More Than One Night Read Online Free

next. She was an emotional roller coaster taking him on one helluva ride.
    "How do you earn your paycheck?" She retorted, apparently ignoring his assessment of her self-esteem.
    "Former military." No details. None of her business. Sharing the details would send what was an already deteriorating conversation straight into the toilet.
    "Well, solider, my opinions of myself and anything else personal in nature is on a need-to-know basis." She pierced him with those haunted pools of emerald one final time before turning her attention to the book she'd been holding in her lap since take off.
    And I apparently don't need to know…

 
CHAPTER SIX
     
    The rest of the flight passed uneventfully. Melodie escaped thirty thousand feet and the arrogant and irritatingly charming man sitting next to her by letting one of her favorite authors take her away to a time when Napoleon fought to gain world dominance, spies were everywhere, and men and women still held to the highest standards of manners.
    A solider.
    Former soldier. Didn't matter now anyway. Her hands gripped the armrests as they descended through the clouds, the turbulence making her wish she'd stuck with ginger ale rather than juice with alcohol. Slow, measured breaths. This was normal. Nothing to fear, according to the research. Simply the difference in air pressure above and below the clouds.
    Words in a book often comforted her, giving her answers to many of life's questions. Words coming from other people—those were often disappointing and involved a great deal of second-guessing and doubt. She closed her eyes and focused on the hero in the novel, nothing like the enigma sitting next to her. One minute all Southern charm and manners, the next cocky ladies' man. The first intrigued her, the second—annoyed and unsettled.
    "Eight o'clock work for you?"
    The first words he'd spoken since she effectively tossed up a fresh row of barbed wire around the fragile woman desperate for protection from any further hurt. "I beg your pardon?"
    "The Glass Cactus? Eighties music, walking on sunshine, remember?"
    She studied him closely, trying to see if the gentleman was the one making the offer or the jerk. "You still want to go?"
    "Look, I can't explain this. No more than you can, I bet. I enjoy your company—most of the time." He winked. "Life is short. No guarantees and all. I'd like to explore whatever this is. I'll meet you there so you won't have to worry about giving me your hotel name or anything."
    His words sparked a brief memory of Tom. Life was short, too short. No promises for even tomorrow. And, as much as she hated to admit it, he was right. There was something. She didn't understand it, couldn't research it, and had no clue what would happen. She sensed a kindred spirit somewhere under the layers of bravado and overconfidence.
    "What would your heroine do?"
    The sincerity in his voice led her to believe the gentleman had control at the moment. "What?"
    "In the book you've been reading since our first lovers' quarrel." The blue, iridescent eyes lightened even further with his teasing words.
    Heat rose on Melodie's cheeks again like mercury in a thermometer on a hot July day. Honesty was always the best policy, right? "She would go."
    "So, meet your hero for a fun evening of dancing. If you don't have a good time, he'll ride off into the sunset and never bother you again."
    For some unknown reason, the thought of not seeing Daniel again disappointed her far more than she cared to admit. "Okay. Eight o’clock it is."
     

 
CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    Daniel walked through the doorway promptly at eight. Never early. Never late. Beer, sweat, and women's perfume permeated his senses. My kind of party. He scanned the bar area looking for Melodie. Men in cowboy hats talking up women in high heels occupied most of the seats. Though there were some empty chairs, his date didn't seem to be the "I'll wait for you at the bar" type. Making his way through the hot bodies and large red