Moonlight by Amanda Ashley Page B

hair
spread on the pillow, her lips slightly swollen from his kisses…
    He swore under his breath as he reined in his wayward
thoughts. In his time on earth, he had known many women. He had courted them
for a short time, and left them before the inevitable questions began, before
people began to wonder at his eternal youth. As time went on, he had chosen to
remain alone for longer and longer periods of time. It had been easier and less
painful to ease his desire with an occasional whore than to let himself care
for a woman he knew he would have to leave.
    He had loved no woman since Katlaina. There had been many he
admired, many who had held his affection, but none who had claimed his heart.
    “Mr. Navarre?”
    He glanced over his shoulder to find her staring up at him.
She was young, he thought. So very young.
    “I’d like to buy the bed.”
    “For yourself?”
    Adrianna frowned. “Does it matter who it’s for?”
    “No, of course not.”
    “How much is it?”
    “For you?” He shrugged. “Four hundred dollars.”
    “But it must be worth twice that!” Adrianna exclaimed.
    “That’s my price. Do you want it or not?”
    “Yes. I don’t have any way to pick it up, though. Do you
think…” She hesitated, hating to ask a favor when he was practically giving the
bed away.
    “Is there a problem?” he asked.
    “Could you possibly deliver it?”
    “If you wish.”
    “That’s great.” She reached into her handbag. “I guess you’ll
want a deposit.”
    “No need. You can pay me when the bed is delivered.”
    “Fine. Well…” She held out her hand. “Thank you.”
    Navarre took her hand in his. It was small and delicate; her
skin soft and smooth, warm with life. His gaze held hers as he bowed over her
hand and kissed it.
    His lips, though cool, seared her skin like sunlight
magnified though a looking glass.
    Adrianna stared at him in utter astonishment. No one had
ever kissed her hand before. It was such an Old World gesture, it left her
momentarily speechless.
    “Will tomorrow be soon enough?” he asked.
    “Tomorrow?” She stared up at him, blinking in confusion.
    “To deliver the bed?”
    “Oh, yes, tomorrow will be fine.” She laughed
self-consciously as she scribbled her home address on the back of her business
card. “What time shall I expect you?”
    “Seven?”
    “That late?” Adrianna murmured, disappointed. Tomorrow was
Saturday; she had hoped to have the bed delivered earlier in the day.
    “Is there a problem?”
    “No,” she said quickly. “Seven will be fine. Thank you.”
    She felt his gaze burning into her back as she left the room.
It was all she could do not to glance over her shoulder as she started down the
stairs.
    Outside, she took a deep breath. Never in all her life had
she met a man who affected her so strangely. It wasn’t just his looks—she had
seen tall, dark, handsome men before. She had even dated a few.
    She slid behind the wheel, put the key in the ignition, and
then, almost against her will, she glanced up at the house. She could see him
standing at the second-story window, watching her. In spite of the distance
between them, she felt his intense gaze on her face, as soft as a sigh, as
intimate as a caress.
    With a rueful shake of her head, Adrianna put the Honda in
gear and pulled away from the curb. She wasn’t usually given to such flights of
romantic fantasy, but there was something about Mr. V. Navarre that conjured up
images of castles and dungeons and knights in shining armor. Maybe it was the
fact that he dealt in antiques, she mused as she entered the flow of traffic
leading into Moreno Bay, or maybe it was the aura of Old World charm that
seemed to cling to him.
    She wondered absently what the V stood for.
    And then she grinned. He had kissed her hand! Warmth curled
through the innermost part of her at the memory. Impulsively, she lifted her
hand and pressed her lips where his had touched. Immediately, his image rose
before her, his hair as black