Unpredictable Risk (R.I.S.C. Book 5)

by Anna Blakely

  “I get what you’re saying.” Something hit him, then. “Wait. What cabin?”

  “Oh.” Her brows went up. “I guess I haven’t told you about that yet. I’m flipping a cabin in the woods. When it’s done, I’m going to sell the condo and live there.”

  The fact that she preferred a cabin in the woods over a plush condo in the city was even more proof that she wasn’t the high-maintenance diva Coop tried making her out to be. But Grant wished he’d been told about it sooner.

  “Where is it located?” he asked roughly.

  His concern over the fact that they were about to go to an unknown, unsecured location sounded more like irritation. Her smiled dimmed slightly making him want to kick his own ass.

  “Sixty-seven miles north of here, off thirty-five.”

  That surprised him even more. “That’s damn near Oklahoma.”

  “I know.” She grinned. “But just wait until you see it. The property is just north of Gainesville, and it’s so beautiful and peaceful. No traffic or sirens. No reporters waiting around the corner to ambush me with questions about my dad.” Her voice turned wistful when she added, “Just me and the quiet sounds of nature.”

  Professionally speaking, he hated the idea of her being in the middle of the fucking woods by herself. Personally, the place she described sounded like a dream.

  “I know it’s a drive,” she spoke up again. “I don’t need to stay long. I’ve just been so busy getting this place ready for today I haven’t had a chance to get up there in over a week. I don’t like to stay away for too long, in case someone’s eyeing the place. I want people to know someone lives there. Or, will be, anyway.”

  “Makes sense.”

  She blew out a breath of relief. “Good. Let me just pack up the food and tidy the kitchen, and I’ll be ready to go.” Brynnon started to leave the room but turned around. “I know you aren’t big on fast food, but—”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Yeah?”

  He nodded. “We can leave your car here. I’ll drive.”

  Her face scrunched. “No offense, but that thing looks like a major gas guzzler. Wouldn’t it be smarter to take my car?”

  “It’s not a problem.”

  “You sure, because I can—”

  “I’ll drive.”

  One of her brows arched, and she put her hands palms-up. “I was just trying to save you some money.” Thinking about her comment, Brynnon’s round eyes widened as she babbled. “Not that you need to. I didn’t mean to imply that you were short on money.”

  Jesus, she really needed to learn to relax. Says the pot to the kettle.

  Grant quickly put her at ease. “I appreciate the offer, Brynnon. I just prefer to drive my truck.”

  “Okay.” She smiled shyly.

  Grant watched her leave the room, surprised at her uncertainty. She’d had no problem standing up to him or trying to put him in his place yesterday. But just then, she’d acted as though the idea of offending him bothered her.

  Women.

  He shook his head. They were a confusing-as-fuck species, which was one of the billion reasons he didn’t do relationships.

  As promised, Grant stopped for food on the way to Brynnon’s cabin. He ordered four chicken, bacon, and avocado wraps and a large ice water. He was already on his third while she’d barely made a dent in her enormous cheeseburger and fries.

  “How can you eat that crap?”

  She looked at him like he was nuts. “Are you kidding? This is heaven.”

  His stomach turned. “It’s loaded with carbs and saturated fat.”

  “I know.” Brynnon surprised him with a broad smile before taking another big bite.

  “You should take better care of yourself.”

  “Like what? Drink protein shakes and work out six hours a day?” She shook her head, her thick, red hair swaying across her shoulders. “I don’t have time for that. Besides, I burn more than enough calories doing what I do.”

  “Eating healthy isn’t just about weight, Princess. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in this country.”

  Letting the nickname slide, Brynnon pouted. “You’re killing my burger buzz.” She swallowed another bite. “Let’s talk about something else.”

  Deciding to save his fourth wrap for later, Grant crumpled the paper from his current one into a ball and tossed it into the sack on the floor between them.

  “What do you want to talk about?”

  “You.”

  Shit. He should’ve kept his mouth shut. “Not happening.”

  “Oh, come on,” she pleaded. “You probably know everything there is to know about me.”

  Not as much as I want to.

  Grant cleared his throat. “Didn’t know you had a cabin in the woods.”

  “Okay, fine. You didn’t know that one thing. But I only bought it a few months ago. Besides, I bet there’s a file somewhere at your office that has all sorts of personal information about me.”

  Grant remained silent, unwilling to admit he did have a file on her. It just wasn’t at the office.

  Brynnon turned toward him a little more. “You have to give me something. We’ll start small like...where’d you grow up?”

  She was like a dog with a fucking bone. Grant knew if he didn’t give her something, she’d just keep prodding.

  “Nebraska.”

  “Nice.” She put a fist in the air. “Go, Cornhuskers!”

  Grant glanced over at her then back to the road. “You follow football?”

  A tiny snort escaped the back of her throat. “Please. I’m from Texas. It’s practically a religion here.”

  A gorgeous woman who liked football. Damn, he was in trouble.

  “Favorite team?”

  Brynnon’s eyes narrowed. “Nice try, but we’re supposed to be talking about you, remember?”

  One corner of his mouth twitched as he fought a smile. A gorgeous, smart woman who liked football. He was so fucked.

  “Where in Nebraska?” Brynnon kept on with the questioning.

  “Bellevue. It’s just north of Offutt Air Force Base.”

  “Cool.” Wrapping up what remained of her burger, she threw it in the sack with the rest of their trash. “Is that why you went into the military?”

  “Yep.” Liar.

  “Did you always know you wanted to be a SEAL?”

  He glanced over at her again. “How’d you know I was with the Teams?”

  “My dad told me. He was very impressed with you, by the way. Said he loved your no-nonsense attitude.”

  “Your dad seems solid.”

  Affection filled her voice. “He is. But you still haven’t answered my question about being a SEAL. Did you know from the start you wanted to go that route?”

  No. “Yep.”

  “Okay. Let’s see. What else?” She thought for a moment. “Oh, I know. Have you ever been married?”

  His chest tightened. “Nope.”

  Her line of questioning was creeping into dangerous territory and needed to be derailed before he said shit he had no business sharing.

  “Girlfriend?”

  Let’s see how well she does when the table is turned.

  With a cocky brow, he looked over at her. “You asking out of curiosity or personal interest?”

  Grant damn near did smile when he saw the dark blush creep into her neck and cheeks.

  Score one for the bodyguard.

  Laughing it off nervously, she shook her head. “You wish.”

  “What about you?” he continued his attempts to thwart her interrogation. “Ever been married?”

  “Came close once, but no.”

  Grant didn’t care for the change in her tone. “What happened?”

  She paused, her eyes skittering to his. “You really want to know?”

  Actually, he did. “Wouldn’t have asked, otherwise.”

  Biting her bottom lip—something she really shouldn’t do around him—Brynnon took a deep breath and blew it out.


  “Growing up with money has its perks, but it also has a lot of downsides. Stuff people don’t think about.”

  “Such as?”

  “My dad’s construction company took off my freshman year of high school. Not long after, boys started noticing me. I thought it was because they liked me, you know? But it wasn’t. They liked my money...or, rather, my parents’ money. They’d stick around long enough to be invited to dinner or outings on the boat. Things like that.” She smiled sadly. “I always seemed to get especially popular around Christmas time.”

  “They were using you.” The thought pissed him the hell off.

  She nodded. “I finally wizened up and quit dating altogether. I didn’t even go to prom.”

  Grant schooled his expression as he realized they had more in common than he’d initially thought.

  “And after high school?”

  Brynnon shrugged. “I focused on my college classes. Made it to my junior year before I fell for a guy again.”

  “Must have been pretty serious if you were going to marry him.”

  Grant was hit with a sudden wave of jealousy. It spiraled through his system at the thought of her wearing another man’s ring, making him want to find the bastard and beat the shit out of him.

  What. The. Fuck?

  “It was.” Her sweet voice broke through his shocking thoughts. “At least, I thought so.” Looking down at her lap, she shook her head. “I still can’t believe what an idiot I was.”

  He didn’t like the sound of that. “What makes you think you’re the idiot?”

  “Because I fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker.” She laughed humorlessly. “In the beginning, I thought Lucas was the perfect guy. He was incredibly smart, especially when it came to computers. He was witty and handsome. Plus, he was a Campbell.”

  When he gave her a look, Brynnon took time to explain. “Around here, being a Campbell means he came from money.”

  Understanding sunk in. “So, unlike your boyfriend in high school, that was a non-issue.”

  “Exactly,” she nodded, her gaze dropping to her lap. Using a softened tone he hadn’t heard before, she said, “I guess you could say Lucas swept me off my feet.”

  Unable to hide his bearish tone, Grant asked, “What did he do to you?”

  Her eyes rose to his. “His love was computers and gaming, but Lucas knew making a lot of money at that sort of thing was a long shot. His uncle owned a lucrative building supply company and promised him the CEO position if he could land a deal with my dad’s construction company.”

  Grant’s hands tightened around the wheel. “He used you to make a business deal?”

  Embarrassed, Brynnon looked out the passenger window and nodded. “It was second semester of my senior year at SMU. I’d come home for the weekend and had been staying at his apartment. I left that Sunday afternoon to go back to school, but before I got into the elevator, I realized I’d forgotten my backpack. So, I went back inside.”

  She looked over at him, apparently feeling the need to explain. “We weren’t engaged, but we’d been dating for nearly a year. He’d been talking about marriage and had given me a key to his place.”

  Ignoring the way she licked her lips again, Grant put his eyes back on the road and listened while she continued.

  “Lucas didn’t realize I’d come back in, and I overheard him on the phone with his uncle.” One corner of her mouth rose as she shook her head. “The dumbass had the call on speakerphone.”

  Grant probably would have smiled had he not been dreading whatever was coming.

  “Anyway, his uncle was talking about my dad, and I heard him tell Lucas to”—she made air quotes— “hurry the hell up and marry the redheaded bitch so we can seal the deal before the next quarter starts.’”

  Grant ground his teeth together but stayed quiet, not wanting her to see how much the screwed-up story pissed him off.

  “The worst part was hearing the response Lucas gave.” With a sharp bite in her voice, Brynnon finished the rest of the story. “He told his uncle he’d planned on proposing the following week, but his other girlfriend had already paid for a weekend cruise for the two of them.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Grant growled before he could stop himself. So much for hiding his anger.

  Not bothered by his profane outburst, Brynnon gave him a half smile. “I wish I were.” She immediately changed her mind. “Actually, no, I don’t. I mean, it sucked at the time. I’d given a lot of myself to Lucas.” Her eyes dropped to her lap again. “Some things you can only give away once.”

  Grant was surprised the steering wheel didn’t break. The motherfucker had taken her virginity, knowing he was scamming her the entire time? It was enough to make Grant want to hunt the bastard down.

  “Looking back, I realize the signs were always there. I think I just didn’t want to see them.”

  He pinned her down with his eyes. “What he did wasn’t your fault.”

  “Maybe.” She shrugged, sitting back in her seat. “Doesn’t matter, now. I truly believe everything happens for a reason. Sometimes it just sucks when you have to wait to figure out what that reason is.”

  Grant didn’t believe that. He’d lost too much to think there was a reason behind all that pain. No divine intervention ever came through when he needed it.

  It was another one of those billion reasons he didn’t get involved in a serious relationship.

  Guys like Jake, Trevor, and Derek...they were cut out for shit like that. Not him.

  ****

  Chapter 4

  “What do you think?”

  Standing just inside the entryway, Brynnon held her breath while waiting for the muscle-bound man to finish clearing the cabin’s interior.

  The nerves fluttering inside were confusing. She wasn’t sure why, but for some reason, she really wanted Grant to like her little piece of heaven as much as she did.

  From the tiny entryway you could see the open living room, kitchen, and staircase leading up to what would soon be her bedroom and private bath. At the far end of the kitchen was a hallway leading back to the two bedrooms, full bath, and laundry closet.

  It wasn’t huge but to her, it was perfect.

  Except for the occasional contractor and Angie—her one and only girlfriend—she’d never had anyone else out here until now. Even her dad had yet to find time in his busy schedule to come by and see the place.

  Deeming it safe, Grant’s gorgeous eyes began scanning the cabin’s interior, taking it all in. After what felt like forever, he turned and gave her an approving nod.

  “It’s nice.”

  Her heart thumped. “You really think so?”

  “Don’t say things I don’t mean, Princess.”

  She crossed her arms. “Again, with the nickname?”

  Blowing her off, he simply shrugged and began walking around slowly, staring up at the exposed beams. “The woodwork is impressive. You do all that, yourself?”

  “I’d like to say yes, but no. Before this one, I had no experience with an all-wood home. I searched around and found a local guy with a small crew to clean, repair, and re-seal it all. Cost more to do that than it did putting in the floors and cabinets.”

  “I bet.” He walked over to one wall. Running a hand across one of the logs, he nodded again. “They did good work.”

  “Heck yeah, they did. You should’ve seen this place when I first bought it. Talk about a buyer’s remorse.”

  For just a second, Brynnon thought she may have seen an actual smile trying to peek through.

  Man, he’s a tough nut to crack.

  “Well, this is it. Oh, and just ignore the scaffolding behind me.”

  She used her thumb to point to the monstrosity of a structure ruining the otherwise perfect room.

  Unfortunately, the smaller, two-story windows on each side of the stone fireplace were too high for her regular ladder to reach, so she’d borrowed the elevated frame from a guy she’d used for some of her other
projects.

  “I finished staining the trim and windowsill the last time I was here,” she continued. “It was the last thing I did before leaving, and I didn’t have the energy to break the scaffolding back down.”

  Grant tipped his chin toward the top of the small staircase that ran along the north wall.

  “What are you doing with the space up there?”

  Brynnon smiled. “That’s the master suite.”

  “Master suite?”

  “It’s just a fancy way of saying my bedroom and bathroom,” she chuckled. “It was originally used as attic space. After I bought it, I decided to utilize the space for a better purpose.”

  He put his hands in his pockets and turned his brows inward. “Why three bedrooms?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Just that there are already two bedrooms down here. It’s just you, right?”

  “Well, yeah. But I’m hoping someday the right guy will come along and love the cabin as much as I do. For now, one of the other bedrooms will be a spare and the other my office. At least until...” Brynnon trailed off.

  “Until what?”

  She blushed. “Until a baby comes along.”

  A shadow she didn’t understand fell over his face. “You want kids?”

  “Sure.” She smiled. “Don’t you?”

  Rather than answer the question, Grant pulled his hands from his pockets and started looking around again. “So, what is it you need to get done here today? I’d rather not be too late getting back on the road. Nighttime means less visibility, which in turn means we’re more vulnerable.”

  Wow. Whiplash much?

  Blinking, Brynnon recovered from the sudden change in topic. “Um, not much. I need to take a few measurements in the room upstairs. The furniture I ordered will be in soon and I want to make sure I know where I want everything to make the set-up easier. Once my bedroom’s done and I clean a few things up, this place will be ready to go.”

  “Let’s get that done so we can get back to the city.”

  Resisting a roll of her eyes, Brynnon went to the kitchen. Just when she thought she was making headway with the guy, he turns back into Oscar the Grouch.

  “I still think you’re taking this whole bodyguard business a little too seriously,” she spoke over her shoulder as she removed her jacket.