Read Online The Greatest Risk by Cara Colter - Free Book Online Page A

Passion, and all the recklessness it implied, was for other people.
    â€œAre you okay?”
    He was suddenly right in front of her, looking down, his eyes surveying her face with concern. He took her shoulders firmly between his hands. “Maggie!”
    â€œI’m sorry. I—” She gave up and leaned into him.
    â€œFresh air,” he said. He bustled her through the crowd, putting people none-too-gently out of his way.
    Moments later, they were standing outside the front doors of Morgan’s, the laughter and noise now muted in the background. Maggie took in several deep gulps of the cool, night-scented air. His arm stayed around her shoulder, protective, surprisingly tender.
    â€œI’m sorry,” she said, truly embarrassed. “I don’t know what came over me.”
    â€œYou looked like you were going to faint,” he said, studying her carefully. “The color is starting to come back into your cheeks now.”
    â€œI’ve never fainted in my whole life,” she protested, but weakly. The night air was just what she needed. She could feel herself coming to her senses. His scent did not seem quite so overpowering. She avoided looking at him and moved away from under the weight of his arm, though it took a great deal of effort to get her feet to obey her command to move away from him.
    â€œI should get back to the hospital, anyway,” he said, consulting his watch. “I’ll just go back and settle the bill and grab your jacket. Two seconds. Don’t move. And breathe.”
    When he returned, he helped her into her jacket. He was going to take her hand, but she quickly inserted both hands into her coat pockets. He noticed the deliberate action with a quizzical raise of his eyebrows, but she pretended she didn’t care.
    The truth was she was frightened. Maggie Sullivan did not lose control.
    She could not subject herself to any more temptationtonight. Not when she felt so uncertain about how she would react to it.
    They walked back to the hospital in silence. He whistled under his breath, a happy little song that only served to remind her that the strength of what she had just experienced at the pool table in Morgan’s had been completely one-sided.
    â€œI’ll walk you to your car,” he said when they came to the hospital lot, “and then I’ll slip in the side door where we came out. I don’t want you over there by yourself at this time of night.”
    It wasn’t until he said that, that Maggie realized she had been anticipating going back to that spot, cloaked in darkness and utter privacy.
    â€œThank you,” she said, hearing the stiffness in her own voice, and ducked from the query in his eyes. She fished through her bag for her keys when they arrived at her car, a new gold Volkswagen Beetle.
    â€œCute,” he said. “Just about what I would have figured.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œI like to do that. Figure out what people drive. It tells me about them.”
    â€œWhat does my car tell you?”
    â€œCute,” he repeated.
    â€œI have to go,” she said hastily. “It was fun, Luke, really it was.”
    â€œHey.”
    His hand on her upper arm stopped her from flinging herself into the car and making her escape.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” he asked.
    Oh, Luke. Don’t do this. Don’t be sensitive, on top of being gorgeous and charming and a man I can’t have.
    â€œNothing.”
    â€œSomething changed back there in the pool room. Did I say something? Did I hurt you?”
    â€œNo, of course not.”
    â€œBecause I can do that. Without meaning to. Beak off and not even realize I’m stepping on people’s feelings.”
    â€œYou didn’t step on my feelings.”
    And then the self-control she had been trying so hard to exercise snapped. She turned full to him, let go of her grip on the car’s door handle. She twined her arms around the strong,