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

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