Chapter 179 THE FIRST INTIMATE TOUCH

As the days passed, Mariama took advantage of the time off Andre had given her. She spent long hours walking through the streets of Ronda, rediscovering the beauty of the city without the cloud of fear hanging over her. She caught up on sleep, read books she'd been meaning to get to for months, and slowly began to feel like herself again. But even as she healed, questions nagged at her. What would her relationship with Andre be like now that he knew everything? Could they go back to the easy professional rapport they'd had before, or had too much changed? And what about her own feelings? The care and protection Andre had shown her had stirred something in her heart, something she wasn't quite ready to examine too closely. A week into her break, Mariama received a text from Andre: "Hope you're doing well. No pressure, but if you'd like to talk, I'm here." She stared at the message for a long time, her thumb hovering over the reply button. Finally, she typed out a response: "Thank