Adventure Lover: Take Me, Lover, Book 3 Read online

Page 8


  Enjoy the following excerpt for Luck Be Delanie:

  “I’d rather you tell me how I ended up at your resort.”

  Delanie bit her tongue the moment the words were out. Her stomach flipped as he lifted an eyebrow and gave a low, sexy laugh.

  She hadn’t planned on going straight for the attack, but seeing the tender scene he’d set up had rattled her nerves.

  “Perhaps some wine first?”

  He went to work filling both glasses and her gaze dropped to his hands, which were wrapped around the wine bottle.

  Those hands had given her more orgasms in one night than her last two boyfriends combined.

  “Here you are.”

  She took the glass he held out to her, annoyed to find her own hand trembling. Perhaps a little wine first would be good.

  She lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip of the sweet chardonnay.

  “Was I just a one night stand to you?”

  His sudden question made her choke on the wine. Jeez. How the heck did she answer that question? She set the glass back down, and cleared her throat.

  “How could it be anything but? Technically, we did only have sex that one night.”

  She lifted her gaze, not sure what she’d see. His expression was both curious and strangely intense, which unsettled her.

  “That could have been remedied had you stuck around in the morning.” He sighed and took a drink of his own wine.

  “Look.” She drew in a deep breath before plunging on. “If you brought me out here to get me into bed again, it’s not going to happen.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Because I’m—you didn’t?” She blinked, her stomach sinking with a disappointment she didn’t want to acknowledge. You’re being an idiot, Delanie.

  He shook his head and then winced. “Well, it wasn’t my initial plan. Although I admit after seeing you again…”

  Something occurred to her, something she hadn’t even considered. “Oh my God. Was it all a ruse? The job offer? Getting me out here with the offer to make donations to our shelter?”

  “No.” His mouth thinned. “Of course not, Delanie. I’m not a complete asshole.”

  Her smile turned a little bitchy. “But you do admit to being a partial one? I won’t take it you know.”

  “The job?”

  She nodded.

  “We’ll see.”

  Irritation flared at his cockiness.

  A woman carrying two plates walked into the room and set them down in front of them.

  “Here you are, kids. Enjoy.”

  Kids? Delanie’s mouth twitched as she watched the older lady hurry back out of the room.

  She looked down at the food before her and her mouth watered. A salmon filet rested on a bed of rice, next to it a skewer of shrimp and steamed broccoli.

  “This looks amazing.” She picked up her fork and speared a chunk of salmon, lifting it to her mouth. “Mmm.” She chewed the bite and swallowed. “Wow. That is so much better than crackers.”

  He wasn’t eating. When she lifted her gaze, she found him watching her, a pensive look on his face.

  “What did I do to you?” he asked softly, shaking his head. “To make you get up in the morning, walk out of my house, and then basically disappear off the face of the planet?”

  Her hunger diminished with the sudden question, and she set her fork down, considering her response.

  “Besides call me Janie?” she asked with the only defense she had. And it was rather paltry.

  “We met in a bar. It was loud when you introduced yourself to me. So I got the first letter wrong.” He reached across the table and pulled her hand into his. The contact radiated warmth up her arm and throughout her body.

  “I know it must have made you feel terrible. But I have a hard time believing you would throw away that night we had together over my small fuck up.”

  It had hurt. And fortunately that hurt had been the spark to ignite her into action. Meeting him that night in the bar all those years ago had never been an accidental occasion. It had been the first step in a hastily laid plan.

  She’d been on a mission that night. A mission spontaneously suggested by her sorority sister. What was her name…Bridget?

  Liking him was an inconvenience she couldn’t have predicted. God knows what would have happened if he hadn’t called her the wrong name. She might have stayed in bed all day and confessed her real reason for being there.

  “Delanie.” His thumb traced circles over her palm, and her breath hitched. “Did that night really mean so little to you?”

  Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

  It’s all about the story…

  Action/Adventure

  Fantasy

  Historical

  Horror

  Mainstream

  Mystery/Suspense

  Non-Fiction

  Paranormal

  Red Hots!

  Romance

  Science Fiction

  Western

  Young Adult

  www.samhainpublishing.com