Reaching For Risks

by Jemi Fraser

  And that was all the invitation he needed. Faster than she would have believed possible, he’d hoisted her so her legs hooked around his waist and turned to lean her back against his bedroom door. He took her breast in his mouth and sucked right through her t-shirt and bra.

  Heaven. She’d gone to heaven in a heartbeat.

  Darby arched back, desperate to give him more access, to keep him close. His tongue did magical things to her and she wondered if she might explode while wearing all of her clothes.

  “I might have a few ideas.”

  She laughed softly, her breath shaking out of her. “I’m glad. Let’s try out a few.”

  Pressing her harder against the door, he lifted his hands until they cupped her face and his gaze bored into her. “Are you sure, honey? Really sure?”

  She let him look, let him see the certainty. “Really sure. Really, really sure.” Then she reached forward and kissed him. The kiss didn’t start soft or tentative, it didn’t leave room for any doubts. Instead, it went straight to high octane.

  When she lifted her head to breathe, she realized he’d moved them inside his room and she was leaning against the other side of the door. It made her laugh again. “Slick move.”

  He grinned like a wolf and flipped the lock. “I’ve got more.”

  She grinned back. Even while she was squirming with need, nearly light-headed with desire, he made her laugh. “Big talk. Time for some action to back it up, Quinn.”

  An instant later, she was flat on her back in the middle of the king-sized bed and he was looming over her. “Your wish is my command.” And then he kissed the breath out of her, just like the soul-stealing kisses in her rom-coms.

  QUINN wanted to taste every inch of Darby and he started with her mouth. Her incredible mouth that loved to have fun, that sang off-key, that showed almost as many emotions as her eyes. Their tongues teased and danced and dueled. Quinn figured he could spend hours exploring the tastes and textures. Maybe years.

  But when his hands started to do some exploring of their own, he had no choice but to follow with his lips and tongue. She was irresistible and he had no reason to resist anymore.

  He eased his hands under her shirt and brushed his fingers over her bra, enjoying her reactions. She didn’t try to hide her pleasure from him. Instead, she owned her sensuality and shared it with him.

  He’d never been with anyone like her. Never known anyone so special.

  And he wanted her. All of her.

  In a few heartbeats, he had her t-shirt and jeans on the floor, leaving her in her bra and panties. Sexy, black, lacy. He sat back to enjoy the view. When she tried to cover up, he grabbed her wrists and pinned her lightly to the bed, kissed her softly then pushed back up. “You’re gorgeous. Inside and out.” He let his eyes drift down her curves, tracing the edges of the lace with his eyes. When he looked back to her eyes, the nerves were gone. Sexy confidence in their place.

  He wouldn’t have thought it possible but watching her made his heart pound even harder. His eyes tracked back to the lace. He released one hand to trace the edge of her bra down the front and back up the other side. She shivered and arched into his touch. “I’ve seen this sexy little number before.”

  Darby tried to keep in the smile by biting her lip so he had to kiss her again. “On a computer screen in your kitchen. Looks much better in person and on you.” This time, he let his fingers cruise under the lace, just a touch. Her eyes drifted closed and she gasped out his name.

  “Did you order it with me in mind, Darby?”

  Her eyes fluttered open, full of sexy secrets. “I don’t remember when I ordered it.”

  “Liar.”

  She laughed softly then gasped as his tongue reached under the lace and traced the edges his fingers had teased. He kept his touch soft, learning her taste, finding out what made her purr.

  Darby didn’t let him explore for long before she demanded her own turn. They fought a sensual duel, taking and touching, building the desire until he could almost taste it in the air.

  When he slipped his hand between her legs and touched her heat, she nearly bounded off the bed. Hearing his name gasped from her lips made him feel invincible.

  Powerful.

  Possessive.

  His. She was his.

  And she was going to know it.

  He teased her breast with his mouth while his other hand stroked her. He changed the pace often, never letting her settle into a rhythm until sweat gleamed on her body, adding depth and texture to her taste.

  As she approached the edge, she sighed out his name but he changed the pace again, bringing her down, making her whimper in frustration. He chuckled against her skin. “Easy, Darby, we’ve got nothing but time. I want to watch you go over. I want to see your skin flushed and delicious. I want to watch your eyes, see how they change when you fly.”

  She moaned and arched her back, grabbing the sheets with her hands. “Quinn.”

  Keeping his hand moving, he moved up to kiss her, matching the rhythm of his tongue to his fingers. He brought her up to the edge, loving the soft sounds she made. When he could feel her orgasm almost exploding out of her, he lifted his head. “Open your eyes for me, Darby. Let me watch.”

  Her eyelids fluttered up and her pupils dominated the space. “You’re beautiful, Darby. Go over for me.” He changed the pressure and with his name on her lips, she flew over the edge, holding his gaze until the waves overtook her and she shuddered again and again.

  He’d never seen anything so incredible in his life. While she drifted back to earth, he grabbed a condom from the nightstand and sheathed himself. When she smiled and opened her eyes, she reached for him to kiss him with devastating emotion.

  Darby’s hands drifted and she laughed into his mouth when his muscles flinched under her touch. “Now, Quinn.”

  Following orders might have never been his thing but he didn’t need any further encouragement on this one. He tried to watch her as he slid into her but the sensations were so powerful, he had to drop his forehead to hers. “You feel so good, Darby.”

  That soft, sexy, powerful laugh again. “Actually, I feel a little bit past great right now but I’m betting you can help me improve on that.”

  He’d liked sex from the first moment he’d thought about it as a teenager. The reality had been better than he’d expected but he’d never laughed and smiled as much as he was now. “I think that’s something we can work on.”

  She lifted her hips and moved her hands to cup his face, to lift it so she could kiss him. “I trust you to put in a strong effort.”

  Her laughter disappeared into a gasp as he started to move and the teasing banter morphed into heat and passion. Her hands ran over his shoulders, his back and down to his ass, probably leaving the marks of her nails. The sounds from the back of her throat urged him to go faster, harder and soon he didn’t even have the pretense of control.

  Together they climbed higher and higher until her body tightened beneath him and he felt her shudders begin. Unable to hold back any more he followed her over the edge.

  DARBY clung to Quinn as her brain cells started to return from wherever they’d gone. Probably the same place as her energy. She felt wonderfully lethargic, loose and languid.

  Perfect.

  She wanted to pump her fist and shout to the world but both required more energy than she had available. Instead, she kissed Quinn’s shoulder then ran her tongue over his skin. His taste was intoxicating.

  He lifted his head to kiss her and that taste was even better. When he pulled back, he searched her eyes for a long minute. Whatever he saw had him smiling and kissing her again. Any awkwardness that had been trying to creep in dissipated with the kiss. No need to feel awkward. She’d wanted this, had chosen this.

  As if sensing her thoughts, he lifted to study her again. “You okay?”

  She nodded, smiled and let her fingers trace the muscles in his shoulders. Muscles she was sure she’d never tire of touching. “Mor
e than okay. Way more. You?”

  “Nope.” His grin belied his words. “Not yet. I think we’ve still got some work to do before I get to okay.”

  Darby laughed. “Poor baby. We can’t have that. Any ideas of how we’re going to fix that?”

  Quinn’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re not out of ideas, are you? I was kind of hoping for a few more surprises.”

  Darby shoved at his shoulders until he lay flat on his back. Then she straddled him and leaned down to nip lightly at his chest. “That sounded distinctly like a challenge.”

  “Well, you are the queen of the lists. I was hoping you’d been creating a list for us to try out.”

  He knew her so well. She might not have written out a list but her imagination had been working overtime on it. “Well, it’s not an official list but I have some thoughts.”

  His hand reached up to tease her breast and she arched backward making him groan.

  Power and pleasure surged through her and she bent forward to kiss him lightly and brush her fingers over his abs. Then she shimmied down, making him groan again. Her tongue followed the lines of the ab muscles. “This is one of the items that might make the list.” She watched his muscles twitch and licked him again. “What do you think?”

  A laugh groaned out of him. “I think it’s a serious contender.”

  Reflections

  Darby rested her chin on her hands and studied Quinn. With his eyes closed, the intensity that so often pinned her to the spot wasn’t there and she was free to examine his features. He could fit in on any beach in the world. Strong, charming, gorgeous. Prototypical surfer boy. Well, surfer man. This body didn’t belong to any boy.

  Yet he was so much more.

  She knew she was falling. In fact, she worried it might already be too late to save herself. She hadn’t told him about his brother yet. She’d planned to do that this morning before she’d seen him coming out of his room without a shirt and with all those delicious muscles on display. Not that they were anywhere near as enticing as the heart and soul inside the man. The whole package was sexy perfection.

  How did she tell him his brother was a total creep? She had to find a way.

  Quinn’s fingers moved down to her butt where the lazy circles had her skin popping to life again. “You keep thinking that hard, you’re going to ruin the best morning of my life.”

  She laughed and kissed the light smattering of hair on his chest. The textures fascinated her, as did his reactions to her touches. “You find thinking scary?”

  His lips curved up. “Definitely. Especially when a sexy woman’s doing the thinking while she’s draped across some rather important parts of my anatomy.”

  Sexy woman. No one had told her she was sexy before. She’d have never believed it but Quinn made it true.

  “Now those thoughts are definitely allowed.”

  “Are you a mind reader?”

  His fingers roamed, making her squirm. “Of course. I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

  She squirmed again, more deliberately this time. “I doubt it.”

  “Another challenge?” Quinn opened his eyes and reversed their positions so quickly, she didn’t have time for more than a quick intake of breath before she was on her back and that talented mouth was moving down her body. “For instance,” his tongue grazed her inner thigh, “I know you were wondering how long it would take me to try this.”

  She hadn’t been but she should have been. His words blurred as his tongue moved closer to her core. As his breath touched her in the most intimate way imaginable, she couldn’t keep in the whimper.

  His soft chuckle sent more breath over her sensitive skin.

  “Darby? Are you here?” Myla’s voice drifted up from the first floor of the B&B.

  Darby squealed and tried to sit up but Quinn was faster. His hands shot up to trap her arms in place, keeping her on the bed beneath him.

  “Darby? Where are you?”

  Quinn shifted his position and licked at her nipple. Impossibly, it tightened and puckered even as she tried to squirm away. Quinn grinned at her efforts. “Is that Myla? Tell her to go away.”

  Darby smothered a giggle. “Shh. She’ll hear you.”

  “If she’d shown up twenty minutes ago, she’d have heard you, too. And you’re much more interesting to listen to. You make these soft moans in the back of your throat that—“

  Darby wormed one hand free to cover his mouth but she couldn’t stop the smile. Or the reactions inside her body to his words and his touch. Grinning wickedly, he licked her palm then the fingers. Then her wrist.

  “Yes. That’s the sound I love right there, Darby. Let’s try that again.” He shifted position to hold both of her arms above her head with one of his hands while he turned his attention back to her breasts.

  She wanted him to stop. Myla was in the house so she must want him to stop. Her body wasn’t convinced. Neither was her brain. Then he licked her nipple, blew softly on the sensitive skin and she nearly arched off the bed.

  “Hey Darby, you upstairs?”

  Quinn licked her nipple again then his free hand cruised down her belly. Slowly. Liquid heat pooled instantly and she was torn between laughing at the situation and melting into him.

  Myla’s voice was closer, she was climbing the stairs. Quinn licked her again and she had to clamp her lips together.

  Then he raised his head to lock eyes with her and winked. “Myla? Darby’s resting. She hasn’t been sleeping too well.” While he spoke to her friend, his hand reached between her legs and started to work its magic. Darby’s breathing changed and she squirmed into his touch.

  He sucked on her nipple while waiting for Myla’s answer and it was all Darby could do not to cry out.

  “Hey, Quinn. I’ve texted her a bunch of times but she didn’t answer. I was starting to worry. Is she okay?”

  Quinn’s eyes sparkled at her and Darby bit down on her lip to keep in the giggle. His fingers changed the rhythm again and she had to grind her teeth together. The man was outrageous.

  And good. Very, very good.

  “She is absolutely fine,” his eyes traveled her body as he emphasized the words. “She needs a little sack time.” Quinn ran his tongue over her mouth until she released her lips and then he covered her mouth in time to suppress her choked laugh. His other hand didn’t let up at all.

  Full points for multi-tasking.

  “You want to leave her a message?”

  Quinn lowered his head to her breast again, teasing her nipple then sucking it into his mouth. Blowing softly over the sensitive skin. Her body was completely out of her control. All she could do was soak in the pleasure and try to contain the sounds clamoring to burst out of her.

  “Okay. Tell her to call me when she’s up.”

  If she was any more up, she was going to scream it to the world. Quinn choked out a soft laugh and turned his attention to her other breast, his other hand ruthlessly bringing her pleasure. Her body started to contract and she felt him smile against her skin.

  He picked up Darby’s hand then used it to cover her mouth. Then he slid down her body until his tongue resumed what Myla had interrupted.

  Darby bit down on her finger. She couldn’t orgasm with her friend ten feet away. She couldn’t.

  “Quinn? You got that?” Myla sounded beyond confused and Darby couldn’t blame her. But she really wished she would leave. Now.

  Quinn licked her then blew on the spot. “Trust me, Myla, I’ve got it. Talk to you later.”

  If she hadn’t been drowning in desire, she’d have laughed. He certainly had it.

  “Okay.” It sounded like a question and Darby worried she was going to try to come into the room.

  Quinn didn’t seem to care. He turned his attention to driving her wild. Unable to help herself, Darby let her hands drift down to his hair, wanting to touch him but not wanting to interrupt the magic he was weaving.

  When he pushed a finger inside her but kept working with his tongue,
she let everything else go except him. The orgasm ripped through her and if Quinn hadn’t shifted to cover her mouth with his, she was sure not only Myla but the neighbors would have known exactly what was happening behind the locked door.

  She was still riding the waves when he slipped inside her and built her back up again.

  As another even more powerful orgasm consumed her, she realized she wanted Quinn with all her heart. All of her soul. And she wanted all of him in return.

  Quinn poured himself into her and they lay in a tangle of sweaty limbs, trying to grab air into their lungs.

  Then Darby started to laugh. What they’d just done had blown her Risk List out of the water. Not in her wildest, craziest fantasies had she ever dreamed of anything like what had just happened.

  The giggles built until Quinn rose up on one elbow to smile down at her. “You enjoyed that, did you?”

  “A little bit.” She knew she was grinning like a sappy fool but she didn’t care. “You, Quinn Charters, can read my mind any time.”

  HOURS later, Quinn cleaned the last paintbrush. “Let’s go grab some supper at Fortini’s.” He sensed rather than saw Darby freeze across the room. Didn’t she want to be seen with him in public?

  When he turned, she was looking down at her paint-splattered clothes with dismay. Her face didn’t change when she looked up at him. “I don’t know if I’m ready.”

  “I’d say you’re allowed to take a shower but that’s not what you mean, is it? You’d rather no one know we’re together.”

  Confusion filled her eyes. “What? That’s silly. It’s not that, it’s that I haven’t been out, not really, since...” She gestured down at her clothes but he didn’t get it. It wasn’t like she had to wear what she had on.

  “Since what? Since you got paint on your jeans?”

  Darby rolled her eyes. “No. Not since I, well, since I changed things. I’ve only been to the hardware store and that didn’t go well.”

  But it made him smile. She meant since she’d started her list. “It’s a hair cut, Darby. And some new clothes. As long as you’re not going out sporting only some of that new lingerie, I think you’re good.”