Read Risking Trust for Free Online Page B

heart, to his face.
    “Hi,” she said.
    “How do you feel about love at first sight?”
    The corner of her mouth quirked. “I’m not sure.”
    “Well,” he said, “I’m suddenly a believer.”
    She rolled those amazing eyes and laughed at him. For a few seconds, Michael let himself forget about being a miserable bastard and soaked up the sound of her soft laughter.
    She gestured to the seat across from her. “It’s too soon to tell, but you can have a seat and maybe I’ll let you know in awhile.”
    Score .
    He dropped onto the bench and she propped her chin in her hand. “As opening lines go, I have to say, that one got my attention.”
    He grinned. “It was a maiden voyage. And just so you know who it is that’s fallen in love with you, I’m Michael Taylor.”
    “Hi, Michael Taylor, I’m Roxann.”
    And damn those blue eyes glittered. So incredibly gorgeous. To Michael’s disappointment, Brian, the guy hosting the party, appeared. “Hey, Rox.”
    Roxann-the-beautiful shifted to face him. “Hi, Brian. How are you?”
    “Thanks for coming. Haven’t seen you since you got back from the Olympics.”
    “You went to the Olympics?” Michael asked.
    Brian snorted. “She was in the Olympics. Won a gold in the four-hundred relay. You grabbed a silver too, right?”
    She smiled and the glow could have lit the darkened yard. “Yep. In the two-hundred.”
    Beautiful, athletic and a competitor. God help him. Fried already and he hadn’t laid a hand on her.
    Someone called Brian away— thank you —and he high-tailed it.
    “The Olympics. That’s amazing. Do you still compete?”
    She twisted her lips. “For fun. Now I have a big girl job.”
    “What do you do?”
    “I work at the Banner-Herald”
    To Michael, who was working a laborer job while he figured out how to use the skills acquired as an Army Ranger, the newspaper gig sounded pretty cool. “Are you a reporter?”
    “No.”
    “What do you do?”
    “Whatever my father tells me to.”
    “Your dad is your boss?”
    She laughed. “My dad is everyone’s boss. He owns the paper.”
    Michael’s euphoric high plummeted. Gone. That fast. Fuck me. This girl was so far above him he might as well quit now. If that didn’t suck the mother lode he wasn’t sure what did. He laughed his derision, slapped his hands on the table and stood. “Enough said. I’m leaving. I’m glad we met though.”
    He started to turn away, but she grabbed his arm. “This from the man who just proclaimed his love?”
    Could he possibly have a shot with this girl? “Honey, I’m a kid from the neighborhood. You’re so far out of my league I’ve got no business being on your planet.”
    “Why do you get to decide I’m out of your league? I’ll make my own decision. Why not stay and see what happens?”
    It made enough sense that he sat again and spent the next two hours hearing about the Olympics, her doubling up on classes to graduate on time and taking the job at the newspaper. When the party began to fizzle, he and Roxann moved to a 24-hour coffee shop two blocks away where they talked until six in the morning.
    He finally walked her to her apartment and, as much as he wanted to, didn’t try to worm his way in. After all night together, he’d hoped he’d get his shot another time. A fast lay wouldn’t suit. That he could get anywhere. He’d wait it out. The beautiful Roxann Thorgesson was not a girl to disrespect. On any level.
    Controlling the I-need-to-get-laid beast, he kissed her goodbye with a quick peck on the lips, waited for her to get into the house and walked home knowing he’d met the love of his life.
    And now, sitting in his office, thinking about her long legs, he was surrounded by his hard-fought wealth and wreck of a life, and it made his chest ache.
    “Mike?” Vic said.
    Michael shook his head. “Yeah, sorry.”
    “Does she still run?”
    “I see her on the lakefront occasionally.” When I’m standing on my balcony watching for