Laura took a lungful of air as she stepped outside the next afternoon,
and smiled. The day had started out better than most. Her steps had a
certain expectation to them as she walked to the garden.

She wasn't disappointed as she came upon the place where Stefan was. She stayed where she was, unaware that her mouth was now hanging slightly open.

Robed in only a loosely fitted white pair of pants, Laura got a thorough view of Stefan's upper body, the hard lines of his well-defined muscles and the smooth, slightly bronzed skin.

Her eyes followed the movements of his arms almost hypnotically, noting the way his muscles stretched with every turn.

She frowned slightly as the movements ceased, not realizing he was now looking directly at her until he called her name.

"What was that you were doing?" she asked, as she walked closer to him. Maybe she could pretend simply curiosity was the reason she had been ogling him just now.

"Tai Chi," he replied.

"It looks very relaxing... and complicated," Laura added. "Do you do it every day?"

"Most days, yes," he nodded. "I do find it relaxing, and it is easily learned with a degree of focus and patience."

Laura laughed. "Two qualities that I do not possess, let me tell you. But it does look interes--" She suddenly lost the ability to speak as she saw Stefan's hand inch closer and closer to her face.

Her senses were overwhelming her. She could feel her face burning as his fingers touched her hair; his smell was filling her nostrils so that she could almost taste him on her lips. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Laura thought she might go deaf from the steady pounding in her ears.

She felt a slight tugging at her hair, and nearly laughed when he showed her the small leaf he had liberated from her blonde tresses. "Thank you," she stammered, feeling very foolish. She took a step back, and waved slightly, which only made her feel more like an idiot. She turned and quickly walked away.

Stefan's fingers were still burning from where they had touched the silky locks of her hair. He looked at the lead still in his hand, and briefly considered keeping it. Then he shook his head at the thought.

Dropping the leaf on the ground, he focused once again on his exercises. And for the first time, Stefan Cassadine couldn't remember the next step.

*****

Laura shifted the book and tried to get lost in the story, but her eyes kept blurring. She'd been reading practically all day. She finally gave up, placed the book on the nightstand, and laid back on the pillows.

She glanced over at the clock. 8 o'clock."Another day gone," she sighed heavily. Now what was she going to do? Dinner wasn't for another hour.

The door to the bedroom opened, and she threw her legs over the bed and stood up. "Stavros?"

Her husband walked in, greeting her with a seductive smile. He gallantly offered the roses he had brought her.

"They're beautiful, Stav," she murmured as she inhaled the sweet scent. She put them down on top of the book, and turned back to him, smiling.

"Not as beautiful as you," he told her, walking up to her so they were mere inches apart. He bent down and kissed her.

The familiar feeling of guilt swept through her, but she closed her eyes, trying to get lost in the soft teasing of his mouth on hers.

Stavros reached over and turned off the light.

She preferred making love in the dark. It was easier to imagine that it was someone else with her, and any pleasure she received wasn't overwhelmed by her sense of betrayal. But unlike the countless other time, the face that formed in her mind that night wasn't Scotty's.

It was Stefan's.