and each one had lasted just over a year.
Danny had been a great guy, but the longer they went out together, the more obvious it was that they had nothing on which to build a lasting relationship.
Joe had also been a great guy, warm and sensitive and easy to love. She should have known he was too good to last. Just when she had been expecting a marriage proposal, he had entered the priesthood.
And then there had been Richard. He had wined her and dined her and made her feel like the most wonderful, beautiful woman in the world. Unfortunately, she discovered that he was feeding the same line to her best friend and four other girls.
Leaving the bathroom, she glanced at the clock on the small antique oak table beside her bed. Only time would tell whether Dominic was saint or sinner, but whichever he was, he was going to be here in less than ten minutes.
Slipping on a pair of low-heeled white sandals, she went downstairs into the living room. She turned on the stereo, flicked on the porch light.
She loved this room, she thought, glancing around. Her furniture had arrived yesterday morning and she had spent the day arranging it. The white wicker sofa and chair brightened up the room considerably. The pillows were covered in a variegated blue print. An antique oak bookcase held a number of books and videos. Several dragons - some she had bought for herself, some that had been gifts - decorated the mantel. Her entertainment center took up most of one corner. The next time she went into the village, she would look for an area rug to put in front of the fireplace, and another one for her bedroom.
A knock at the door sent her stomach plummeting down to her toes. He was here.
Standing on the front porch, Dominic sensed the woman's inner tension even before she opened the door.
"Hi," she said, smiling.
"Good evening." He handed her a bouquet of two dozen long-stemmed, blood-red roses.
She looked up at him, unable to hide her sur-prise , or her pleasure. "They're lovely," she murmured. "Thank you."
She turned and started toward the living room. Noticing he wasn't behind her, she said, "Please, come in."
Stepping over the threshold, he followed her down a short hallway into a large, well-lit room.
She gestured at the sofa. "Make yourself at home, won't you, while I put these in water."
He smiled his thanks,then wandered around the room, taking in the changes she had made, and liking them. Perhaps he should ask her to redecorate his underground lair, he mused, running his hand over the back of the white wicker sofa. Her taste in colors and fabrics ran to bright and cheerful, while his seemed to be mostly dark and dreary.
He turned as she entered the room and placed a crystal vase on the mantel. The scent of roses filled the air.
"They're beautiful," she said again.
"They pale next to you," he replied, and meant it.
The flush that rose in her cheeks at his compliment was most becoming.
She was exquisitely lovely in a lavender sweater and white slacks. Her hair was again in a long braid down her back, which afforded him a delicious view of her slender neck.
The blush in her cheeks deepened under his warm regard.
"Shall we go?" she asked.
With a nod, he moved to the front door and opened it for her, then followed her out of the house.
Tracy's eyes widened when she saw the sleek black convertible parked in the driveway. "This is yours?"
He glanced at the car. "Is it not to your liking?"
"No, no, it's... it's gorgeous."
"I have another if you don't care for the color, or the make."
She looked up at him, wondering if he was serious. His face gave nothing away.
"What color is the other one?"
"Red."
"This one is fine."
He opened the door for her, closed it when she was comfortably seated, and walked around to the driver's side.
Tracywatched him slide behind the wheel. He moved like no other man she had ever seen, his every movement fluid.
He slid the key in the ignition and the engine came to life with a low purr, like that of a jungle cat.
Tracylooked out the window.Small talk. She had never been any good at it. She glanced at Dominic out of the corner of her eye. He was not a handsome man, at least not in theHollywood pretty-boy sort of way, but he was still gorgeous, with his long black hair, finely sculpted features, and intense gray