- Home
- Vicki Lewis Thompson
The Perfect Man
The Perfect Man Read online
PRAISE FOR THE PERFECT MAN NOVELLAS
“A very fun read. . . . Ms. Thompson’s fans will be pleased, and anyone who is a true fan of contemporary romance fiction will also find it an entertaining piece.”
—Book Binge
“Short and sweet and everything I hope for when reading a contemporary romance . . . this book was like a dessert at the end of a meal. It was quick, light, and fluffy, and the perfectly sweet end to a day.”
—Ramblings from This Chick
“Cute, quick, and romantic . . . everything was described beautifully. I loved the author’s writing style . . . a must read.”
—Jackie’s Book World
“[The chemistry] is off the charts. . . . I have always enjoyed Ms. Thompson’s writing and storytelling, and this is one of her best.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Sweet and light and, above all, charming.”
—BookCrack
FURTHER PRAISE FOR
VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON AND HER NOVELS
“Snappy, funny, romantic.”
—New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips
“A trademark blend of comedy and heart.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Count on Vicki Lewis Thompson for a sharp, sassy, sexy read. Stranded on a desert island? I hope you’ve got this book in your beach bag.”
—New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz
“Wildly sexy . . . a full complement of oddball characters and [it] sparkles with sassy humor.”
—Library Journal
“A riotous cast of colorful characters . . . fills the pages with hilarious situations and hot, creative sex.”
—Booklist
“[A] lighthearted and frisky tale of discovery between two engaging people.”
—The Oakland Press (MI)
“A funny and thrilling ride!”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Extremely sexy . . . over-the-top . . . sparkling.”
—Rendezvous
“A whole new dimension in laughter. A big . . . bravo!”
—A Romance Review
ALSO BY VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON
Werewolf in Alaska
Werewolf in Denver
Werewolf in Seattle
Werewolf in Greenwich Village
(A Penguin Special)
Werewolf in the North Woods
A Werewolf in Manhattan
Chick with a Charm
Blonde with a Wand
Over Hexed
Wild & Hexy
Casual Hex
SIGNET ECLIPSE
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014
USA | Canada | UK | Ireland | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa | China
penguin.com
A Penguin Random House Company
Published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC. One Night with a Billionaire, Tempted by a Cowboy, and Safe in His Arms were previously published separately in InterMix editions.
One Night with a Billionaire, Tempted by a Cowboy, and Safe in His Arms copyright © Vicki Lewis Thompson, 2013
Prologue and excerpt from Crazy About the Cowboy copyright © Vicki Lewis Thompson, 2014
Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.
SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.
ISBN 978-0-698-17022-3
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Version_1
Contents
Praise
Also by VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON
Title page
Copyright page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Prologue
One Night with a Billionaire
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Epilogue
Tempted by a Cowboy
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Epilogue
Safe in His Arms
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
Excerpt from CRAZY ABOUT THE COWBOY
For David Santa Maria, the Perfect Man for my sister Karen
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to two of the Perfect Women in my life—my editor, Claire Zion, who came up with the idea for this book, and my assistant, Audrey Sharpe, who helped me make it happen.
Prologue
“To Paris!” Melanie Shaw lifted her margarita glass and grinned at her two best friends in the world, Astrid Lindberg and Valerie Wolitzky.
“To Paris!” they both echoed as they touched the salted rims of their glasses to Melanie’s.
Melanie sipped her full drink and set it down carefully in front of her. Good tequila should be savored, not gulped, and Golden Spurs & Stetson served the best margaritas in Dallas. “I still can’t believe we bought plane tickets today. We’re actually going.” She gazed across the round table at Astrid, her petite blond friend whose family had more money than God, and Val, a sassy redhead who was one of the best young lawyers in Dallas. “I mean, Paris. Do you realize we’ve dreamed about this since college? I can remember sitting in the sorority house late at night talking about this trip.”
Astrid smiled. “Me, too. And it always had to be just us experiencing it for the first time together. Edward couldn’t understand why I’d refused to go with him last spring. He didn’t get that I was waiting until the three of us went.”
“That’s what I love about you,” Melanie said. “You could have flown to Paris anytime, but you waited for us.”
“Of course I did! Besides, I’d much rather tour Paris with you two than Edward.” Then she blinked. “Did I just say that out loud?”
“’Fraid so.” Val studied her over the rim of her glass. “You do realize that half the women in Dallas want your guy. Good-looking billionaires don’t exactly grow on trees.”
“I know.” Astrid sighed. “I just . . .”
“I think Astrid prefers a Stetson-wearing man.” Melanie winked at her. Astrid had defied her wealthy family’s wishes and become a large-animal vet, a job that put her in constant contact with cowboys.
Astrid picked up h
er margarita. “Okay, I’ll admit that Western wear gives a guy a certain rugged appeal.”
“Doesn’t it, though?” Melanie had been raised on a ranch and had dated cowboys almost exclusively. Her current boyfriend, Jeff, wasn’t particularly adventurous. For instance, he had no interest in going to Paris. But he sure was pretty to look at. “I’ll take a broad-shouldered cowboy over a billionaire any day.”
“Why settle for one or the other?” Val glanced across the table. “As long as we’re dreaming, why not order up a billionaire cowboy for each of us?”
“The best of both worlds.” Melanie nodded in agreement. “The perfect man. Why not?”
Astrid raised her glass. “Billionaire cowboys for all. It’s no more than we deserve, right?”
“Right!” Val said.
Laughing, they finished their margaritas and ordered another round. Tonight, with their long-awaited trip to Paris finally becoming a reality, nothing seemed impossible.
One Night with a Billionaire
MELANIE
One
I’m in Paris.
Melanie Shaw stared at the façade of Notre Dame as the deep-throated bells counted down the hour. Ten o’clock in the morning. Instead of mucking out stalls or riding the fence line at her daddy’s ranch outside of Dallas, Texas, she was standing in front of frickin’ Notre Dame. Amazing.
Her plane had landed two hours ago, and she still couldn’t believe she had both feet planted in Paris, France. Only one thing could have made this moment better—if her friends Val and Astrid could be here with her.
They’d become friends and sorority sisters in college, and five years later, they were tighter than ever. A few months ago all the planets had been aligned for this trip. They’d found a killer plane fare and had spontaneously booked the trip. Then Val had been unlucky enough to get caught in a bomb scare during a concert. She’d suffered a broken arm and two broken ribs. Although those had healed, she now avoided crowds and wouldn’t be traveling anytime soon.
Melanie had adjusted to having Val stay home. Astrid was a great traveling companion and they’d still have fun, even without Val. Then, a couple of weeks ago, one of Astrid’s clients had developed a problem with a pregnant mare. With the mare’s life on the line, Astrid had reluctantly canceled her trip, too.
Melanie had almost given up once her friends had bailed. The hotel they’d booked was way too expensive for her to handle alone, so she’d canceled that reservation. But she’d held on to her airline ticket because she couldn’t bear to think of not going. An online search had yielded a cheaper hotel, although it was also far from the main attractions.
Her boyfriend, Jeff, had said she was crazy to consider traveling alone, but he wasn’t about to go with her to someplace where he didn’t speak the language. His provincial attitude had pounded the nail in the coffin, and she’d ended their relationship. It had been on the skids anyway.
Now that she was actually here, though, she’d better get busy and take some pictures with her phone. She’d left her suitcase with the hotel desk clerk because she couldn’t check in until noon, but she had her backpack with all her sightseeing essentials crammed inside. Shrugging it off, she unzipped a side pocket and reached for her phone.
Without warning, the backpack was ripped from her hands. At the same moment, someone else shoved her from behind, knocking her to the ground with such force that the breath left her lungs.
“Hey!” A deep male voice from behind her issued a challenge.
She raised her head in time to glimpse a dark-haired man in jeans and a brown leather jacket dash after the thieves. Then folks who were obviously worried about her hurried over and blocked her view. An older gentleman helped her to her feet while two women clucked over her in what sounded like German.
She wasn’t hurt except for a couple of scrapes on the heels of both hands, but if the guy in the leather jacket didn’t catch the thieves, she was in deep shit. Her backpack held almost everything of value—her phone, both credit cards, and two hundred dollars’ worth of euros. Her passport, thank God, was tucked in a pouch under her shirt, but thinking that she might have lost everything else made her sick to her stomach.
Members of the German tour group patted her shoulder as she stood up and dusted off her clothes. They offered words of comfort she couldn’t understand but appreciated anyway. She made the effort to smile her thanks as she scanned the crowd for signs of a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing a brown leather jacket. He’d looked athletic, so maybe he’d be able to tackle the guys who took her backpack.
On the other hand, she didn’t want some stranger risking his safety for her. At least two people had been involved in the mugging, which meant the guy was outnumbered, even if he should catch them. She crossed the fingers of both hands and waited, heart pounding from a delayed adrenaline rush.
At last she saw him coming toward her. His eyes were hidden by sunglasses, but his angry strides and the tight set of his mouth told her all she needed to know. Her hopes crumbled. The backpack was gone.
Despair engulfed her, but she was determined to thank him properly for trying. She hoped he spoke English. All she’d heard was his shout of hey, which might be one of those universal expressions used by everyone. She hadn’t traveled enough to know if it was or not.
When he was about ten feet away, he shook his head. “I’m sorry, ma’am. They got clean away from me.”
She gasped at the familiar accent. “Oh, my God! You’re from Texas.” Hearing a voice from home made her want to hug him. She restrained herself, but the world brightened considerably.
“Yes, ma’am.” He drew closer. “Are you all right?” He took off his sunglasses and gazed at her with eyes the color of bluebonnets.
“I’m fine.” He must have known taking off his sunglasses would help. Seeing the concern in his gaze, she didn’t feel quite so alone. “Thank you for chasing them. That was brave of you.”
He shrugged. “Not really. Anyone could see they were yellow-bellied cowards if they’d attack a woman. Speaking of that, they knocked you down. Are you sure you didn’t get scraped up?”
“Just a little.” She showed him her hands.
“Let’s take a look.” Tucking his sunglasses inside his jacket, he grasped her wrists and examined the heels of her hands. “Damn it. You should put something on that.”
His touch felt nice. His big hands were gentle, and she found that sexy. Although it would be totally inappropriate, she wished he’d kiss her scrapes and make them all better. “I have Neosporin in my suitcase back at the hotel.” At least she’d have a place to stay. She’d given them her credit card number. That card was gone, but she hoped to get a replacement before she checked out.
“Are you traveling with someone? I can call them.” He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a phone.
She shook her head. “I came by myself.”
“Then let’s start with the police. Did you get a look at those old boys?”
“Not really.”
“Never mind. I did.” He punched in a number and spoke in French.
Melanie listened with great admiration. He no longer sounded like a Texan as he carried on a conversation without stumbling. Prior to this trip she’d enrolled in an online course and had learned enough to find a bathroom and order a meal. But this guy was fluent, which was her good luck.
If she was super lucky, he had an international plan and she’d be able to borrow his phone to call Val, who could help her straighten things out with the credit card companies. Maybe it was cheeky to ask, but she was in desperate circumstances.
Although he was dressed casually, his jacket looked expensive and his watch might even be a real Rolex. Judging from his ease with the language, he could be a businessman who traveled to Paris regularly. If so, he wouldn’t mind loaning her his phone for two minutes.
He disconnected the cal
l and tucked the phone inside his jacket. “They’re sending someone over, so we need to stay put.” He gestured toward a stone bench a few feet away. “Let’s sit a spell.” He was once again her guy from Texas.
“Sounds good.” She wouldn’t mind sitting down. She felt a little shaky. “I’m afraid I’ve ruined your plans for this morning.”
“No, ma’am, you certainly haven’t.” He waited until she sat down before joining her on the bench. “You’re the one with ruined plans. When did you get here?”
“This morning.”
He swore softly under his breath. “I figured that might be the situation when I saw you eyeballing Notre Dame as if you’d never seen it before.”
“I hadn’t, except in pictures.” Then she realized the significance of his statement. He’d noticed her before the mugging. “Did I stick out that much?”
He smiled. “Let’s just say I pegged you as an American.”
“How?” She liked the way he’d managed to smile without appearing to patronize her. And he had a great smile, one that made the corners of his eyes crinkle just enough to add character. As the shock of being mugged wore off, she registered the fact that her rescuer was drop-dead gorgeous.
“White gym shoes, for one thing. French women don’t usually wear gym shoes unless they’re working up a sweat. But the whole getup—the jeans, the hoodie, the backpack—told me you were from the States, probably a new arrival.”
She grimaced. “I’ll bet the muggers figured that out, too.”
“They might have.” He held out his hand. “I’m Drew Eldridge, by the way.”
Eldridge. She’d heard that name, and she thought it might have been from Astrid, whose family was rich. Did that mean her Texan was wearing a real Rolex? His handshake was warm, firm, and gave her goose bumps. She was really sorry when the handshake was over. “I’m Melanie Shaw.”
“Pleased to meet you, Miss Melanie. I wish it had been under different circumstances.”