White Raven Read Online Free PDF

twirled the umbrella, thinking that was exactly what I was going to do. The less time I spent at the manor the better.
    TJ and Rose kept the conversation rolling as I gave the appropriate one-word responses or a head nod. I didn’t have much of an appetite, mostly picking at my chicken Caesar salad and gazing out at the ocean, until…
    His hair was black as a wintry night, eyes icy blue as a gypsy’s heart. He had a lazy saunter about him and a glint of humor twinkling in those heart-melting eyes. There was nothing loose about his body, muscles bunching as he tethered a boat to the dock. I twiddled the straw, staring brazenly.
    Good God. I wanted to have his babies. Not now, but most definitely someday.
    And just like that, my summer got a billion times hotter…and interesting—way more interesting. I bit my lip, mulling over how I was going to accidently fall into his pants. Um—I mean path or even his lap would do, anything to get that one’s attention.
    Drool hit the table in a mad case of fangirl, and I didn’t even know his name.
    As if he sensed he was being slobbered over, his eyes scraped over me, and I held my breath. Holy hot tamales. An electric bolt of…lust maybe, I really didn’t know what it was, but it coiled through my body, making me shudder. A flicker of an unidentified emotion crossed his face, right before a secret smile appeared on his lips. Oh man, don’t get me started on his lips.
    Elbows propped on the table, I rested my head on the edge of my palms, continually gazing and getting lost in the depths of his eyes. He hypnotized me. I followed his movements, my eyes glued to him. Then one of my elbows slipped off the table in classic Piper form, and down I went. I caught myself just before my chin whacked a corner of the patio table.
    Only me.
    Mortified, I closed my eyes.
    TJ laughed. “Smooth, Pipe. I think you made a lasting impression.”
    My cheeks stained an unflattering shade of pink, and I narrowed my eyes at TJ from across the table, wishing we were closer so I could pinch him. Unable to resist, I glanced back up, praying my future husband hadn’t witness my finest moment. My belly sunk. A burst of humor lit his eyes, and a flush raced over my body, part humiliation but more anger. I hated looking like a fool.
    Rose delicately dabbed a napkin on her mouth. “It’s not polite to stare, Piper.”
    “I lack more than just manners,” I grumbled.
    If she heard me, she ignored the comment. “Did you not find the salad to your liking?”
    “Who is that?” I asked, unable to help myself. My curiosity was beyond piqued. It was bordering stalker.
    She didn’t look pleased, but on Rose, frown lines didn’t make her look any older. “That would be Roarke Hunter’s second oldest, Zane. He works down at the docks,” she informed in a way that said Zane was beneath her class. “And he is trouble.”
    Good thing I liked trouble. A lot.
    TJ saw the glint that sprang in my eyes, the one that made me want to do something just because someone told me not to. I had plenty of those looks lately. “I think you dropped something, Pipe,” he said.
    “Uh, what?”
    “Your standards,” he sneered.
    “Funny, douche—” I stopped myself before I called my brother a douchebag in front of Rose, in a sophisticated club nonetheless. This fine establishment probably had rules about having a potty mouth. Now that I knew what the club really had to offer, I didn’t want to risk getting kicked out. One day I would learn to control my tongue.
    TJ laughed at my blunder.
    Once Rose noticed my distraction with the boat staff, she hurried lunch along. We left the club shortly after. She had her driver take us around the island, showing us the hot spots. It was only about seventeen miles, not a lot to see, especially when there was only one thing on my mind.
    Zane.
    How was I going to finagle a meet and greet without looking like a total dork? Asking Rose for an intro was about as lame as you could get.