The Risk: A Billionaire Romance (Wagered Hearts Series, Book 2) by Calista Kyle Read Free Book Online

heard her say as she walked up to me. I turned around to face her and saw her cheeks were flushed with exertion, and she was out of breath as if she’s just jogged the whole way here. “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long.”
    “Not at all,” I said, giving her a wide smile.
    She looked quite adorable with her hands fisted against her hips, slightly bent over as if she’d just run a marathon. Strands of hair had fallen out of her ponytail and framed her face. My fingers tingled, wanting to tuck a stray strand behind her ear, but I held back. Instead I took in her clothes—not exactly formal dress, but she still looked well put together in a long flowing skirt, black shirt and a leather jacket. It wasn’t the sort of look that normally appealed to me, but on her it worked. She looked innocent and edgy all rolled into one.
    I opened the door for her and followed her inside the restaurant, admiring the sway of her hips as she walked in front of me.
    “So, how was your day?” I asked once we were seated.
    “Do you really want to know?” she asked. She sounded weary and tired.
    “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t,” I said.
    “Ok then. My day was pretty shitty. My alarm clock decided to malfunction this morning so I had to rush around to get ready for work. I happened to spill coffee on my favorite vintage Chanel jacket, which just about broke my heart. I was then late for work, where my boss, aka my mother, flipped her shit. I just spent the past 12 hours doing mundane mind numbingly boring tasks a trained monkey could do, and now here I am.”
    I remained silent for a moment, not quite sure what to say. She looked a little embarrassed by her outburst and I could tell she was about to apologize or make light of it, but I held up my hand to stop her. “You sound like you could use a nice stiff drink,” I said. I called the waiter over and ordered two martinis.
    Mel gave me a weak smile and sat back and closed her eyes.
    “You seem tired. Is tonight a bad night for our date? We can always reschedule,” I said, suddenly feeling guilty that I’d practically coerced her into this dinner when she was clearly worn to the bone.
    “No, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. And besides, this isn’t really a date. More like a business meeting,” she said peering up at me through her long dark lashes.
    “Ah yes, of course,” I said. “And since we’re not on a date, I hope you don’t take it the wrong way if I tell you how beautiful you look this evening.”
    She looked surprised by my compliment, and was about to say something but thought better of it. Instead she lifted her chin and smiled sweetly. “Thank you very much. Now tell me about your day.”
    “It’s much better now that you’re here,” I said.
    She laughed, a sweet musical sound that I found enchanting. I had the sudden urge to kiss her curved lips.
    “Does that line ever work for you?” she asked.
    “I’ve never gotten any complaints,” I said waggling my brows at her.
    “You’re something else,” she said. “Now if you’ll be serious, we should discuss the party.”
    “What party?”
    “The—you’re messing with me aren’t you?” she said half exasperated.
    “I’m sorry, I’ll be serious. But let’s hold off on the party talk for now. I’d like to get to know you better. After all, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other in the future,” I said.
    Her wineglass nearly slipped from her fingers as she looked at me wide eyed. Her sweet kissable mouth was slightly parted and I couldn’t help the grin that broke free. It was much too easy and fun to unsettle her.
    “What do you mean?” she finally asked.
    “Well, you are Lily’s best friend and I’m sure we’ll be in each other’s company once she marries Roman,” I said innocently. “What did you think I meant?”
    “Nothing. I didn’t mean anything at all,” she stuttered. I had to laugh at the way her face reddened as if I’d caught