Read Online A Very Daring Christmas (The Tavonesi Series Book 8) by Pamela Aares - Free Book Online Page A

rather than having them trained on you.”
    “You have no idea.”
    “I might.” He spread out the blanket. “But it’s different. I don’t think baseball fans want a piece of me . They just want me to play like hell.”
    A lone jogger ran by down at the tideline. Noise filtered from the north where a crowd gathered for the surf contest. Except for a couple with a young son and a puppy who had set up their blanket a bit farther up the beach, they had the small piece of heaven to themselves.
    Jake began to empty the contents of the cooler onto the blanket. “Can’t say that this chicken is up to Southern standards, but it looked good enough.”
    “I can’t believe you packed a picnic.”
    The grin he shot her as he unloaded potato salad, a huge jug of lemonade and chocolate-chip cookies shouldn’t have taken her breath away.
    “I’m told food speaks a universal language. Thought we could try it. I’ve never been great with words.”
    Fighting to stay centered, she reached into the cooler and drew out a plastic container, opened the lid. “What’s this?”
    The corner of his lips tipped up into a lopsided grin. “Fried okra, thanks to an Internet search and a very willing concierge. She gave me directions to a diner not five blocks from the hotel.”
    Cameron took the plastic fork he held out and speared a bite. The crunchy texture followed by a delicate, moist center and a delicious burst of savory flavor was unlike anything she’d ever tasted.
    “Ummm.”
    “Appreciating the fine qualities of good Southern cooking is one way to my heart. Beware.”
    “I’m taking a hiatus from making my way into anyone’s heart.” She loaded a couple of the golden-fried rounds onto the fork and held it out to him. “But if you can cook food like this, I might have to reconsider my long-term plan.”
    “You’re safe then. I’ve been in San Francisco for over a year, and I haven’t even unpacked my kitchen.” He leaned forward, opened his lips and took the okra from the fork she offered.
    For a moment she didn’t move. She wanted to taste those lips, to once again experience the sensual joy he’d ignited in her. When he’d kissed her in Dominia, the spark that he’d fired had lit her from the inside out, had soared through her body, bypassing her mind. His kisses had called her to travel the shining path into a world of sensual delight.
    And that was the problem, that shining path. She didn’t trust it.
    Finding her balance, she rocked back onto her heels.
    “In fact,” he continued, “I can’t even seem to buy a head of lettuce without it molding in my icebox.”
    “Icebox?”
    He laughed. “Refrigerator. It still amazes me that within the same country there are such differences in language. I mean, where I grew up...” He focused on something over her shoulder, clearly distracted from their conversation. “What I mean is... you’d think—”
    He jumped up, spilling the okra across the blanket. She’d never seen anyone move so fast.
    Before she could turn completely around, he was at the tideline. He charged into the waves, shoes and all. In a split second he pulled a sputtering toddler out of the surf and tucked him into the crook of his arm. He leaned down and came up with a snorting puppy in the other hand. Cameron leaped to her feet and ran toward them.
    Jake put his head to the toddler’s mouth, as if checking to make sure he was breathing. The boy choked back his sobs and smiled.
    “This is my friend Cameron,” Jake said as she reached them. The puppy wriggled to lick the toddler’s face. Jake handed the boy to her. “Keep him occupied for a few minutes, okay? I have someone to chew out, and I’d rather not do it with him nearby.” He set the puppy down on the sand. “Can you handle both of them?”
    The boy reached down toward the soggy brown puppy. “Taffy needs her ball,” he said in the chirpy voice of a toddler.
    Cameron thanked the heavens that the kid had no concept of how