Read Online Luck Be A Lady (Destiny Bay Romances-The Ranchers Book 5) by Helen Conrad - Free Book Online

shadows. He held two fluted glasses of golden, bub bling champagne, one in either hand, and his face was alight with triumph.
    “Oh no!” Kelly cried, jerking back. What a fool! She should have known he would do something like this. “Where’s Miss Delfinio?” she demanded, back ing away from him and holding the box of flowers out in front of herself like a shield.
    “Out,” he said, his eyes sparkling with laughter. He didn’t move a muscle, but managed to look tantaliz ingly intimidating, nonetheless. “Shall we wait for her together?”
    Kelly swallowed. He had her trapped again. It was hardly fair. “I don’t want to wait. I’ll leave the flowers and go.” She set them down on the dressing table. “You can give them to her in person,” she suggested, walking quickly to the door.
    But he was there before her, blocking her escape route once more. “No,” he said, just as she’d known he would. “That’s impossible.”
    Her chin rose in hopeless defiance. “Why?”
    “Don’t you remember the conditions of our agreement?” he said softly. “The flowers must be hand-delivered, with a kiss on the cheek.” He frowned in mock sternness. “You have been kissing each recipi ent on the cheek, haven’t you?”
    As a matter of fact, she hadn’t, but she wasn’t about to admit that right now. “You don’t play fair,” she said, resigned. She stared everywhere—at his shoul ders, the smooth fabric of his suit, the turquoise ring on his hand—all to keep from looking any longer into his mysterious eyes.
    “I play to win,” he told her just as quietly. “I have to play hard to hold my own with you. You’re a hard woman, Kelly.”
    “I try to be.” A small part of her, standing aside and watching this ridiculous exchange, laughed out loud. She’d never been hard. That had been her worst problem. Hardness might have saved a lot of heart ache, but that was all in the past. Maybe she could be hard now. She could try.
    “I hope I’m not going to have to resort to some thing like kidnapping in order to get a moment alone with you, to show you how much I appreciate what you did the other day.”
    Her eyes flashed. “I wouldn’t, if I were you. You can get prison for that, you know.”
    “Ah, but prison might be worth it,” Cody said silkily, “if it means I also get the girl.”
    Kelly looked into his eyes then, almost laughing herself. Did he take anything seriously? How could she be offended? It was all a joke to him, all a party. And to tell the truth, she was getting tempted to join it. She spread out her hands, palms up.  
    “What on earth do you see in me?” she asked him, truly confused. “I mean, I’ve been to see your other girlfriends.” She shrugged, searching his face, struggling with the problem. “I’ve seen what they’re like. They’re gorgeous, and, and—“ she shrugged again “—huge where men like things huge, and... look at me! I’m none of those things. What do you see in me?”
    His puzzled frown told her he didn’t really under stand what she was trying to say. “I like looking at you,” he said simply. “There’s something about you, Kelly Carrington. I don’t know what it is. But I like it.”
    “But—“
    “But nothing. That’s not the point, anyway.” He handed her a glass of champagne and she took it, be yond protest. She felt limp, beaten. “The point is thanking you, not sweeping you off your feet. And since you hesitate so at letting me take you out, I’ve come upon a solution.”
    “Oh?” Her eyes felt heavy. She wanted to lean against him, feel his strong arms around her. The urge was infinitely intense, but she fought it back.
    “Yes,” Cody was saying, watching her. “A public dinner. Right out in the middle of the casino floor. Will you join me?”
    What did he mean? Kelly took a large gulp of the liquid, sputtered and made a face. “I hate this stuff,” she said helplessly. “I don’t really like to drink.”
    Without a word,