Carnal Risk

by Kym Grosso

  Garrett was no stranger to insta-lust, but he’d never had time for a girlfriend, committing himself to one woman. There were too many complications. He worked eighteen hours a day and his rare days off were dedicated to his sports. Even if he ever managed to find someone who’d put up with his insane schedule, he’d be skeptical of their motives. It wasn’t lost on him that most women he’d met cared little about him and more about his wealth.

  Regardless, there was something about Selby that drew him. He wished he could shake it. Becoming involved with someone who didn’t share his passion for adventure would lead to disaster. But the flicker of curiosity she’d shown when he’d propositioned her was all it took to hook him into the game.

  Garrett dug his toes into the wet sand, impressed that she hadn’t given up trying to ride her board. Surfing had never been his specialty, but given that five-year-olds learned how to do it, it’d been the least dangerous thing he could think of to give her a taste of the rush. He resisted smiling when she yelled the f word as she tumbled into the ocean, grabbing her board as if she was ready to beat it to the ground. Despite whatever albatross she believed was wrapped around her neck, she’d temporarily broken free. Her spirit for success far outweighed her fear of failure.

  His pulse raced as he caught sight of her press upward, finally balancing herself. Cheering her, he counted off the seconds she rode…one, two, three, four, five. As she fell into the turbulent break, he knew instantly she’d be in trouble. He took off running into the surf¸ the sixty-five degree water stinging his skin.

  When he saw the detached board tumble by, he knew she’d gone down hard. A second wave broke preventing the water from settling. A rolling white top collapsed and he caught a flash of color. Selby. He dove underneath and managed to cling to a slippery ankle. Within seconds, he’d reached her limp body and kicked to the surface. To his relief, she choked and began coughing.

  Garrett cradled her in his arms and shoved to his feet, carrying her onto the beach. By the time he’d set her onto the warm sand, she’d begun to pant for air. He fell to the ground, and brushed his palm to her cheek.

  “Selby.” Garrett didn’t do fear, but his heart pounded as if he were fighting for his own life.

  Her eyes blinked open and he could tell from the look on her face that she’d been stunned. A small trickle of blood seeped from her forehead and he inspected the tiny scrape, ensuring it was nothing serious. Seth handed him a towel and he gently dabbed the abrasion.

  “Garrett,” Selby whispered.

  “Sweetheart, you’re okay. Just a little shaken is all.” Garrett wondered if he was referring to her or himself.

  “Sweetheart?” She smiled.

  “Yeah, that’s right.” He laughed. She had his number and that caused a fresh surge of nerves.

  “I’m cold.”

  “You’re just in shock. You’re going to be all right.” Garrett unzipped her wetsuit and peeled her out of it. He covered her with a towel and rubbed her arms. When his fingers brushed over her stomach, he froze, jarred by her voice.

  “It was great.”

  “What?” Garrett adjusted her on his lap and bent down, putting his ear to her lips. The heat from her sun-kissed cheeks radiated against his own and he reprimanded himself as his cock stirred.

  “I said it was awesome.”

  “I should have gone with you,” Garrett began. He felt like shit for pawning her off on Seth. She could have been killed. She’d been in his charge and he’d failed her.

  “I could see you. You distract me.”

  “Selby,” he breathed. Overcome with emotion he’d held at bay, he pressed his forehead to hers and their eyes locked. “You were spectacular.”

  His thumb grazed over her soft skin, eliciting a small gasp. With their lips mere inches apart, the desire to kiss her had never been stronger. There was no going back once he tasted her. If there was one thing he knew about himself, it was that once he wanted something, nothing would stop him from attaining his goal. But Selby wasn’t a thing to be had. She was a person with a heart and soul. After everything he’d just done, she trusted him.

  “Garrett.” With fire in her eyes, Selby blinked slowly and smiled. Her fingers glided over his arms, gripping his pecs.

  “I shouldn’t…” Whatever semblance of restraint he’d had gave way as her touch seared his skin. His lips met hers and he felt like he was jumping for the very first time. But unlike every carefully planned event he’d carried out, he was acting out of emotion.

  Adrift in the moment, he took her mouth, his tongue brushing hers. He deepened the kiss until she moaned. Her thigh slipped against his, and he knew he’d never be satisfied until he was buried deep inside her. His fingers glided underneath the flimsy fabric of her bikini top, flitting over her hard tip. With his actions shielded by the towel, he cupped her full breast, his hardened cock prodding her belly.

  “Garrett,” she repeated into his mouth.

  He went to break their connection and she protested.

  “No, don’t…”

  He smiled into their kiss. His woman knew what she wanted and was taking it. Jesus Christ, she’ll ruin me, he thought. Fuck every mountain he’d ever climbed. Selby Reynolds was the only rush he was looking for, one far more dangerous than he’d anticipated. The sound of Seth calling him forced him to break away. He glanced at Selby who wore a stunned expression, and he hoped he’d concealed his emotions.

  “Yeah,” he answered, tearing his eyes away from her.

  “Dean’s at the office,” Seth told him, his voice serious.

  “So?”

  “He’s got a warrant.”

  “Shit.” Garrett removed his hand from Selby’s breast, and the blush on her face told him she’d been as aroused as he was. He tucked the towel around her torso, concealing her nudity from Seth. It was not that he was a prude. On the contrary, he enjoyed public play every now and then, but he’d control when it happened.

  “Selby, I hate to do this but I’ve gotta go. Are you sure you’re all right? Your head,” he gestured to the small scrape that had stopped bleeding, “how does it feel?”

  “I’m fine now. Really. I was just out of breath.”

  “Drowning,” he corrected.

  “Okay, maybe a little. But you saved me.” Selby pushed upward, careful to keep herself covered. She gave him a small knowing smile. “I’m going with you.”

  “You don’t have to do that…”

  “All my clothes are at the office anyway.” She shakily stood as if to prove she was unharmed.

  “All right, let’s go.” Despite the disapproving look on Seth’s face, Garrett put a comforting arm around her and smiled as she relaxed into his embrace. “Seth…my stuff?”

  “I’m on it. Go see what Dean’s doing.”

  As they exited the beach, Garrett glanced at his friend once again, who shook his head and gathered the boards. He couldn’t be sure why his friend objected, but he suspected it was for the same reason as Lars. They all guessed she’d never fit in with their friends, but after today, he was more determined than ever to prove them wrong.

  Chapter Twelve

  Selby, still shaken from the events on the beach, took a deep breath and stared at herself in the mirror. Her mind replayed what had happened. The thrill of her surfing accomplishment had been spectacular. Even her small brush with drowning hadn’t dampened the experience.

  Her fingertips went to her mouth, the heat of his lips on hers still fresh in her mind. With Garrett, she’d gone from elated to terrified to aroused beyond belief all in the course of thirty minutes. When his rough fingers thrummed over her nipple, she’d lost cognizance of where she was in space and time. She’d wrapped her leg around him with every intention of taking things further. Until Seth spoke, she’d barely been aware they were even in public. She hadn’t remembered, and even once it registered, she hadn’t cared. She had been in awe of Garrett before she’d met him, and it terrified her knowing he had the ability to make he
r lose control.

  After their brief interlude at the beach, her no-dating-clients rule being smashed into a thousand pieces, the only hope she had of gluing her model of propriety back together was to find her replacement. She wasn’t entirely sure she could date someone who flirted with death on a regular basis, but ignoring her attraction to him wasn’t possible either. The only way she could forget was if she moved to the North Pole, because the heat that radiated from her body every time she was in the same room with the man wouldn’t be cooled otherwise.

  Selby had never been terribly adventurous in bed, and she expected that he’d do exactly what he’d promised; he’d teach her to embrace new levels of her sexuality that she hadn’t known existed. A week ago, she’d have scoffed at the idea, but after today, an addiction to Garrett Emerson had been planted in her heart. She’d call it lust and pray that that was all it would turn out to be in the end. The odds weren’t in her favor but as she recalled his searing kiss, she planned to roll the dice.

  Selby glanced around the women’s locker room, which looked more like a spa, and selected a comb. Removing its cellophane wrapper, she teased it through her long hair. Even though she’d shampooed, she swore she still smelled like the beach. After today, the ocean would never be the same and neither would she. It occurred to her that what had happened could change her life. Selby considered how the mere thought of heights could throw her into a panic, but today, under Garrett’s careful watch and Seth’s instruction, she’d done something she’d never have done on her own.

  Her thoughts turned to the reason they’d returned to the office and her stomach tightened. The police had been waiting for them as soon as they’d entered the building. She’d deferred to Garrett when he’d told her she wasn’t needed, but she expected that by the time she dressed, they’d want to speak to her. She wasn’t a fool. Evan had been in charge of information systems. After he’d asked her to steal information, she wondered if whatever he’d done had to do with why the police were here.

  Once again, she contemplated whether or not she should tell Garrett about her previous interaction with Evan. What he’d said had been an insinuation, not a printed request. She feared neither he nor the police would believe her. Even the fact that he’d used a different name might seem unbelievable to them. Considering her situation, she reasoned she’d only divulge what she knew about Evan if the police asked.

  Garrett plowed his fingers through his hair as Dean Frye, a fellow sky diver and assistant district attorney, presented his findings. Not only had they found poison within Evan’s body, someone had tampered with his equipment. As Dean stood in front of him, he knew the next question that would come. Answers weren’t easy.

  “Look, Garrett, I don’t like this any more than you do, but we need access to everything Evan was working on,” Dean pressed.

  “You’re welcome to search his office, his files.” Garrett sat behind his desk and folded his hands, steepling his fingers so they rested on his lower lip.

  “Everything. We need everything.”

  “You know that’s not possible. There are projects we work on that require clearances. Besides, what proof do you have that his death is linked to Emerson Industries?” As much as Garrett loved Evan, there was no way he’d divulge covert projects they’d worked on or technologies they were still in the process of developing. For the greater good, some secrets must remain unknown, even to the police.

  “Jesus, Garrett. He was our friend. Don’t you want to know who did this?” Dean looked to Lars, who stared out the window, his arms crossed. “Lars, come on. Talk to him for me. This isn’t right.”

  “He was a brother to all of us but you know this isn’t my company and what Garrett says…you know damn well there are things he works on that he can’t tell you.”

  “No.” Garrett held up his hands to halt the conversation. “This is my decision, not Lars’. The only reason he’s here is because, like me, he deserves to know what happened to Evan.”

  “You both can’t sit here and tell me that Evan didn’t have his fingers in some secret spy shit.”

  “Government contracts,” Garrett explained. He picked up a pen and tapped it on the desk, a habit he frequently had when deep in thought. “All of which are top secret. And you know what that means, Dean. These things…there are broader implications than Evan’s death. If, and I repeat, if his death is in any way connected to Emerson Industries and something he was working on, I cannot disclose that to you. And to be perfectly honest, I’m not one hundred percent convinced that’s the case. In twelve years of handling military projects, we’ve never had an incident.”

  “How about this? You show me everything, and we’ll call it lawyer-client privilege,” Dean proposed. “No one else in the department will see it. I swear it.”

  “I just told you that…” Garrett paused as a knock sounded.

  “Don’t you have a secretary? This meeting’s private,” Dean told him.

  “Come in,” Garrett barked. As Selby walked into his office, he averted his gaze to meet Lars’. Despite the jolt of desire he felt every time he saw her, he buried the emotion deep inside. Sooner or later he’d have to tell Lars about his plans to pursue Selby, but this was definitely not the time or place.

  “Who the hell is this?” Dean asked. “Garrett, you’re not taking this seriously.”

  “Selby, this is Dean Frye. He’s the DA. He’s investigating Evan’s death. Dean, this is Selby Reynolds. She’s on loan from Lars. She’s working Evan’s projects and recruiting a permanent replacement.”

  “This is a private conversation,” Dean insisted.

  “She stays. Sit.” Garrett pointed to a chair. Selby’s eyes widened at the command and her lips drew tight. He’d meant to order her in front of the others, so they were all aware who was running this meeting. Dean had gone too far, insinuating that he didn’t care about Evan. Nothing could be further from the truth.

  “Fine, but none of this leaves the room, Miss Reynolds, got it?”

  “Of course,” Selby responded. Her expression had grown cold and her eyes darted to Lars, who returned her gaze.

  “As I was saying,” Garrett continued. His focus faltered as he caught Lars nodding at Selby. While he’d been intentionally curt, it cut him to see her look to Lars for reassurance. He knew he was fucking things up six ways to Sunday, but at this point, he had to keep going. “Selby has all the pertinent files that contain most of the information about the projects Evan was working on. Before you leave tonight, you will have copies as well.”

  “But…” Selby went to interrupt and Garrett silenced her.

  “You’re here to listen, not speak.” The flash of anger in her eyes told him instantly that he’d gone too far. Fuck, he was being a dick, he knew, but everything was going to shit faster than he could stop it. Selby had cleverly found the reference to the PFx Prototype he’d carelessly left in the files, and he was afraid she’d mention it in front of Dean. He’d need to make sure it was scrubbed clean before the DA got the files.

  “Garrett,” Lars interrupted in Selby’s defense, “you can’t talk to her like that.”

  “No, Lars. It’s fine. You want silence, Mr. Emerson? You got it,” she replied, her tone cold.

  “Dean, you’ll get what you need,” Garrett continued. He’d make it up to Selby later, explain why he’d spoken to her the way he had. Right now, he needed to get Dean off his back and the police out of his building. “But you should ask yourself why this would happen now. Evan’s worked on all kinds of secret, sometimes downright dangerous, projects over the years. What does someone get from just killing him? Seriously. Think about it.”

  “I’ve thought about it all right. I’ve also been to his house.”

  “What?”

  “That’s right. His house was torn apart. Someone was looking for something. I don’t know what but my guess is that if they didn’t find it at his home, it’s in his office.”

  “I loved Evan, you know that. He taught
me everything,” Garrett gritted out, raw emotion causing his voice to waver. He’d hoped to keep the grief at bay, but the more they talked about his friend as if he’d done something wrong, as if he wasn’t a person, the more it flooded his chest. He blew out a breath and shook his head. “But you and I both know he had enemies. How about starting with the long list of women he dated? His ex-wife. Have you questioned her? What about ex-girlfriends?”

  “Yes, we’re going to check them out too. But Garrett, this could’ve been an industry hit of some kind,” he suggested.

  “Jesus, Dean. Really, are we going to jump to James Bond shit? I hate to say it, but people get killed all the time. Sure, someone had to go to an awful lot of trouble to make it look like an accident, but still, it’s not like it went unnoticed. We all know Evan wouldn’t have made a mistake like that.”

  “What about the poison?” Lars asked.

  “Atropa belladonna.”

  “What’s that?” Lars asked.

  “Deadly nightshade. It’s a plant indigenous to many parts of the world including Europe and Africa but it grows here too,” Selby offered before Garrett had a chance to answer.

  “Its berries can kill, but it’s the leaves that are even more deadly,” Garrett added. Despite Selby disobeying his command not to talk during the meeting, he couldn’t help but be impressed with her knowledge. Still, he considered that she needed to learn how to follow instructions.

  “They used to make poison darts with the berries, but you’re on target with how he died. It was ingested,” Dean offered.

  “How the hell could he have eaten it? Besides, I’m telling you that he was fine before we left. He gave me the thumbs up before he jumped. It was all good.” Garrett pushed out of his chair and went to the floor-to-ceiling window. From his office, the sunset beckoned over the ocean.

  “We don’t know that yet, now do we?”