try it out?''
"What?"
"The bed. Would you like to try it out?"
A strange warmth unfurled in the pit of her stomach as she thought of lying down on the bed while he was in the room. Slowly, she shook her head. "I don't think so."
She was a pretty woman,Navarre thought. She wore a blue silk dress that complemented the color of her hair and skin. The soft material subtly emphasized the curve of her hips and the swell of her breasts.
He had been long without a woman, and he felt a sudden frisson of heat lance through him as he imagined her lying on the bed, her hair spread on the pillow, her lips slightly swollen from his kisses...
He swore under his breath as he reined in his wayward thoughts. In his time on earth, he had known many women. He had courted them for a short time, and then left them before the inevitable questions began, before people began to wonder at his eternal youth. As time went on, he had chosen to remain alone for longer and longer periods of time.
He had loved no woman since Katlaina. There had been many he admired, many who had held his affection for a short time, but none who had claimed his heart.
"Mr.Navarre ?"
He glanced over his shoulder to find her staring up at him. She was young, he thought. So very young.
"I'd like to buy the bed."
"For yourself?"
Adrianna frowned. "Does it matter who it's for?"
"No, of course not."
"How much is it?"
"For you?" He shrugged. "Four hundred dollars."
"But it must be worth twice that!" Adrianna exclaimed.
"That's my price. Do you want it or not?"
"Yes. I don't have any way to pick it up, though. Do you think..." She hesitated, hating to ask a favor when he was practically giving her the bed.
"Is there a problem?" he asked.
"Could you possibly deliver it?"
"If you wish."
"That's great." She reached into her handbag. "I guess you'll want a deposit.".
"No. You can pay me when the bed is delivered."
"Fine. Well..." She held out her hand. "Thank you."
Navarretook her hand in his. It was small and delicate; her skin was soft and smooth, warm with life. His gaze held hers as he bowed over her hand and kissed it.
His lips, though cool, seared her skin like sunlight magnified though a looking glass.
Adrianna stared at him in utter astonishment. No one had ever kissed her hand before. It was such an old-world gesture, it left her momentarily speechless.
"Will tomorrow be soon enough?" he asked.
"Tomorrow?" She stared up at him, blinking in confusion.
"To deliver the bed?"
"Oh, yes, tomorrow will be fine." She laughed selfconsciously as she scribbled her address on the back of her business card. "What time shall I expect you?"
"Seven?"
"That late," Adrianna murmured, disappointed. Tomorrow was Saturday; she had hoped to have the bed delivered earlier in the day.
"Is there a problem?"
"No," she said quickly. "Seven will be fine. Thank you."
She felt his gaze burning into her back as she left the room. It was all she could do not to glance over her shoulder as she started down the stairs.
Outside, she took a deep breath. Never, in all her life, had she met a man who affected her so strangely. It wasn't just his looks - she had seen tall, dark, handsome men before. She had even dated a few.
She slid behind the wheel, put the key in the ignition, and then, almost against her will, she glanced up at the house. She could see him standing at the second-story window, watching her. In spite of the distance between them, she could feel his intense gaze on her face, as soft as a sigh, as intimate as a caress.
With a rueful shake of her head, Adrianna put the Honda in gear and pulled out of the driveway. She wasn't usually given to such flights of romantic fantasy, but there was something about Mr. V. Navarre that conjured up images of castles and dungeons and knights in shining armor. Maybe it was the fact that he dealt in antiques, she mused as she entered the flow of traffic leading intoMorenoBay , or maybe it was the aura of old world charm that seemed to cling to him.
She wondered absently what the V stood for.
And then she grinned. He had kissed her hand! Warmth curled through the innermost part of her at the memory.
Impulsively, she lifted her hand and pressed her lips where his had touched. Immediately, his image rose before her, his hair as black as Satan's sins,