Risking It All Read Online Free

different helmet.” She rubbed her sore head.
    “And ditch ol’ red?” He patted the faded red helmet. “That would be like losing a friend.”
    “I don’t like friends who pull my hair,” she replied, hopping off the bike.
    Memphis smiled mischievously and reached up to give one of her black locks a gentle tug.
    “A little hair pulling can be fun,” he murmured.
    Kennedy rolled her eyes and swatted his hand away. Memphis laughed and grabbed her hand, sliding his fingers in between hers so they were palm to palm.  He didn’t let her hand go until they were seated at the table across from each other.
    To anyone else the gesture would seem intimate and give the impression there was more to them than platonic friendship. But Memphis grabbing for her hand was normal and natural; it had been since a few months after their friendship had formed. Out of nowhere one day he took her hand while strolling through the park, and she knew without him having to explain that it wasn’t meant to be anything for her to overthink. He wasn’t declaring some hidden desire for her or the urge to up their friendship a notch; he was just holding her hand. Nothing more.
    “So how was it?” Kennedy asked after their orders had been taken.
    “It was great.” Memphis beamed and leaned back against the booth. “I think they might be the best shots I’ve taken yet.”
    “Really? Better than Alaska? I loved those pictures.”
    Memphis was a freelance photographer. He mostly did work for Hot Spots , a travel magazine, capturing the beauty of places all over the world, enticing those to book their next vacation wherever he had just been.
    Kennedy was envious of all the places he had been able to visit. Memphis’s passport got more action than a half-price call girl. But of all the places he had been, Alaska was the one she envied the most.
    Living in a city where it rained most of the year and snow was a rarity, she loved looking at the pictures Memphis had taken during one of his trips there. He had a gift of bringing the life out in photos, making you feel as if you were right there experiencing it with him.
    When Kennedy saw the winter wonderland in Memphis’s photographs, she started saving every extra penny she could to make that her first vacation destination. She didn’t care where she went or what she did; she just wanted to be there.
    “Okay, Alaska was the best I’ve taken, but these come damn close,” he said. He propped his elbows on the table and leaned closer to her. “Speaking of Alaska, I’ve got some news.”
    Kennedy raised an eyebrow.
    “What kind of news?”
    The waitress chose that moment to bring their coffee, leaning closer to Memphis than necessary and making sure her surgically enhanced breasts were eye level when she poured the hot beverage. 
    Kennedy watched her drop a napkin into Memphis’s lap before moving onto the next table, not even giving Kennedy a second glance over her actions—as if it were unimaginable that a guy like Memphis would be involved with her romantically.
    Memphis picked the napkin up and flipped it over, chuckling at whatever it said before bunching it into a ball and tossing it onto the table. 
    “Another fan?” Kennedy asked dryly. “What would Vivian say?”
    “Veronica. Vivian was last month,” Memphis corrected with a teasing tone. “And we’re through.” 
    “Wow. That lasted almost two weeks. That has to be a record for you.” She picked up her coffee cup and took a swallow, burning her tongue and throat in the process.
    “Another twenty-four hours and it would have broken the record,” he replied, grinning at her bitchy remark.
    Kennedy set down the cup.
    “What news?” she asked again to get back on topic. She wasn’t in the mood to discuss Memphis’s concubines.   
    “A job offer for a resort opening up there,” he told her, the napkin and eager waitress forgotten. “They want publicity, something that will draw in the tourists from the larger