Calculated Risk

by Rachael Duncan

“You must have low standards for me.” His mouth pulls up in a lopsided grin.

  “Can you blame me? You do remember how we met, right?” I ask with a laugh.

  “The elbow to the boob?”

  I roll my eyes. “Well, yeah, but no. The awful pick-up lines,” I remind him.

  “You mean the moment my full wit and charm were on display and you fell helplessly in love with me?” He tries to hide his smile, but fails.

  My head goes back and I laugh. “Hardly.”

  He arches his eyebrow. “It obviously worked since you’re here,” he states confidently.

  “Yeah, your stalking abilities finally wore me down.” His head jerks back like I’ve offended him and I can’t stop laughing.

  “It’s not stalking, it’s persistence.”

  “Really? That’s why I have you under Stalker in my phone,” I say with a laugh.

  His face goes blank before he tilts his head as if to say, Really? “You’re lying.”

  I shake my head. “Nope. I added you when you were leaving me all those notes and I just never changed it.”

  “Stalker, huh?” A predatory gleam flashes in his eyes as he moves slowly toward me. “I’ll show you stalker.”

  “No!” I shout as I hold my hands up, but it’s no use. He pounces, pinning me to the floor and tickling my sides. I squirm as much as the small space allows me to.

  Soon, all tickling stops as he stares down into my eyes and suddenly there’s a shift. The laughter dies on my lips as he looks at them before meeting my gaze again. He leans in and closes the distance ever so slowly until our lips meet.

  I never get tired of this. Butterflies swarm in my stomach as he molds his mouth to mine. His hand goes under my shirt, setting fire to my skin. At a snail’s pace, he moves up my body, testing the waters to make sure this is okay. It’s more than okay. It’s needed.

  My legs go around his waist and I pull him in closer to me. His obvious hard-on presses into my core, making me tighten my hold around him. I move a little, needing relief in the worst kind of way. With his hand on my breast, rubbing my nipple with his thumb over my bra, I’m desperate for more. He peels his mouth off of mine to trail kisses down my neck. I tilt my head back to give him better access. With my eyes closed, I let out a sigh while goose bumps run all over my body.

  “Woah! I didn’t know we were having a party back here.”

  Both of us jump up instantly trying to right ourselves. I pull my shirt down and am mortified that whoever is here just saw me getting groped.

  “Goddammit, Sean,” Marcus growls. “I want my key back.”

  “What? Looks like things were just getting started.” When I chance a look at him, his eyebrows raise up and down suggestively. Yep, I want to die.

  “Get the hell out of here.” Looking at Marcus, there’s tension in his jaw and he seems more than pissed with our intruder.

  “Okay, sorry, sorry.” He holds his hands up in surrender. He comes closer to us and has a seat right outside of the tent. I guess he’s joining us?

  “What the hell are you doing?” Marcus asks, the irritation still present in his voice.

  “I need your help with something,” he states.

  Marcus lets out a sigh. “Sean, this is Lydia. Lydia, this is my brother, Sean.”

  Now that I’m actually looking at him and not hiding my face, recognition sets in. “You were at that bar in Myrtle Beach too, right?”

  He smiles, pleased that he seems to have left an impression. “That’s right.” I remember he was all over Paige, but she wasn’t having it.

  “What do you need, Sean?” Marcus asks, the anger leaving his voice and giving way to more annoyance than anything.

  “You know that function Dad is putting together next month?”

  “The one I’m not going to? Yeah, what about it?” Marcus responds.

  “Well, about that, I kind of need you to change your mind and make an appearance.”

  Marcus pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’ve told you a hundred times that I have no interest in being there. I don’t need to rub elbows with those people, so it’s a waste of time.”

  “Just because you don’t work for Dad doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be there to support and represent the family.” There seems to be an undercurrent of tension between the two, but as quickly as it presents itself, it vanishes.

  Marcus rolls his eyes. “I support you guys just fine. Plus, I have to work on Saturdays, so I can’t go anyway.”

  “Oh, come on. You could ask for the day off.”

  “I could, but I’m not going to.”

  My curiosity is piqued. I wonder what kind of function it is and why Marcus is so adamant about not attending. Maybe he has the same relationship I have with my parents and it’s best to avoid them.

  “You know Mom is all over me about you not coming.”

  Marcus sighs. “I know. I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow, okay?”

  Sean sighs. “Alright, at least I can say I tried.”

  “Good effort too, by the way,” Marcus jokes with him, lightening the mood.

  “Well, I’ll leave you two love birds to it then.” He grins with a wink, and my face reddens again.

  “Out!” Marcus says. Sean gets up to leave. “And I’m serious about my key!” Marcus shouts at his back.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Sean replies.

  Once he’s gone, Marcus looks back at me. “Now, where were we?” He leans in to kiss me, and while I’m enjoying it, it’s a little awkward now.

  He pulls back just enough to talk. “He killed the mood, didn’t he?” he asks as his breath fans over my face.

  I nod and scrunch my nose. “Maybe a little.”

  He shakes his head with a grin. “Intrusive asshole,” he mutters to himself. “Well, why don’t we eat some of this food then?”

  I nod, glad he’s not upset that the moment is ruined. He puts some cheese on a cracker before offering it to me. I open my mouth and let him place it on my tongue. “What’s this function about that you don’t want to go to?” I ask, holding my hand up to my mouth so he can’t see my food.

  “My dad’s in the banking industry, so he throws a party once a year to socialize and network with new and old clients. It’s black tie and everyone is so damn high on themselves. I can’t stand it. I know it’s important for what Dad does, but since I’m not involved, there’s no reason for me to torture myself.”

  I stare at him, taking in his response. He shows me over and over what a real and genuine person he is, and this is no different.

  Picking up a strawberry, he brings it to my lips and waits for me to open. When I do, he slides it into my mouth, his eyes never leaving my lips. It’s sweet and juicy, sending a droplet of juice running down my lip. Before I have a chance to lick it off, Marcus dives in for it. In a slow, sensual swipe of his tongue, he removes the remnants before he finds his way inside my mouth. My insides turn to goo and I melt into him. If I were standing, I’m sure my knees would buckle from beneath me.

  I feel like a teenager all over again, making out with a boy I really like for what feels like hours. As quickly as our intruder doused the flames, they’ve been reignited and are burning hotter than ever. But instead of taking it any further, he slows the pace until he pulls away and places a kiss on my nose.

  “Come here and let me hold you.” He situates himself deeper into the pallet of blankets until he’s lying down propped up by the pillows. With his arm held out to me, I snuggle into his side, lying my head on his chest.

  “Goodnight, beautiful,” he says into my hair as he kisses me goodnight.

  “Goodnight, stalker.” His response is to squeeze me tighter, and I can picture the crooked grin on his face.

  With a tired sigh, I fall into a deep sleep with a small smile plastered to my face.

  Marcus

  I DON’T THINK a girl has ever wanted to surprise me before, but that’s exactly what Lydia is doing. As I wait impatiently in the passenger seat, she drives
us to some undisclosed location where we’ll do God knows what.

  “How about a hint?” I ask her.

  “For the hundredth time, no,” she replies. A small smirk appears on her face and I know she enjoys keeping me in the dark.

  “You might not know this about me, but I hate surprises.” I look over at her gorgeous profile, but I know she’s not going to budge before she even responds.

  “Really? I would’ve never guessed.”

  “Your sarcasm is not lost on me, babe.”

  “You are very observant, Mr. Police Officer.” I bite my lip to resist taking that smart mouth of hers and making us wreck.

  In my line of work, I try to avoid the unexpected at all costs. It’s never a good situation when you’re unprepared and surprises catch you off guard. While this isn’t the exact same, it’s still hard to sit back and relax and not having a clue what’s going on.

  As I take a look at Lydia though, I see that for whatever reason, surprising me is making her happy. She has this energy about her that’s mostly excitement with a hint of nerves. The ghost of a smile hasn’t left her face since she picked me up and we got on the road. That alone is enough to make me stretch my legs out and enjoy the scenery as it passes by.

  The rest of the ride is spent in silence. It’s been three months now since she finally gave in and became mine, and we’re at a good place. I enjoy spending time with her and I’m pretty sure she likes hanging out with my sorry ass. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted. She’s smart and classy, fun and sexy as hell. I’m just hoping I’ll be able to climb the last few feet to get over her wall. I’m close, I feel it, but she’s holding back a little and I’ll bet it has to do with her ex. I just don’t know what.

  It’s not long before I see a large sign and start to figure out what we’re doing. “Are you serious?” My head snaps in her direction.

  “What?” She tries to hide her knowing smile, but fails miserably.

  “Am I about to bungee jump?” I feel like a little kid on Christmas. I’m practically bouncing in my seat and am hoping I’m not getting my hopes up.

  “Nope.” Before I have a chance to feel somewhat disappointed, she adds, “We’re about to bungee jump.”

  My mouth parts in surprise. “I thought you never wanted to do this.”

  She shrugs as she puts the car in park. “Time to break out of my shell again.”

  Putting my hand on her knee, I give it a gentle squeeze. Her comment isn’t lost on me and I know it’s in reference to her ex. I just hope like hell that means she’s putting her trust in me to help her venture out of her comfort zone. She hasn’t gone into detail, but I know whatever happened between her and that guy really affected her. I could hear the residual sadness in her voice when she realized she was about to talk about him last month on the phone. I haven’t pressed the topic, but I want her to know I’ll never do anything to hurt her or betray her trust. This might be her first step to seeing that.

  “You okay?” I ask once we’ve made it to the top of the platform. She nods, but when I put my hand on her arm, I feel her whole body vibrating. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I can go alone and you can watch.”

  Swallowing hard, she shakes her head. “No, I’m fine. Nervous, but fine. I want to do this.” She looks me straight in the eye and while her nerves are at the forefront of her expression, there’s confidence and conviction in her tone.

  I lean my forehead against hers. “It’s going to be fine, I promise.” She nods again.

  It takes forever for them to help us into our harness and hook our ankles up to the bungee cord. At the same time, it’s not long enough. As we get closer to go time, I have to admit that I’m a little nervous too. I mean, who wouldn’t be? You’re jumping off a ledge way up in the air with only one cord to catch you from plummeting to your death. I make sure to keep those thoughts to myself. Lydia looks uneasy enough as it is. I’m actually afraid she’s going to be sick, but each time I check on her, she assures me she’s fine.

  “Alright, you’re going to wrap your arms around each other in a bear hug. Hold on tight because you’ll be like magnets. If you let go, you’ll separate for a few seconds, but will come crashing back together, and that’s not going to feel too good. Got it?” we’re told by the guy who’s hooking us up.

  “Yep,” I answer.

  “Awesome. Now step up here.” He points to a yellow line on the very edge of the platform. This is a freestanding structure, not attached to another building, but it’s still really high up giving us a great view of the surrounding area. We’re a little bit outside the city, so it’s a nice change of scenery. Instead of tall buildings, there are green trees. It’s actually really nice and peaceful. For half a second, it calms my heart down. Until this guy starts talking again.

  “On the count of three, I’m going to give you a little nudge with my body and you’re going to tip right over, okay?”

  We both nod. He positions us before grabbing on to the railing on both sides of the opening. Lydia and I have our sides face out toward the ledge, holding on to each other tight. My heartbeat is in my ears and I can feel her chest rise and fall rapidly against mine. She clutches me so tight it’s a wonder I can breathe right now.

  “One, two, three.”

  Suddenly, we’re freefalling, completely weightless as we drop from the sky. If the rapid thumping of my heart didn’t overshadow my yells of excitement, Lydia’s high-pitched screams do. An amount of adrenaline I’ve never felt before floods my veins, which causes my body to tremble. My stomach sinks down to my toes as the wind rushes past us and I wait for the falling to stop. It’s the most thrilling experience of my life, and I wish I could feel this way forever. While we’re plummeting, nothing else exists. There’s peace in the chaos.

  I’m jerked back to reality when we reach the bottom and snap up before falling again. Her grip on me tightens to super human strength, and I think she’s cut the blood flow off to the rest of my body. We bounce back up three more times before swaying by our feet.

  “Oh my God, I can’t believe I did that,” Lydia says breathlessly, still not easing her grip on me.

  “I know!. That was probably the most awesome thing I’ve ever done in my life.” She leans her head back and finally looks at me. I feel like we are two bats hanging in a cave, the blood rushing to our heads as they reel us in.

  “I’m glad you had fun. I was nervous about springing this on you,” she says.

  “You know what made it even better?” She raises her eyebrows for me to continue. “Doing it with you.”

  She smiles but rolls her eyes too. “You and your lines,” she says, shaking her head.

  “You don’t want me to bust out my awesome pick-up lines again, do you? Because I’ve got more.” I say it as a playful threat.

  She giggles. “No, that’s okay. I’ve been subjected to enough of those from you.”

  I kiss her, not able to resist a moment longer. “In all seriousness, thank you, Lydia,” I say once I remove my lips from hers. “You are truly amazing.”

  With a shy smile, she says, “You’re welcome.”

  “Want something to drink?” I ask her as I walk into my kitchen.

  “I’ll take some water, please,” she replies. I grab two bottles of water and walk it back into the living room before having a seat next to her on the couch.

  “It turned out really nice in here.” She looks around at her work, and I couldn’t agree more. Last week, she put the final touches with some plants I’m sure to kill. It’s my favorite room.

  I readjust in my seat so that I’m facing her with my knee drawn up on the couch. She mimics my position. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, I finally ask her the question I’ve wanted to ask for a while now.

  “Was Seth your last serious relationship?” I ask her gently. She stiffens momentarily before relaxing again.

  “He was my only relationship. We met and started dating our sophomore year of high school. I follo
wed him to college since he got in on a baseball scholarship, and we got engaged shortly after he got drafted.” Her face is void of emotion, like she’s repeating a grocery list.

  “Drafted?” My brow furrows in confusion.

  “Yeah. He’s Seth Lee, the highest-paid major league pitcher.”

  “No shit.” It’s the first thing that comes out of my mouth. I didn’t see that coming.

  “Well, he was still in the minor leagues when we were engaged, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time before he got called up.”

  “What happened then?”

  She gets a faraway look on her face like she’s reliving the moment, then she tells me and I think I finally made it over the last few inches of her wall.

  Lydia

  January 7, 2014

  FOUR DAYS.

  Four days until I become Mrs. Seth Lee.

  We got engaged seven months ago, and I never thought this day would get here. Now, we’re so close my anxiety over making sure everything is done is at an all-time high. I got off work early to pick up a few things for our wedding favors. Seth doesn’t make that much playing for the minors, so a lot of our wedding has been DIY. Not that I mind. I actually love doing this stuff. If I wasn’t an interior decorator, I’d be a wedding planner.

  As I search through the racks of fabrics at my local craft store, I think back on mine and Seth’s relationship. I’ve been in love with him since I was fifteen. We were polar opposites and ran in different circles. He was the popular jock, and I was the studious one. For whatever reason, he noticed me and we’ve been together ever since. He’s my first everything and will be my last. How many people get to say that?

  On my way home, I hum to the song on the radio. While Seth is playing, I hardly get to see him. He’s always on the road with no days off. I do my best to make it to games that are within driving distance from me, but that doesn’t leave us a lot of time to hang out together. Towards the end of the season, he insisted I stay home saying it was too hard on me traveling, and too hard on him to constantly say goodbye. It was bittersweet in that I missed him like crazy, but he warmed my heart with his thoughtfulness. Now that it’s the offseason, I want to spend every moment possible with him, so I took off work early to surprise him.