Baiser

“Her kiss was such that they reeled apart, drunk, deaf, breathless, trembling as if they had just been fighting. She stood up again in front of him, but he did not move from the depths of his chair, and she taunted him under her breath. “Well? … Well?” and waited for an insult. Instead, he held out his arms, opened his vague beautiful hands, tilted his head back as if he had been struck … He babbled indeterminate words … in which she could distinguish her name—”darling”—”I want you”—”I’ll never leave you” … “