Read High Risk for Free Online Page B

a few notes regarding
     training ideas for Lifeline.
    Considering she’d already been preparing a course syllabus for the upcoming semester
     for David, the idea of working with an elite squad for the short term was a great
     opportunity. They’d be able to take her lessons and provide feedback during recap.
    Her fingers cramped on the pencil, and she shook them. Crazy to think she had lost
     that much strength. Since the accident she’d been running and swimming, but she hadn’t
     climbed.
    Something held her back. The psychologist who’d worked with her had told her to listen
     to herself. Not to push it. That her body and mind would know when it was time.
    Her thoughts returned to the climbing wall in the gym, and her anticipation rose.
     Yeah, it was time.
    As long as she had a job when this was all over.
    She picked up the phone. His line was ringing before she realized it might be too
     early to call Marcus. Hanging up or waiting it out—which was better?
    He answered on the second ring and stole her choices. “Good morning, Becki.”
    “Umm, morning.” Right away flustered and on edge. Not to mention instantly battling
     the shiver that had raced along her spine at the sound of his voice. “Neat trick.
     How did you know it was me?”
    “Call display says Banff Search and Rescue Dorms. You’re the only one there right
     now.”
    “Gotcha. Hey, sorry for calling so early.”
    He chuckled, and the skin on her forearms stood on edge. “Trust me, you didn’t wake
     me. What’s on your mind?”
    “Could we meet for breakfast? I’d like to talk to you a little more.”
I need to confess something before I get my hopes up.
    “What about lunch?” he asked.
    Shoot. “I promised to meet Alisha at the gym at ten o’clock. We were going to climb,
     then have lunch together. I don’t know how to get hold of her to change that.”
    “No worries. Breakfast it is. I’ll come get you.”
    She stared at the phone after he hung up like it was haunted, the echo of his click
     carrying through the dorm room and fading into an eerie silence. It was crazy how
     listening to him brought back such an intense rush of emotion. Of physical longing.
    This had to stop if she was going to work with the man. So she’d just haul out the
     lessons and force them to work for her this time, in this situation.
    Lesson number two—
move decisively
. In this case, she was going to make it all about work. That was how she’d talk,
     how she’d act. And most definitely how she’d think. No more wondering how Marcus looked
     stripped to nothing.
    She could control herself. She’d had years of training.
    Walking to the parking lot to meet him, though, gave her enough time to regret having
     to put her thoughts on hold, because
damn
, the dreams she’d had the previous night had been lovely.
    A bright red truck was already waiting at the curb. She peered in the passenger-side
     window cautiously. Marcus waved at her and she hopped in, the smooth leather of the
     seats warm under her fingers.
    “That didn’t take long.”
    “I was in the area.” He smiled, and the dark stubble along his jaw did its best to
     break her mental resolve to stop objectifying him. His hair was wilder than last night,
     and she busied herself clicking the seat belt closed before she did something stupid
     like reaching out to straighten the unruly strands.
    Decisive, remember? She firmly kicked her imagination in the butt. “Just a coffee
     shop is fine with me. If I’m climbing in a little over an hour I don’t need anything
     big.”
    “Bagels okay?”
    He signalled a turn at her affirmation, taking them down the hill and back toward
     the city centre. Becki watched as he drove, his right hand firmly holding the wheel,
     his shorter limb on the left resting briefly against an extended shaft attached to
     the turn signal. Marcus wore a long-sleeved jacket, and if she hadn’t known his left
     hand was missing, she never would have