More Than One Night by Nicole Leiren Read Free Book Online Page A

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