The Risk

by Ford, Mia

  “Did you enjoy the game?” He asked me as I giggled.

  “I am not into a lot of sports but there’s something about hockey that I love. It’s intense and you all are so focused. I couldn’t help but get caught up in it even though I still might not understand all of it.” I laughed as he promised to explain it to me.

  “I have a jersey for you in my car. It’s one of mine if you’d like to wear it,” he told me as I grinned at him. I leaned up to kiss him as he smiled against my lips, returning my enthusiasm. I knew that this was probably moving fast but I couldn’t help myself as he slid me over his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned in to deepen the kiss as his hands slid down my body, knowing exactly what he was doing to me.

  Chapter Six

  Logan

  I loved the feeling of Holly’s mouth on mine. She was sweet and a little hesitant with me, something I liked. Most of the women I slept with were too experienced in my opinion. I knew that I got sloppy seconds from other players as well as beyond. The puck bunnies were into adding a name to their list and not who we were as men. Anytime that had happened, I wasn’t interested.

  Holly was someone that I could get lost in from the first time I touched her mouth with mine. I kissed her hard and slow as she moaned against me, making me want to take her on this grass. I had to remind myself that I’d only just met her as she slid onto my lap too easily. She was so hot, and I pressed against her body as she sucked my tongue into her mouth.

  I groaned as she started to rock slowly against my hard cock. I was throbbing, and guilt filled my mind as I thought about the night I slept with someone else and imagined Holly in my mind. I pulled my mouth away from her and sucked at the skin of her neck as she whimpered.

  “You’re making me crazy, Holly,” I whispered to her as she ran her hands through my hair. “I’m going home tonight.”

  Holly pulled back and looked at me for a moment, resting her forehead against mine.

  “This is going to be difficult, isn’t it?” She asked softly as I nodded. “I don’t live here.” I kissed her softly. “You barely live here.”

  “I am traveling a lot. My home is more like a storage unit most of the time.” I kissed her again. “You live in a dorm with my sister.”

  “Should we bother?” Holly asked as she slipped her feet further behind me.

  “I think we need to tell her or else this will never work. You can come here on the weekends and I can come there and get a hotel room. Hell, I can buy an apartment,” I said as she pulled away with wide eyes.

  “What?” She looked scared, and I chuckled.

  “I’m joking, Holly. Thinking aloud. I just want to find a way to see you,” I told her softly as she smiled softly. We stayed there for a while before walking around some more, holding hands. I knew that she didn’t want to tell Shelly, being new friends. This couldn’t work without that unless we worked hard to hide it. I was popular in the area and that would be difficult.

  We stayed out a couple of hours before going back to the house. I sensed that Holly was feeling nervous about this sudden change between us as we approached the edge of the woods. Her hand was clammy, and she dropped mine as soon as we had a chance of being seen. She’d fussed over her appearance before we were close as well, trying to hide our tryst. I watched as she headed up the stairs first, checking out her ass for a moment before returning to the alternate universe where we were nothing to one another than new acquaintances. There was a part of me that wished she’d be demanding like some other girls I’d been with. While it wasn’t welcome then, her reaction made me feel a little like shit.

  I watched a game with my dad while the women caught up in the kitchen. From what I could tell, nobody picked up on the fact that anything happened between us. We just went to do our separate things and didn’t even sit in the same room. Once it got towards the evening, we reheated pizza for dinner and I stole glances at Holly as the conversation revolved around my week away. I knew that my parents watched every game and more than likely Shelly. Would Holly sit with her and watch, remembering our kiss the way that I would?

  Once dinner was done and dishes were washed, I told Mom that I had to take off. I had a lot going on the next several days. Holly gave me a quick, sad look as I told them I was going to run out to my car for a minute. I brought jerseys for Mom and Moira as well since they didn’t have the new style yet. I unlocked the back and pulled them out, carrying them back inside as I felt the off sensation of emptiness filling me. What the hell was happening to me?

  I hugged my family goodbye. They clung to me tightly, telling me to be careful, and that they loved me. I glanced at Holly, choosing to kiss her cheek lightly after telling her that it was a pleasure to meet her. I added a light one-armed hug, but she froze, making me hold back. Her jersey was on the couch and I smiled as I thought about how her eyes shone when I gave it to her. Mom and Moira were thrilled with theirs as well and it made it look more casual than it was.

  I drove home in the dark, playing back the time in the forest with Holly. We didn’t get anywhere near having sex but there was a strong attraction between us. I knew that it would happen sooner rather than later if we kept seeing one another. That kind of chemistry is impossible to avoid forever. I had her number, and she had mine, with promises of at least texting through the next week. I wanted to get to know her better.

  When I arrived home, I walked inside and cleaned up after my night of drinking before I left. I regretted sleeping with that girl and drowning that emotion with the alcohol. I was better than that and it wasn’t good for my health. I had to think about that before anything else right now. Some guys could drink a lot and feel fine. I wasn’t one of them since I moved all over the ice. I played a lot during the game. I needed to stay fit and keep my stamina up.

  I showered and turned on the TV in my dorm to relax before bed. We were up before the sun tomorrow to practice on home rink before leaving. We were on a roll right now and Coach wanted us to keep it going. He hadn’t been to the playoffs before and hoped this team would be the group to accomplish that.

  I heard my phone vibrating on the nightstand where it was charging as I caught up on some scores. I knew that my family had a tendency of keeping in regular touch with me and reached for it. I raised a brow when I saw that it was a new number and read the text from Holly. She was in her room at my parents and had the chance to text me, asking if I minded. I didn’t, but I did want to ask why she was so set on hiding us? I told myself that it was brand new and I needed to give her time as we chatted. We ended the conversation as she told me I needed sleep and I told her I’d get a hold of her tomorrow. They were headed back to school tomorrow to prepare for the week and while I didn’t think we’d be able to see each other, I held onto some hope.

  I slept fitfully, drinking coffee before I left the house. I knew that we’d all be on edge today with the important week coming up. I dressed for practice and drove into the city, looking over the dark horizon. I’d been doing this since I could remember, more used to dark morning than I was any that included the sun. Even when I was off, I had a habit of waking up early. I used that time to work out or run since feeling the adrenaline first thing in my day made me feel great.

  We skated for hours. Coach had us practice a lot of plays and kept the strong lineups out there working hard. I was on the first one and we all played a lot in every game. Once we were done, we hit the showers and dressed down in workout clothes. The guys asked me to go grab some food with them, wanting to break away from the strict protein we usually ate. I agreed and drove over to the diner that we frequented. A burger sounded great right now. I hadn’t eaten since dinner last night and I knew better than to do that.

  We gathered in booths in the back of the room, ordering waters and chatting about our trip tomorrow. We’d be heading over to the west coast for four games, hopping planes after games to make the next trip. I enjoyed traveling but when you did it like this for work, it wasn’t fun. We didn’t see a
ny of the sights and even if we did, we’d all be too damn tired to enjoy them. I ate my dinner and leaned back, listening to them talk around me as I took a deep breath. I checked my phone a few times, knowing that I would not see Holly before I left Calgary.

  I went home to sleep before the early flight tomorrow. I messaged my family before going to sleep, finding out that Shelly and Holly were back at their dorm. I assumed that I wouldn’t hear from Holly tonight and I charged my phone before going to sleep.

  It was going to be a long week.

  Chapter Seven

  Holly

  I got up early for a class on Monday feeling slightly on edge. I didn’t get a chance to text Logan the day before since we were busy traveling back to campus and then cooped up in our small dorm room all evening. Shelly talked to him and I listened, playing it casual as I worked on something on my computer.

  Logan was on a plane headed to California. He was playing a couple of teams there over the next few days and I felt like the memory of the forest was fading. Logan had a reputation no matter what he said, and it included a lot of women. What if I was just a kiss that afternoon and he was planning to move on? I didn’t want to risk my friendship with Shelly for a fling. If we weren’t to be anything, we could both just forget about it. No harm done.

  So why did I text him first when I was alone in the guest room of his family’s house? Why did I play back the intense kiss as I got myself off a few times? He turned me on and there was a part of me that considered just sleeping with him in that meadow. It was gorgeous, and it wasn’t every day that a girl had that kind of chance with a guy like Logan. I didn’t though. I played it safe and chose Shelly because she gave me more affection and warmth than my family ever had. I couldn’t risk losing that for something that might not amount to anything. I could see what might happen before I took that step. What if her family hated me for it? I felt welcomed over there and loved the interaction.

  I sat in my first class, sipping coffee as I wondered how this even happened. I wasn’t the kind of girl to land a guy like Logan, not on a permanent basis. He was too much out in the world and I was just a college student. I didn’t have anything to be proud of yet.

  I had full days during the week with four classes three times a week and two classes on the other days. I was taking my general education classes right now as I considered a few majors. I loved writing but with my love for true crime, Criminal Justice was an option as well. Beyond that, there was forensics and investigation. My parents wanted me to get a major in Business and have some boring job in an office. They told me that I could promote and make a lot of money in a solid position after I graduated and moved back to New York.

  That was never part of my plan. I wanted to stay here or maybe find another city to start over in. Even if they didn’t support me down the line, I had a trust fund that I’d be able to access when I was twenty-one, just two years away. It was from my grandparents on my mother’s side and when they passed away months after one another, Mom was angry that they only gave me access to the money. She wanted to control me just like my father did, but I would be free in a few years. Until then, I could take classes and appease them. I could make a life here with Shelly, who was becoming a best friend quickly.

  I could try not to fall for her sexy brother. As much as he aroused me deep within my body, he could turn my world over.

  The week passed with time spent in classes as well as studying. Shelly had more of a social life than I did since she was from Canada originally. She went out to bars and to dinner with people and there were times I joined them. This week, I stayed home more than I went out. I tried to get in touch with Logan despite my resolve not to continue whatever it was that we had together. It just didn’t work out with his time zone there and games. He’d text me back when my phone was off for the night and I’d be rushing the following morning to classes. By the time Friday night rolled around, I decided to go to the movies with Shelly and some friends just to get out of the house.

  We were headed into the theater after a quick dinner when I felt my phone vibrate in the pocket of my jeans. I stood in line for snacks and glanced around, wondering where I should look at it. I didn’t get a lot of messages from people being as quiet as I was.

  “I’m going to use the bathroom. Save me a seat, Shel?” I asked as she nodded and asked for a large popcorn. I headed to the nearest sign and ducked inside of the large bathroom to go to a stall. I locked the door and pulled my phone out to read the screen.

  It was Logan, and he was back in town. He landed at the airport in between his place and campus and asked if I wanted to meet him at a local hotel. I closed my eyes, knowing that I was locked into this movie. I’d have to make something up to leave now and searched my mind for something. I was considering lying to my best friend right now, something that I never imagined.

  I knew what choice I should make but my body screamed for me to leave. I struggled with an excuse and then sent Shelly a text saying that a classmate needed me to come over to her house. She was sick, and her roommate was out-of-town so I might not be home tonight. I didn’t have a lot of people that I knew that well, but I hoped that Shelly would believe my story. I stood and washed my hands to leave, shoving my phone into my pocket as I felt it vibrate. I glanced around as I walked back out of the front doors and leaned against the wall as I pulled an app to get a ride. Logan sent a text just then and assured me that he’d send a car to get me and cover the fee.

  I blushed as I read his message and shrunk back. It shouldn’t be too long for a car in a city this size and I made a note of what kind of car was coming to pick me up. I wondered what might happen tonight after that intense kiss in the woods. I knew that I was ready to jump him after that short time together, but I knew that we might be caught if we took it any further. It was bad enough that we could have been caught to begin with. Would I end up in bed with him tonight even though I knew that it was wrong?

  I saw the red sedan pull up and walked forward slowly as I worried my lip. I opened the door, and the driver greeted me by name and I smiled and slipped into the back seat. The car pulled away from the curb and turned right at the intersection to head into the middle of the city. I watched as she drove quickly through the streets, comfortable as I took a deep breath.

  I couldn’t believe this was happening. We stopped at the Hilton overlooking the water and she pulled up to the door to let me out, assuring me that everything was covered. I slipped my purse over my body and slipped into the lobby before checking the room number again. I walked over to the elevator, tucking my hair behind my ear as I stepped inside. He was in the sixth floor and it felt like the longest ride of my life. This was happening too fast, and it was forbidden. This was something that neither of us should be doing. My thoughts raced as I moved into the hallway and turned, coming back to reality as I stopped in front of his door.

  I licked my lips, wondering if the stain was still there. I ran a hand through my hair and watched in shock as the door opened, revealing Logan standing there in workout shorts and a fitted t-shirt. He looked incredible, and I felt my mouth drop open as he reached his hand out to me. I took it with shaking hands and he pulled me inside, closing the door before he pressed me against it. He smelled like soap and a hint of peppermint as he looked down at me, his eyes searching my face.

  “I’m glad you decided to come,” Logan told me in a husky voice as he trapped me there with his strong arms. I swallowed thickly as he lowered his face to brush my lips with his slowly. I let out a small moan as he did it again, closing my eyes.

  I was going to go right to hell for this. I wanted to walk away from whatever this was, but I couldn’t. I wanted him too badly. I slipped my hands around his waist and stroked his muscled back slowly as he kissed me harder. He was stunning, and I gave him control, parting my lips for him. Logan knew what he was doing as he slipped his tongue slowly into my mouth, seducing me with every movement.

  He kissed me deeply for a few moments bef
ore cupping my ass to lift me against him. I wrapped my legs around his sinful body nervously, new to this kind of attraction. Logan carried me across the room and I slipped my arms around his neck, holding on tight. Logan dropped me down to the mattress and pulled away, breathing heavily.

  “Are you hungry? Thirsty? I can order room service for us,” Logan offered as I dropped to my back, my limbs weak with desire.

  “I had dinner with everyone. I guess something to drink would be great.” I replied, feeling adrenaline rush through my veins.

  “Do you like wine?” He asked as I smiled and nodded, feeling like the adult that I wasn’t. I was still very much a young adult in some ways and this man that stood above me intimidated the hell out of me. Logan walked over to the phone and I heard him speaking softly before hanging up. I watched as he stared up at the ceiling, running his hands through his hair as he breathed in deeply. I could see how great his body looked through the cotton of the shirt and licked my lips. “Were you with Shelly?” I blinked as his words hit me, nodding slowly.

  “We were at the movies with some friends.” My voice was quiet as he dropped beside me, stroking my face gently. “I told her that a friend was sick.”

  “Fuck. I hate the idea of you lying to her that way. She loves you like a sister,” Logan murmured as he stared at me. “I can’t help wanting you, Holly. I want you more than I’ve wanted any woman in my life. I don’t know what it is about you, but it hit me like a fucking train when I met your eyes.” I stared in silence, not knowing what to say to that. Logan was a gorgeous man that was popular with women. He could be telling me complete shit, but I savored every word. No man had spoken to me this way before.