Dinner finished, Charlie washed the dishes while Kennedy dried. Howl circled her legs in a way that was endearing at first, but was quickly becoming annoying. When took a step to the side to put down a large dish and nearly stepped on Howl, she cried out in alarm.

"This cat of yours is a hazard!" she said.

"He's always excited about new people. Once, just once, someone came over and snuck him a piece of chicken destined for the trash, so now he hopes that everyone who comes through the door will do the same. Just shoo him away a few times and he'll get the idea."

"What, precisely, does shooing involve?"

Charlie turned to look at her. "You've never had a cat before?"

"No. My mother claimed she was allergic. I think she just didn't want to do any more vacuuming than she had to with three kids in the house."

"Oh. That's too bad about the pets. I'm an only child, but I almost always had an animal in the house. Mostly cats. One dog. A rat when I was in my 'screw you' phase."

Howl gave Kennedy a particularly firm shove to the back of her ankles, setting her off balance again. "The shooing?"

"Right. Use your shoe to move the cat. Like this." Charlie put his toe under the cat's belly and gently directed him away from Kennedy.

"He doesn't mind?"

"It only hurts his dignity, promise."

The cat made a circuit of the room, then returned to Kennedy. When he rubbed the side of her leg, she got a child-like thrill from pushing the cat with her foot. She went back to drying the dishes, still warm from the hot water. The air near the sink was humid and fragrant with the lemon smell of Charlie's eco-friendly dish-soap.

"So it was just you and your parents growing up? And your pets?" Kennedy asked.

"Just me and my Mom, actually. My parents split up when I was two, so I'm told."

"But you have your doubts?"

"Not really. I don't remember my parents living together, so it had to have happened before I was five or so. But my mother is a bit tight with details about the split, so I don't have a full picture of what happened. She likes to... shape the information to match her thoughts."

Kennedy held out her hand for the bowl Charlie had just finished scrubbing. "I think I'd rather have my family than pets. Mom was pretty frazzled when we were young, but she was honest to a fault, and Dad never pulled any punches with the important stuff, either."

"Why was your mom so frazzled, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Because I'm fourteen months younger than my brother and sister."

"Both of them?" Charlie held a plate up to the light. "Oh, fraternal twins. Yeah, it must have been busy when you guys were little."

"I liked it. It was like our own little club. My name was the only part I didn't like. When my mom was expecting the twins, my parents took forever to pick two names that were balanced, not giving one my dad's first name, but the other my grandmother's middle name, you know? So by the time they got a first and middle name for a boy and a girl, they were burnt out on picking names. When I came along, they decided that they'd use both their middle names, boy or girl, and that was that."

"So Kennedy is your Dad's middle name?"

"My Mom's. She was born just after JFK was assassinated, and her parents wanted to honor him in some way. I'm glad they did, really, because my Dad's middle name is Garnet."

"Garnets are beautiful. I have some garnet jewelry in the shop downstairs."

"They're nice enough. But the word is so clunky. I was a clumsy kid, so I know I would have gone through life as 'Darn it, Garnet!' No thanks."

Charlie pulled the plug from the bottom of the sink and water glugged down the drain. He took the dish towel from Kennedy's hands and facing her, reached around her to hang the towel over the corner of a cabinet door. The temperature of the room seemed to go up several degrees and Charlie stood an inch from Kennedy's toes, looking like he wanted to devour her. She wanted nothing else but to be consumed by him, to be temporarily stripped of all that she was until there was nothing left of her but a body and its needs.

When Charlie stepped away from her, it felt like a physical loss.

"Wait here. I need to get something," he said.

He jogged from the room, leaving Kennedy panting in the middle of the kitchen. She was considering going to find him when he reappeared carrying a navy blue gym bag.

"Come with me," he said, taking her hand. "There's something I want to show you."

His hand was warm and firm over hers as he walked ahead of her down the hall towards his bedroom. He stopped before they reached it, however, and pulled open a door, revealing a utility closet, complete with hot water tank and electrical panel.

"Wow. It's so romantic," Kennedy said flatly.

"Patience, grasshopper."

Charlie walked to the back of the room and swung open a door revealing yet another hidden staircase. She was grateful when he flicked a switch to light up the stairs before making their way up the industrial metal steps.

Charlie opened the door at the top of the stairs, which led to a tiny rooftop patio. It was enclosed on all four sides by a chest-high solid metal wall, painted dark blue and decorated with Van Gogh-esque yellow and orange stars. The patio held a lawn chair, a couple of potted plants, and a bench just big enough for two.

Kennedy walked to the wall and leaned forward, taking in the view. Though Charlie's shop was on a street full of businesses, it was near the edge of town where the buildings tended to be small. The patio was higher than most of the nearby buildings, letting her peek into the alley below and at the rooftops of the surrounding shops. The city lights washed out most of the stars, but the night was clear and a few tenacious lights shone in the heavens. It was surprisingly quiet on the little patio, and a light breeze sent a few strands of her hair to tickle Kennedy's eyelashes.

She turned and saw Charlie watching her, waiting for her reaction. "It's wonderful! What a great little spot. Do you come up here often?"

"Sometimes. Often enough to keep the plants from dying, anyways."

He pulled a fuzzy acrylic blanket from his gym bag, folded it a few times and spread it on the bench as a cushion. They sat hip-to-hip on the small bench and Kennedy tucked her head against Charlie's shoulder.

"It's private up here," she said.

"Very. The only building nearby with windows this high is an office building, and it's empty by this time of day."

Kennedy relaxed against Charlie's body. The breeze picked up again, carrying on it a vaguely familiar smell. She lifted her head, trying to identify the smell, then realized it was coming from the plant beside her.

"Charlie? Is that what I think it is?"

"Like I said, it's very private up here. I prefer to know it's organic. Don't worry, I don't sell it, and that little plant is a year's supply."

"Your hippie is showing."

"Where? Here?" he asked, lifting his shirt to show a band of toned abs.

"Nope, that's not it," she said.

"Maybe here?" He pulled the neck of his shirt to the side, revealing his collarbone. Or what could be seen of it, since it was half-hidden in the dense muscle of his upper chest.

"Don't think so."

"I know where."

He smiled his bodice-ripper smile, then hooked a finger at the neck of Kennedy's shirt, pulling it away from her skin and peeking inside. Instinct kicked in and she slapped her shirt flat against her chest.

"No one will see anything up here. And just in case, I brought this," he said.

Charlie reached into his bag and pulled out a second blanket, which he draped over them so they were covered from the neck down.

"Okay?" he asked.

Kennedy nodded. She was still a bit hesitant, but knew that Charlie wouldn't push her farther than she wanted to go. Kennedy swung her feet so her legs lay across Charlie's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, careful not to dislodge the blanket.

His mouth found hers. It was hot after the cool night air that had been blowing across her skin. She could feel the eagerness behind his kiss, but he kept it restrained, taking his time. She explored his mouth as thoroughly as though the kiss was their first, lips sliding, tongue teasing.

Charlie slipped his hands under her shirt, grasped her around the waist, and pulled her farther onto his lap. He undid the clasp of her bra, then cupped one of her breasts in his hand. She wriggled in his lap, already squirming with desire. He plucked at a nipple, pulling it into a hard peak, then did the same with the other. Kennedy put a hand at the back of Charlie's neck, pulling herself as close to him as she could.

He leaned back long enough to undo her jeans, then pressed his warm chest against hers once more, then his hand slid down the back of her pants. She arched her back to let him farther down and he cupped one side of her ass, then inched his fingers across increasingly sensitive skin. She gasped when he the moist heat at her core.

"We should go back inside," she said. Her voice was thick with arousal.

"Wait. There's something I've always wanted to try. Would you get on your knees, facing the railing? If you don't like it, we can go back in."

Kennedy slipped from Charlie's lap and knelt on the padded bench. The back of the bench rested against the metal wall. Kneeling, the wall still came up to her waist. Charlie stood behind her and draped the blanket around them both. Holding it closed with one hand, he used the other to pull Kennedy's pants down to puddle around her knees.

"What do you think? Can we do it like this? We're just a couple looking at the stars, sharing a blanket on a cold night. No-one has to know we're sharing a condom, too."

Kennedy paused. By nature, she was a private person, even when it came to much more mundane things than sex.

After a moment, Charlie spoke. "I won't be disappointed if we go back in. I'd be quite happy to have your completely naked body all to myself in my bed."

"No. I think this is...really hot. Just don't drop that blanket."

Charlie exhaled. He licked her earlobe, then took it into his mouth, sucking it until she pressed her bare backside against his hips behind her. She heard the unmistakable rattle of foil.

"I need you to hold the blanket for a sec. I need two hands for this part."

She held the blanket closed and Charlie kissed her neck as he prepared himself. When he took the blanket back from her, her heart pounded with anticipation.

He was as hard as the cold steel beneath her hands as he eased into her. He moved slowly until he filled her completely, then pulled back. When he filled her again, she rocked her hips, angling him to hit the spot she liked best. His rhythm was relentless for all its aching slowness. It was like making love in slow motion, hiding their act from any unexpected glances with their languidness.

Despite their lazy pace, Kennedy was soon panting as the pleasure grew. Charlie had a hand against her belly and she went dizzy with delight when he dropped it to the nub within her folds. She spread her legs as far as she could, constrained as she was by her jeans.

"Lean forward," Charlie told her. "As far as you can go. Like you dropped something over the railing."

Kennedy complied, then gasped at the new sensations shooting through her body. He bent with her, keeping her covered.

"Hush," he whispered in her ear. "I don't want to be sharing those sexy noises of yours with anyone else."

She gritted her teeth, then ground herself against him, aching for more. Charlie moved the fist that held the blanket until it was touching Kennedy's mouth, then moved the hand on her nub at a frantic pace. She pressed her mouth against the blankets, trying not to cry out as pure pleasure crashed through her. She shook with release, holding tight to the back of the bench. Her head swam with vertigo at the combination of looking down the side of the building plus her thighs turning to jelly as the quaking slowed.

Charlie wrapped a strong arm around her middle, then eased her upright. He bit her shoulder, taking a mouthful of blanket, then thrust into her hard once, then again. He pulsed and shivered within her, then sagged against her back. He withdrew, then helped her put her clothes to rights, then collapsed on the bench beside her.

They sat, boneless and panting for a moment, then Kennedy pushed the blanket aside.

"I'm not feeling cold just now."

When she caught her breath, she asked, "Have you brought a lot of girls up here?"

"I've brought a couple up here, yes, but I've never done that with anyone else. I've been thinking about what it would be like to make you come under the open night sky since the first night we spent together."

"And?"

"Just thinking about it and I'm getting hard again already. But I miss hearing you, and I miss seeing your face."

Kennedy snuggled against him. "Then as soon as I can walk again, we should go back inside and do it again."