Free Trusting Him by Brenda Minton Page A

meant that as a compliment, but I'll take it that way."
    "Will you go?"
    She paused. He could hear her steady breathing and her nails clicking on the desk. "I don't know. I'm not really dressed for a party."
    "You look fine."
    Maggie looked up, her eyes widening as he walked into the room. The smile that sneaked up on him took him by surprise, especially when it accompanied a strange tightening in his stomach. He paused midstride, not at all sure if he should have made this call or followed that action by walking into the church.
    "You know, sneaking up on me could get you hurt." She stood, small and diminutive in a floral skirt and a pink T-shirt. Her blond hair was pulled back in a clip and fine strands had come free to frame her face.
    He agreed, she could definitely hurt a person.
    "So, about the party. You'll go? You don't even have to pretend to like me."
    "Is taking me some kind of rebellious 'who cares what they think' plan?"
    "No, inviting you is a moment of weakness. I wanted to be abused by someone I could trust not to stab me in the back." He tossed her the spare helmet that he had carried in with him.
    "What's this?"
    "It's commonly referred to as a helmet."
    "I mean, why did you just throw it at me?"
    "To put on your head so that in case of an accident, you don't hurt that sweet brain of yours."
    "You're telling me that you not only want me to go to a party that I haven't been invited to, you also want me to ride on a motorcycle?"
    "You got it, babe." He took the helmet from her hand and pulled the clip from her hair. Silky blond hair released in a sweet strawberry-scented wave. He put the helmet on her head and tugged the strap tight.
    "I'm not sure about this."
    "You'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to you. Promise."
    She sighed, crossing her arms in front of her as she did. "I'm not sure why I'm saying yes, but okay, I'll go."
    He remained in front of her. At that distance the air around him seemed to evaporate. Her blue eyes were searching his face, asking questions. He knew the answers, vaguely, but they were hidden somewhere in the far corners of his mind and he couldn't get a grasp on them.
    "Thanks, Maggie." He lifted her hand and kissed her palm.
    Her eyes met his. "Let's not go there, okay."
    "I'm sorry. You're right, that was totally inappropriate."
    She nodded. "Yes, totally inappropriate."
    "And now you're thinking about not going?" He sighed, overwhelmed by the amount of mistakes he seemed to be making.
    "Maybe it isn't a good idea."
    "You could be right."
    Her fingers were on the buckle of the chin strap. Michael waited, unsure of his own response. At that moment he didn't know if he wanted her to go. Drawing her into his life would make him responsible for her, for what could happen if something went wrong in his deal with Vince.
    Did he really want that?

Chapter Seven
    M aggie's stomach tied itself into knots during the ride to Michael's parents' house in the gated community of River Oaks. It was her first time on a motorcycle. She shifted from exhilaration to panic, back and forth like a Ping-Pong ball. Her arms were around Michael's waist and her chin rested on his shoulder. She hadn't planned it that way, but the motion, the curves— all worked against her to create a force that pushed them together.
    For some crazy reason she trusted him. He had promised he wouldn't let her get hurt and she knew he meant it.
    As they rode through the gates of the community, motioned forward by a guard, the tension inside her doubled. She had never been here, never walked inside these homes with their lavish brick-and-stone facades, and professionally developed landscaping.
    She had a push mower and a Weed Eater. Dandelions grew along the petunias in the flower beds outside the home she shared with her grandmother. And she was wearing flip-flops. She couldn't forget that.
    They stopped. Michael looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Here we are."
    "Yes, here we are." He got off the bike and reached