Excerpt of Banking On Temperance by Becky Lower

Basil led a weaving Temperance into the small bedroom and
pulled
back the cover before he sat her on the bed. She still
had
that
sappy, drunken smile on her face. With a sigh, he put his
hand
over her face and pushed her lightly down onto the
mattress.
He
leaned over and untied her shoes, slipping them off her
feet. Then
he swung her legs up on the bed and covered her with the
blanket.

“Good night, Temptress,” he whispered as he reaced over
and
took
the other pillow off the bed. She had already fallen
asleep.
He
picked up the extra blanket kept at the foot of the bed
and
backed
out of the room, denying himself the kiss he so ardently
wanted to
take from her.

He pulled two chairs into the corner near the wood stove,
and
arranged them so they faced one another. He sat in one
and
propped
his feet up in the other. He spread the blanket over
himself
and
blew out the candle, plunging the room into darkness.

This was going to be a long night. Not only was he cold
as a
stone, he was hard as a rock.