More Blazing Bedtime Stories: Once Upon a Mattress Read Online Free PDF Page A

to get out of the way. “You wouldn’t understand, not right now.”
    “Look, Mr…. what is your name, anyway?”
    “It’s Lucas Wolf.”
    An appropriately tough one. Then she rolled her eyes. No wonder he’d reacted when she’d called him the big bad wolf. What was it, the name for words that sounded like what they were? Onomatopoeia? Yeah. That fit. His name definitely fit his whole big, bad self.
    Besides, she’d bet he was a wolf as far as females were concerned. He sure had the looks for it, if not the flirtatious charm. Not that he probably needed to rely on charm or seduction. He was all tough, overpowering, alpha man who women flocked to like…well, like sheep.
    Women often chose to settle down with nice guys. Thatdidn’t mean they didn’t have fantasies about one last, wild fling with a dangerous, edgy man who was relentless in his pursuit. Many such females would probably have said, “When do we leave?” after hearing his proposition.
    But not you .
    No. Not her. Parts of her anatomy might already be packing her bags to follow him anywhere. But above the shoulders, she was firmly grounded in reality. She’d sown her wild oats. Big-time.
    She’d also followed far too many promising trails that led only to disappointment. She was done with all that. No more expectations meant no more disappointments.
    “Well, Mr. Wolf, you’re wasting your time. If you won’t give me any more information, then our conversation is finished. I need to get back to work.”
    “Tell me you don’t want to come with me, that you’re not dying of curiosity.”
    She hesitated, then finally lied. “I’m not.”
    In truth, this tall, sexy stranger probably couldn’t have said anything that would have enticed her more. Still, the fact that he was a stranger—a dangerous-looking one—meant she couldn’t consider going along with what he was asking. Aside from not wanting to set herself up for yet another disappointment, her instincts about people could be wrong this time. For all she knew, he could be the son of the Son of Sam.
    “Hello?” a muffled voice said. Someone knocked on the glass door behind Lucas, obviously wanting to exit.
    “You should let those people out. And I have to go back in.”
    “No.”
    He put a hand on her arm, and everything… changed .
    Sizzling heat and pure electric energy erupted at the spot where hand met arm. More, though, there was a strange sense of recognition. As if confirming that she knew him far better than she should after such a brief acquaintance.
    There’d been interest from the very start. This was something different. Something much bigger.
    Penny sucked in a slow, uneven breath, astounded by the rush of pleasure that came with the unexpected contact. Her loose, gauzy shirt was thin enough to feel the indentation of each strong finger, though he didn’t clench them. It didn’t hurt in any way, yet she felt almost branded by the fire of his touch.
    Claimed .
    As crazy as it sounded, she felt as if she was finally discovering who she really was, where she belonged. Just the pressure of his grasp, that hint of restrained power, affected her like no other touch she could remember.
    It was disconcerting, unnerving. Good, but also too surprising to deal with on the spot.
    Somehow, she managed to keep still, merely staring at him until he silently unhanded her, the reluctant gentleman inside winning out over the overpowering male.
    Well, maybe not a gentleman. But a decent guy.
    Stop it, you don’t know that. You can’t be sure!
    Even after he’d let her go, their eyes remained locked, and confusion flashed briefly in his. As if he, too, had been taken by surprise by an instant rush of feelings.
    “My apologies.” He stepped aside to let the customers out.
    Penny frowned. His speech was so strange. He was rough-looking, but could also be polite, almost old-fashioned. He used normal words, yet once in a while something sounded off.
    A family eased out, casting curious