High Risk by Vivian Arend Read Free Book Online

suspected.
    “Driving is simple,” Marcus said.
    She blinked, trying to figure out where his comment came from. “Pardon me?”
    “You’re checking to see how I drive with one hand. Driving is easy—try it sometime.
     I bet you use mainly one hand on the wheel. If you drive an automatic, most people
     take all kinds of liberties after they get comfortable. Maybe if my limb were completely
     gone it would be different, but with as much forearm as I still have, there’s not
     much change in my technique.”
    He pulled in front of a shop and parked, shut off the vehicle, and turned toward her.
    Oh God.
“I’m sorry. That was rude.”
    Marcus shook his head. “No, I think we established what you’re doing isn’t rude. You’re
     curious. I get that.”
    Becki dragged her fingers through her hair, pulling strands off her face. “But I’m
     not a five-year-old who doesn’t know curiosity can still become inappropriate.”
    He raised a brow at her, the smooth arc combining with his wry grin and turning his
     face into mesmerizing art. “Frankly I’d far prefer to have you asking questions than
     staring at me on the sly. Gets so damn old so fast.”
    She nodded, following his lead when he exited the truck. He pulled open the shop door,
     and a rush of heated air hit her, the aroma of fresh baked goods washing them both
     with sweetness.
    “You are evil, Marcus Landers.”
    He pointed to a table in the corner that was free. “Evil?”
    Becki slipped onto the padded cushion of the booth and took another deep breath. “I
     swear I’m going to put on weight just living in Banff. I might be back at school,
     but I don’t need a freshman fifteen, thank you. Cinnamon buns?” She moaned in mock
     ecstasy.
    He laughed. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll put in our order.”
    “I suppose if I said all I wanted was a coffee and a plain bagel, you’d know I was
     lying.”
    Marcus shrugged. “Lying, but understandable. Maybe we can split a cinnamon bun between
     the two of us later if we’re good.”
    He strode to the counter and spoke with the attendant. Becki stared at his profile,
     his dark hair long enough it was curling at the back of his neck. The edges of his
     lips lifted in a smile as he finished, and the girl across from him turned pink-cheeked
     as she rushed to fill his order. Becki removed her coat and hid her own grin. Marcus
     definitely knew how to charm them.
    She glanced up from slinging her coat over the back of the booth to find him settled
     in the opposite booth. He’d opened his jacket and leaned back comfortably, his sharp
     gaze taking her in. He kept his left arm tucked against his side, casual, yet somewhat
     hiding his missing limb.
    She was pretty sure that was for other people’s sake more than his own.
    Marcus, through and through. The qualities that had attracted her to him in the first
     place had been long, even if lust appeal had been the strongest. Putting aside the
     weekend they’d spent together, she concentrated on the other things she remembered
     about him. His confidence, his wisdom.
    She leaned forward and pulled in her courage. If she had to spill the beans, this
     was the man she wanted to share them with.
    “I’ve been considering your offer.”
    His chin dropped slightly as he waited.
    “Last night was wonderful. You’ve got an amazing team, and I would be honoured to
     spend time with them. Working with you.”
    Marcus’s gaze lowered to her fingers. She consciously unclenched them from where she’d
     grabbed hold of the table edge.
    “Why do I hear an unspoken ‘but . . .’ in your words?” he asked.
    Becki took a deep breath. “Because before you hire me you need to know that the accident
     last year? When Dane died?” She swallowed hard and forced herself forward. “I remember
     going climbing. I remember camping that night, and the next memory I have is of walking
     the final stages of the trail with the governor’s daughter and her friend in