Maximum Risk

by Lowery, Jennifer

“How about we get together this Sunday for dinner and a football game? I have a feeling you’re gonna need it,” Kell said, steering Quinn away from Avery’s door.

  And just like that Quinn did what he was supposed to. He let Avery go. Despite the giant hole in his chest.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Thigh-deep in water, Quinn pulled a sledgehammer back and brought it down on a twelve-inch diameter piece of PVC pipe. He got perverse pleasure out of the jolt that ran up his arms. Across from him, Chris pounded in another pipe, as did Evan and Kell a few feet away.

  They had finally made the time to put in his parents’ dock. Pier, his mom called it. Although it looked like a dock to him. Supposedly, the new chairs his mom had bought to set on the end were what made it a pier. So his dad could fish and she could sit and read next to him. Or, watch her grandchildren swim, she’d told them.

  They’d all beat a hasty retreat after that.

  Grandkids. The thought made him pause, sledgehammer hanging over his shoulder. The heavy thud of his brothers still working went on around him. Ryan and Dani were supposed to be the ones to give Mom grandkids. Ryan was the only one fool enough to let a woman tether him. Hell, he remembered the day Ryan brought Dani home. He’d been all starry eyed and acting like a love-sick idiot. They’d ribbed him mercilessly.

  And now Dani was a widow. Suffering. Her dreams for the future ripped apart. She looked like hell, worried all of them. Especially Mom.

  Why the hell would he ever do that to a woman?

  Where the hell did that come from?

  He’d done what he had to. For the family. For Avery. She didn’t need to worry about him never coming home. Being a widow like Dani. Living with that loss. That grief.

  She had seen what it did to Dani. How could he ask that of Avery?

  “You gonna swing that thing or stand there and stare at it all day?” Chris said.

  Pushing his thoughts away, Quinn swung the hammer, the impact vibrating up his arms. Almost a month had passed since Avery left the hospital without telling him. He’d given her the space she needed and when he went back she’d been gone.

  It rankled that she’d left without a goodbye. That every day since he hadn’t been able to get her off his mind. That his house felt empty without her and he could still smell her on his sheets. Damn if he didn’t miss her arguing with him.

  Focusing on the task before he smashed a hand, he removed Avery from his mind.

  Hours later, they had the pipes filled with concrete and the pier secured. He and his brothers, along with Mom and Dad, Bailey, and Dani stood in the grass staring at the L shaped pier. At the opposite end sat two white Adirondack chairs.

  He had to admit, the chairs completed the dock. With no stretch of the imagination he could see his parents relaxing in them on an evening just like this with the sun setting over the lake.

  His mom looped her arm through his. “Walk with me.” To the family, she said, “You all go on in and help yourself to the dinner I laid out. We’ll eat on the new pier. Quinn and I will join you in a few minutes.”

  His brothers sprinted toward the house, their appetites ravenous after working on the dock all day. Quinn stepped onto the dock with his mom and they began walking slowly.

  “There’s something I need to say to you,” she began. “And I’d appreciate it if you let me say it without interruption.”

  Quinn nodded, wondering what this was about.

  His mom looked up and met his gaze. “I’m sorry.”

  He opened his mouth to protest but she gave him a look and he promptly closed it again.

  “I never blamed you for your brother’s passing and I don’t want you to feel as if I did. I was protecting Dani, so anything I said harshly wasn’t meant to hurt you.”

  She paused, took a deep breath and looked out over the lake. “I love you. You know that. But, you’ve always carried everyone else’s burden on your shoulders. And this time, you’re wrong. You can’t carry this.”

  Quinn swallowed past a lump in this throat. His brothers had been preaching the same thing lately. Damn family was ganging up on him.

  They had reached the L in the pier. His mom stopped and turned to face him. “Things happen for reasons we can’t explain. That’s life. What matters is that we continue to live ours and never forget the ones we love. We will never forget Ryan. He’s here. All around us. But, he’s not here.” She patted his shoulders. “Give your brother his peace, Quinn. Let him rest.”

  A tear rolled down his cheek, surprising the hell out of him. His mom reached up and wiped it away. Then she wrapped her arms around him and just like when he was a child he let go of his burdens in the comfort of his mother’s arms.

  Minutes later, when he pulled himself together, his mom smiled up at him. “Now, let’s talk about Avery.”

  ****

  Avery sat back in her chair and rubbed the ache in her shoulder. Almost a month had gone by since her release from the hospital. The bullet wound had healed, but it ached if she spent too long at her computer. Today she had pushed herself especially hard. Scratch that. All month she’d pushed herself, against the advice of her surgeon.

  Work grounded her. Kept her mind off things she didn’t want to think about. Like the five funerals she’d attended. Worrying about Macy. There was still no word on whether Nate had found her.

  She’d left the hospital after two days without telling Quinn. His family had sent flowers and balloons and chocolates to her room but Quinn hadn’t come back after she sent him away. Even if it was for the best, it still left a gaping hole in her heart. Not a second went by that she didn’t think of him, and every time it made the ache start all over.

  She’d fallen for her bodyguard. What a sappy cliché she was. And no amount of long hours working herself to the bone made it easier to forget.

  Pushing back her chair, she let out a sigh and reached for her purse. No sense burning the midnight oil when all she could think about was Quinn. Everyone in the office had gone home hours ago, excited for the Fourth of July weekend.

  Her plans? Work and more work. Wait by the phone for a phone call from Nate saying he found Macy. Long for Quinn while she lay alone in bed at night, wishing he would call.

  “Sap,” she muttered and slung her purse over her shoulder. Quinn’s family was better off without her. Why couldn’t she get that through her head?

  After locking up, she hailed a cab to her apartment, dreading the emptiness that awaited her. Before staying with Quinn it had never bothered her.

  When the cab pulled up in front of her building, she paid the driver and climbed out. With a sigh she went in and took the elevator up to her floor. Nothing but darkness and quiet greeted her.

  What had appealed to her about coming home to an empty apartment before?

  Kicking off her heels, she tossed her purse on the table and walked into the kitchen. She opened the fridge, expecting to see bowls of Tupperware.

  When she saw nothing but bottled water, wine, take-out containers of Thai food and a bag of apples, she groaned.

  A sound in the living room made her freeze. No one had a key to her apartment and a night manager guarded the locked front door. Her building was very secure. So who was in her apartment?

  Something moved behind her.

  She grabbed the bottle of wine off the shelf and swung.

  Her attacker blocked the bottle seconds before it slammed him in the head. “Christ. Avery. It’s me.”

  “Quinn,” she gasped.

  He pried the bottle out of her fingers and set it on the counter before reaching over her head to turn on the light. She drank in the sight of him. His hair needed a trim and dark stubble shadowed his jaw, making him look more rugged than ever. She liked it. He wore jeans and black t-shirt that hugged his muscular frame and made her want to peel it off him.

  Forcing her gaze to his she said, “What are you doing here? Did you find Macy?”

  “Not yet. That’s not why I’m here.”

&
nbsp; Her heart stuttered. “Then why? Wait, how did you get in?”

  He quirked a brow. God, the man was sexy when he did that.

  “Never mind. I don’t want to know. Why are you here?”

  “I came for you.”

  “Me?” Her heart double-timed it now.

  He reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, his hand lingering. “I’m taking you home.”

  Always a man of few words. Damn it, she wanted the words. “I am home.”

  His eyes darkened and he cupped the nape of her neck. “You are the most stubborn, uncompromising woman I know.”

  She scowled at him. “Gee, don’t sugarcoat it.”

  He pulled her close and butterflies took flight in her belly. “I love you, Avery Marks. I want you to be my wife.” His gaze grew serious. “I tried to stay away. To convince myself that I was doing the right thing by letting you go, but damn it, I’m not like your ex. I don’t give ultimatums to the ones I love.” He leaned in until his lips hovered over hers. “I will never make you choose. I’m gonna make you go into the field with protection from now on, but I won’t hold you back.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes and all her fears melted away. This man would die before he’d ever hurt her. She’d seen his loyalty to the people he loved. Her heart was safe with him. And for the first time in her life, she trusted her heart in someone else’s hands.

  She didn’t want to ruin this moment, but she had to ask, “And Ryan?”

  “I never blamed you, Avery. Not once. I know what I said on the chopper was harsh, but I didn’t mean it how it sounded. I needed to be alone at that moment.”

  “But, that bullet was meant for me. Ryan risked his life for me.” Oh, God, they should have had this conversation so many times before and now she was probably sabotaging her only chance at happiness.

  “Yes, he did. And any one of us would do the exact same thing in any given situation. It’s par for the course and comes with the job. When our ticket gets punched there is nothing any of us can do about it.”

  The Wolff Securities motto. Protect at all costs. She’d learned that during her time with the brothers. They took their job seriously. And she had no doubt they would willingly take a bullet for the one they were protecting.

  The weight she’d been carrying lifted. “In the short time I got to know Ryan I adored him. He had your dad’s eyes.”

  “And Mom’s tenacity.”

  She smiled, remembering how Ryan had calmed her on the chopper. “I’ll never forget what he did for me.”

  The corner of Quinn’s mouth tilted in that sexy half-smile she loved so much. “It was Ryan who once told me you only get one shot at true love. This is our shot, Avery. What do you say? Make me a happy man?”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you, Quinn Wolff. Yes, I want to be your wife more than anything else in the world.”

  He lowered his head to kiss her and all her doubts evaporated. She groaned as Quinn’s lips moved over hers, slow and possessive. His tongue licked over hers and nerves fired all over her body. There was nothing hurried in the way he kissed her. No frantic rush to get their clothes off.

  With a low groan, he lifted her into his arms and carried her into her bedroom. This time she didn’t care that he carried her. She rested her head on his shoulder, tracing his pec through his shirt with her finger. He kicked open the door and she leaned up to kiss him, eager to feel his lips on hers again.

  Still kissing her, he lowered her to the bed and followed her down. Avery let out a low moan when he stretched on top of her, his weight pressing her into the mattress. When he pulled back, she let out a sound of impatience.

  “Am I hurting you?” he asked, low and husky.

  “No.” In fact, quite the opposite. She loved the feel of him.

  He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and she melted. This was nothing like the frenzied lovemaking they’d had in the past.

  “I don’t want to hurt your shoulder.”

  “The wound is pretty much healed. You won’t.”

  With a growl, he bent his head and grazed one of her nipples. Her back arched and a low moan escaped her lips. She’d definitely missed this.

  “Clothes off,” she ordered when he moved to the other nipple.

  Seconds later they were both naked and Quinn was kissing every inch of her. She ran her hands over his smooth, taut skin, unable to get close enough. Quinn’s mouth was hot on her skin, trailing kisses down her neck.

  “Please tell me you brought protection,” she said on a moan.

  “Covered.”

  “Good. Get it.”

  Quinn lifted his head with a wicked smile. She watched while he retrieved a condom from a duffle she hadn’t noticed sitting by the door.

  “Confident you were staying, huh?” She smiled as he rolled the condom over the hard length of him.

  “Yep.” He grinned and she fell for him all over again.

  “Come here.” She reached for him and he covered her with his powerful, muscular body. Her legs went around him and he entered her, slow and sure, while staring into her eyes. It couldn’t have been more intimate if they’d tried.

  With long, incredibly patient strokes he brought her to the edge. No rush to the end. But, the buildup almost undid her. Her body quivered with impending release, her nails digging into his shoulders.

  When finally she could take no more, she bit down on his shoulder and he thrust inside her. Avery gasped, threw her head back as her orgasm rocked through her. Quinn dropped his head to her neck and grunted as his own release overtook him.

  Afterward, she curled into his side and drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face. This was where she belonged.

  ****

  Quinn pressed a kiss to Avery’s temple, holding her close. He’d fallen in love with this beautiful, stubborn woman who, until now, had refused to forgive herself for things that were out of her control and made protecting her damn difficult.

  His charge.

  What kind of fool fell for his charge? A charge who was connected with the death of his brother. Not her fault in any way, but the reminder would always be there. Unintentionally, but there. His mom had already accepted Avery and moved on, and his father had never blamed her, but Chris was a tougher sell. He harbored deep emotions and always struggled to temper them. Nate and Kell, they had come to terms, as had Evan, but Bailey was more like Chris. She had forgiven and given her blessing, but her emotions ran deep too.

  He was the fool that fell for his charge. Broke his own rule. And he didn’t regret one minute of it. He’d do it all over again if it meant winning the beautiful, strong, stubborn woman at his side.

  The ‘talk’ his mom had with him about Avery reminded him of the important things in life. Of Ryan’s belief that you indeed only got one shot at true love. That life was too short. Admittedly, when Ryan spouted off about love he’d been razzed mercilessly by his brothers, but now Quinn understood.

  Avery sighed in her sleep and rested her hand directly over his heart.

  With a contented smile, Quinn spoke quietly to the room. “I get it, bro. I get it.”

  Then he lay down with the woman he loved and slept peacefully for the first time in a long time.

  ****

  Dani pushed the porch swing gently with her toe, staring out over the lake. Many things weighed on her mind, despite the serene evening. Quinn had gone to New York to propose to Avery.

  And she didn’t know how to feel about it. She wanted to be happy for him that he’d found happiness. Love. But, the other part of her—the one that still mourned—was angry that he would do that to Avery. How could he even think about marriage so soon after her wedding fell apart? After Ryan?

  Did he really expect her to sit around and watch Avery plan her own wedding while Dani sat surrounded by wedding gifts that were still being delivered because people had mailed them before they heard about Ryan? They sat in the foyer like a mountain of silver-wrapped sorro
w with fancy bows.

  She loved Quinn, but she couldn’t go through a wedding. Not the planning or the ceremony. And certainly not with Avery. She just wasn’t ready to be friends with the woman. Not accepting her as a member of the Wolff family would cause a riff and that put her in a precarious position.

  One Ryan would be so disappointed in.

  Sadness settled over her. Ryan would expect her to welcome Avery into her life. That was the kind of person he had been. Forgiving, understanding.

  Well, damn it, maybe she wasn’t a nice person.

  Tears sprang to her eyes and she angrily wiped them away. In her head she heard Ryan whispering what a sweet, compassionate person she was that time they found a lost puppy under his truck and she insisted they take it home and nurse it back to health.

  God, what was happening to her?

  “Dani?”

  She jumped at the sound of Trevor Lang’s voice. He stood on the ground next to the porch, his head nearly as high as the railing. Ryan had stood six-foot-two. The sheriff stood at least that.

  Not that she cared.

  “Sheriff Lang,” she said, blinking rapidly. “I didn’t hear you walk up.”

  “Sorry. I knocked on the front door, but heard you out here.”

  How humiliating was that? Every time he saw her she was crying. “Oh. What can I do for you?”

  He approached the steps and took two of them to hand her something. “You left these at the cemetery.”

  Ryan’s dogtags. She clutched them in her hands, her chest clamped down tight. “Thank you.”

  “I may be overstepping, but if you need anything, I’m here.”

  She looked up, noticing he wasn’t in uniform, but wearing nice fitting jeans and t-shirt.

  “I’ve been known to make a mean grilled steak if you ever need…well, the offer stands.” He turned to go, then paused. “I know about loss. Experienced it myself in the Middle East. I’m really sorry, Dani.”

  With that he strode away and disappeared around the corner of the house.

  Dani watched him go, his offer echoing through her head. For the first time in days she didn’t feel like crying.