"Scenically, I mean." He nodded toward his left and the back entrance.

"The beach is less than half a mile away from the rear parking lot, just beyond the houses. People like to come here for dinner and then top it off with a stroll along the beach."

She felt uneasy as she resumed storing her material. She had a feeling she knew where he was going with this. And she wanted to go with him, which was what frightened her. She wanted to go too much.

Sara didn't look at him. " " At some of the prices I've seen on the menu, that's probably all they can afford to do afterward"

She was blocking every attempt he made to get by her barriers. Like a well-trained volleyball player, she was slamming the ball over the net every time it threatened to land in her court. Why was she resisting so hard?

"How long have you been a cynic, Sara?"

Her eyes grew distant as she remembered. "Since I was fourteen. "

He didn't believe her. He thought she was just being flippant But he would have liked to have met her before she had become so disillusioned. "What were you like then?"

She roused herself. He was prodding again. Didn't the man ever give up? "A lot younger."

He laughed and shook his head. "Would you have been game to go for a walk on the beach then?"

Sara switched off the machine and ignored the fact that her heart had gone into an accelerated mode. "I'm game now, if someone would ask me."

He took her hand as she reached for the computer's plastic dust cover She raised her eyes to his. She was trying to be brazen, but she was failing, he thought. " " I am asking . "

She was twenty-eight, for G.o.d's sake. Why was her mouth going dry because a man was asking her to take a walk with him along the beach?

It only involved sand and water, not a lifelong commitment. Her mouth stayed dry. " " What about the restaurant? "

"Antonio'll handle it. He keeps trying to shove me out of the kitchen every night, anyway. Says he'll lock up." A fond smile creased his mouth and Sara suddenly remembered the way it had tasted. "Personally, I think he's stealing the silEvery qqrware and selling it off to fund his retirement plan. But I haven't the heart to tell him to go home."

He sighed. "He likes to think he runs the restaurant."

And Nik let him, she thought. He took umbrage with her when he thought she was challenging his authority, but he let an old man have illusions and order him around. She liked him for it even though she knew she shouldn't. " " Very understanding of you . " Nik looked at her in surprise Her voice had grown soft, silky. " It might be a whole new light to see you to. "

He took her hand again and drew her from her chair. "So, are you game?"

Too game. And too chicken. Maybe it went hand in hand, she thought. "

" You were serious? About the walk? "

"I was serious. About the walk," he echoed with a gentle smile.

And, I think, about you, G.o.d help me.

Sara was very quiet for a second. She'd promised herself not to become emotionally involved with Nik, no matter how tempting the situation might be. And she always kept her promises to herself.

A smile spread on her face as a fresh wave of confidence came from somewhere. She couldn't deny that, though he was a pigheaded son of a gun, she did want to be alone with him. She found him attractive and stimulating, stimulating on more levels than any other man she had ever met before. What was she afraid of? She had always handled herself before. And she wasn't going to start running now. "Okay, take me to your beach."

Nik kept her hand in his as Sara retrieved her purse from the drawer.

She waited for him while he gave Antonio a few final instructions for the day. It reminded her of a parent briefing a baby-sitter before going out for the evening. And the restaurant was his baby.

He'd probably make a good parent, Sara judged. She'd observed him with Katie. The man who was all business when he donned his ap.r.o.n became all softness and putty in the little girl's hand.

A lot like her own father had been.

The recollection brought with it a painful stab that was sharp.

"You're frowning," Nik noted as he took Sara's arm.

She didn't want him probing into her mind, didn't want him getting any more of a foothold in her life than he had right at this moment. Even that was too much.

"No, I'm not. My face was just relaxing for a second." She patted his cheek. "Like yours does all the time."

He wasn't going to let her bait him. It was clear to Nik that Sara had been thinking of something. Something that obviously bothered her. He wanted to ask her about it, but knew that it would undoubtedly lead to a confrontation. He wasn't up to engaging in another battle of wits with her. All he wanted was to walk along the beach. And, perhaps, to hold her. Nothing more. It seemed like a simple enough desire

"Don't start," he warned her, holding the rear door open.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

And fish don't swim, he thought.

He led her down a sleepy little residential street that quietly wound its way to the beach. There were single-story houses on either side, little more than cottages, actually. Bathed in the moonlight, even the most faded house looked quaint and appealing. They stood lined up like sleeping doves resting on a branch.

The beach lay just beyond.

The sea was calm, as if it was asleep, as well. It was desolate There were only the two of them. A sprinkling of antic.i.p.ation began to filter through Sara's body.

The full moon cast its light on the tranquil waters. The beams danced along the gla.s.slike surface, forming a silvery path that looked as if it would lead straight up toward the moon.

Nik felt relaxed for the first time that day. Perhaps for the first time in a week. They walked along in silence for a few minutes, and he smiled to himself as he looked at her profile Silence. And Sara. It was a completely new experience r ge began talking because it seemed right. "Sometimes I qome here after the restaurant closes just to pull myqthoughts together. I like the beach much better at nrght. It s beautiful and peaceful then. n.o.body s yelling or fighting. No stray b.a.l.l.s flying by to hit you."

"It looks lonely." She couldn't stop the shiver that slipped over her.

It was natural for him to put his arm around her. He didn't even have to think about it. It just happened. Surprised , Sara looked at him.

He kept hrs arm where it was. They continued walking.

"I might have known you'd disagree." But there was a smile playing on his lips as he said it.

"I'm not disagreeing," she contradicted. "It is beautiful But beautiful things can be lonely."

The sadness in her voice was almost tangible. What was she thinking about? "Are you?"

Sara stared straight ahead. How was it that he always made her say more than she meant to?

"I wasn't talking about me. Besides-" she shrugged carelessly and the strap on her tank top slipped off her shoulder "-I'm not beautiful."

He stopped walking and turned her to face him. Gently he laid his hands on her shoulders. His thumb coaxed the strap back into place.

Her skin tingled as if he had stripped her nude. Sara struggled to refrain from trembling. "We're disagreeing agairn ."

A small smrle quirked her mouth. "Why does that keep happening? "

Hrs hands remained on her shoulders. Her skin felt soft. He wanted to touch her all over. "Because you're usually wrong."