moved toward her, needing to hold her, to feel her warmth, to taste her sweetness.
The sudden wariness in her eyes halted him in mid-stride. She wanted him, he thought bitterly, but she was still afraid of him.
"I won't hurt you," he vowed, praying that it was a promise he could keep. "Please don't be afraid of me."
"I'm not."
It was a lie, and they both knew it.
"Addie, where are you?"
Nancy's voice cut through the tension between them.
"In here," Adrianna called.
Navarre swore under his breath as a dark-haired young woman entered the dining room.
"Oh, there you are," Nancy said. She glanced at Adrianna's flushed cheeks, then looked at the man standing nearby.
Adrianna forced a smile. "Nancy, this is Mr. Navarre. He owns the shop. Mr. Navarre, this is my friend, Nancy Kendrick."
"Charmed, madam," Navarre said, inclining his head in Nancy's direction. "Welcome to my house."
"Thank you. Did you find anything, Addie?"
"No."
"Me, either. At least, nothing I can afford." She smiled apologetically at Navarre, then looked at Adrianna again. "Are you ready to go?"
Adrianna nodded. As much as she had dreaded coming here, now she found herself hating to leave. "Yes, I guess so."
Navarre stepped forward and took Adrianna's hand in his. "I hope you'll come again, Miss Grant."
"I will, thank you."
"And you, too, Ms. Kendrick." He smiled at Nancy, but he didn't release his hold on Adrianna.
"Thank you, Mr. Navarre." Nancy stared pointedly at his hand, which was still clasping Adrianna's. "Addie, are you ready?''
"Yes."
Adrianna was keenly aware of Navarre's gaze on her back as she followed Nancy out of the room.
"Well!" Nancy exclaimed as soon as they were in the car, "what wasthat all about?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know darn well what I mean! What's going on between you two?"
"Nothing."
"It looked like something to me. He couldn't keep his eyes, or his hands, off you."
"Don't be silly."
"Silly! There was so much tension in that room you could see it."
"Nancy..."
"Addie!"
"For goodness sakes, I just met the man. There's nothing going on."
"There will be," Nancy predicted. "There will be."
Adrianna sank onto the sofa, a cup of hot chocolate cradled in her hands. Dinner with Nancy had been fun, once she got her friend off the subject of Navarre. But then, Nancy was always fun, always able to see the bright side of life, always able to find humor in the grimmest of situations. Her cheerful nature had made her one of the most popular girls in high school. Adrianna had always envied Nancy her easy way with people, her ability to see things as they really were.
They had lingered over coffee, talking about Russ, about the new mall being built at the other end of town, reminiscing about high school. It had been after ten when Nancy brought her home.
A sigh escaped Adrianna's lips as she thought of Navarre, his gray eyes intent upon her face, his voice soft and husky as he whispered that he wanted to make love to her. It was what she wanted, too, and yet she couldn't help being afraid of what it would mean, of the changes it would make in her life.
She set her cup aside, wondering if she was ready to deal with all the implications of surrendering her virginity to Navarre. Though he appeared to be only a few years older than she, there was an air of sophistication and experience about him that made him seem much older. No doubt he'd known many women, while her experience with men was limited to heavy petting sessions in the back seat of her old boyfriend's car, and one brief encounter that had, fortunately, ended before any damage had been done.
Navarre. She closed her eyes, wondering what it would be like to let him make love to her...
A knock at the door roused her from the edge of sleep. Yawning, she went to the door. "Who is it?"
"Navarre."
Her heart did a somersault at the sound of his voice. With hands that shook, she released the security chain and unlocked the door.
Taking a deep breath, she ran a hand through her hair and opened the door. And he was there, filling her vision, a tall, dark man dressed in a white T shirt and jeans.
"Navarre." His name whispered past her lips. His gaze moved over her. She'd been asleep, he thought. Her hair, slightly mussed, fell over her shoulders. "May I come in?"
"I don't know. It's late..." She lifted her hand, then let it fall. "Sure, come on in."
She stepped back so he could enter the house,