the sun, still amazed, and inordinately pleased, that he could endure the weak winter sunlight for short periods of time. He could feel the heat penetrating the heavy sweatshirt and pants he wore, making his skin tingle. Soon, he would have to go inside, but not yet. He wanted to spend a few more minutes sitting on the beach with Adrianna, pretending he was no different than any other man she knew.
"Do you have family here?" she asked.
"No. Do you?"
Adrianna nodded. "Well, not reallyhere . My dad's company transferred him to California during my senior year."
"Why didn't you go with them?"
"I wanted to graduate with my friends. My great-grandma said I could stay with her, and my mom thought it was a good idea, since Grams was so old. It's her house I'm living in. She left it to me in her will, along with enough money to buy the bookstore."
"Do you have brothers or sisters?"
"Oh, yeah. I've got two brothers. Todd is fifteen, and Troy is sixteen. They came to stay with me last summer. At least, they said it was to see me. I suspect they just wanted to check out the girls in town and see if they'd missed anything while they were gone. I suppose next year I'll go there."
"Of course," he said quietly, though he disliked the thought of her leaving town, even for a day. "Family is important. You should stay close to them."
She looked at Navarre, wondering if she was imagining the longing, the loneliness, she saw in his eyes.
Navarre glanced up at the sun again, his eyes narrowing against the brightness that burned his eyes in spite of the dark glasses.
Rising to his feet, he pulled Adrianna up beside him. "As much as I've enjoyed this, I have to go."
"Of course. I didn't mean to take up so much of your time." She pulled her hand from his. "I really should be getting to work."
"Annie, don't." He drew her into his arms and kissed her cheek. Her skin was as smooth and warm as a sun-kissed peach. "I'd rather be here, with you, than anywhere else."
"Navarre..."
"I wish I didn't have to go." With a low groan, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, ignoring the heat of the sun that burned through his clothing and seared his flesh.
Breathless, Adrianna gazed up at him. "I don't have to go to work," she murmured.
"But I do." He kissed her again, deeply, passionately. "Annie, I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'll see you tonight," he said and then, after one last kiss, he ran down the beach to the path that led up to Cliff House.
Adrianna frowned as she watched Navarre run effortlessly up the steep slope until he was out of sight. He was in a hurry, all right, there was no doubt of that.
Picking up her shoes, she made her way up the path, hoping, as she did so, that Navarre had left the kitchen door open so she could get her keys, which she'd left on the table.
The door was unlocked, the house quiet, when she stepped into the kitchen. "Navarre?"
She picked up her keys and walked through the rooms downstairs. There was something about Cliff House that made her walk softly, that made her feel that she wasn't alone even though it seemed apparent that the house was empty. And yet, strange as it seemed, she couldn't help feeling that Navarre was nearby. She felt his presence all around her.
She glanced up the stairway, and then, after a moment's hesitation, she climbed the stairs to the second floor, wandering slowly from room to room. A narrow set of stairs led to what she assumed was the attic. A narrow chain stretched from one side of the bannister to the other. A neatly lettered wooden sign, with the words private, keep out, hung from the center of the chain.
Adrianna felt her pulse quicken as she stepped over the chain. On tiptoe, she climbed the stairs, which led to a solid oak door.
She stood there for several moments, her hand hovering over the doorknob, her heart pounding in her ears, and then, overcome by a sudden irrational fear, she turned and ran down the stairs and out of the house.
Lying in his bed, hovering in the shadow world between awareness and oblivion, Navarre listened to Adrianna's footsteps as she moved from room to room, as she climbed the stairs to the attic. He could hear the frantic beating of her