Be My Valentine, page 1
Be My Valentine
Palmer Jones
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Epilogue
Also by
1
Who in the hell had invited his ex-fiancée?
“Blake Rossi. I’ve been wondering when you’d show.”
Never, if that had been a choice.
Blake twisted off the top of his beer, his insides turning right along with it. “Peggy?” He leaned back against the counter in his mother’s kitchen. Why had he even stopped in?
With a dozen or more cars parked at his parents’ house on February 14, he knew to keep driving back to his house and avoid the noise and crowd of the anti-Valentine’s Day party. His eyes gritty from lack of sleep, he took a long drink to give his jet-lagged brain time to create something civil to say. “Get lost” seemed too harsh.
“Why are you here?” he asked, settling on an honest question. Sure, she had family left in town, but no one in this house on this night wanted anything to do with her. He certainly didn’t want a damn reunion with the first and last woman he’d let hurt him. He considered his beer, wishing for something stronger.
She twirled the end of her long blond hair around her finger, batting her dark eyelashes, trying to look innocent. Pale pink lipstick was barely a shade brighter than her porcelain skin. The fact that he’d ever called her his angel was laughable.
Or maybe not.
The devil was once an angel too.
“Do you want to know why I’m here in Hinecaster or in your parents’ home?”
“Both, I guess. I’m shocked to see you back in town, considering how fast you ran out of here.” Two weeks before their wedding nearly eighteen years ago. “Figured you’d never lower yourself by gracing our hillbilly town ever again.” Her description of their hometown—not his. It might be remote on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but despite traveling all over the world, Blake felt “home” only in Virginia.
Peggy giggled. “I grew bored with L.A. Thought I’d swing back through”—she walked toward him, her hips swaying in her tight dress—“see what you were up to. I heard from a friend that your family still throws this party. This is where we had our first kiss.” She tipped her face upward like she had planned a repeat performance. “Remember?”
“I remember.” Unfortunately. He stepped back, his hip bumping into the kitchen island. “That was a very long time ago. A lot has changed.”
“Feels like yesterday.”
“Not for me.” The pain of a knife through his heart might be a distant blur, but her words echoed crystal clear.
Telling him how he had no future.
Threatening to leave if he didn’t find a way to provide her with a better life.
Claiming he’d never find another woman as good as her unless he had money.
So he’d called her bluff, declaring he’d never leave Hinecaster, and she left him. Best damn thing that could’ve happened.
“I think it’s time to make some new memories.” She glanced into the living room. “I wasn’t sure how your family would react, so I’ve stayed out of sight. I hope to put the past behind all of us. We all used to have so much fun together. I bet it will be just like old times.”
Ah. That’s the only way she’d made it through the front door. His brothers would remain polite, but his sisters…
It was a good thing she hadn’t made herself known.
“Sorry you made the trip out here, but I don’t plan on staying much longer.” He’d catch up with his family tomorrow. Or maybe he’d visit his brother Jake in North Carolina. Possibly catch a flight back to Germany if she planned to stay in town for good. Anywhere other than stick around for a regrettable reunion.
She pouted, and it sent him back in time. How many times had she pulled that card and he’d fallen for it like a dumbass?
“But you just got here, Blakey. I’ve been waiting for you to show up for the past hour.”
Nothing about this situation made sense. Comprehending her baffling motive while running off such little sleep gave an extra throb to his headache. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know why you’re back, but we can discuss it later.”
Later meaning never if he had his choice.
He turned, ready to make his getaway.
Peggy wrapped her claws around his arm, stopping him. “Don’t go.” She lightly scored her nails down his bicep before releasing him like a lion toying with its prey. “We still need to talk. We both said nasty things that night, but I only want to consider the future.”
Movement on the back deck beyond the glass doors caught his attention.
A woman leaned on the wooden railing, her thick jacket over blue jeans necessary for the falling temperatures. She stared at the valley. He knew the view to be especially pretty, with the moon full and bright. She looked to the side, giving him a peek at her profile, framed by dark, curly hair that blew back away from her face. Who was she?
“Blakey?”
He hated that damn nickname. Taking a chance, praying this would work, he grabbed two more beers from the cooler and crossed the kitchen. “If you’ll excuse me, Peggy. I found who I came here to see.” He smiled as he opened the door to the back porch. His mom would expect him to check on all their houseguests, right? Especially the ones who supplied an excellent escape route from his past.
“Hey, wait!” Peggy followed him, her short steps punctuated by high heels tapping on the stone floor. “We need to talk about us. I miss you.”
The woman turned and straightened as both he and Peggy destroyed her peace. “There you are, gorgeous,” Blake began, hoping the mystery woman would play along.
The woman frowned and glanced behind him.
“What are you doing?” Peggy demanded, the slight cadence of the mountain accent she’d tried to erase slipping through.
Blake mouthed help me to the woman. He could say a dozen mean, spiteful things to his ex, but he hated to see a woman cry. Even Peggy. That was a personality trait he shared with his twin.
His mystery woman tipped her chin up, seeming to understand the situation. “Right. Here I am…honey?”
“Sorry I’m late. My flight was delayed due to that snowstorm.” He walked to the railing, twisting off the top of her beer and handing it to her before setting his two bottles to the side. “I hope you weren’t bored. Nothing like spending Valentine’s Day surrounded by people you barely know.”
She accepted it, the light from the porch lights catching her eyes and revealing the most brilliant jade-green color. “I was enjoying the view with the full moon while I waited.” The wind caught her hair again, the curls flying to the side. She pushed them out of her face. “Did you enjoy your flight from…”
“Berlin. The flight was fine but long. You know me. Worked instead of sleeping. Peggy,” he said with a quick glimpse over his shoulder, trying to dismiss her, “if you don’t mind, I need to catch up with my date. I’ve left her waiting long enough.”
And he did want to find out who this was.
“I agree.” His spontaneous date lifted her eyebrows, sipped her beer, and faced Peggy. “I’ll rarely give a man a second chance when he’s late for a date.”
He rested his hand on the railing behind her, his arm and shoulder cradling her back.
She stiffened for a brief second before relaxing fully. She was tall, nearly six feet, and her shoulder brushed the top of his chest.
Peggy zipped up her coat before crossing her arms and aiming that familiar pissed-off glare at his new date. “Don’t get used to that position. I’m back in town.”
That move to Germany might be quicker than he’d planned if Peggy was back for good. Hinecaster was the last place he wanted to be if she expected some romantic reunion.
His date tilted her head to the side, her curls brushing his cheek and giving off a sweet scent. “What makes you think I’m intimidated by you?”
A tiny shred of a New York or New Jersey accent surprised him. Didn’t often hear that in their remote mountain town in Virginia. And if his ex disappeared like she had eighteen years ago, he could learn more about her.
“Peggy, I’m not interested in reuniting or whatever you have on your agenda.” How much clearer could he make it?
“You and I have both changed.” She looked his “date” up and down with a sneer. “This isn’t even your type. I’ve seen the models you dated. Nothing homegrown like her.”
That made the mystery woman jerk up from her relaxed position. “Really?” She set her beer on the wooden railing and swiveled around. She touched his waist before sliding her hand to his lower back, bringing their bodies together. “Am I your type?”
Suddenly Peggy, his jet lag, the party, and everything else disappeared.
Blake held her chin lightly, skimming his thumb along the edge of her bottom lip. Energy pumped through his veins harder than a dozen shots of espresso.
She dropped her green eyes to his mouth before lifting that confident, challenging gaze to his. “So?”
Hell. No man in his right mind could walk away from that invitation. “You’re exactly my type,” he whispered, leaning down and laying his lips on hers.
Peggy said something, but it never registered.
Not with this woman, this stranger, practically melting against his body.
Nothing about her reaction felt like an act. Her hands fisted in his shirt as a little moan vibrated in her throat.
He cradled the back of her head and slanted his lips across hers, wanting more. Needing it. And the second she parted her lips and he tasted her… Damn, he was lost.
They were just pretending.
Right?
The porch door slammed closed.
The woman gasped, startled, her arms tightening around his waist.
“Hey,” he whispered, smoothing a hand down her back. “You okay?”
Because he wasn’t. Not after that kiss.
Her heart pounded so hard he felt it through her coat and against his chest.
She blinked and stared at his chin. “Sorry.”
He smiled. “Oh, you have nothing to be sorry for. You took bailing me out to a whole new level. Thank you.”
“Who was that?” she asked, untangling herself from his arms. “Resentful ex-girlfriend?”
“More like determined ex-fiancée. Left me two weeks before the wedding for a man who could give her the lifestyle she deserved, according to her. I was just a small-town guy wanting to live in our hometown and remain a nobody.”
“It’s a good thing I only associate with nobodies.”
“Good thing.” He quickly glanced at the doors leading to the kitchen. Peggy probably waited to ambush him again. “Do you mind if I stand out here with you?”
“Um. Sure. But I’ll warn you, it’s warmer and more fun inside.” A big cheer from the crowd in the living room confirmed her statement. “See?”
“But Peggy might be lurking around. So now, if you want me to run into her again and require your incredible services, you only need to ask. I’ll be happy to provide those without the audience.”
She pressed her lips together and turned to look out over the valley. “I think I’m good for the night.”
“And that’s a damn shame.”
He mimicked her position and leaned on the porch railing beside her. Wow, she was beautiful. So was Peggy, but they were complete opposites. And since traveling the world, his tastes in women had changed drastically.
“I don’t recognize you,” he said, trying to keep the conversation going, that need for sleep disappearing altogether.
“Should you? Aside from pretending to be your date for the night.”
“No. I don’t guess so. Are you new in town?”
“I’ve been here about two weeks.” She took a drink of her beer, her shoulders dropping with her small sigh. “I love this view. It feels like we’re hovering a hundred feet off the ground. I’m not sure anyone afraid of heights could come out here.”
Blake glanced at the view but then looked back at her, sliding along the railing until his shoulder brushed hers.
She cut her eyes at him and pointed at the unopened beer he’d brought out. “Were you expecting someone else? A backup date?”
“No. That’s mine too. Saves a trip.”
She nodded, a small dimple forming on her smooth cheek. “You’re efficient.”
“Yes. That is one of my best qualities.” He pointed to the crowd inside. “You can ask anyone in there.”
“Oh?” She raised her eyebrows. “Wow. I’ve never had a guy try to impress me with his efficiency. What other stunning qualities do you possess?” She rested her hip against the railing, crossing her arms, her eyes alight with humor. “It’s obvious your looks alone can’t get you a date.”
Her sarcasm caught him off guard. “They can’t?”
“Nope.” She shook her hair back. “You need some other good qualities to get a woman to look twice your way. Either that or be in the middle of a crisis where we take pity on you.”
“I’ll take your kind of pity all day long. Let’s see. Good qualities. I’m sure I have a few.” He drank from his beer. “I’m organized and neat.”
She snickered, covering her mouth after taking a sip. “Odd place to start, but alright. Are all your socks matched?”
“Of course. I also hang my shirts in the same direction, and my email inbox is cleared daily.”
That pulled another light laugh from her.
“I call my mother every week and see her most Sundays.” Blake finished his beer and set it on the ground. He wanted to ask his mystery date out. Discover more about her. He really wanted to kiss her again. Tonight, if possible.
“Your turn,” he said. “I won’t even pretend you need help getting a date, but tell me something about yourself.”
She squared her shoulders and straightened. “I’m messy and disorganized.”
He winced. “Ouch! Really?”
“Definitely. I have over two thousand unread emails.”
“Impossible.”
“Nope. I’m inefficient at drinking beer.” She held up her nearly full bottle. “I don’t call my mother often because she lives in Egypt and doesn’t own a cell phone. I wish I could drive the speed limit.”
“Speed demon?”
“Ha! No. I’m just not used to driving a car.”
That was a strange statement. “What else?” Because he wanted to know more. He had to learn more. Beautiful women weren’t a rarity in his life. He ran with some of the wealthiest men and women in the world, where women bought their beauty and the men’s wealth attracted them. Yet, never had a woman captivated him this way at any function or event. It might be his exhaustion, but more likely, it was her.
She shrugged. “That’s about it for me. My best qualities in a few sentences.”
“I doubt that.” The wind caught her hair again, blowing a strand across her face. Before she reacted, Blake reached for the piece, twirling it gently around his finger. “You left out beautiful and funny.” He took his shot, closing the gap between them and cupping her face. “And I really want to kiss you again.”
“Why?” Her frown pulled her full bottom lip down a little.
Why?
Did she seriously doubt her appeal? He brushed his thumb across her cheek. “Blame it on the romance of Valentine’s Day.”
“I thought this was an anti-Valentine’s Day party.”
“You’re the exception to the rule.”
“You don’t even know my name.”
He dipped down, resting his forehead on hers. “And you don’t know mine, so we’re even.” His voice sounded rough to his ears. Desire. Need. Pure sexual attraction. Heat built underneath his sweater, his muscles jacked and unsettled.
She pressed a hand to his chest.
He held his breath, waiting.
Instead of pushing him away, she fisted her hand in his sweater and whispered, “Yes.”
Blake nearly asked if she was sure, but she pulled him close and kissed him.
2
What the hell was she thinking?
Chelsea Henderson let the stranger sweep her into another kiss, something she had little experience with. Very little. As in nada since high school. She’d almost hidden upstairs the entire party, but the music and laughter finally lured her from the Rossis’ guest room. And now look at her.
Kissing this magnificent man.
She skimmed her palm up his chest, enjoying the feel of his hard body, before wrapping both arms around his neck for balance. She was tall, but he had two or three inches on her. The perfect height for her mouth to align with his soft lips.
