Read Online To Win Her Trust by Mackenzie Crowne - Free Book Online Page A

She had an advantage there. For the first time in her life, she was thankful for a childhood spent in the shadow of Curt Jenson. If anyone knew how to deal with an overblown, egotistical ladies’ man, she did.
    A couple of weeks were all she required. Tuck’s ego would be soothed, and she’d have her answers, hopefully crossing one more item off her list of fears just in time for her deadline. A win-win situation as far as she could see. First, however, sheneeded to explain a few things, and he was going to agree to some ground rules.
    At Tuck’s side, Walter whined. His dark chocolate gaze met hers. Do I need to bite you?
    She snorted. Clearing her throat, she ignored Zorro to arch a brow at Tuck. “I have a proposition for you.”
    * * * *
    “A proposition, huh? Seems to be a lot of that going around this morning.” Tuck bit back a grin at the frown wrinkling her brow. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but his timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The little darling was in the market for a man, and the fool with the briefcase had left the field wide open.
    “The conversation you overheard with Ronald isn’t what you think.”
    “Ronald?”
    “My agent.”
    “Ah, the stiff.”
    She lifted her chin in offense. “Ronald is a nice man.”
    “Uh-huh. What part of that conversation didn’t I understand? Because it sounded like a case of the stiff turning down your sweet request for a date.”
    “He happens to have a girlfriend.” Challenge sparkled in her eyes. “You obviously began eavesdropping after he mentioned that.”
    “No, I heard that part. I also heard he just met the woman, and they don’t have an exclusive arrangement.”
    “Some men are gentlemen.”
    He smiled and rolled back on his heels. “Don’t fool yourself, sweetheart. When it comes to women, no man is a gentleman. Some are just slicker than others.”
    “You’d know all about that.” He grinned at her grumbled tone. She slashed a hand between them. “We’re getting off track.”
    “I didn’t know we were following one.”
    “I am and if you’d be quiet for a minute, I could get back to it.”
    “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
    She huffed a sigh. “As I said, I have a proposition for you.”
    “Whatever it is, I’m in.”
    She blinked. “That’s it? No hesitation or questions?”
    “Oh, I’ll get to them, eventually, but when a beautiful woman starts a conversation with ‘I have a proposition for you,’a smart man doesn’t question his luck.”
    The immediate blush coloring her cheeks pleased him to no end, as did her sexy habit of chewing on her bottom lip. He wanted to suck that plump flesh into his mouth and sink his tongue deep, just as he wanted to sink another body part even deeper. He tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and rolled his shoulders.
    The challenge faded from her eyes, replaced with uncertainty, but she forged ahead. “You may have noticed I have a problem with, uh…elevated anxiety.”
    The admission surprised him, considering her comment the other day about privacy, but with his plan for seduction about to take a major step forward, if she wanted to share details he hadn’t asked for, he was happy to oblige. Since she was the one to bring up the issue, he saw no reason to mince words.
    “Elevated anxiety? What I saw looked more like a full-blown panic attack.”
    She nodded. “Yes, well, I have a form of agoraphobia. I’ve suffered from it most of my life.”
    “Why?”
    “What do you mean, why?”
    “You nearly fainted in my arms, all because a handful of strangers stopped to look at you. I’m no expert, but anxiety that intense has to have a root cause. What brought about the attacks?”
    She stiffened and her face went blank of all emotion. “For the purpose of my proposition, the root cause of the attacks isn’t important.”
    The coolness in her voice was a roadblock he couldn’t afford. Not when he was finally getting somewhere. He curled his lips in a