Sweet Valentine by Val Daniels

Author:Val Daniels [Val Daniels]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781459269668
Publisher: Harlequin

“I promised you dinner, dammit,” he told her minutes later when she insisted it was time for her to go. “You’ll have dinner.”

But the steaks were still as frozen as when he’d put them into the microwave. “Please. Don’t feel obligated.”

“We’ll go out,” he said, heading for the coatrack beside the garage door.

“You have to wait for Vanessa to call,” she reminded him and felt immediately guilty. She unzipped her coat and sat primly on the edge of one of the overstuffed chairs in the family room. “I’ll wait so I can take you by the airport to pick up your car.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

With his thumbs in his pockets and one ankle crossed over the other, he propped himself in the archway leading into the kitchen area. “We’ll have dinner on the way to the airport to pick up my car.”

She gave in gracefully, with a nod.

His gaze fastened on her hungrily. He looked as if he wanted to resume their previous conversation.

“I still need to call my father,” she said.

He stepped back from the door, indicating the desk where the phone sat with a sweep of his hand.

She walked stiffly across the room, with him watching her every step of the way. “I just wanted to let you know I won’t be home for dinner,” she said when the answering machine picked up. With Brad standing only steps away, listening, she was grateful her father wasn’t at the other end, asking questions.

With Brad as determined they wouldn’t talk business after-hours as she was that she was there for business reasons only, conversation became brittle and forced.

Autumn sighed with relief when Vanessa finally called. The past half hour had felt as if they were fencing. Parry, thrust, sidestep. Parry and sidestep again. She thought she would scream if they had to resort to discussing politics.

“Anyplace in particular you’d like to eat?” he asked as they got into her car a few minutes later.

The thought of spending another hour or two, sitting across a table from him and making small talk almost did her in. “My choice?” she asked brightly.

He nodded. “Sure. Whatever you want.”

He didn’t even protest when she turned and got into the drive-thru line at a fast-food restaurant. His amused grin acknowledged her slight victory in their nonbattle that felt like some kind of war. “I’m not this cheap,” he couldn’t resist saying.

“I happen to like cheeseburgers and french fries,” she told him airily, then made the mistake of looking at him again.

He was eyeing her with grudging admiration and she immediately remembered the way those lovely, appealing, sensual lips had felt on hers. She glanced away quickly.

Whatever her expression had told him, it seemed to lighten his mood. For the fifteen minutes it took to drive to the airport, he casually handed her the cheeseburger she’d ordered, munched more than his share of the french fries from the giant size he’d offered to share and chatted without the tension that had been so daunting back at his house.

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