Risking It All

by Jennifer Schmidt

  “I know.”

  “I’m surprised they haven’t kicked us out yet.” She laughed.

  Alec’s eyes lit with amusement as he brought his wineglass to his lips and said, “I don’t think we have to worry about that,” before swallowing.

  Kennedy noticed the name of the restaurant on the burgundy cloth napkin for the first time and her focus shifted from the table to his face.

  Château de Bell.

  “What is it that you do, Alec?” She realized she had yet to ask him the question.

  His smile matched the amusement in his eyes at the question.

  “I have my fingers dipped in a few honeypots.”

  She lifted her eyebrows.

  “Like this restaurant?”

  “Among other things,” he answered.

  Suddenly what he said about Tanner Bradley made sense.

  “You worked with Bradley.”

  Alec’s eyes lost their warmth, and he jerked his head in a quick nod.

  “And he screwed you over.”

  “You could say that,” he said, draining the rest of his wine.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It was years ago.”

  Kennedy stared at her own glass, running her fingers along the stem. The silence was interrupted by the cry of Inner Circle’s Sweat.

  “Excuse me,” Kennedy said, fishing her cell out of her pocket. She flashed Alec a tight smile and pressed the phone to her ear. “Hey.”

  “Hey. I was beginning to worry,” Memphis said. “Where are you?”

  “Still in the city.”

  “Oh.” His voice dropped. “When were you planning on coming back?”

  “Umm . . .” Kennedy glanced at Alec, who was making no effort to hide his eavesdropping, to her empty wineglass. How many had she had, anyway?

  “Kennedy?”

  “I’m afraid I’ve had too much to drink to drive back,” she said sheepishly.

  “Too much to drink?” Memphis’s voice rose in alarm. Or was it anger? She couldn’t tell. “Where are you?”

  “At a French restaurant.” At least she thought it was French, considering the name. Château de Bell. “I’m with Alec,” she said as if they both knew who Alec was.

  “Alec who?” Memphis said with a growl.

  A grin spread across Kennedy’s face. That sounded like jealousy.

  “Alec Bell. I met him in a gallery here this afternoon.”

  “And you’ve been with him this entire time?”

  “Yes.” The grin grew wider, making her cheeks almost hurt, and Alec looked at her curiously.

  Another grumble sounded on the other end.

  “And he got you drunk?”

  “No. Not really.”

  “Don’t leave. Don’t move a fucking inch, Kennedy. I’m coming to get you.”

  “Memphis—” The call ended, cutting her off.

  She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. Oh, that wasn’t good.

  “Troubles?”

  Kennedy nervously chewed on her bottom lip.

  “He’s coming to get me,” she said as if she were a teenager about to be picked up by her angry father after staying out too late.

  “I see.” Alec sat back, watching her closely. “I assume he’s put out because you’re with me.”

  “Which he shouldn’t be,” she said, feeling slightly angry herself. “He was the one who said I should come here so I wouldn’t have to wait around for him to finish work.”

  “I don’t think he anticipated that you would be having drinks with another man, though.” Alec pointed out, in jest.

  “Why should it matter to him?” Kennedy huffed. “I’m only his friend, after all. He makes that quite clear all the time.”

  “And yet he’s rushing here to get you away from a man who you might enjoy spending the night with.”

  Kennedy’s mouth fell open at the assumption.

  “No need to worry, Kennedy.” Alec chuckled at her stunned reaction. “I’m not saying that’s where the evening was headed; I’m only pointing out he’s making sure it doesn’t happen.”

  “I think I need to use the ladies’ room,” she said, scrambling to get out of the booth.

  In the bathroom, Kennedy splashed cold water on her face, hoping to cool the warmth that burned her cheeks. She took her time, uneasy about Memphis finding her with Alec. The wine made her feel slightly dizzy causing her thoughts to jumble together. Maybe Memphis wasn’t angry or jealous at all. Maybe it had all been in her head, and he was only coming to get her because she said she’d been drinking. He was a good, responsible friend, after all. He wouldn’t want her to drive after having a few too many.

  But what if she wasn’t imagining his reaction?

  Kennedy stared at her reflection for a minute, pondering the question. She fled the bathroom, weaved her way through tables until she reached Alec, and dropped back to the booth.

  “What do you think it means?” He gave her a blank look. “That Memphis would rush down here and try to stop . . . this.” Not that there was anything to stop, but still.

  Before he could answer her, a throat was being cleared behind her and she looked over her shoulder at Memphis. What had he done to get there so fast? Have Bradley drop him off by his private helicopter?

  “Hi.” She greeted weakly with an even weaker smile.

  “Hi.” His eyes swept over her to her companion, turning suspicious.

  “Um, Memphis, this is Alec Bell.” She looked at Alec. “Alec, Memphis Adams.”

  “A pleasure to meet you,” Alec said, flashing him a brilliant smile. “Kennedy was just telling me all about your friendship.”

  Kennedy grimaced and gave Alec a warning shake of her head before shyly turning back to Memphis.

  “You didn’t have to come out and get me, Memphis,” she told him.

  “Oh, trust me, I did,” he said, not taking his eyes off Alec. “Are you ready to go? Do you need to pay your bill?”

  “I . . .”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Alec folded his hands on his lap. “The meal and wine are on the house.”

  “How generous of you,” Memphis said, gritting his teeth.

  “No, Alec, I can’t . . .”

  “You can and you will, Kennedy.” He reached for his wallet and pulled out a business card. “I’ve had a wonderful afternoon getting to know you.” He reached across the table and took her hand, placing the card in her palm. “I hope to get to know you even better.”

  “Thank you.” Kennedy blushed, ducking her head in embarrassment. She knew what Alec was doing. And it made her a very bad person for hoping it worked.

  Alec was only able to stroke her knuckles once before Memphis reached around her and snatched her hand away, pulling her up from the booth.

  “It’s getting late, Kennedy,” he said, keeping her hand firmly locked in his.

  Kennedy managed to pull her hand free and grab her jacket and purse from the booth.

  “Thank you for lunch,” she told Alec, wrapping herself in the warmth of the parka.

  Alec stood, reached across to her side of the table, and grabbed the cell. He handed it to her, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

  “Maybe if you’re ever in the area, we can make it dinner,” he said.

  Kennedy bit her lip to keep the grin from spreading across her face, and instead simply nodded.

  “I’d like that.”

  She held her hand out to him for a friendly good-bye shake, but he surprised her by pulling her into a hug.

  “It means he wants you for himself, dear sweet Kennedy,” he whispered in her ear before pulling back and winking.

  “Okay, that’s enough. We have to go now.” Memphis grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the exit.

  “Thank you,” Kennedy mouthed, flashing Alec a smile before turning and following Memphis out the door.

  “Where’s the truck?” he asked gruffly, holding his hand out for the keys.

  “Down there.” Kenn
edy pointed to her left. “Across the street.”

  Memphis didn’t release her hand until they reached the truck. He opened her passenger door and practically lifted her into the cab.

  “I can get in myself, Memphis!” she said.

  “Just like you’re able to drive yourself back to the resort, right?”

  Kennedy glared at him.

  “I probably could have driven myself back, but I wasn’t going to risk it. Besides,” she smiled at him sweetly, “I could have always spent the night with Alec.”

  Memphis’s jaw clenched and he slammed the door so hard she was surprised the hinges didn’t snap. She watched him through the windshield as he stomped to the driver’s side and pulled open the door. Kennedy kept her eyes straight ahead, only stealing glances through her peripheral vision.

  Memphis jammed the keys in the ignition and brought the truck to life. Not waiting for it to warm up, he pulled the gearshift down and stomped his foot on the accelerator. The tires spun and the truck shifted to the side.

  “Yeah, I learned the hard way not to do that.” Kennedy snorted.

  Memphis glared at her, took a deep breath, and carefully pulled away from the curb. Kennedy stared out her window, worried she had pushed Memphis too far with the comment about Alec. Wondering if there was any possible way Alec was right and Memphis did want her. The thought made something inside her twist. The idea that Memphis wanted her was exciting, and scary as hell.

  “You’d like that?” Memphis suddenly said, sounding as if he had spoken through clenched teeth.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You told that dick you’d like to go out to dinner with him,” he said.

  “So? And he’s not a dick.”

  “So? You do realize why he wanted something later than a lunch date, don’t you?”

  “No, I have no clue.” She batted her eyelashes at him innocently even though she wasn’t sure he could see her in the darkened cab. “What could he possibly want, Memphis?”

  Memphis hit the steering wheel. “Don’t be cute, Kennedy!”

  “You were the one who told me to go!”

  “I didn’t tell you to pick up the first guy you ran into!”

  “I didn’t pick him up. I was at a gallery and we started talking about a painting. He asked me to join him at the restaurant and I agreed. End of story.”

  “And if I hadn’t called? If I couldn’t come get you? What then?”

  “Well, as you just pointed out, I don’t think I would have had to spend the night alone in a cold truck!”

  “Goddamn it, Kennedy!” he yelled. “You’re damn lucky Bradley gave me a ride in to get you.”

  Kennedy laughed.

  “I’m damn lucky? What the hell is that supposed to mean, Memphis? Would you have spanked me and sent me to my room if I hadn’t come back to the cabin tonight?”

  “Don’t tempt me,” he said under his breath.

  “Don’t tempt you. That’s a laugh. As if you would even act on it if I did,” she said bitterly.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “What the hell is your problem, Memphis?” she said instead. “I didn’t ask you to come get me. I didn’t need you to rescue me. Don’t be pissed at me just because you dragged your ass where it wasn’t needed.”

  Memphis stayed quiet, and Kennedy let the tears silently roll down her cheeks, grateful it was too dark to see each other clearly. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. They were supposed to be having fun on their trip, enjoying each other’s company, not fighting like two scorned lovers.

  He pulled into the resort a few minutes later and quietly shut off the engine. Neither made a move to leave the truck, however.

  “You don’t need me?” His tone was sad, like a child being told there was no Santa Claus.

  “That’s not what I meant and you know it,” she said. “You totally overreacted to the situation.”

  “Would you have gone home with him?”

  “Would it have mattered to you?”

  “Yes.”

  Kennedy’s heart pounded in her chest and she swallowed.

  “Why?”

  “Isn’t that answer obvious?”

  She shook her head.

  “Tell me.”

  Memphis sighed. “You’re my friend, Kennedy. No, you’re more than just a friend. You’re so much more, and the thought of you just going off with anyone . . .”

  Kennedy sat motionless, afraid any sound or move would break the spell and the moment would be over.

  “I didn’t want you to put yourself in a situation where you might not be safe,” he finally said.

  Kennedy stared. Her heart that was ready to pound out of her chest just seconds earlier dropped to her stomach. She closed her eyes against the pain the disappointment brought and bit her lip to keep it from trembling.

  Once she had found her voice and was sure it wouldn’t shake, she whispered, “So the only reason you came tonight was to make sure I was safe?”

  “Is that not a good enough reason? Should I not want you to be safe?”

  She tried again. “Is that the only reason?”

  “Kennedy, I wouldn’t be able to take it if something happened to you,” Memphis told her instead of answering the question.

  She nodded.

  “I know that, but that’s not what I’m asking.”

  The silence seemed to stretch out between them for hours while she waited for his answer. Finally she heard him sigh and mutter, “Yes. That’s the only reason. What other would there be?”

  The pain from his words felt like a knife twisting in her gut. She turned away from him and grabbed the door handle, needing to put as much space between them as possible.

  He didn’t try and stop her as she left the truck, he only sat there and watched as she fumbled with the key in the cold, unlocked the door, and escaped inside.

  Chapter 9

  Kennedy heard the bedroom door creak open early the next morning. She stayed on her side, facing away from the door and the man who stood there watching her.

  After a couple of minutes, Memphis stepped into the room and slowly approached the bed. The mattress dipped as he crawled next to her, but still she ignored him. She didn’t even open her eyes when he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his body.

  He brushed his lips against her cheek and pressed his face into her hair.

  “I’m sorry, beautiful.”

  After leaving him in the truck and storming into the cabin, Kennedy had banished herself in the bedroom, refusing to acknowledge his existence for the rest of the night.

  She wasn’t just pissed at him for giving her the wrong impression of what he meant when he stormed into the restaurant and hauled her off, she was mad at herself as well. How stupid was she to think that Memphis was actually jealous of her being with Alec? He was only upset that she had been drinking with a man she didn’t know and had basically left herself stranded and alone with him, since she wouldn’t drive back. It wasn’t envy she heard in his voice at the thought of another man spending time with her; it was disappointment that she put herself in what could have been a dangerous situation.

  He was looking out for her as a friend. Not as a hopeful lover, but as a really great friend.

  But that’s not why she hid in the room all night. She was embarrassed to face him. She didn’t want to see the pity in his eyes when he figured out why she thought he had come running to her rescue. She didn’t want to see the rejection that would always be on his face when it came to them being together.

  She didn’t want to be reminded that she was alone in a cabin at a secluded resort with her best friend, with whom she had become completely infatuated. Who wanted to be reminded they were that pathetic?

  “Why are you sorry?” she asked softly.

  He pulled her tighter against him, and she wished that he had crawled under the blankets instead of remaining on top. She would have loved to be snuggled to hi
m without the comforter in the way, to feel warmed by his body heat and not the blanket.

  “I lied to you last night.” His voice dropped to a whisper with the confession.

  Kennedy stilled, her breath catching in her throat. She waited for him to explain, her mind already going wild with what he could have possibly lied about.

  “It wasn’t just because of your safety,” he said. “I was . . . upset and hurt that you would so easily go home with someone else when you were here with me.”

  “Why would that upset you?” She was almost breathless. “Since when do you care who I go home with?”

  “Because you’re here with me, Kennedy. And . . .” He paused, as if struggling to get the words out. “And it hurt that the only reason you kissed me is because Brooks was being an ass. You instantly regretted what happened between us, but you’ll hook up with a stranger.”

  Kennedy licked her lips and swallowed, trying to coat her dry mouth. She had hurt Memphis? Here she was wallowing in self-pity because he had unintentionally stomped on her heart, yet she had done the same to him.

  “Our kiss has nothing to do with it,” she told him.

  “It has everything to do with it,” he said. “It’s the first time we’ve ever crossed that line, and the only reason you did was because of him.” His anger rose “I hate that, Kennedy.”

  “Memphis—”

  “Yeah, I know I sound like the whiny pussy girl who was used by the guy to make the ex jealous.” He cut her off before she could explain. “And if that’s what I have to sound like, then fine, I’m man enough to accept that. I don’t want Brooks to be the reason you throw yourself at me, Kennedy.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Memphis sighed.

  “It just upset me that you could regret a simple kiss with me, yet have no problem sleeping with that Alec dick.”

  “Memphis?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re being the dick.”

  He pulled his chest away from her back so he was looming over her, able to see her face.

  “Excuse me?”

  Kennedy rolled onto her back and stared up at him.

  “You heard me,” she said. “You’re being the dick. What makes you think I wanted to sleep with Alec? Did I tell you that?”

  “No. But you said if I hadn’t been able to come get you, you wouldn’t have had to spend the night in the truck.”