Fated Bliss (Bliss #2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

mischief dancing in her eyes. “Have you met someone?”
    I blanked my face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    “No way, mister.” She pointed at me. “I know you, and I know what that expression means. You’re trying to hide something from me.”
    “When have I had time to meet a woman?” I pinched the bridge of my nose and inhaled deeply. “And need I remind you, I’ve been in the process of moving. Why in God’s name would I try to start something with a woman before I left Portland?”
    She raised both brows and waited.
    Damn.
    Like a dog with a bone, she wasn’t going to let it go.
    “Fine,” I grouched with a huff. “There was a woman on the plane…Samantha.”
    Quickly, Maggie took five giant steps and sat next to me, her excitement pouring off of her. “Really?” When I only nodded, she asked, “Did you ask her out or get her number?”
    I tilted my head and stared at her in bemusement. “Why would I do something like that?”
    As if the answer was obvious, she rolled her eyes. “Benjamin Rhodes, what am I going to do with you?” She leveled me a glare of sheer annoyance. “You’re on vacation. It’s about time you let loose and stop being so uptight. You’ll be in town for a week – there’s plenty of time to see her again.”
    “Mags, my time here is for Linc…to get to know him again,” I reminded her, my chest tight.
    “And you’ll have plenty of time to do that, too,” she whispered, her eyes sympathetic. Her expression cleared and became expectant. “What was she…this Samantha…like? Was she pretty?”
    “Breathtaking,” I replied, my voice gruff.
    I’d met plenty of beautiful women in my life, Gwen and Maggie included, but none of them held a candle to Samantha.
    Samantha’s beauty was more ethereal, natural. Her hair was dark and long, the color of rich maple. Though it was up most of the flight, her hair was soft and thick… luscious . I wondered more times than I wanted to admit what it felt like wrapped around my fist. Those luminous eyes were more golden than brown and had hundreds of tiny iridescent flecks of gold in them. I lost my breath at the unique brilliance of them. And that smile… My God, it was wide and radiant, surrounded by the most kissable plump lips. I wanted to taste them, touch them and see if they were as soft and decadent as they appeared.
    On top of that, unbelievably, Samantha was down to earth, entirely comfortable in her skin and with others around her. She smiled easily and talked candidly. I didn’t have to wonder what was going on in her mind – she flat out told me, consequences be damned – and I didn’t have to worry about her ulterior motives because she was innocent and pure. It took me a whole two seconds to come to that conclusion – it was in her eyes, the way she held herself. I’d dealt with enough trickery and deceit to spot it without trying.
    However, it was that voice of hers, a slow Carolina drawl, which called to me, touched me in ways I’d never known. The sound reminded me of Pops…of home and happiness. I already missed it… her.
    “Wow.” Maggie laughed softly. “You look positively smitten.”
    I shook my head, still amazed by my encounter with Samantha. “You have no idea, Mags. She was unlike any woman I’ve ever met. She made me laugh. Plus, she didn’t give a shit about her looks.”
    Of all people, Maggie would understand how much that appealed to me. Gwen was known for how long it took her to get ready, how petty she was. Gwen refused to leave the house until every hair was perfectly placed.
    “I wouldn’t be surprised if she rolled out of bed and threw on the first thing she could find before walking out the door. She was more interested in being comfortable. She was real, Mags . Real. ”
    An old pain lingered in Maggie’s eyes, but she recovered quickly. “How’d you meet her?”
    “Her seat was next to mine.” A grin tugged at my lips. “I’d just sat down when, all