High Risk

by Vivian Arend

  The cool night air was a needed balm, whooshing over her face and cooling her heated cheeks. She smiled at the younger woman and tilted her head to the right. “Down the street and around the corner one block.”

  Alisha nodded. “Thanks for this. I live not far from the dorms. I have a vehicle, but I walked to the pub.”

  “You have a place to yourself?” Becki remembered how tough it could be to find accommodations in Banff.

  “I do—an attic suite. It’s a little on the small side, but the bonus is there’s no one above me to make noise and wake me. And my landlords are pretty quiet. They don’t mind me taking off at all hours, either, when I get a call.”

  They crawled into Becki’s car, and she had to concentrate on dealing with the traffic for a few minutes. “I don’t remember seeing this many people on the road before. Friday night rush?”

  “Something like that. It’ll get busier as the summer tourist season rolls in, but you know that from working in Yellowstone. I imagine it’s the same there.” Alisha peered out the window and pointed to the side. “Second turn on the right, and my house is the last one on the block.”

  Becki drove in silence for a moment. Yellowstone seemed so far away, and yet it wasn’t. The national park had been a part of her life for many years, and even the thought of the place brought a longing. “Summer rush, ski season—there’s always something to get people into trouble.”

  “You miss it?” Alisha asked.

  Straight honest truth poured out before she could think it through. “I do. Yellowstone was home. I love the mountains here as well, but something there calls to me.”

  “Are you planning on going back?”

  Becki marvelled that the seemingly innocuous questions managed to hit nerves so raw and fragile. “Not yet. Maybe someday.”

  She pulled in front of the indicated driveway and waited as the woman got out.

  “Are you going to be around for a while?” Alisha asked, sticking her head back into the vehicle as she leaned on the open door frame. “Because, well, it’s forward of me, but I would love to have you join me for a climb. Teach me a few things.”

  Becki smiled across the car at her. Alisha’s enthusiasm was contagious. Spending time with the Lifeline team wouldn’t be a chore. “From what I hear, you’re a pretty incredible climber yourself. Maybe you can teach me some new tricks.”

  Alisha grinned. “That means you’re staying?”

  “You might be sick of me before you know it,” Becki warned.

  “I doubt it. Will you be around the school tomorrow? Can I catch you there?”

  “You’re serious? Saturday and you want to hit the gym?” Alisha gave her a look, and Becki laughed. “Okay, yes, I planned to work out tomorrow as well. I wanted to check out the new climbing wall. Want to join me around ten?”

  Instant delight filled the other woman’s face. “That would be awesome. I’ll bring lunch for after we’re done.”

  It took only five minutes after leaving Alisha for Becki to complete the drive to her parking lot and make her way toward her dorm room. The place was deserted between semesters, and the peace and quiet was exactly what she needed.

  Becki paused outside the doors, then scrambled onto a massive boulder arranged in the middle of a garden area. Stars were beginning to show through the wisps of clouds overhead, and she got herself into a more comfortable position to sit and admire them for a while.

  There was no reason she couldn’t take on the training Marcus had requested of her. She’d enjoyed the evening immensely. Search-and-rescue people were a rather obsessed lot. Being around a group of individuals who all had the same focus, the same goals she did—it was refreshing and motivating all at the same time.

  Her uncontrollable urge to strip the man himself and ride him until they were both screaming was a separate issue. Something she’d have to deal with, but right now she needed to decide if she was going to take on the teaching challenge. She wanted to. That was the truth.

  Only there was no way she could accept the position without letting Marcus know a few important details. Information she’d managed to keep from the media. Let him choose if he still wanted her around his team after he knew the full story.

  Staring at the stars and the clouds drifting past was much simpler than figuring out how to explain that although she remembered every second of her and Marcus’s time together in minute sexual detail, she had no memories whatsoever of the accident eight months earlier that had killed her partner.

  * * *

  Marcus tossed his coat on the hook beside the door, kicked off his shoes, and headed directly for the bathroom. He dropped his clothes on the counter, cranked on the water, and stepped in before there was a chance of heat.

  The icy cold spray did nothing to ease the aching hardness in his cock.

  Fuck it all, the entire day had been an exercise in torture. From the moment he’d laid eyes on Becki, there’d been no stopping the vivid images assaulting him. Memories like her naked and spread-eagle, her fingers dipping into her wet cunt before moving in circles until orgasm shook her entire body.

  Or Becki grinning as he tossed her onto the bed and crawled after her, pinning her in place with his body as he kissed the living daylights out of her.

  The water warmed, slipping over his skin, chasing away the slight chill in the room but intensifying his need. He grabbed the soap, scrubbing hard in a feeble attempt to distract himself. This wasn’t only about sex. About his attraction to her. Yes, they had a past—but it had been so brief. Fleeting. No matter how impressive the details were of the weekend they’d shared, he wanted her around for more than just another fling.

  But goddamn if he didn’t just want.

  Another memory assaulted him—Becki on her knees, taking delight in lapping and licking his cock until he’d captured her head in his hands and held her in place. She’d stared at him and opened wide to suck him deep.

  It was no bloody use. Marcus gave up and wrapped his fingers around his dick.

  Her mouth had been softer than his grip. Wetter—slick with saliva . . .

  * * *

  He rested his cock on her bottom lip and slid in slowly, relishing the heat, the way she rolled her tongue along the sensitive ridge.

  “Suck hard,” he commanded, and she pursed her lips, drawing tight around him as he withdrew nearly all the way. His cock glistened in the dim moonlight shining in the window, moisture painting him. “Oh, yeah. That’s it. So sweet. So good.”

  He pressed in again, controlling her position, maintaining a smooth rhythm. Only feeding her a portion of his length as he delighted in the intoxicating draw of pressure.

  Becki dropped her hands between her legs, fingers moving steadily, little gasps escaping her as she played with her clit.

  “You want to come?” he asked.

  Her green eyes opened wide, answering without words. But she also tilted her head slightly and relaxed her neck, allowing him to press forward and bury his cock so deep the crown bumped her throat.

  “Fuck, yeah. That’s it. Take it all. I’m going to come, and you’re going to swallow everything. Every drop, understand?”

  Becki nodded as much as she could, her half-lidded gaze focused on him, her face flushed with passion. Her nostrils flared as she breathed slowly and accepted his increasingly erratic thrusts.

  Her body shook.

  “So close. God, I love watching you come. You are so beautiful. So fucking beautiful.”

  Becki squeezed her eyes closed and shuddered hard, the hand between her legs slowing, the other gripping his hip with bruising pressure as she wavered, fighting to keep her balance.

  All through her orgasm he supported her. Watched her. Held on to his control by sheer willpower until she was done.

  Then he went wild.

  He pulsed forward. Again. Again. Balls tight, pressure building until he buried his cock as deep as he could and his climax tore from him. Pulse after pulse filled her throat and he drew back,
his cock still jerking, seed escaping to splay over her lips.

  * * *

  His balls were empty, his cock spent, and Marcus leaned his forehead against the wall of the shower stall and tried to calm his breathing. Holy fucking shit—he hadn’t had that violent an orgasm since . . .

  Yeah. Pretty much since the last time he’d imagined Becki was sucking him off. Or under him as he fucked her hard. Or otherwise being submissive to his sexual commands.

  He twisted, leaning his shoulders on the wall as he stared into the steam. He was old enough to keep work and pleasure separate if necessary, but damn if he wanted to this time. If Becki agreed to help train the team, great. But one way or another he wasn’t going to stop pursuing her.

  He wanted her. He was pretty sure she wanted him, too. And if there was one thing he hadn’t lost, it was the ability to pursue a goal. Becki James had briefly, yet powerfully, impacted his past.

  Rebecca James? She was going to be a very pleasurable part of his future, and he’d make damn sure it was more than pleasurable for her as well.

  CHAPTER 4

  She was awake far too early. By eight A.M. Becki had already stretched, showered, and tossed together a few notes regarding training ideas for Lifeline.

  Considering she’d already been preparing a course syllabus for the upcoming semester for David, the idea of working with an elite squad for the short term was a great opportunity. They’d be able to take her lessons and provide feedback during recap.

  Her fingers cramped on the pencil, and she shook them. Crazy to think she had lost that much strength. Since the accident she’d been running and swimming, but she hadn’t climbed.

  Something held her back. The psychologist who’d worked with her had told her to listen to herself. Not to push it. That her body and mind would know when it was time.

  Her thoughts returned to the climbing wall in the gym, and her anticipation rose. Yeah, it was time.

  As long as she had a job when this was all over.

  She picked up the phone. His line was ringing before she realized it might be too early to call Marcus. Hanging up or waiting it out—which was better?

  He answered on the second ring and stole her choices. “Good morning, Becki.”

  “Umm, morning.” Right away flustered and on edge. Not to mention instantly battling the shiver that had raced along her spine at the sound of his voice. “Neat trick. How did you know it was me?”

  “Call display says Banff Search and Rescue Dorms. You’re the only one there right now.”

  “Gotcha. Hey, sorry for calling so early.”

  He chuckled, and the skin on her forearms stood on edge. “Trust me, you didn’t wake me. What’s on your mind?”

  “Could we meet for breakfast? I’d like to talk to you a little more.” I need to confess something before I get my hopes up.

  “What about lunch?” he asked.

  Shoot. “I promised to meet Alisha at the gym at ten o’clock. We were going to climb, then have lunch together. I don’t know how to get hold of her to change that.”

  “No worries. Breakfast it is. I’ll come get you.”

  She stared at the phone after he hung up like it was haunted, the echo of his click carrying through the dorm room and fading into an eerie silence. It was crazy how listening to him brought back such an intense rush of emotion. Of physical longing.

  This had to stop if she was going to work with the man. So she’d just haul out the lessons and force them to work for her this time, in this situation.

  Lesson number two—move decisively. In this case, she was going to make it all about work. That was how she’d talk, how she’d act. And most definitely how she’d think. No more wondering how Marcus looked stripped to nothing.

  She could control herself. She’d had years of training.

  Walking to the parking lot to meet him, though, gave her enough time to regret having to put her thoughts on hold, because damn, the dreams she’d had the previous night had been lovely.

  A bright red truck was already waiting at the curb. She peered in the passenger-side window cautiously. Marcus waved at her and she hopped in, the smooth leather of the seats warm under her fingers.

  “That didn’t take long.”

  “I was in the area.” He smiled, and the dark stubble along his jaw did its best to break her mental resolve to stop objectifying him. His hair was wilder than last night, and she busied herself clicking the seat belt closed before she did something stupid like reaching out to straighten the unruly strands.

  Decisive, remember? She firmly kicked her imagination in the butt. “Just a coffee shop is fine with me. If I’m climbing in a little over an hour I don’t need anything big.”

  “Bagels okay?”

  He signalled a turn at her affirmation, taking them down the hill and back toward the city centre. Becki watched as he drove, his right hand firmly holding the wheel, his shorter limb on the left resting briefly against an extended shaft attached to the turn signal. Marcus wore a long-sleeved jacket, and if she hadn’t known his left hand was missing, she never would have suspected.

  “Driving is simple,” Marcus said.

  She blinked, trying to figure out where his comment came from. “Pardon me?”

  “You’re checking to see how I drive with one hand. Driving is easy—try it sometime. I bet you use mainly one hand on the wheel. If you drive an automatic, most people take all kinds of liberties after they get comfortable. Maybe if my limb were completely gone it would be different, but with as much forearm as I still have, there’s not much change in my technique.”

  He pulled in front of a shop and parked, shut off the vehicle, and turned toward her.

  Oh God. “I’m sorry. That was rude.”

  Marcus shook his head. “No, I think we established what you’re doing isn’t rude. You’re curious. I get that.”

  Becki dragged her fingers through her hair, pulling strands off her face. “But I’m not a five-year-old who doesn’t know curiosity can still become inappropriate.”

  He raised a brow at her, the smooth arc combining with his wry grin and turning his face into mesmerizing art. “Frankly I’d far prefer to have you asking questions than staring at me on the sly. Gets so damn old so fast.”

  She nodded, following his lead when he exited the truck. He pulled open the shop door, and a rush of heated air hit her, the aroma of fresh baked goods washing them both with sweetness.

  “You are evil, Marcus Landers.”

  He pointed to a table in the corner that was free. “Evil?”

  Becki slipped onto the padded cushion of the booth and took another deep breath. “I swear I’m going to put on weight just living in Banff. I might be back at school, but I don’t need a freshman fifteen, thank you. Cinnamon buns?” She moaned in mock ecstasy.

  He laughed. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll put in our order.”

  “I suppose if I said all I wanted was a coffee and a plain bagel, you’d know I was lying.”

  Marcus shrugged. “Lying, but understandable. Maybe we can split a cinnamon bun between the two of us later if we’re good.”

  He strode to the counter and spoke with the attendant. Becki stared at his profile, his dark hair long enough it was curling at the back of his neck. The edges of his lips lifted in a smile as he finished, and the girl across from him turned pink-cheeked as she rushed to fill his order. Becki removed her coat and hid her own grin. Marcus definitely knew how to charm them.

  She glanced up from slinging her coat over the back of the booth to find him settled in the opposite booth. He’d opened his jacket and leaned back comfortably, his sharp gaze taking her in. He kept his left arm tucked against his side, casual, yet somewhat hiding his missing limb.

  She was pretty sure that was for other people’s sake more than his own.

  Marcus, through and through. The qualities that had attracted her to him in the first place had been long, even if lust appeal had been the strongest. Putting aside the we
ekend they’d spent together, she concentrated on the other things she remembered about him. His confidence, his wisdom.

  She leaned forward and pulled in her courage. If she had to spill the beans, this was the man she wanted to share them with.

  “I’ve been considering your offer.”

  His chin dropped slightly as he waited.

  “Last night was wonderful. You’ve got an amazing team, and I would be honoured to spend time with them. Working with you.”

  Marcus’s gaze lowered to her fingers. She consciously unclenched them from where she’d grabbed hold of the table edge.

  “Why do I hear an unspoken ‘but . . .’ in your words?” he asked.

  Becki took a deep breath. “Because before you hire me you need to know that the accident last year? When Dane died?” She swallowed hard and forced herself forward. “I remember going climbing. I remember camping that night, and the next memory I have is of walking the final stages of the trail with the governor’s daughter and her friend in tow. Nothing else.”

  All his casual relaxation vanished. Marcus leaned forward, elbows resting on the table as his concerned gaze took her in. “Nothing?”

  She sighed. “I figure there’s about a twelve-hour gap, maybe fourteen. We bivouacked on a spur when the weather turned on us. I remember setting up camp and crawling into my sleeping bag. I don’t remember packing in the morning, even though we had to—I was still carrying most of my gear when I met the rescue crews at the base of the mountain.”

  “Why didn’t anyone—oh hell, okay. Dane.” He nodded slowly. “You can’t remember the accident.”

  “No. And it’s . . .” Shoot, she refused to break down again. Becki took a quick breath, the sticky sweetness in the air soured now by having to share this. She fought for control. “I was cleared of negligence. The reports the girls gave confirmed that while I was competent enough to get them out of the mess they were in, I didn’t talk to them normally. I rescued them like I was on autopilot. That was their term for it.”