His Million Dollar Risk

By Robin Bielman

Determined to make his latest preservation project on Route 66 a success, Connor Gibson will take any good press he can get. Even if it means spending a week with a reporter. And even if it's one from a publication he has good reason to hate. Connor certainly isn't expecting a spontaneous and undeniably attractive blonde who makes him seriously hot for the press...

Charlize Beckett is in deeeep trouble. This is her one chance to prove to her publisher dad that she's a serious journalist, even if she has to pretend she's someone else. Worse though, is trying to maintain any objectivity with the way too charming Connor. She can't help but get into all kinds of sexy trouble with him. But by going off the record, Charlie is putting both her reputation and her heart on the line...

Each book in the Take a Risk series is a standalone, full-length story that can be enjoyed out of order.
Series Order:
Book #1 Worth the Risk
Book #2 Risky Surrender
Book #3 His Million Dollar Risk

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Feb 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781633751866

Robin Bielman

Robin Bielman is the USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels. When not attached to her laptop, she loves to read, go to the beach, frequent coffee shops (and by frequent she means daily but she's trying to break the habit), and spend time with her family and friends. Her fondness for swoon-worthy heroes who flirt and stumble upon the girl they can’t live without jumpstarts most of her story ideas. She writes with a steady stream of caffeine nearby (see above) and the best dog on the planet, Harry, by her side. She also dreams of traveling to faraway places and loves to connect with readers.

Book preview

He’s ready to play dirty...

Determined to make his latest preservation project on Route 66 a success, Connor Gibson will take any good press he can get. Even if it means spending a week with a reporter. And even if it’s one from a publication he has good reason to hate. Connor certainly isn’t expecting a spontaneous and undeniably attractive blonde who makes him seriously hot for the press...

Charlize Beckett is in deeeep trouble. This is her one chance to prove to her publisher dad that she’s a serious journalist, even if she has to pretend she’s someone else. Worse though, is trying to maintain any objectivity with the way too charming Connor. She can’t help but get into all kinds of sexy trouble with him. But by going off the record, Charlie is putting both her reputation and her heart on the line...

Table of Contents

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Discover more category romance titles from Entangled Indulgence…

The Prince’s Bride

Billionaire Blackmail

The Millioanire’s Gamble

Best Friends with the Billionaire

Discover the Take a Risk series…

Worth the Risk

Risky Surrender

Kissing the Maid of Honor

Her Accidental Boyfriend

Wild About Her Wingman

Keeping Mr. Right Now

Yours at Midnight

Blame it on the Kiss

The Best Friend Bargain

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2015 by Robin Bielman. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.

Entangled Publishing, LLC

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Suite 109

Fort Collins, CO 80525

Visit our website at www.entangledpublishing.com.

Indulgence is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC.

Edited by Wendy Chen

Cover design by Erin Dameron-Hill

Cover art from Shutterstock

ISBN 978-1-63375-186-6

Manufactured in the United States of America

First Edition February 2015

To Duncan.

Chapter One

Connor Gibson didn’t mind being the center of attention—when that appreciation came from a woman’s deliberate eyes and soft, kissable lips in the close confines of a bedroom. Scratch that, he didn’t care where they were as long as it was just the two of them.

Sitting poolside at the trendy Sunset Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona, he could do without the constant awareness. He’d politely refused several drink offers from Spring Break coeds and declined pickup lines that might have worked if he’d been in a better mood. He’d only sat in the late-afternoon sunshine because he’d gotten to the hotel earlier than planned.

A lounge chair, cold drink, and rare nap had sounded like a good plan. Once he hit the road tomorrow morning he’d have very little down time.

Or peace of mind.

For the umpteenth time he thought about accidentally forgetting he was supposed to pick up a reporter from NaturalWorld.com and have her accompany him for a weeklong interview on his stops along Route 66. He hated reporters. He hated liars.

His muscles tensed and he squeezed his hands around the edge of the lounge chair. Okay, so he probably shouldn’t label all reporters as liars and hate the whole lot of them. If the article were for any other magazine, he would have been okay with it. But no way in hell could he forgive what Natural World had done to his mom. If not for the fact that Route 66 was his baby, that no one knew the project as well as he did, Connor would have assigned the exclusive interview to one of his VPs. But this was a chance to bring national recognition to the Route as World Heritage Fund’s preservation efforts were coming to a close, and Connor had the most at stake. He’d worked nonstop for two years and wanted the country to take notice.

He unclenched his hands and laced them behind his head. House music streamed out of speakers disguised as large rocks at the base of several palm trees. A game of Chicken took over the shallow end of the pool. He lifted his Oakley sunglasses away from his face and wiped the perspiration under his eyes.

Is that chair taken?

Plenty of lounge chairs remained vacant around the pool, including the one between him and a woman asleep on her stomach to his right. He eyed the sleeping beauty with her fair skin, blond hair, and shapely curves. She hadn’t moved a muscle since he sat down an hour ago.

Yes, he said, turning his head to address the woman who’d asked the question. He liked his view and didn’t want to disturb it.

Oh. Okay. She batted her eyelashes anyway, but he didn’t take the bait.

His friend and work colleague Clay had told him numerous times his indifference only made women more interested. Made them look at him as a challenge. Apparently, his I’m-unavailable vibe flashed like a beacon today.

Cannonball! some guy shouted before he leaped into the air and landed with a splash in the deep end of the swimming pool.

The jump sent drops of water into Connor’s lap. The spray must have also hit his neighbor because she stirred.

Then bent her legs and wiggled her feet in the air as if to shake them dry. After a few moments she straightened her long, toned legs and slipped her hands to her sides to retrieve the ends of the bikini top she’d unhooked. With her head canted down and away from him, blond hair that had been loosely piled behind her neck fell over her shoulder.

Connor watched as she lifted up slightly to reach behind her back and connect the ends of her top. She tried unsuccessfully for several seconds before letting out a sigh and releasing the straps to relax her arms.

Offering to help crossed his mind, but the way his body had suddenly perked up told him that was a bad idea. A very good bad idea, the devil on his shoulder said.

That devil had gotten him into trouble before. Just because he found it nice that this girl was the one woman yet to lay eyes on him didn’t mean he should lend a hand.

Her back rose and fell, and she went to grab the ends of her bikini top again. It looked like the clasp on one end had gotten stuck to her towel because she shimmied her hand against her side while her other arm stretched across her back.

A muffled dammit reached his ears as she laid her chin on the front edge of the chair. He really was a jackass for not volunteering to lend a hand, especially since she’d probably decline assistance from a total stranger.

She tried again. This time she raised enough to give him a peek at the outside swell of her breast as she wrestled with the uncooperative bathing suit.

His gaze traveled down the slope of her back to the curve of her ass. Her angles and edges looked soft and inviting. Not too small and not too large. She looked just right.

Goldilocks in the flesh.

He zoned out for a second, lost in the smooth texture of her skin, so he had zero time to react when the bikini top flying through the air hit him in the chest.

Oh my God! she said.

Connor blinked and watched as Goldilocks sat up, one arm covering her chest, followed quickly by the other for double protection. He reached down and picked up the red top, a hell-yeah smirk on his face.

I can’t believe that just happened, she said. I’m so sorry. The hook got stuck on my towel and then I guess I pulled too hard. Her hair fell in waves down her back, sleep lines creased her cheek, blue eyes bright with embarrassment stared at him.

I’m not, he said, swinging his legs off the lounge chair so he sat facing her.

She narrowed her eyes. You’re not what?

Sorry it happened. Elbows on his knees, he toyed with the bikini top, but kept his attention on her.

Do you mind? she asked, eyebrows raised, her tone flustered.

It had been a while since he’d flustered a woman.

Mind what? Yes, he was messing with her, but her cheeks had reddened and he suspected it wasn’t from the warm temperature. A beautiful woman loses a piece of clothing, it’s no bother whatsoever.

His gaze slid down the pretty column of her neck, down to her chest. He knew she couldn’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses, so he didn’t feel the least bit insolent checking her out. Her arms did a nice job of covering her breasts, but didn’t detract in the least from the sexiness of her pose.

She contemplated the ground for a second. I’d like my top back, please.

I don’t know, he teased. It could be construed as a deadly weapon.

Excuse me? Her lips parted in charming confusion.

I think I’ve got a knick right here. He glanced down and pressed a few fingers to his abdomen.

Shut up. By the sound of her voice, she got that he was poking fun. Still, she studied his body—for a little too long.

Injury aside, there’s also the fact that there’s not a lot of material here. He examined the strapless top like he hoped to figure out a tough mathematical problem.

So? She dropped her chin and looked around her chair. Probably searching for her shirt or cover-up. He appreciated that besides her embarrassment and impatience, she’d taken the situation lightly. The girl had spunk.

So. Are you trying to cause an accident? Because this could make a guy forget to watch where he’s walking.

Her attention shot back to him. She gulped, and he got the feeling she didn’t receive many flirtatious compliments. Hell, he didn’t usually give them. Women sought him out. His position as president of field operations for World Heritage Fund, the largest and most influential nonprofit organization dedicated to heritage protection, garnered him plenty of notice. But it was his family and the wealth that came with his name that really had women clamoring to get close to him.

When he had a few moments of free time.

Umm…

He smiled. A genuine, feel-good grin he hadn’t had the pleasure of in a long time.

She broke eye contact and bent forward to retrieve a pale yellow T-shirt under her chair, careful to keep one arm firmly locked across her chest. A sketch pad sat underneath where the shirt had been.

Once she had the garment and sat back up, though, Connor could tell she had no idea how to get it on without using two hands. A second later she lifted her bottom and pulled the towel out from under her. Goldilocks paid him no mind as she managed to get the towel underneath one arm, then the other, before letting out a deep sigh. She tossed her shirt into a bright pink bag and finally her sapphire-blue eyes registered on him again.

Could I have my top back now? I, uh, need to get going.

So soon?

A tiny