exclaimed, and then smiled. "What are you doing here?"
She stared up at him, wondering what she could say.
Navarre frowned. "Is something wrong?"
"No. No, I... I just wanted to see you."
"Come in."
She hesitated, her gaze darting past him, sweeping over the interior of the house.
"Adrianna?"
She murmured a quick thank-you and stepped inside, wondering if she'd just made what could be a fatal mistake. But that was silly. There was no such thing as vampires. She was simply letting her imagination get the best of her.That's what comes of reading too many paranormal romances , she mused.You start to see monsters in the closet .
She shivered as she felt his arms around her. Were his hands unusually cold, or was it just that her skin was suddenly so warm?
"I'm glad you came," Navarre said, his lips brushing the top of her head. "Would you care for a cup of coffee?"
"Yes, thank you."
Relief seeped through her. Everyone knew that vampires couldn't consume normal food.
"It's instant," he said. "I hope you don't mind?"
"No, that's fine."
She followed him down the hallway into the kitchen. Glancing into each room they passed, she noticed that all the drapes were drawn against the morning sun.
She sat at the table while he filled a teapot with water and set it on the stove to heat.
"It's dark in here," she remarked. "Why don't you open the curtains?"
"Bad for the furniture." Navarre shrugged. "I can't afford to have the fabric on some of those old pieces fade any more than it already has."
Adrianna grunted softly. Of course! Why hadn't she thought of that herself? Her grandmother had always kept her house dark, claiming the sunlight would fade the carpet.
She felt a flutter of excitement in the pit of her stomach as she watched him move around the kitchen, taking a cup from the shelf, adding a spoonful of instant coffee, filling the cup with water.
"Do you take cream or sugar?" he asked.
"Both, please."
It was only when he placed the cup before her that she realized he wasn't having any.
"I don't care for coffee," he said in answer to her unspoken question. "I only keep it on hand for company."
"Oh."
"Are you taking the day off?"
"No." She glanced at her watch. "I'll have to go soon. The store opens at ten."
His gaze moved over her face in a soft caress. "Would you care to go for a walk along the beach?"
His question put the last of her doubts to rest. "That sounds wonderful."
He smiled as he slipped on a pair of dark glasses, then took her hand in his. "Ready?"
The next hour was magical. Adrianna kicked off her shoes and they walked hand in hand along the beach, watching the sun dance on the water, listening to the quiet whisper of the waves against the shore, watching the gulls wheel and soar against the cloudless sky.
Sitting in the shade of the cliff, she told him of how she'd bought the bookstore, and how one of these days she was going to have to sit down and go through all the old boxes that she'd found in the attic of the building.
"The previous owner was a gypsy woman. I don't think she ever threw anything away." Adrianna laughed softly. "My great-grandmother didn't either. I inherited a huge old trunk when she passed away. I started to go through it a couple of times, but it made me sad, somehow, going through her things, so I just locked it up and put it away."
"The loss of a loved one is never easy," he remarked, "but time is a great healer."
"You sound as though you're speaking from experience."
"Yes."
He glanced out at the ocean, and Adrianna knew intuitively that he was thinking of another woman in another place.
"Would you care to talk about it?" she asked.
His gaze moved back to her face, and he shook his head. "No. It was a long time ago."
"I've been doing all the talking," Adrianna said, forcing a note of cheerfulness into her voice. "Tell me about you. Where did you live before you came to Moreno Bay?"
"Many places."
"Really? Like where? I've never lived anywhere but here."
Navarre blew out a deep breath. "Europe, mostly."
"Have you been to Paris? And Italy? Oh, I'd love to go to Italy. Is it wonderful?"
"I suppose so."
"You suppose so! Tell me what Europe is like. Did you see the Eiffel Tower and the Tower of London? Did you go to Venice?"
Navarre nodded.
Adrianna sighed. "I guess I'll never get there."
"Anything is possible," Navarre remarked. He glanced up at