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for?” he prodded.
    She had to force herself to focus her attention onsomething other than the man beside her. Because he expected it, she glanced dutifully around.
    Fire-engine-red cables rose thousands of feet above them, splashed like colorful ribbons across the thick, impenetrable layers of fog. Karyn could hear the pounding of the surf below, but she couldn’t see it. Even though she could feel the throb of rush-hour traffic just beginning, it didn’t dispel the notion that they were isolated in a world of shadows and imagination. The early-morning air made her shiver, which was apparently incentive enough for Brad to wrap his arms around her. An unexpected burst of fire deep inside warmed her. A feeling of contentment that was at odds with the wild, howling wind and bone-chilling dampness stole through her. It was definitely awesome.
    â€œWhat do you think?” he murmured against her hair.
    Her senses sang with exhilaration. “I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
    â€œIt is a little like being above the clouds, isn’t it? Is it any wonder people have left their hearts here?”
    â€œYou realize, of course, that I will probably be late for work every day for the rest of my life,” she said, relaxing in the warmth of his embrace.
    â€œWhy’s that?”
    â€œI’ll want to stop and take this walk.”
    â€œThen do it.”
    She sighed with regret. “No. If I did, I suppose it would become old hat after a while. It would lose the sense of enchantment.”
    â€œNot if you keep your mind open to the subtleties, a change in the direction of the wind, the shimmer of color when the sun begins to reflect off the metal. Theslow lifting of the fog. The threads of sunlight lying in silver pools on the water.”
    The poetic words spun a web of magic around her heart. “You should stop peddling cars for a living and write guide books.”
    â€œYou inspire me.”
    His embrace tightened ever so slightly with the quietly spoken and seemingly heartfelt compliment. Karyn lifted her gaze to his and caught a faint suggestion of wistfulness that tugged at her heart. She turned slightly and, with fingers that trembled, touched his cheek. His skin was warm and smooth from a morning shave, his jawline angular. He was flesh-and-blood male, not a daydream, but she didn’t understand him any more than she could capture an illusion. Her experience had been with honest, down-to-earth, hardworking men whose level of gallantry extended no further than opening a car door. Men like that talked about football point spreads and baseball batting averages. They did not wax eloquent about threads of sunlight.
    â€œWhat makes you tick, Brad Willis?” she wondered aloud.
    He refused to take her question seriously, shrugging it off with a laugh and a grin. “I’m driven by demons,” he said flippantly, but Karyn heard the odd note in his voice that warned her the description fit in ways she couldn’t begin to fathom. Before she could pursue the truth, Brad released her and opened the bag he’d been carrying. He plucked a bottle of champagne from its depths.
    â€œTo toast the sunrise,” he said, popping the cork.
    â€œSunrise?” Karyn repeated with a lift of an eyebrowas she surveyed the endless vista of gray. The sky was lighter now, but no less muted.
    â€œIt’s out there,” he promised. “It’s just one of those things in life you have to take on faith.”
    â€œThat’s a dangerous practice. I learned long ago not to count on anything I couldn’t see or touch.”
    The edge of cynicism sobered him. He caressed her jaw with his thumb while gazing deep into her eyes. “You haven’t had an easy time of it, have you?”
    Now it was her turn to shrug off the serious moment, the unwanted sympathy. “Not easy, no, but far better than some. I’ve had to work hard for it, but I have an