Valentine (The Dragon Kings Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

once again he lost all the feeling in his hand with her death grip. Unfortunately, this flight was much shorter.
    “What’s your real name?” she asked.
    “What?”
    “Val has to be short for something. What’s your real name?”
    “Valentine.”
    She cocked her head in surprise, then giggled. “That’s romantic.”
    He shrugged. He’d never thought much of his name. He supposed his mother gave it to him, but he didn’t know. That was one of the thousand questions he’d ask his father. He’d be just as busy as she would be once they got to their destination, but all he wanted was to be with her.
    “Do you have any nicknames?” he asked.
    “Yeah, my family calls me Sissy. They’ve never called me anything else. My sister and brother are only eleven months younger than me.”
    “I like Hazel better.”
    “Me too, but I don’t mind. It’s just my family.”
    The captain came on the intercom again and announced they would be landing soon. Val wasn’t ready for this to be over. Hazel buckled her seatbelt with shaking hands.
    He’d find her when the plane ride was over. He had to. Hopefully she was right and Gardiner was a small town. Hazel was already gripping his hand tightly.
    The captain made the announcement to prepare for landing. Val only had a few more minutes with the beautiful girl, and he planned on making the best of it.
    “Hazel,” he said. She didn’t respond. He moved her chin so she was facing him, but her eyes were squeezed shut. “Hazel, look at me.”
    She peeked at him, and he smiled. Then he brought his face toward hers and kissed her. At first, she didn’t react, her face tight from nerves, but then he felt all the tension leave her body, and her hand relaxed in his. She returned the kiss eagerly. Her hands wove into his hair and held his face against hers. He’d never felt so alive.

H AZEL FORGOT WHERE she was. Space and time disappeared. This kiss was better than any she’d ever experienced. He tasted sweet like the sugar cookies at Christmas time. The wheels touched the ground, and Hazel broke the kiss but didn’t move her face away from Val’s. He rested his forehead on hers. She wondered if it was as good for him as it was for her. There was something about him that she couldn’t explain. She felt that if she stayed with him forever, she’d never have to worry about anything ever again.
    Her ankle burned, and she jerked away. That was weird. It felt like a jellyfish brushed up against her skin.
    “This has been fun,” she said, pulling away, not wanting to let on how much that kiss rattled her. She had to focus on her brother and couldn’t let anyone distract her. She rubbed at her ankle. The burning subsided.
    He gave her a half smile, and she nearly reached up and kissed him again. What the hell was wrong with her?
    “That’s one way to put it,” Val said, his lips pursed.
    He seemed like he wanted to ask her something, and she hoped against hope that it was for her number. She’d told him they couldn’t see each other after the flight, but she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again.
    “Penny for your thoughts?” she asked, looking past him to the dark sky out his window.
    He shook his head and clenched his fists.
    The flight attendant opened the door, and Hazel grabbed her bag from under the seat in front of her. She hesitated for a half second, almost asking for his number.
    “Maybe I’ll see you around,” Val said, without looking at her. Maybe the kiss hadn’t been as good for him as it had been for her. Rejection stung. Ah well. She shouldn’t be thinking about him anyway.
    “Maybe,” she said, ignoring her racing heart as she escaped down the jetway. A tinge of sadness pricked her heart. Even in the jetway the frigid air of Idaho was already seeping into her bones. She felt a sense of loss. But maybe it was just the cold. She took a deep breath. She couldn’t think like this. She had another boy to find.
    As long as he hadn’t already frozen