More Than One Night (6 page)

He has a daughter…
"Tell me about her."

"The ex?"

"No, I've changed my mind. I'd rather hear about Annie."

"Does the fact I have a daughter scare you off? I wouldn't blame you if it did."

No, but the fact he might want more children gave her pause.
Let it go.
"I'm a children's librarian, remember? I adore kids."

"Anastasia is eight. Everyone calls her Annie. Her nickname is Princess. Blonde hair and blue eyes like her mother, but that's where the likeness stops. She's sweet, full of happiness, and not jaded by life. Her smile, hugs, and the way she calls me Daddy make me believe in second chances. She's the only female I've met and known for more than a couple days who hasn't screwed me over. Well, so far anyway."

"Am I the only female you've encountered who didn't take the offer of a one-night stand?" Her words were meant to gently tease, but the moment his eyes hardened, and the warmth of his hand in hers left, she knew she'd failed. Her damned curiosity, but she'd needed to know. She might be willing to try a new path in life, but she wasn't a one-night stand kind of girl.

"You don't understand." His fingers ran through his short blond hair.

He was right. She didn't understand. God help her, she wanted to. "Look, I'm not good at reading people. Reading books is more my thing. However, you broadcast your opinions about relationships and women loud and clear. Even a naïve children's librarian can pick up on that little tidbit."

Another swallow of beer before he slowly exhaled and shrugged. "Survival instinct. Cause and effect."

Her heartbeat increased. Cause and effect she understood, but she needed the details. "You've lost me again."

"In the service, we're taught to pay attention to our surroundings and react accordingly. You trust those who are on your side and react to any threats with any means necessary to survive."

Thoughts of Tom and the trust he'd given to those allegedly on his side slipped unbidden to the front of her thoughts. He'd been given no opportunity to react, no opportunity to survive. Fighting back sadness and anger, she refocused on Daniel. "Sounds reasonable."

He pushed his plate to the center of the table. "Reasonable except I didn't realize when I got home from each tour, women would prove to be the real threats. They all wanted something from me—usually money, sex, and the list went on and on. Problem was, none of them wanted to give me what I wanted."

Daniel now had her undivided attention. What did a man like this want? "Which was?"

"Someone to share my life. Someone to cuddle with at night. Someone who wouldn't take my heart and treat it like a piece of rental property and only kept it around as long as it generated income."

Words failed her. How did one respond to such a statement? Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how she looked at it, he'd saved her from responding.

"So, after getting screwed over repeatedly by women, I switched to survival mode. They used me, so I used them—cause and effect."

Her appetite vanished with the lighthearted banter they'd been sharing throughout most of the evening. She'd wanted to know, and now she was at a loss to respond. "I'm so sorry."

The warmth of his hand returned, along with gentle pressure. "Here's the thing, I don't feel that way around you. Like I said when we first met, I can't explain this, but I sure as hell want to explore wherever this takes us. I haven't been down this road in a long time. Kind of makes me feel like I'm on an adventure."

His shy, gorgeous, ice-melting smile beamed straight into her heart, turning her insides into the equivalent of overcooked oatmeal.

He could switch gears much quicker than she. Time to engage the deflection defenses and regroup. "At least you've had adventures. My idea of wild and crazy is a spy thriller with a steamy romance."

Hurt flashed across his face. "This trip, these last couple of days…don't they count as an adventure?"

The wildest adventure of my life to date.
"Of course. I've never felt so—alive. Just as I only know Survival-mode Daniel, you've only met the newly christened Adventure Melodie, currently starring in her debut movie." Another sip finished off the sweet, frozen mug of liquid courage sitting in front of her. "As I'm sure you've guessed, I spend a lot of time with my nose in a book. Life makes more sense in the stories. The plots are well-thought-out, the hero always gets the girl in the end, good prevails, and evil pays. I like the nice neat bow tied around each one. As you've alluded, life…Well, life just doesn't happen that way."

"Can I ask you a personal question?" The soft, calming tone of his voice reminded her of how she addressed the children.

"As long as I don't have to promise to answer."

He chuckled and lifted her hand to those satiny lips, placing a tender kiss to the back.

Oh hell, now I'll answer, whether I want to or not.

"Why haven't you had any adventures?"

She closed her eyes to prevent him from seeing the pain of a childhood living in perfection's shadow. "Cause and effect."

"My turn not to follow."

He'd shared. It was her turn to explain. "Sibling rivalry at its finest. My older sister has been the proverbial golden child from the moment she entered the world with, and I quote, the easiest labor a woman ever endured."

"Ouch. Let me guess, your entry into the world was…"

"Long, painful and, of course, breech." Melodie couldn't help but laugh as she pictured her mother's dramatic face every time she told the story.

"That covers the first day of life. From what I can see, you turned out stunningly beautiful, self-sufficient, and smart."

She shrugged her shoulders, unsure how to make him understand. "No matter what I did, it was never good enough—never ambitious enough—never 'Evelyn' enough."

"Evelyn enough?"

A rueful smile, "My older sister. Valedictorian. Homecoming queen. Married the all-American quarterback. Delivered two equally beautiful grandchildren. And, lest we forget, the youngest woman at her firm to make partner. Need I go on?"

"Damn."

"Exactly. I couldn't, didn't want to, compete with such perfection. Every guy who showed an interest in me during high school only did so to get close to my sister. So, I stopped dating and started reading."
Except for Tom.
"By the time college rolled around, the stories in my books were far more interesting than any of my interactions with real people. Much to my mother's disappointment and aggravation, I switched my major from accounting to library science."

"Books are to you like gold is to King Midas."

She nodded. "There's a treasure trove of information contained between the bindings. I love researching and discovering new details about life."

"Just not living it."

Well, he certainly knew how to read her. Of course, she wasn't all that complicated. She couldn't decide if the notion relieved or worried her. "No." She thought back to her days in the dorm. "I've never even stayed out all night before. How sad is that? It should be a rite of passage in college, shouldn't it?"

Daniel's face lit up, dispelling some of the gloom surrounding their table. He signaled their waitress for the check. "Fortunately for you, makeup tests are available for those situations."

His enthusiasm prompted excitement and a rapid pulse even if his words left her clueless. "And you've lost me again."

"Let's get outta here. We'll put the top down and cruise over to Lake Ray Hubbard. We'll watch the sun set, then hit the open road again and see where we end up. Before you object, I promise Dr. Jekyll will be the one driving. I'll put Mr. Hyde in the trunk." He winked. "Well, unless you invite him to the party."

She wanted to. It sounded like so much fun. "I don't know."

"You got somewhere else to be?"

Melodie opened her mouth to answer. She had absolutely nowhere else to be. No job to go to in the morning. No boyfriend waiting. No commitments. "Nowhere." Honesty was still the best policy, right?

"Then come on. Let's do this." He reminded her of little Johnny Stephens when he begged her to read a story "Just one more time, Ms. Melodie." She'd never been able to refuse Johnny, and, so far, her record remained the same for the handsome man sitting across the table.

"All right. You talked me into it." Not that she'd put up much of a fight. She needed to find a way to take back some control. Being out of control never proved a positive aspect in her life. Not even Daniel's charm would change that.

As they walked toward the car, Melodie heard Evelyn's golden voice nagging in her ear. "Great idea, kiddo. Get in a car with a guy you just met, you barely know, and let him drive you to God knows where. I hope we can find your body."

God, she hoped Evelyn wasn't right…this time.

Heaven. Of all the places he'd been in the world, and he'd been to many, nothing compared with watching Melodie's face as the sun set over the lake. Her hair, a blanket of silk resting above her shoulders, now framed her face in wild, sexy disarray from the ride over. Her countenance registered pure bliss from the first moment the wind started whipping around her face.

First time I've put that look on a woman's face and not been naked.

She looked free, happy even. God help him, he wanted to be responsible for putting that look on her face every day and a look of need every night.

The sky was a beautiful medley of purple and oranges as the sun prepared to skim the water before disappearing for the night. A final streak of yellow, the last remnants of the sun's rays coloring the blue lake, stretched out over the water, almost touching the land.

"So breathtakingly beautiful." Melodie turned toward him. "Thank you for talking me into coming here."

He couldn't stop himself. His hand smoothed wisps of hair from her cheek, tucking them behind her ear. "You're breathtakingly beautiful."

Forcing himself to move slowly, he leaned toward her. He wanted to savor every detail of this moment. First, he kissed her temple focusing on the soft-as-silk hair. One more kiss there before anointing her forehead with the same deliberate attention. He respected her mind almost as much as he did her body. Cheeks, reddened from the hot Texas sun, warmed his lips before he moved to his final destination. Their lips touched. Absent the intensity from last night, warmth infused Daniel—like a pitcher being filled by a slow-running faucet, controlled and satisfying. Plenty of night left. No need to rush and scare her off again. He pulled away and kissed her gingerly on the tip of her nose. The warmth continued as she smiled, taking his hand before resuming her watch of the vanishing sunset. Though he wanted to only watch her, he forced himself to focus on the natural beauty in front of him.

Fifteen minutes later, he squeezed her hand. "Ready to hit the open road?"

"Oh yes."

Was it possible for her eyes to light up brighter than the setting sun? Not even the most amazing sunset could tear him away from staring into her green, fathomless depths of light.
Maybe I'm a hopeless romantic. Damn. Forty-eight hours with this woman and I've gone all soft.
"Then let's not waste a single second."

"You're crazy!" Melodie called out over the wind whipping around her face.

"Crazy about you." He pushed the gas pedal a little harder to increase their current speed. Not another living soul or automobile could be found on Interstate 281 this time of night. His need for speed and Melodie's constant smile, as she stared up at the moon hanging brightly in the sky, represented the main explanation for his lead foot tonight. A run-in with a State Trooper wouldn't even dampen his mood right now. He'd gladly pay any ticket for the fun life had delivered over the past few hours.

"Where are we going?"

"San Antonio. We'll take a walk along the River Walk, find a late night diner to grab a quick bite, and then head back to Dallas. Should arrive in time to watch the sunrise. Sound good?"

"Sounds amazing."

Her unbridled joy washed over his war-hardened heart, bringing a sense of contentment. Other than honesty and respect, she'd asked nothing of him. Hell, she even paid for a round of drinks last night. He needed to be careful, or he'd lose himself in the worst kind of way in this woman. A way that meant he could never go back to the jaded man he'd become. Four hours later, Daniel pulled off the highway and took an incline ramp before turning into a "Share the Ride" parking lot. Lifting the hand Melodie still held, he kissed hers gently. "Ready to bring in the morning?"

"I'll grab the coffee." She retrieved the two cups of Starbucks, extra-hot, they'd procured a couple exits back, along with some cinnamon scones.

Daniel hurried to the passenger side and opened the door for her. "Your sunrise awaits, milady."

"Where do you want to sit?" Melodie surveyed the limited options.

Daniel opened the trunk and pulled out a blanket. He grinned as Melodie's eyes widened when he threw the blanket across the hood of the car. "C'mon. Best seat in the house."

"Seriously?"

He nodded. "Seriously. Have I led you astray since our little adventure started yesterday evening?"

Grinning, she handed him his coffee and the bag of scones and crawled up on the hood. Her first attempt almost landed her on the ground as she, along with the blanket, slid down the vehicle. "Oh!" Somehow, she managed to not spill the entire contents of her coffee.

He tossed his coffee and the scones to the ground and caught her just in time to stop her fall straight to the asphalt. Making sure she had her feet under her, he picked the blanket up and repositioned it on the hood. "Let's try this again." This time, he scooped her into his arms, holding her close enough to enjoy the lingering scent of her perfume.

"You really have to stop saving me." Melodie whispered, her body sliding close to his as they settled in for the sunrise.

"I've saved countless people over the course of my life but none I've enjoyed more than you. Besides," he placed a soft kiss on her temple, "you don't need saving. You're a strong woman capable of taking care of yourself." Though true, a tug of protectiveness surged from deep inside. She might not need him to take care of her, but he wouldn't mind doing so.