because suddenly he was standing in an eccentric, if slightly bare, loft. He barely took his eyes off Lana, whose sexual
appeal now bordered on hazardous. His body strained for fulfillment. Greg wet his lips, feeling like a teenager in his haste to
touch her.
"This is the living room," she said, practically bouncing on the heels of her thick-soled pink tennis shoes.
The "living room" was defined by a large red area rug in the shape of an apple. In contrast, the couch facing them was
yellow; the chair, an oversize beanbag chair in University-of-Kentucky-blue. An enormous live Christmas tree stood against
the wall, its branches bowed from the dozens of ornaments and dangling crystals. The scent of fresh evergreen stirred his
senses even more. Sitting on a wooden stool was a small antique television sporting a rabbit-ear antenna contraption that
extended into the air at least four feet.
"You're welcome to bring a bigger set if you want," she offered.
Did she plan on them watching that much TV? Scratching his head, Greg turned to the left and came up short, his heart
skipping a beat at sight of the man standing mere inches in front of him. He felt foolish when he realized the "man" was a blow-
up doll dressed in striped pajamas.
"Oh, meet Harry," Lana said with a grin. "He's my sidekick."
"Okay," Greg murmured. Even with the pajamas, it was clear that the doll was anatomically correct. A prop of Lana's?
She hung her coat on Harry's shoulder, then pivoted and swept an arm toward a galley-style kitchen decorated with…cows.
Everywhere. Black-and-white, pink-nosed Jersey cows with fat udders. "Not much counter space," she said cheerfully. "But
I'm willing to make room for your omelette pan."
Greg stared across the arm's length of space between them, and something… unfamiliar happened. Her gaze locked with his,
and the static electricity in the air stung his skin. A weird humming noise sounded in his ears, like a frequency interrupted. God,
she was lovely—her violet eyes, her pink mouth, her creamy skin. And with her leaning back against the gray-speckled counter,
all he could think was how perfect the height would be for…good times.
She glanced away, and the moment was gone, perhaps a figment of his imagination to ease his guilt, a delusion that he shared
some sort of connection with this stranger he was about to bed.
"And here—" she said, brushing by him to stand in a vacant area in front of two tall windows, "is where the table and chairs
used to sit. I don't suppose you could fill up the space with something interesting?"
He swallowed at the picture she presented, her lush, willowy figure silhouetted by the midday sun slanting in through the
windows, her hair a white halo. A piano. He'd buy her a baby grand piano if she'd only stand there a few moments longer.
Her eyes went wide. "Did you say a piano?"
Damn, had he spoken? A thermometer on his neck at this moment would have registered at least one hundred degrees
Fahrenheit.
She clasped her hands together, her face lit up like a child's. "You're right, this would be the perfect spot for a piano! I
haven't played in years, but it would be so fun!" Then her white teeth appeared on her lower lip, and she looked almost
embarrassed. She grabbed both his hands in hers. "Greg, I don't mean to get all girly on you, but I just have a very good feeling
about this situation."
He had the same feeling, and it made his pants tighter.
"I have this strange vibe that we were supposed to meet. Weird, huh?"
Her smile revealed a dimple in her chin. Greg might have thought it adorable, but he wasn't the kind of man who used the
word adorable.
"Well—" she blushed "—I'm sure you'd like to see the bedroom."
If they didn't get down to it soon, he thought, limping slightly as he followed her, he might embarrass himself. On the far side
of the loft, opposite the door they'd entered, a narrow hallway ran between two rooms partitioned off with permanent