She hadn’t noticed anyone else in the quiet, spacious room, and the sight of the ruggedly handsome stranger immediately sparked her interest. He was in his mid to late thirties, with brown hair cut in a short, military-like style, and an unbelievably gorgeous face. High cheekbones, a strong jaw and straight aristocratic nose, sensual lips—very much like the classically handsome, chiseled features of the statues gracing the gallery. Yet it wasn’t just his looks that captured her attention. There was something simmering below his perfectly sculpted surface. Something dark and powerful and very, very sexy.
The man nodded in response to the guard’s notification, but made no move to leave. Rather, he stepped closer to the Venus de Milo, his hazel eyes fixed on the statue as the guard edged back to the door.
“She’s beautiful, huh?” The question slipped out of Lana’s mouth before she could stop it. She didn’t usually strike up conversations with strangers, but the look in the man’s eyes was so very… haunting.
He turned slightly, not even blinking. “Yes. She is.”
“I always imagine her whole, with long graceful arms, adorned with jewels. We think she’s a beauty now, but can you imagine how much more beautiful she’d be?” Lana felt her cheeks grow warm as the random and somewhat pretentious remark passed through her lips. She tended to get caught up when surrounded by art, and she suddenly experienced a pang of embarrassment, unleashing an art lecture on a total stranger.
But to her surprise, his features softened. Those hazel eyes shone with intensity as he locked his gaze with hers. “Divine beauty,” he said simply.
His husky voice made her heart skip a beat. It was deep, rough, like a gruff purr.
“Exactly,” she murmured. When he didn’t respond, she awkwardly clasped her hands together in her lap. “I love it here,” she found herself blurting. “Just looking at all these pieces makes me feel… at peace. Does that happen to you?”
The stranger’s eyes never left hers. “Yes. It does.”
“It’s as though all the problems in the world just fade away,” she went on, a faraway note entering her voice. “At least that’s what usually happens. Right now, I can’t stop thinking about everything going on back home. My family… God, what a mess.”
The man seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if debating whether or not to get the heck out of there before she burst into tears or something. Lana didn’t blame him. What was she thinking, dumping her problems on a stranger?
“I’m sorry.” She laughed in discomfort. “I don’t normally burden people I don’t know with my issues.”
“It’s not a burden.” His voice came out rough. “Did something happen back home?”
She nodded numbly. “Yeah. Yeah, something happened. And I want so badly to fly back and help, but my brother says there’s nothing I can do.”
“He’s probably right.” Her stranger shrugged. “I’ve learned it’s often better to let others clean up their own messes.”
“Maybe.” Lana rested her hands on her knees. “I just hate feeling powerless.”
A wry half smile lifted his mouth. “As does most of the world.”
She smiled back. “You’re right. Nobody likes it, do they?” Impulsively, she got to her feet and stuck out her hand. “I’m Lana.”
Another beat of hesitation, and then he slowly reached out and shook her hand, oddly gentle. Somehow she didn’t suspect gentleness was a word you’d normally associate with this man. Now that she was standing up, she realized exactly how big he was. Well over six feet, and the muscles rippling beneath his green sweater looked rock-hard.
A thrill shot through her body, which surprised her. This had never happened to her before, such a quick, visceral attraction, the almost eerie awareness of this man as male. She didn’t have much experience in the attraction department, aside from high-school crushes and that one disastrous relationship when she was doing her undergrad.
“Deacon.”
That timber-rough voice jolted her from her thoughts. Deacon. She tilted her head to meet his eyes again. Yes, he looked like a Deacon. It was a strong name, very fitting for this man who just radiated strength.
“Deacon,” she echoed, a mere whisper.
His hazel eyes went darker, burning with something unidentifiable. As if the sound of his name on her lips had elicited something inside him.
“You’re an American,” she added, a statement, not a question. His accent wasn’t Parisian. Not European, either.
“I grew up in Boston,” he confirmed, and then his lips tightened shut, as if the revelation displeased him.
“East coast,” she said, a teasing note to her voice. “I’m from the west. Just a spoiled little rich girl from Beverly Hills.”
Those sensual lips relaxed, lifting slightly. “Somehow I don’t think the word spoiled applies to you.”
She offered another smile. “But maybe I am. Maybe I’m spoiled rotten.”
Deacon shook his head. “No. Money doesn’t interest you.” His gaze slid down to her fancy watch. “I think you would even give that watch to a beggar on the street if you didn’t have change.”
Surprise jolted through her. “You sound very certain of that.”
“Am I wrong?”
“No,” she admitted. “I’m not interested in material things. And I would give this darn watch away, if it hadn’t been a gift.”
Deacon had that look about him, the smug one of a man who’d totally pegged her. “I bet you even gave your trust fund to charity, didn’t you, Lana?”
Her lips twitched. Yep, he had her pegged. “The day I turned twenty-one,” she confirmed. She neglected to mention that her irate father had promptly deposited the same amount back into her account. She didn’t have the heart to give the second trust away; spoiling her gave her father such silly pleasure.
“So…” Deacon cocked his head thoughtfully. “If money doesn’t interest you, then what does?”
His question gave her pause. “Family,” she replied. “And sculpting. I could never give up my art.”
“Ah, you yearn to make the world a more beautiful place.” There was a slight edge to his tone.
“Why not?” She shrugged carelessly. “There’s so much ugliness in the world these days. What’s wrong with wanting to replace some of it with beauty?”
“An idealist. I should have known.”
She studied his face. “You don’t believe in the power of beauty?”
Deacon went quiet. His hazel eyes locked with hers once more, and there it was again, that intense ripple of energy beneath his surface. Only this time it was accompanied by heat. Heavy, sizzling heat that seemed to hang in the air, hovering over them, crackling between them.
“Yes,” he finally said, his voice thick. “I believe in the power of beauty.”
His gaze swept across her body, resting on her breasts, her hips, and then moving back to her face. Her heart jumped again. And her breasts were suddenly achy, her nipples tingling against her bra. What was this? Lust at first sight? No, she didn’t lust over strange men. She was far too levelheaded for primitive urges.
And yet, when she opened her mouth, the words that slid out proved that maybe she was far lustier than she’d ever imagined. “Would you… like to have a drink with me?”
Surprised flickered on his handsome face. He took a