Worth the Risk by Karen Erickson Read Free Book Online Page B

up aroused, troubled. Irritated with her mind always trying to take her back to a place she had no business lingering in.
    So she threw herself into her work. He hadn’t been around much anyway. A meeting in London had taken him out of the office for the majority of last week. That had worked out best, giving her a sort of reprieve from having to deal with him.
    Not that it was a hardship, dealing with Hunter. But her emotions were still too raw after what they’d shared. And her body had a mind of its own. It positively sang with glee every time she thought of Hunter, let alone got near him.
    Yeah, she had it bad. And it could go absolutely nowhere.
    Being a Monday, it was Hunter’s first day back from his trip. He’d spent most of his time in his office, stuck on the phone, stuck behind the computer, just stuck. Not much difference on a usual Monday for him anyway, it was five times worse with his being out of town. He rarely ventured past his office walls.
    Thank goodness. She needed to keep the distance between them, more for her sanity than anything else.
    “Looking good, Gracie.”
    The voice that suddenly came from behind her was familiar, friendly, and she turned away from her desk with a smile. “Hey, Marcus.”
    One of the most valued members of the brand marketing department, Marcus Caldwell also happened to be a joy to work with. In his mid-thirties, handsome and recently divorced after a gruesomely bad marriage, he was just as dedicated to Worth as Gracie was.
    She’d wondered more than once if he had demons to drown as well and threw himself into his work to avoid them.
    “Burning the midnight oil again, I see?” He smiled and leaned against the edge of her desk.
    “Not quite.” She glanced at the clock on her desk phone. Just past eight. She should probably head on home soon. “Just trying to wrap some stuff up before I leave.”
    “You sure are dedicated.”
    “So are you,” she reminded him with a smile. If she wasn’t so caught up in Hunter aftermath she could become interested in Marcus. Maybe.
    He shrugged. He wore a slick Armani suit, his blue printed silk tie by Worth. Chestnut-colored hair and warm brown eyes that twinkled when he smiled…he was definitely attractive.
    But she was too preoccupied with thoughts of a certain dark-haired man who sent her private, smoldering looks every chance he got. Despite her wishing that he wouldn’t.
    “We always seem to be here after hours together, don’t we?”
    She nodded slowly, turning her attention to her computer and closing out of the various programs she kept open throughout the day. “Some people are still lingering.”
    “Yeah, Hunter’s still around.” Marcus jerked his head toward Hunter’s office, which was behind them. “Have you talked to him about Los Angeles yet?”
    “Los Angeles?” She frowned. “What do you mean?”
    “Ah, whoops. I guess I just inserted my foot in my mouth.” He smiled sheepishly. “I’ll let him explain it to you.”
    Curiosity—with a healthy dose of unease—slipped down her spine. What in the world was Marcus talking about? She hoped it was nothing bad. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
    “Sounds like a plan.” Again a flash of the easygoing smile and he shifted his position, slipping closer to her. “So I was thinking. Maybe we could get together sometime after work and grab some dinner.”
    Oh. Was he asking her out on a date? She couldn’t believe it. They’d worked together for a year and he never once flirted with her, not really. And now he was trying to ask her to dinner? Was she wearing an invisible sign that said, “ Help me forget a certain man—ask me out, I’m desperate”?
    “That sounds nice,” she said hesitantly, not wanting to encourage him too much. Not that she would mind going out with Marcus, but she definitely didn’t plan on taking it any further than just that—dinner.
    “What are you doing right now? Tonight?” His smile remained easy, but a new light