Outside, the squall of alley cats, fighting and fussing at the bottom of a board fence, which separated their house from the next one over.
His hands were cool on her back. She made a soft sound. "Tight enough?" he asked.
The cats fell silent, but a dog barked. A very large dog, from the sound. "Arrrrah-arrrrah, ARRRRAH!"
"No," she murmured. "Tighter. So tight that you absorb me into yourself."
"You're something else. Do you know that?"
"Well, of course!" she said, snuggling closer.
And the cats at the bottom of the board fence began to fight and fuss again; but this time the very large dog did not bark.