Read The Billionaire's Gamble for Free Online

money.
    “Margie,” he said, and the simple act of saying her name made the octaves of his voice deeper, slower.
    Their eyes met, and he could see her pupils dilate from the shared awareness between them.
    She shivered and snatched her hand away. “I need to get back to the coffee shop. Text me if you need anything. What’s your number, by the way?”
    The distance she was putting between them was probably for the best, but he found he missed the warmth of her hand. “Ah…I still have a Paris number. Since I’m only planning to stay for a month, I figured I could get by. I don’t want you to have to incur extra charges to text me. Don’t Soy With Me is only a block away. I’ll find you if I need anything.”
    One side of her mouth lifted first, and then the other, like smiling took effort. “I’ll leave you to it then.”
    He watched her walk away, desperate to call her back to him, to tell her how much her trust and generosity meant to him.
    Instead all he was able to say was, “Margie. You’re doing something special here.”
    After she finished unlocking the door, she turned and leaned against it, her green eyes all soft. “Thanks, Evan. I’ll see you around.”
     
    ***
     
    Margie was off balance for the rest of the day. The connection she felt with Evan was more powerful than the spark she’d felt with Howie, the only man she’d ever loved. Her former boyfriend had been finishing up his Masters in Creative Writing at Emmits Merriam when they met at Polar Fest. His creativity was instantly compelling to a woman who’d been raised around corporate business types like her father.
    Howie could write heart-stopping poetry and work with his hands. His capacity for knowledge was as great as hers even though she’d dropped out of Dartmouth—which had been one of the final straws for her parents after years of her rebellious behavior. Unlike them, he’d listened to her dreams—really listened. And when she told him about the Victorian house and how she wished she could buy it and restore it to its former glory, he’d promised they would do it together.
    They’d done that and everything else together, and only in retrospect did she realize the extent to which she’d isolated herself. At the time, she hadn’t seen the need to make friends other than the ones she worked with at Don’t Soy With Me. My, how wrong she’d been.
    Howie had been passionate, but sometimes wildly moody. She’d figured it was part of being artistic until she discovered the oxycodone in his dresser drawer. Since he didn’t have any reason that she knew of to take a prescription pain killer, she asked him about it. He got defensive and told her it enhanced his creativity. When he wouldn’t tell her how long he’d been using it, they had a huge fight.
    In the end, his refusal to address the drug problem was what had broken them apart. She’d grieved him and promised herself to never ever again date a man with secrets or let one man become her everything again. But while she’d dated off and on over the last couple of years, none of the men she’d met had tugged at her heart and soul in the same way. Even though she’d only known him for a couple of days, she could tell that Evan was different.
    The door to Don’t Soy With Me opened, and Rhett sauntered over to the counter wearing a T-Shirt that read, “I’m A Good Ol’ Boy—Sometimes.” She found it hard to contain her smile.
    “Howdy, darlin’,” he said in his signature drawl.
    “Hi, Rhett,” she said, walking over to the cash register to ring him up herself. “What can I get you?”
    “How about a banana cream iced latte? I have to hide treats like this from Abbie these days. I’m giving up alcohol while she’s pregnant since she can’t have a glass of wine, but I can’t give up coffee.”
    “How is she?” she asked, nodding to her barista to go ahead and start Rhett’s drink.
    “Doing great. She’s finally starting to show, and she’s so beautiful