Risking It All

by Jennifer Schmidt

  “Only I’m not sorry,” he said, playing with the fold that held her towel in place.

  “Neither am I.” He looked at her, raising his eyebrows. “Bro—” She stopped herself, not wanting to say his name and bring him into it. “I . . . every time has always been . . . nice.”

  “Nice?” Memphis smirked. “And that wasn’t nice?”

  “You know what I mean.” He stayed silent, and she huffed because she knew he wanted an explanation. “It’s always been careful, gentle . . . loving.” She dropped her eyes, suddenly shy of her confession. “I like it a little rough.”

  “So no regrets, then?” He sounded hoarse.

  She shook her head. “No regrets.”

  “Good.” He smiled and took a step back. “I’ll let you get dressed.”

  Kennedy watched him walk to the door.

  “Memphis?” She stopped him just as he was about to walk out. “It wasn’t nice,” she told him when he turned to look at her. She grinned at him when he frowned. “There was nothing nice about it, which made it insanely hot.”

  He returned her grin with a wicked one of his own and said, “You haven’t seen hot yet.” He winked at her and left, closing the door behind him and leaving Kennedy to melt into a puddle of lust on the floor.

  ~*~

  Kennedy’s parka landed in her lap, drawing her eyes away from the book she was reading and up to Memphis.

  “Put that on and come with me,” he said with a grin.

  She groaned and dropped her head against the couch.

  “We’re going back outside? It’s gotten so much colder since this afternoon.” She didn’t care how whiney she sounded; the last thing she wanted was to freeze her ass off after just getting cozy for the night.

  They had spent the afternoon cross-country skiing through the woods surrounding the park so Memphis could get the nature shots he needed. After a late lunch, they had run into Bradley, who insisted they accompany him fishing. He wanted Memphis to photograph the side of the resort that would appeal more to the men and activities they would be interested in.

  Never having ice fished before, the experience had been a new one for Kennedy, and she found she enjoyed it far more than she thought she would.

  She was also incredibly thankful there was no awkwardness between her and Memphis. Throughout the afternoon, she would sometimes catch him looking at her, and she’d steal glimpses at him, but it was almost as if the morning never happened. It was still just her and Memphis, and she breathed a little easier knowing their slipup wouldn’t change anything between them.

  “You wanted snow and cold, Kennedy,” Memphis said to her as he zipped up his coat and pulled on his boots. “Now you’re complaining when you have it.”

  She hated when he chided her. “I’m not complaining.”

  “You want to stay here, that’s fine.” He put his gloves on and gave her a coy smile. “I’ll go by myself on the horse-drawn sleigh ride.”

  Kennedy snapped her head up.

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  A girlish squeal erupted from her as she sprang from the couch and shoved her arms into her coat.

  “Is it just us?” She snatched her hat and mittens from the coffee table.

  “Well, no. It’s a routine ride so there will be others on it.” He frowned. “Did you want to go on one alone?”

  “What? No.” Kennedy quickly ducked her head and bent down to put on her boots. “I was just wondering.”

  “Because if you wanted to go alone, I’m sure I can have it arranged—”

  “Memphis, I don’t,” she said from her crouched position. “I told you, I was just wondering.”

  So much for things not being awkward. Before their little tryst, Kennedy wouldn’t have thought twice about making a comment like that or his response to it. But after, she worried he would think she was looking for reasons for them to be alone, for things to be more intimate between them than necessary.

  She needed to forget anything had ever happened so things could remain normal between them.

  Kennedy straightened and faced the door, instantly assaulted with visions of sex, sex, and more sex.

  She cried out as Memphis rotated his hips, pulling her down harder on him as he pushed deeper inside her. Grunts and moans mixed together as their movements became almost forceful. His fingers dug into the flesh of her ass, and her hands pulled at his hair—

  “Kennedy?”

  “Hmm?” She dragged her eyes away from the door and glanced at Memphis. “What?”

  He smirked at her as if he knew exactly what she had been thinking.

  “I asked if you were ready to go.”

  She felt a blush creep into her cheeks and quickly dropped her eyes, nodding her head.

  “Uh-huh.”

  So much for forgetting.

  She slipped her hands into her mittens and followed Memphis out of the cabin. She tried to stay a few steps behind him to give herself a couple of minutes to collect herself from where her mind had just taken her, but he stopped walking when he realized she wasn’t beside him.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” She gave him a smile and forced herself to keep moving until she was beside him.

  “Liar.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he pressed a finger to her lips and shook his head. “No bullshitting, Kennedy. That’s not us either.”

  Kennedy sighed.

  “I don’t want things to be awkward between us, and so far they haven’t, but . . .”

  “Why would things be awkward?”

  She glared at him.

  “Don’t play clueless, Memphis,” she said.

  “Oh, you mean because we . . .” He wiggled his eyebrows and grinned.

  Kennedy tried to hold her menacing glare, but her lips quirked into a smile and she laughed as she shook her head at him.

  “Yes, because we . . .” She wiggled her eyebrows back at him, causing him to laugh this time.

  “Things will only get awkward if we let them, beautiful,” he said, playfully tugging on a stray curl that had escaped her hat. “We won’t let them. Okay?”

  “Promise?” she whispered.

  “Promise.”

  Kennedy gave him a real smile and wrapped her arm around his waist as he draped his over her shoulders. As they approached the sleigh, Kennedy stopped short and her eyes grew wide at the sight in front of her.

  “Oh.” She took a small step closer to the horses in front of her. “Memphis, they’re—”

  “Magnificent creatures, aren’t they?” A new voice came from beside her.

  Kennedy looked at Bradley and nodded as she glanced back at the team.

  “Clydesdales,” he said, brushing past her and grasping the bridle on one of the massive animals. He smiled at her and beckoned her closer. “You can stroke them, they won’t harm you.”

  Kennedy glanced at Memphis, who was busy photographing the sleigh, and took a tentative step forward. The horse stomped one of his hooves—a hoof, she noticed, that was large enough to crush her skull with very little effort—and her stomach dropped.

  Bradley chuckled and held out his hand to her.

  “No harm done, my dear. You haven’t been around horses much, have you?”

  “No.” Kennedy was afraid any sudden sound would spook the animal, even though all around them people were laughing and hollering to one another.

  “Slowly lift your hand and offer it to him to smell,” Bradley said. “Palm up, and out flat.”

  Kennedy did as he said and took off her mitten before she cautiously raised her hand, offering it to the horse to inspect. He did so with soft snorts, the breath tickling her palm, and then gently nuzzled her hand. Kennedy broke out into a wide grin and looked up at Bradley.

  “You have his approval,” he said with a wink.

  Feeling a little braver, she stroked her hand along his head and down the animal’s mane, lightly dragging her fingers through the thick black hair. She frown
ed, the coarseness of it surprising her since it looked so soft.

  “I see you’ve made a friend,” Memphis said from behind her.

  Kennedy turned and smiled.

  “He’s amazing, don’t you think?”

  “Don’t get any ideas. He’s a little big to smuggle through airport security.” He poked her side, earning a giggle as he led her around to the back of the sleigh.

  Kennedy, with Memphis’s assistance, hoisted herself up into the sled with the other couples.

  “How did Bradley choose who was going to test run the resort?” Kennedy whispered to Memphis once he was sitting beside her.

  “Test run?” He smirked at her choice of words.

  “Well, isn’t that what they’re doing?”

  “I guess.” He shrugged. “I’m not sure how they were chosen. Maybe they won it. Some might even be sponsors.”

  “Hey!” Kennedy suddenly remembered she meant to tell Memphis what Alec shared with her about Bradley the night before. She turned her body into him, trying to avoid any eavesdropping from their fellow riders. “Remember Alec from last night?”

  “Kind of hard to forget.” Memphis glared at her.

  Kennedy ignored him and said, “He told me that he used to be in business with Bradley.”

  Memphis raised a skeptical eyebrow.

  “What kind of business?’

  “I . . .” Kennedy frowned. “I don’t remember, but he told me that he’s a very conniving business partner. Maybe you should be careful of him.”

  “Because Bradley is so big and dangerous, right?” Memphis snorted and shook his head.

  Kennedy scowled, turning away with a huff.

  “If someone else had told me that you’d be all over it. But because it was Alec, someone you’re convinced wants to fuck me, you’re just being an ass about it.”

  Her raised voice and shocking words caused unwanted stares from their sled mates.

  Memphis hissed, keeping his low. “Keep your voice down. People can hear you, you know.”

  “I never said Bradley was big and dangerous,” she said. “I was just passing on some info about your employer.”

  “Kennedy—”

  “Forget it.” She waved her gloved hand at him and stretched her neck to see the front of the sleigh.

  Memphis grabbed her arm and pulled it to his chest, causing her to jump and whip her head around to look at him.

  “Don’t dismiss me like that, Kennedy,” he said. “I didn’t say I didn’t believe you, or . . . Alec.” He was angry and Kennedy could hear the rumble in his chest when he spoke. “If you’re telling me to be on the lookout because he could screw me over, then fine, thank you.”

  “I never said he was going to screw you over,” Kennedy said. “I was just passing along what I was told. And considering you’re working for him, I thought you’d be at least a little interested to hear it.”

  Memphis stared at her for a moment, and then a realization dawned and lit his face with awareness. He smiled and dragged his finger down the side of her face to her chin.

  “Why do you have to drive me so fucking crazy, Kennedy?” he whispered.

  “I’ve been driving you crazy for twelve years, Memphis,” she whispered back. “It’s nothing new.”

  “You have no idea just how right you are, sweetheart. No idea at all.”

  “Then why don’t you tell me?”

  “I think I showed you this morning.” He traced his finger back and forth over her chin, causing her to shiver.

  Kennedy felt as if her stomach grew wings and fluttered right into her chest.

  “What does that mean?”

  Memphis held her gaze and stopped moving his finger over her skin.

  “What do you think it means?” he said

  “I . . .” Kennedy swallowed back her words and shook her head. “Memphis—”

  “Adams!”

  Kennedy closed her eyes as Bradley’s voice cut through the silence of the night. Memphis stood and moved from her side as he made his way to the front of the sleigh where Bradley sat.

  “Is your boyfriend part of the press?” A smartly dressed woman next to Kennedy nosed toward Memphis.

  It took Kennedy a minute to realize she was talking to her.

  In a mumble, Kennedy said, “Er, no. He works for a travel magazine in Vancouver. The magazine is doing a feature on the resort, and he’s the photographer. And, uh, he’s not my boyfriend,” she said, looking away, not wanting to get involved with the woman.

  “Oh?” The woman’s voice pitched in surprise. “You two looked pretty cozy just now.”

  Kennedy ground her molars together, and it took everything in her not to tell the busybody off.

  “We’re friends.”

  “Oh. Friends.” Kennedy looked at the woman just in time to see her knowing smile. She leaned in and whispered, “I wouldn’t mind having a friend like that.”

  Jealousy tugged at Kennedy as she watched the woman lick her painted ruby lips as she checked out Memphis’s backside. Even in the snowsuit you could tell it was fine, and it suddenly bothered her that other women could tell the same thing.

  “Aren’t you here with your husband?” Kennedy glanced at the clueless man seated on the woman’s left who appeared to be checking out the Botox-injected redhead next to him.

  Ruby Lips gave her a don’t-be-stupid look and rolled her eyes.

  “Honey, what my husband doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Haven’t you ever done something deliciously naughty with someone you know you shouldn’t have?”

  Kennedy felt as if the woman had slapped her, and she sat back a little stunned. She knew she had no right to judge what went on behind the other woman’s closed door considering what was going on behind her cabin door. The cheapness she had felt that morning suddenly returned.

  She wished she could protest and wipe the smug look off the woman’s face. Was it that obvious to everyone that there was more between her and Memphis than she claimed? Was she fooling herself thinking that she would be able to go home and have no one find out what had happened between them?

  If a stranger could figure it out as easily, Kennedy might as well be wearing the scarlet letter A. Would Brooks be able to see through her just as easily?

  Kennedy snorted.

  Since when did Brooks notice anything about her? His head was so full of work, she could have turned purple and grown wings, and he wouldn’t say a thing.

  The sleigh stopped beside a huge bonfire pit, and Bradley gathered all the guests around as he started a fire. Someone started passing out bags of marshmallows, boxes of graham crackers, and chocolate squares to make s’mores.

  Kennedy chatted with a few guests as Memphis made his rounds and did what he did best. She couldn’t help but notice how Ruby Lips slithered around him as much as possible, trying to chat with him as he worked. Kennedy giggled as he threw her a get-me-the-hell-out-of-here look, but decided he was big enough to fight his own battles. Besides, he had years of experience fighting off female attention.

  “Thanks for the help,” he said some time later, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist as she watched the fire dance in front of her.

  Kennedy glanced up and searched the faces until she spotted the woman staring at them.

  “Damn. She sure wants you bad,” she said, giggling again.

  “I think she’s old enough to be my mother.”

  “When has that stopped you?”

  Memphis swatted her ass, and she laughed as she pulled away from him and headed back to the sleigh when Bradley started throwing snow on the pit to kill the fire. The tiny bells on their reins jingled as the horses pulled the sleigh back to the resort, cutting through the snow with little effort.

  “Private sleigh rides are available, by the way,” Memphis whispered in her ear.

  “I’m sure that will appeal to future guests,” Kennedy said, keeping her eyes down and her hands tucked between her legs.

  “I thought m
aybe it would appeal to you.”

  “It might under different circumstances.”

  Memphis brought her chin up so she had no choice but to look at him.

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing,” she said.

  Memphis dropped his hand and didn’t say a word to her for the rest of the ride, and Kennedy was too much of a coward to say anything to him. He helped her down from the sleigh once they had stopped, but he didn’t release her arm like she thought he would once she was safely off the sled. Instead, he held her tightly and practically dragged her back to the cabin.

  “Memphis! What the fuck?” She snatched her arm away once they were inside. “Don’t fucking manhandle me like that!”

  “I thought you liked it when I manhandled you. No complaints about it earlier.”

  Kennedy flipped him off even as his words made her stomach knot with arousal. She kicked off her boots and shed her winter clothes before pushing past Memphis on her way to the bedroom.

  He grabbed her arm before she got too far and pulled her back to him.

  “What did you mean under different circumstances?” He released her and started to pace the room.

  Kennedy took a step back and crossed her arms.

  “If I were here with a boyfriend, then yes, it probably would be appealing and romantic.”

  “So, if you were here with Brooks.”

  His voice wasn’t accusing or harsh, but she heard the hurt beneath the words, and as easily as it would be to agree with him and put their relationship back to where it was only the day before, she couldn’t lie to him.

  “No, not even with Brooks. Not anymore.”

  Memphis stilled.

  “Meaning?”

  “I . . .” Kennedy shook her head and gave a helpless shrug. “I don’t know.”

  “Is it because of—”

  “No. Come on, Memphis, you know we had problems before I came on this trip with you.” Kennedy dropped her arms to her sides and gave him a tired smile. “I had fun today, but I’m ready to hit the sheets,” she said, hoping he’d drop the subject. The last thing she wanted was to talk about Brooks with him.

  Memphis’s lips slowly curved into a pantie-dropping smile.

  “Is that an invitation?”

  “Yes.” Kennedy grinned. “You are more than welcome to share the bed with me as long as you stay on your side.”