her sweatshirt up over her head. He set it on the bed and undid her bra. Then he carefully removed her sneakers before urging her to stand up so he could remove her jeans. When she was undressed, he picked her up and carried her into the bathroom. Carolyn managed a small laugh, and he smiled at her, glad to see she still had her sense of humor.

He set her on her feet on the cool tile in the bathroom and helped to steady her as she stepped into his tub. She drew in a breath at the heat of the water before sitting down, letting the water come up to her chin. He knelt down beside the tub and reached over and turned off the water, laughing softly as Carolyn sighed in pleasure. She opened one eye and saw him laughing, so she cupped one hand and splashed some water his way.

"Hey!" he exclaimed as the water hit his shirt.

Carolyn smiled and sat up so that she could whisper into his ear. "There's enough room if you want to join me." She smiled as he blushed, then began to remove his shirt. In minutes he was stepping into the water behind her, leaning back against the wall and pulling Carolyn against his chest. She sighed as the heat from the water and the heat from his body began to relax her, and she just let herself float. She could feel his hands as they gently slid up and down her arms, bringing up water to slide down over her shoulders.

It seemed to Carolyn that they stayed there for hours, his arms keeping her from sliding into the water. Every so often he would kiss her forehead or the top of her head, and she would murmur something in response. When the water finally went cool, Gil reluctantly sat up, moving Carolyn with him. She made a token protest. He got out of the tub and dried himself off, then helped Carolyn up. Knowing how tired she was, he picked up a fresh towel and dried her off, finishing by giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead before picking her up and carrying her back into his bedroom. He set her on the bed and she watched through half open eyes as he walked over to his closet. She admired his form as he reached for something in his closet. He turned back to her and noticed her smile. He blushed as he came back over, helping her into one of his shirts. He turned back the sheets and helped Carolyn slide between them. He pulled them back up to cover her as she closed her eyes.

He slipped into the bed on the other side, gathering her close. She murmured sleepily against his throat, and he smiled, closing his eyes.