Valentine's Cowboy Read Online Free PDF Page B

took her to his bed, they just might burn the sheets right off the bed.
    When he took her to his bed! Damn! He frowned and concentrated on not looking at Shelby. How could he be thinking such crazy thoughts? Because he hadn’t been able to miss seeing all that passion flaring in Valentine’s eyes when she’d first seen him naked in bed? Because he couldn’t get the scent of her out of his memory? Because… Oh hell!
    His jeans had tightened in a place he preferred Shelby didn’t notice. He shot to his feet and stood with hands on the wrought iron railing to look off at the rolling waves. “Plans for the day, Sis?” he asked as a change of subject.
    He heard her chair scraping back on the concrete. She picked up the coffee cups from the table. “Dale and I’ve made reservations for a couple dozen of the family and friends here to go on a whale watching cruise later this morning. We’re meeting down at the docks in Lahaina at 10:30.”
    He shifted to face her, his gut clenching. “I hope you’re not thinking of including me in the excursion.” He didn’t have anything against boats, but he was basically a land lover.
    She edged back toward the sliding doors. “Sorry, but yes. You’re definitely included in the plan.” She stepped into the great room and flashed him an impish grin. “Val is coming, too.”
    From around the corner of the two balconies, Valentine shouted, “No! Absolutely not! No, no, no. Boats make me really uneasy.”
    In that instant, Sam changed his mind about going along. “Darlin’, I’ll be there to make sure you’re nice and safe. Trust me.”
    “Right. Trust you. Not !”
    “Is it boats that make you uncomfortable?” He hesitated for an instant. “Or spending time near me?”
    Shelby gaped at him in shock. He hadn’t teased anyone in a long time. Then she called out toward Valentine, “If you really don’t want—”
    Valentine ignored her and called back, “Think you’re pretty hot stuff, huh cowboy? Irresistible?” She snorted. “Hardly! I’m scared of falling overboard. Shelby, I can’t swim. I’m a regular block of concrete in the water.”
    Before Shelby could respond, he said, “More’n one lady has thought me hot.”
    He caught his sister’s rapt attention and decided definitely not to pursue that subject matter any further at the moment. “Anyway, I swim like a fish. Honey, I guarantee if you should happen to topple over the side, I’ll dive in and save you.” He had no idea why he was reacting this way. He’d didn’t normally tease a woman he barely knew.
    “Stop calling me ‘darling’ and ‘honey’!” It sounded like she’d stomped her foot in annoyance.
    He grinned in pure amusement. He didn’t appreciate tantrums of any sort, but she was so damn cute when she got upset with him. “Sure thing, sweetheart ,” he said to antagonize her more. “I’ll bring her with me, Sis.”
    “No, he won’t! I wouldn’t go anywhere with him. Not even down to the pool. Absolutely not!” Valentine countered, sounding ready to climb around the separating wall and onto his balcony to throttle him.
    “Shelby wants you there, so you’re going.” It really wasn’t like him to insist on someone doing something they didn’t want to do. But hell if he could stop himself. He couldn’t wait to spend more time with the spitfire. It had been too damn long since he’d really enjoyed anything. And he sure enjoyed pushing little Miss Sassypants’ buttons. “Be ready to go into Lahaina in an hour.”
    He edged past his grinning sister into his condo, chuckling as he heard Valentine’s colorful name calling. She really had quite a repertoire. Normally being called names would irritate him, this time he couldn’t wait to pester her again. Oh yeah, when they finally came together, there would be sparks.
     
    * * *
     
    “Stop! Stop it right now!” Valentine wriggled for all she was worth, desperate to get away from the large, hard hand swatting her