I glanced at Malena, who was sitting on her knees with her hands folded in her lap. She smiled when I looked at her, but she had an oddly distant look in her eyes, like she'd been thinking of something else.

Alanna took my hand and led me over to the couch, letting go to lay down on it lengthwise and spreading her legs so that one was hooked on the top of the headrest and the other was on the floor. She was totally opened for me and gave me a hungry look. "Well," she asked, false-nervousness in her voice, "Do you want... do you like this?"

"You look...