TALL DARK AND HUNGRY Page 0,37

you don't feel you have to take me around. I mean, I'm enjoying this," she as-sured him quickly. "But I don't want to intrude on your affairs."

"My meeting was canceled," he reminded her, not mentioning that he had been the one to cancel it. He was the key attendee who was unavailable. And he had no intention of being available all week.

Her expression brightened. "It was, wasn't it?"

Seeming soothed, Terri relaxed and finished off her sandwich. Bastien watched, fascinated by her mouth as she chewed and swallowed. She had such large, full lips. He wondered briefly what it would be like to kiss them. How they would feel beneath his own. If they were as soft as they appeared.

"Is there something on my face?" Terri asked, sud¬denly aware that Bastien was staring at her.

Bastien blinked, apparently surprised by the ques¬tion, then relaxed his posture and turned his gaze to his sandwich. It was only half eaten, while her own was finished, she noted. The man didn't seem to eat much. He'd really only picked at his breakfast that morning. Terri felt self-conscious about her own ap¬petite in comparison, but she was always ravenous in the mornings.

She watched him lift the sandwich to his mouth. He took a bite and chewed with a perplexed expres-sion. It fascinated her. "Is there something wrong with your sandwich?"

"What?" His gaze shifted back to her. "Oh, no, I'm just surprised at how good it tastes."

Terri laughed. Sometimes he said the oddest things. When they were touring the Renaissance sec-tion of the museum, he'd spoken with such authority and knowledge about the period that she had finally asked if he'd taken history at the university. The question had seemed to make him uncomfortable, and he'd flushed and muttered that he'd taken a course or two.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Terri gave a start. Bastien's question had seemed to come out of the blue. "No. I was an only child."

"Oh, yes. I think Kate mentioned something about that. You're the only child of a single parent."

Terri nodded. "It was tough on my mother, but she was a wonderful woman. Hardworking. We didn't have much money sometimes, but there was always lots of love." She tilted her head curiously. "You have another brother and sister besides Lucern, don't you? And you grew up with both parents? It must have been nice having siblings."

Bastien snorted. "Sometimes. Sometimes it's a pain."

"But you wouldn't give them up for the world, I'm sure," she guessed, reading the affection in his expression.

"No, I wouldn't," he admitted. "Although there was a time or two I thought I might."

"Tell me," she urged, and listened with amusement as he launched into a tale of childhood antics. Terri could tell Bastien was editing the tale as he told it-there were small hesitations and pauses that gave him away--but she was becoming used to that. They had done a good deal of talking over the last three days, and she was quite sure that the man edited most of the stories he told her. Terri didn't really mind, though; she enjoyed listening to and talking with him just the same. She enjoyed him.

She watched the way his eyes sparkled with re¬membered glee, then found her gaze fixing on his lips. They curved first in wry self-deprecation, then amusement. Terri watched them move as he spoke, fascinated by their contours and the plumpness of the lower lip in comparison to the upper. And as he ram¬bled on, she found herself wondering what it would be like if he kissed her.

She blinked as that thought crossed her mind, then she straightened abruptly, both alarmed and startled. Terri had thought Bastien attractive from the start, and interesting to talk to. She had enjoyed the last three days immensely, and found herself waking up looking forward to what the day might bring. But she hadn't realized that she was "attracted" attracted to the man. Dear God, she was in trouble, Terri realized faintly; then she became aware that Bastien had fallen silent. Her gaze shot from his lips to his eyes, and widened slightly at the expression on his face.

"I--" she began uncertainly, but he cut her off by suddenly capturing her face in both hands and tug¬ging her forward. He covered her open mouth with his own.

It had been so long since she'd been properly kissed, Terri was a little overwhelmed by the sudden invasion of his tongue into her mouth. She stilled, a plethora of responses rushing through her