Free The Greatest Risk by Cara Colter

agreement had hurt her.
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    Luke folded his arms over his chest and watched Maggie leave the parking lot. Somehow he had not figured her for the kind of gal who would squeal her tires.
    But then what had he figured right about her so far?
    The answer was nothing. He just was not reading her right. That kiss! He was still smoking from the heat of it.
    And trembling slightly, if he was going to be totally honest about it.
    The truth was that was the way he had always imagined Amber would kiss—with a kind of no-holds-barred intensity that left a man feeling as though the world was disappearing, crumbling beneath his feet.
    As if there was nothing that remained but sweet, soft lips, and hot, lush curves pressed into his chest.
    Wait! If he looked the world over he would never find a woman less like Amber than little Miss Maggie Mouse.
    Amber would drive a vintage fire-engine-red Barracuda convertible. Amber would wear short leather skirts and sashay her hips. She would hustle pool, not flub balls onto the floor. She would drink whiskey not soda.
    All in all Amber was not the kind of girl a boy took home to Mama.
    Which was the whole idea. Luke August had decided a long, long time ago he was never taking a girl home to Mama.
    Or at least not one Mama would approve of.
    And he had a feeling his mother would approve of Maggie. Maggie with her soft eyes, and her obvious intelligence and decency. Maggie who helped little children as her life’s work, and didn’t have a clue how sexy she was.
    He would have had never to see her again for that reason alone, even if she had not suggested it first.
    Though, going back to his room he had to admit that he was just a tiny bit frosted that Maggie had mentioned it first.
    She must have been a whole lot less shaken by that kiss than he had been.
    In the maintenance closet, he carefully returned Fred’s stuff to where it had been. He stuck five bucks in the pocket so Fred could have a coffee on him in exchange for the loan he didn’t know he had made.
    Luke donned his gown over his jeans and sidled down the hall.
    â€œMr. August! Where have you been? Evening meds were over an hour ago.”
    He turned to look at the night nurse. “Oh, just down in the TV room.”
    â€œI looked there for you.”
    â€œI went to the TV lounge on the next floor. They were tuned into something a little too tender on this one. One of those bachelorette things where she gives some poor sucker a rose. You know. Gigantic yuck.”
    â€œUm-hmm.”
    The nurse was older and had on sensible shoes and her uniform was pressed with military precision, but her face was kind and she was not at all like Nurse Nightmare.
    â€œYou don’t believe me?” he asked, all innocence and wonder.
    She leaned close to him.
    â€œYou have lipstick on your neck. Glossy. Peach-colored.”
    â€œOh.” Damn her observation skills. Luke had not wanted to think about glossy peach-colored lips again tonight. Or ever.
    â€œGet to your room before I report you.”
    â€œYes, ma’am.”
    â€œDid you have fun?” she asked as he headed down the hall.
    â€œI’m still trying to figure that out,” he muttered, as much to himself as to her.

Four
    L uke woke up in a nasty mood. That rarely happened to him. He nearly always woke up full of plans for his day, with a song in his heart—usually “What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor?”—which he happily and loudly shared with anybody within earshot.
    But this morning he gloomily contemplated the pure white of his hospital-room ceiling. He felt crabby and out of sorts. It had, he decided firmly, nothing at all to do with Maggie Mouse telling him she never wanted to see him again.
    Not that the name Maggie Mouse was going to do now that he knew the stunning truth. The girl kissed like a house on fire.
    He’d have to come up with a new name for her. If he was ever going to see her again, which he