More Than One Night Read Online Free Page B

heaven, he was in trouble.
     
    *   *   *
     
    "Daniel, please. Stop." Distance. Space. Time. Melodie needed all three right now as her head spun wildly out of control. His body against hers propelled the librarian in her straight to the erotic romance section of the bookshelf in her head. Not a safe place to be. Thinking became impossible, however, the moment his delectable lips touched the pulse point on her neck. Rivulets of pleasure slid through her nervous system, filling the pool of desire low in her abdomen.
    Fortunately, the gentleman part of his dual personality heard her request and stepped away without pressing the point. "I'm sorry. I got carried away. You're so damn beautiful, I can't seem to help myself."
    Between the accent and sincere expression, she wanted to believe there might be a grain of truth to his compliment. Nagging voices in the back of her head from her high school days taunted her. Why can't you be more like Evelyn? Why can't you be successful like Evelyn? Why can't you find a husband like Evelyn?
    A lifetime in her sister's shadow prevented her from believing the veracity of his words. "You never mentioned you were blind. Now, are we going to stand here and try to have a conversation or dance? This is one of my favorite songs." Somewhere deep, she'd found some courage. Maybe people did change, maybe she could.
    Bodies continued to move around them as the beginning strains of "Sweet Dreams" filled the dance floor. Her gaze held his, confusion dancing with desire in his sapphire depths. Finally, the cocky ladies' man veneer slipped over his face. "Hell yeah, we're going to dance."

 
CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    Watching Melodie dance constituted equal parts heaven and hell. After a few songs, she seemed more relaxed and really having fun. He hated to admit it, but he was having fun too. Been a long time…
    As the song ended, he pulled her off the dance floor. "You wore me out, woman. I deserve a drink. Your treat." Her buying him a drink would help compensate for shutting him down every time he tried to make a move on her.
    His ego needed help to restore it to full capacity. For the first time in a long time, he'd offered sincere praise to a deserving woman, and what had she done? Ignored him and his compliment. Probably for the best anyway. Love 'em and leave 'em. His motto had been working for years. No need to change things now. She's different. No denying it.
    She squeezed his hand and nodded. "You're on, cowboy."
    They pushed their way up to the bar. Why did her sweat-slicked body smell so much better than the other people crowding around them? "A beer for me and a vodka cranberry for the lady." He held her tight, a possessive instinct. He wanted to be sure the other men knew tonight, she was with him.
    "Let's go outside." With drinks in hand, he led her to the outside patio.
    The giant kerosene heaters doubled as lamps and provided the perfect amount of lighting at night. A little privacy in a semi-crowded area.
    He downed a few swigs of beer. "Cowboy?" His jeans tightened uncomfortably as her eyes swept over his attire.
    "Blue jeans and cowboy boots—close enough for me."
    "You for damn sure aren't from the south if I'm your idea of a cowboy. First off, no hat and no down-home, honest-to-goodness cowboy would be caught dead in this shirt."
    Not enough cold water in Texas for the amount of showers he'd need to cool the fire she stoked when her manicured hand smoothed over his chest. "You're right, of course. I'll have to do additional research on proper cowboy attire. I'm glad you didn't go for a plaid button-down though. This T-shirt looks much nicer on you."
    This woman might be the death of him. "You have a thing for research, don't you?" He needed to change the topic before he hiked up her skirt and had his way with her right there on the bar.
    "Occupational hazard, I guess." Her hand continued its fiery path from his chest to his shoulder and then over his biceps. "You work out a