TALL DARK AND HUNGRY Page 0,3

isn't a problem, Kate. She's welcome to one of the rooms in the penthouse. When is she arriving? Sometime this weekend, I should imagine, if she's coming two weeks early."

"Yes." Kate exchanged another glance with Lucern before admitting, "She arrives today, actually."

"Today?" Bastien didn't bother hiding his surprise.

"I know. It's very short notice, and I'm sorry. I would have asked sooner if I'd known. Originally, she was supposed to come the day before the wed¬ding like everyone else. But Terri decided to surprise me and took the time off. I only found out an hour ago, because it apparently occurred to her that she'd better be sure I was home and she wouldn't be left sitting on my doorstep for a couple of days or some¬thing, so she called me from the plane."

"Well, it's a good thing she did," Bastien com¬mented, then noticed another exchange of glances between the pair, and narrowed his eyes. It was obvi¬ous there was more to this favor than Kate's maid of honor staying with him. It suddenly struck him: "I suppose she needs a lift from the airport?"

"Well, she was going to take a taxi, but you know how expensive that is, and she really--"

"Can't afford it, but is too proud to say so, and you know she wouldn't take the money from you if you offered it, so you insisted you'd have someone pick her up," Bastien finished for her.

Katie narrowed her eyes. "Are you reading my mind?"

"No," he assured her. "Just a lucky guess."

"Oh." She relaxed. "You guessed right. Would it be too much bother?"

Bastien's gaze slid to his brother, and Kate added, "Lucern can go with you, of course. He offered to do it himself, but he doesn't know the highways as well as you do, or the airports or where to go. I would have gone myself, but I'm so swamped at work right now, I--"

"Luc and I will collect her," Bastien assured her, smiling at Kate's diplomatic excuse. Lucern didn't need to know the roads; he could have taken one of the family's company cars, with a driver. The truth was, Lucern was still somewhat antisocial. He wasn't as bad as he used to be, but he was still a touch awk¬ward in social situations, and Bastien suspected Kate was afraid that he would greet her cousin and best friend with a grunt of "Follow me," then remain silent all the way into town. Bastien, on the other hand, dealt with humans all the time and was a little more social. He also--luckily enough for Kate, and for the as yet unseen Terri--happened to have a light afternoon at the office. It wouldn't be a problem tak¬ing time off.

"Great," Lucern said dryly. "Has it occurred to you, Katie my love, that you are sending two men, who haven't a clue what your cousin and best friend in the whole world looks like, to collect her? How will we spot her?"

"You can make up a sign with her name on it," Kate suggested brightly. "And between the two of you, I know you'll find and deliver her safely."

Bastien took in his brother's doubtful expression with amusement. There had been a definite warning to Kate's words: Bring her back safe, or else.

"Darn, I have to go. We have a production meeting this afternoon. That's why I couldn't get out of work to pick her up myself," Kate explained, getting to her feet. She bent to kiss Lucern, started to straighten, then bent to press another kiss to his lips. It ended with a sighed "I love you, Luc."

"And I love you, Kate," Lucern replied. His tongue slid out to lick quickly across her lower lip, and in the next moment, the two lovers were kissing again.

Bastien sighed and directed his gaze to the diners around them. He knew from experience that there would now be several more moments of soft sighs and kisses before Kate would tear herself away. The pair was pathetic. He only hoped this honeymoon phase they were enjoying passed soon. He feared not, however. It had been nearly a year since his brother Etienne had married Rachel, and two years since Lis-sianna and Greg's marriage; yet neither couple ap¬peared to be passing out of this same lusty, loving phase. His whole damned family seemed to be rather slow at moving out of it. They were all equally pa¬thetic. He was the only member of the family, aside from his mother, who didn't spend ridiculous amounts of time