Make Me Risk It Read Online Free PDF Page B

hesitate. “In your case, it matters.”
    Her mouth fell open. It was a strange compliment. He’d just told her he cared about what she thought of him. What confused her was the hard slant of his mouth when he’d said it.
    He may care, but he wasn’t pleased about it.
    * * *
    Jacob seemed intent on making sure she had a nice evening following that tense, bewildering exchange at dinner, as if he was determined to make up for his flash of irritation and edginess. His attentiveness and warmth were very much appreciated by Harper, but they weren’t necessary to improve her mood. Instead of ruining the evening, their exchange at dinner had somehow made her feel closer to him. She’d learned they had something elemental in common.
    So . . . he was ambivalent about caring about her? She couldn’t fault him for that. She was just as prickly and unsure about her strong feelings for him.
    * * *
    The opera was
La Bohème
, which she enjoyed very much from their prime seats in the first row of the lowest balcony. She was highly aware of the man beside her: his thigh brushing lightly against her own, his handsome, stark profile as he stared at the stage, the subtle hint of his woodsy, spicy cologne. His presence and his nearness seemed to amplify her sensual appreciation of the production. During the touching second aria between Mimì and Rodolfo, she glanced over at him, only to find his gaze already on her face. There was something in his eyes . . .
    She felt something expand in her chest. More powerfully than she ever had before, she sensed his sharp hunger. She couldn’t understand it, but there it was in front of her, impossible to ignore, difficult to deny, even given his doubts. His hand enclosed hers. The tension in her chest broke. She gasped softly and stared at the stage and the romance unfolding there . . . a love story that was destined to end in tragedy.
    In the past, she’d occasionally had strong emotional reactions to music, but she’d never experienced this level of feeling during a performance. Of course . . . she’d never sat next to the likes of Jacob Latimer during a production, either.
    Embarrassed by her strange uprising of sharp emotion, she immediately made an excuse to go to the bathroom when they reached the lobby during intermission. Jacob touched her shoulder when she turned away.
    “Is anything wrong?” he asked her, his brows slanted in concern.
    “No, I’m fine,” she assured with a bright smile. “I should have warned you. Music makes me a little emotional sometimes. Sorry. It’s embarrassing, to get swept up into the drama so easily,” she said, rolling her eyes.
    His hand tightened on her shoulder and she reluctantly met his gaze, despite her burning eyes.
    “It’s not embarrassing, to feel deeply.”
    She nodded, ducking her head, mortified by her bewildering show of vulnerability.
    “I’ll get us some drinks and wait for you,” he said.
    “That’d be great, thank you,” she murmured, turning away.
    By the time she emerged from the ladies’ room a few minutes later, she’d collected herself completely. Hopefully, Jacob hadn’t thought her display
too
odd. Eager to find him now that she’d calmed herself, she searched the crowd for his head. As tall and distinguished as he was, he was sure to stand out. She didn’t see him, however. Maybe he’d decided to use the facilities, as well. No sooner had she stationed herself near a column in order to wait, she caught a quick glimpse of him in the distance. He jogged up a flight of red-carpeted stairs.
    That was strange, Harper thought, moving away from the column in his direction. His manner had seemed rushed and tense. Was he looking for her? She walked through the milling crowd of people in his direction. She reached the stairs where he’d disappeared, craning her head to see. There was a bend in the stairs, obscuring her vision. The men’s lavatory wasn’t in this direction, she knew from prior experience.