Read Tangled Hearts (Passion in Paradise) for Free Online

her in pain
one bit.  “Give me that,” he ordered sternly as he held out his hand to grab
the tool.
    Snatching the jack
toward her chest, she narrowed her eyes.  “Over my dead body,” she spat
determinedly, her eyes daring him to lay one finger on the metal tool.  It was
clear that it would be at his peril.
    “For Christ’s sake,
fine!” he snarled, rolling his eyes as he stepped quickly out of her way.  “You
drop that thing on your foot, you’re liable to break a toe, woman,” he cautioned
her, resuming his position leaning against his truck as she knelt on the
ground.
    “Thank you so much for
the warning,” she returned through barely moving lips.
    Cal watched her another
minute.  “You’re a stubborn little ball of fury, aren’t you?” he asked as he
watched her try to attach the tool to the lug nut, wincing as the metal slipped
for the second time in a row.
    Melody took a deep
breath before she slowly turned to face her tormenter.  “I was brought up
believing that a girl should be able to take care of herself.  I forgot that
lesson for a little while and almost made a mistake I could never undo with a
man I’d rather forget.  I’m not ever going to repeat that experience again. 
So, to answer your question, yes, I’m a stubborn little ball of fury.  Now,
will you please go on your merry way?”
    Cal finally gave into
the urge and laughed, earning himself a cold look from the woman currently on
her knees.  “Careful, Princess.  I’m gonna get a complex here because it’s
beginning to feel like you don’t like me very much,” he taunted her with a
wink.  Seeing her press her lips together tightly, he knew she was fighting the
urge to scream bloody murder at him.  Squatting beside her, he met her fiery
gaze.  “Cat got your tongue, Pretty Girl?”
    “No,” she declared with
a shake of her head as she looked from him to his jacked up truck.  “Do you
mind if I ask you a question?”
    “Ask away, darlin’,” he
invited silkily with a ready nod.  “I’m an open book,” he declared, holding his
muscular arms out to his sides.  And it was true.  The book on him was open; it just happened to be written in code, he thought to himself as he gave
himself a mental pat on the back for his own wittiness.
    Melody offered him a
deceptively sweet smile.  “Is it true that men use big trucks to compensate for
smaller endowments in, well,… other more intimate areas?” she asked,
dropping her voice to a conversational whisper as she gave his crotch a rather
pointed look. 
    Cal guffawed.  “Are you
asking me if I’ve got a tiny dick, Princess?  Because I can tell you with a
hundred percent honesty that the size of my cock and the size of my truck are
very directly related.  They’re both big and bad, but if you don’t
believe me, I’d be pleased to give you a private showing.”
    Melody’s jaw dropped at
his audacity.  “You… you just can’t say things like that!” she
blustered, blushing furiously as he laughed in her face.
    “I just did.  Besides,
you started it,” he accused, propping his hands on his narrow hips as he leaned
forward and stared her down.  “Don’t dish it out if you can’t handle having it
spoon-fed back to you, Princess.”  Damn, Cal privately mused, he hadn’t had
this much fun with a woman with her clothes on in years.  He couldn’t help
wondering how exciting she’d be with her clothes off.  He definitely be making
it a point to find that out as soon as humanly possible.
    “I revert to my earlier
statement.  You are a pig,” she reiterated with a disgusted shake of her head,
her ponytail flying over one shoulder to smack him in the face as she moved.
    “Maybe, but you’re just
mad that you can’t seem to get one-up on me.  Not used to a man that will stand
his ground and fight with you?” he asked, fishing for a response from her.  He
wanted to know just how much she’d reveal about her ex-fiancé in