Worth the Risk

by K. Bromberg

  Just the feel of him hard for me sends a hit of desire straight to the delta of my thighs.

  “Is this the part where we kiss and make up?” I ask as every sense goes on high alert at the mere promise of another kiss. Of another touch. Of him.

  Our lips meet. Our tongues dance. Our bodies react.

  “I like this part,” he murmurs as one hand slides under the back of my shirt so that his fingers skim along the skin just above my waistband. He drugs me with his mouth. He entices me with his touch. He makes me anticipate with that groan in the back of his throat. “Luke’s inside,” he murmurs against my lips and rests his forehead against mine.

  “And?”

  “And what if he wakes up?”

  “It seems you have eyes in the back of your head when it comes to him, so I think it would be perfectly fine if you kissed me.”

  “Like this?”

  His lips possess mine. Thoroughly. Intoxicatingly.

  “Just like that.”

  The bed is hot despite the cool sheets against my bare skin.

  The sun is bright through my eyelids.

  When I stretch my arms overhead, I feel the tug of Grayson’s hand against my side, pulling me in against his body, and the tempting hardness of him against my ass.

  Good God, the man is like a drug. He can piss me off, cancel a date on me, test me on more levels than I’m used to, and yet, I still want more of him.

  That’s a scary thought.

  I wiggle my ass against his crotch, which earns me a sleep-drugged groan and has his hand pulling me tighter into him.

  Then there’s the knock.

  “Dad?”

  The thought of sleepy morning sex goes out the damn window as Grayson jumps out of bed as if I’ve just poured a bucket of ice water on him.

  “Oh fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” he says in a harsh whisper as his eyes widen and plead with me for what to do. “Just a second, buddy.”

  “Daddy? Why is the door locked?” The handle jiggles, and Grayson walks over to open it and then realizes what he was just about to do and stops. He’s gloriously naked and completely flustered.

  “You can’t be here,” he whispers to me, his hand in his hair, his lips pressing into a stunned smile, and his dick flying at half-mast.

  “But I am here—” He covers my mouth with his hand as we both try not to laugh as the handle jiggles again.

  “Give me one second, Luke. I was uh—uh—just getting out of the shower.”

  “Yeah. So? I’ve seen you naked before.”

  I lick my tongue out between my lips against his hand, which is still firmly pressed over my mouth, and his eyes warn me to stop as his own chuckle falls from his mouth.

  “I know, but, uh—” He moves the hand from my mouth and starts to pick up my clothes, which are strewn all over his floor, and throws them onto the bed beside me. “I’m all wet and don’t want to get it on the floor.”

  “Are you talking to someone in there?” The jostling of the handle. “Is someone in there with you?”

  “No. Of course not,” he says in all seriousness while he fights the laughter before leaning forward and whispering in my ear. “Stay here. Be still. He’ll leave for school in fifteen minutes then you can go. Be a good girl.”

  “But I’m not a good girl.”

  “Dad?”

  “I know you aren’t,” he says, the heat of his breath making chills run down my spine. “But you’re going to be for me.” Then he presses a chaste kiss onto my lips that has my body begging for more. “If you are, then I’ll reward you for it.”

  “So much for being a ninja,” I say.

  “Shush,” he warns but snickers.

  And with that, Grayson pulls on a pair of gym shorts before yanking the comforter over my head and patting me on the ass.

  I hear the door to the bedroom open. “Good morning. Let’s go downstairs and get some breakfast.”

  “I thought you were in the shower?” I can picture the curious look that Luke is giving Grayson, and that makes my having to remain still even harder. All I want to do is laugh.

  “I was.”

  “Then how come your hair isn’t wet?”

  “I, uh, didn’t wash my hair. You interrupted me.”

  I hear the click of the bedroom door closing and then Luke’s muffled voice. “Why are you shutting the door? You never shut your door.”

  “I left my window open, and I don’t want it to make the hall cold.”

  “But it wasn’t cold in there.”

  “Luke . . .” Their voices fade down the hall, and after a few seconds, I throw the comforter off my head, stare at the ceiling, and use the pillow beside me to muffle my laugh.

  I lie there for some time before I decide to get dressed. Should Luke venture back upstairs without Grayson or me realizing it, the last thing he needs to see is me naked in his dad’s bed.

  Once I’m dressed and cleaned up, I sit on the edge of the bed, staring at the locked door and listening to the sounds of normalcy down below. The scrape of plates. The teasing laughter. The responsible reminders about behaving at school.

  This was what he was talking about last night when he said he lived in a well-loved home. I can feel the difference between here and my own apartment back in the city, which makes me wonder what waking up to this every day would be like.

  The thought scares the shit out of me. I don’t think this way. Grayson and I aren’t that way. We’re just sex. We’re just lust.

  And even I know I’m beyond feeling that way, but I repeat the mantra to myself anyway, so at least I can pretend I don’t feel more for him than that.

  Because I do.

  When the door handle moves against the lock, I jump. “He’s gone. I got him to walk with the neighbor and her son to school today. It’s safe to come out now.”

  I open the door to see Grayson standing there. His hair is disheveled, his shorts are slung low on his hips, and he has the most adorable smile on his lips.

  “Oh. My. Fuck,” he says as he walks past me and falls on his back onto the bed with a definite thump. “That was horrid and hilarious.”

  He looks up, and when our eyes meet, the laughter comes. Uncontrollable laughter that makes my sides ache and my cheeks hurt. We are both still grinning when he yanks my hand and pulls me on top of him, wraps his arms around me, and presses a kiss to the top of my head.

  “Adventures of the pussy ninja,” I say, and we erupt into another fit of laughter. When it subsides, I close my eyes and enjoy the feel of his body against mine. “I take it that doesn’t happen that often.”

  “It never happens. No one ever gets to spend the night in my bed.”

  This has me laughing again, but it’s a bit more forced as I freak out a little bit. I’m not certain if it’s because I want to be the first person who he’s let sleep in his bed, or if the fact it happened at all means I’m not alone in what I’m feeling. That things between us are a little more serious than I’m allowing myself to acknowledge.

  My thoughts turn elsewhere when Grayson’s hands begin to wander, and his lips begin to possess.

  “I was a good girl.”

  “Mm-hmm,” he says as he lifts my shirt up and traces a line down my lower belly as his other hand tugs down my shorts and panties. My legs spread. His tongue licks. My hands grip. “And now I’ll reward you.”

  The three men in suits sit before me while I stand. I hate the way they stare at me in judgment, as if they haven’t known me my whole life. I hate the way they handle this whole thing as if it’s my fault, when they’re the ones risking lives by grounding me.

  “You’re pretty sure of yourself, thinking you can take a five-million-dollar helicopter out during a thunderstorm on a call when you were advised against it. On top of that, you went and switched hospitals on your own accord when you’d been ordered otherwise,” Mike says as he peers at me over the top of his bifocals with his bushy black hair moving as he nods his head.

  I clear my throat.
“I have to be sure of myself to do what I do, sir.”

  “Being sure of yourself and putting lives at risk are two completely different things.” This time, it’s the red-haired one who speaks. He was my little league coach once, but I don’t think that piece of history will sway his vote either way.

  “If it were your loved one I was trying to save, would it matter?”

  He glares, my point more than made, and he doesn’t like being shown up. “I’d like to think that it doesn’t matter who the patient is. You put the lives of your crew and the patient at risk.”

  “I did. I left for the patient against Cochran’s orders, but I didn’t force anyone to go with me. My crew chose to fly with me, sir. Some opted not to. Others opted to assist. The patient was critical to begin with.”

  “And the helicopter? How would you cover the cost if it had crashed from a lightning strike?”

  I’d be dead so I wouldn’t be able to pay for shit. I reign in the words I want to spew and lower my eyes for a second and take a deep breath, knowing I need to eat a bit of humble pie to get my wings back. When I look back up, I meet the eyes of each of the three gentlemen before I speak. “Gentlemen, I realize I made an error. My months at dispatch have taught me there are rules and protocol for a reason. I understand that I took unnecessary risks. I also understand that the reason you have me as your pilot is because you know I’m good at what I do. You know that when it comes to our patients, they are who matter. I was monitoring the weather on a second-by-second basis and reevaluating our situation as needed. The air pressure was within acceptable parameters, and the helicopter’s performance was not hindered during the flight.”

  The three of them look at one another, and there are a few whispers between them before they look back at me and the black-haired one speaks. “If you had the chance to do it all over again, would you still defy orders and take the helo on the call?”

  Yes. Without a doubt.

  “I’ve had an awful lot of time to think about this during my grounding, while I waited for the investigation to conclude, and I’d like to think that answer would be no.” Fuck you for telling me I shouldn’t save a life. “That I’d put the best interest of the company, its crew, and its property first and obey the order.” Smile big, Grayson.

  “That’s good to hear, son,” my old little league coach says.

  I’m not your son.

  “You have quite an impressive history with the company,” the blond man, who hasn’t spoken yet, says as he thumbs through a file in front of him. My file, no doubt. The one full of commendations and positive performance reviews.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “I’d like to see that history continue.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I sound like a goddamn kiss-up, but I can’t pay my bills with hopes and prayers. I need to get back up in the air.

  “All of your crew speaks very highly of you.”

  I save my dignity and forgo speaking, so I just nod.

  “Is there anything else you’d like to say?” the black haired one says.

  “Flying. Saving lives. That is my passion. It’s what I’m meant to do. I chose Mercy-Life because you are the best of the best. Just as I still am. None of that has changed. I’m anxious to get back to work again.”

  “We’ll take that into consideration. If you’ll give us some time and step out of the room, we need to confer, and then we’ll call you back in once we have a decision.”

  “Thank you, Mom.”

  “Any particular reason why you want Luke to have a sleepover tonight?” Hope is in her voice, and I just chuckle. I know she thinks it’s because of Sidney—and it is—she just doesn’t need to know. “Because I’m going to have some drinks and celebrate that in two weeks’ time, I get my wings back.”

  “You know this is a small town, right?”

  “I’m painfully aware of that.”

  “It’s just that if your truck were to be left out front of, say, someone in particular’s house, people would know it’s yours and would likely talk.”

  “No shit.”

  “I was just giving a friendly reminder of that. You told me that you were concerned about the appearance of impropriety when I brought Sidney to the mother-son picnic, so I was just—”

  “No one said my truck was going to be parked in front of Sidney’s place,” I say just to rile her up. “And I was upset about you trying to orchestrate another Malone marriage.”

  “Oh shush, I know better than to start that with you,” she dodges when I know damn well that was what she was attempting. “All I was saying is that it seems to me you’re in a top position in this contest, so you wouldn’t want anyone to think you won because you were . . . uh . . .”

  “Sleeping with Sidney?” I throw it out there and grin like a little boy as I hear her cough to cover her tracks.

  “Well, that’s none of my business.”

  Like that has ever stopped her before. “No, but you were implying that I might just be headed over to Sidney’s house to be a grown man and do whatever the hell I please without my mother sticking her nose in my business and fishing for information, correct?” I shake my head, love and irritation playing equal parts in my tone.

  “Grayson.” It’s all she says, and I know I’ve got her flustered.

  “Mom, I love you. Madly. I couldn’t do this parenting thing without you . . . but my sex life is off-limits.” I laugh when she stutters a response. “Good night, Mom. I’ll grab Luke in the morning.”

  “Take your time.”

  When I end the call, I stare at the old Kraft house across the street. My words repeat in my head. My sex life is off-limits. Is that all this is? Because fuck if it doesn’t feel different this go around. Fuck if the minute I got my clearance to return to work in two weeks, the first person I wanted to go tell was Sidney.

  But why?

  Why do I feel this way when, normally, a thought like that would cause a panic attack of epic proportions?

  I glance at the white daisies in my hand and shake my head.

  There is no going out with the crew tonight. There is no getting drunk to celebrate.

  She’s the one I want to celebrate with.

  “Grayson!”

  I’m thoroughly shocked to see him standing in my doorway. And I’m more than fully aware what an absolute train wreck I look like—no makeup, hair piled on top of my head, and definitely no red-soled shoes making me taller.

  “Hey.” It’s all he says before he shoves a handful of white daisies at me and lifts his brows. “Miss Sidney, will you go out on a date with me?”

  I laugh. I can’t help it. He’s giving me the same hopeful look that Luke had given me. “A date, huh?”

  “It worked for Luke,” he says as he steps into the foyer and I shut the door behind him. “I figured it might work for me, too.”

  “Oh really?” I murmur, letting him pull me close so he can brush a tender kiss on my lips.

  “Yep. Is it working?” His smile is mischievous when he leans back.

  “I’m not sure,” I tease, prompting him to lean in for one more kiss. This one is longer, softer, toe-curling. “Yes, now that worked. A date, huh?”

  “A date on my terms.”

  And there it is. The little reminder that as much as this is, it will never really be.

  “Where are we going?”

  “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.” Another tempting and tender kiss. “And completely off anyone’s radar.”

  “Okay . . .” Excitement bubbles up. “What should I wear?”

  “Dressier than what you’re wearing, but not as formal as you normally wear.” He shrugs as I take the daisies and bury my nose in them. Other than Luke, I can’t remember the last time a man brought me flowers. It seems as if the Malones are just a bunch of charmers.

  “That isn’t a lot of help.”

  “Jeans, but it’s a shame to cover up those legs of yours,” he murmurs as his eyes darken and run
the length of my body in pure male appreciation that make this female feel desired. “Shirt, unless you want to walk around without one. I mean, I have absolutely no problem with that one.” He winks.

  “Funny.”

  “Always. And a jacket.”

  “A jacket? It’s hot out tonight.”

  “Not where we’re going, it isn’t.”

  The past hour has gone by in a blur.

  Sneaking out to Grayson’s truck under the cover of night. The unexplained trek across town and out to Miner’s Airfield. The shock that bled to nervousness when he pulled next to an airport hangar and explained to me he was flying me to our date in his friend’s helicopter.

  Flying me.

  Not a driving me through the country, not a walking me through a park, but a flying me . . . in a helicopter date.

  Despite the nerves edging my laugh when he told me, I find myself calming some as Grayson straps my belts and adjusts my headset so I can hear him. Once we’re in the air and he’s maneuvering us through the dark night, I find myself completely at ease as I look out over the small towns with their glimmering lights.

  “Off the radar, huh?” I ask as my stomach flops back into place when the landing skids touch down to the ground.

  “You caught that?” he says, flashing me a grin before turning back to all of the instruments he’s flipping and switching as the rotors overhead begin to wind down.

  “Very clever.”

  He removes his headset and then mine before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to my lips. “You ain’t seen nothing yet,” he murmurs.

  He’s right. I haven’t. Because when the rotors stop and he helps me from the helicopter and to the place he found, strictly by the light of the moon, my breath catches. We’re standing on a huge plateau on a mountaintop that overlooks the whole of Napa Valley below us.

  He leaves me for a moment to enjoy the utterly astonishing view while he collects a few things from the helicopter. And within no time at all, we are relaxing with a blanket beneath us, a bottle of wine breathing next to us, and a comfortable silence between us.