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breaking down like this. What the hell was wrong
    with
    her? Worse, he was carrying her!
    Carrying her! And he wasn't complaining that she was fat and heavy, or
    grunting
    from the strain of it. She'd jokingly asked Taylor to carry her over the
    threshold when they had moved in together and he had laughed, then asked
    her if
    she was trying to give him a hernia.
    Later that night, Taylor had agreed to do it only if she bought him a forklift
    for it.
    And yet here this total stranger carried her with ease down the street. For the
    first time in her life, she almost felt petite.
    But she wasn't that delusional. Bride McTierney hadn't been petite since she
    was
    six months old.
    He opened her door, stepped inside, then closed it with his boot heel.
    Without
    breaking stride, he took her to the tall stool behind her register. He sat her
    down with care, then untucked his white T-shirt and used the end of it to
    blot
    her eyes.
    "Ow!" she said as he almost poked her right eye out. It was a good thing she
    didn't wear contacts or she'd be blind.
    He looked contrite. "Sorry."
    "No," she said, looking up at him through her tears.
    "I'm the one who needs to apologize. I didn't mean to have a nervous
    breakdown
    on you."
    "Is that what this is?"
    Was he serious? He definitely appeared so.
    She drew in a ragged breath and wiped her eyes with her hands. "No, this is
    me
    being stupid. I'm so sorry."
    He offered her a small, seductive grin. "It's okay. Really. I think."
    Bride stared at him in disbelief. Why was this man in her store being so kind
    to
    her? It didn't make sense.
    Was this a dream?
    Trying to regain some of her dignity, she pulled his credit slip from the
    register box. "Here," she said, handing it to him.
    "Why are you giving me this?"
    "Oh, come on. No one buys a necklace this expensive for a complete
    stranger."
    Again he didn't take it. Instead, he reached inside the bag and took out the
    box. She watched as he unwrapped it, then placed the choker around her
    neck
    again. The contrast between his hot hands and the cool beads made her
    shiver.
    He laced his fingers through the tendrils of her hair while gazing at her like
    she was some delectable dessert that he was dying to taste.
    No one had ever given her such a hot look before. It wasn't natural for a man
    this handsome to look at her like that.
    "It belongs on you. No other woman could do it justice."
    Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them back before he called the
    psycho
    ward on her. The heat of his hand against her neck was searing. "What? Did
    you
    lose a bet or something?"
    "No."
    "Then why are you being so nice to me?"
    He cocked his head as if puzzled by her question. "Do I need a reason?"
    "Yes."
    Vane was completely baffled. Humans needed a reason to be nice to each
    other? No
    wonder his kind avoided them.
    "I don't know what to say," he admitted. "I didn't know there were rules for
    giving gifts or for trying to make someone feel better. You looked so sad as I
    walked by that I only wanted to make you smile."
    He took a deep breath and handed her the credit slip. "Keep the necklace,
    please. It looks good on you, and I have no one else to give it to. I'm sure my
    brother wouldn't want it. He'd probably shove it someplace real
    uncomfortable if
    I gave it to him. And if he didn't, that would scare me even more."
    Finally, she laughed. The sound lightened his heart instantly.
    "Is that a smile?" he asked.
    She nodded and sniffed delicately before she laughed again.
    Returning her smile, Vane reached out and cupped her cool cheek. She was
    so
    beautiful when she laughed. Her dark amber eyes sparkled. Before he could
    stop
    himself, he leaned down and kissed the tears from her lashes.
    Bride couldn't breathe as she felt the heat of his lips against her skin. No
    man
    had ever treated her like this. Not even Taylor, whom she had hoped to
    marry.
    She inhaled the warm scent of Vane's skin. It was tinged with some sort of
    aftershave and a rich,