Perfect Risk (Mason Creek Book 1)

by C. A. Harms

  "This is so much more.” I was at a loss for words. Remembering what Anna had told me about a man not doing what had been done if they didn’t love the woman. My heart was so full I felt like it could explode. “Wyatt, no one has ever done anything like this for me before. I know that you feel like you have to keep apologizing but please, let’s forget what happened and let’s focus on now.”

  He nodded.

  “Now kiss me.” He smirked and then leaned in closer and pressed his lips to mine. Backing up, I dragged him along until we were in the middle of the garage. I felt him reach around, and pull something from his pocket, and then, the soft music began to play.

  Smiling against his lips, I swayed my body with his, accepting the way he held me close. It was easy to get lost in the moment, to allow my body to give in to the sensations it felt when Wyatt touched me.

  I was so caught up in the feel of his kiss, the way his tongue explored my mouth and the soft suction he applied to the tip of mine.

  Wyatt took me to prom. It may have been years and years later than my original one, and it may have been in his garage, but it was the best prom a girl could ask for.

  And it was with the best guy.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Wyatt

  * * *

  Spinning Sadie out and pulling her quickly back to me, she laughed with her head thrown back. The night had been perfect, and hoped that it was far from over.

  When she pressed her hand to my chest, looking up at me though her long dark lashes I felt like my heart seized in my chest. She was strikingly beautiful, knock me on my ass breathtaking.

  “So,” her words were soft, “I got my prom, so does this mean I get the whole experience that comes with it too?”

  “And what experience would that be?”

  Pressing her body in tighter to mine I about melted at her feet when she gave me that seductive stare of hers. “The one where you do everything you possibly can to get me out of my dress.”

  Sadie was a dream, one that I hadn’t realized I had. Yeah, I’d proposed to Karlie, but it was more of us agreeing that it was the next step. There was no grand gestures, no getting down on one knee and asking her to spend her life with me. It was two people lying in bed, our backs to one another in the dark and a whisper of, maybe we should get married.

  I knew it was a disaster in the making once I said sure, and I think that’s why I never agreed to a date. It was more of a hope that being engaged meant it was one less thing we could or would fight about.

  I was wrong, it gave us more.

  Sadie though, I could picture a life with.

  I could see us in five years, still laughing and loving one another. Maybe starting a family, I wanted that all. Nothing about Sadie made me panic, or question where we were heading. The one thing that I was sure of is that I wanted her by my side, no matter what happened or where my life was heading.

  “If you have to think about it for this long, maybe I should just have you walk me to my door.” I’d worry if Sadie wasn’t smiling but with her things seemed right.

  “I’m gonna walk you to your door,” I assured her, kissing the corner of her mouth softly still swaying my body with hers. We’d danced so much you’d think we’d both be tired of it, but I think I could hold her like that all night and never want to stop. Her brows lifted but that was the only reaction I’d gained from her. “And then when you go inside, I’m going with you.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yeah.” Nothing was forced with us, it was almost as if we’d been doing this playful banter for years. Everything came so naturally.

  “You act like I can’t say no. You do remember I pay rent so technically it’s my place right now.”

  Chuckling and hold her tighter, knowing that most likely she was about to pull away. “You really should check your bank account.” Sadie narrowed her eyes at me. “You may give me a check but that doesn’t mean I have to cash it.”

  “Wyatt.” She tugged in my embrace and I only hold her tighter.

  “The way I see it, the cottage is an extension of my home and soon I hope you’ll be moving your things across the driveway. I’m not taking money from you Sadie, so don’t push me.” Hooking the back of her neck I pulled her close and kissed the fight right out of her.

  She resisted but only for a short time, before she let go and accepted that I had no intentions of battling this out with her.

  I wanted her in my house, standing in my kitchen, wearing one of my shirts while pouring herself a coffee. I wanted to come home after a long shift to find her soaking in my oversized tub. I’d climb inside, slip my body behind hers and hold her to my chest. Then we move to the bed where I would make love to her for hours and fall asleep with her in my arms.

  We’d get there, but I felt my patience growing thin with the need to have her next to me every night and to be the first person I see when I wake up each morning.

  “Are you ready to take me to bed now, Ms. Michaels?”

  She blinked up at me, her lips still reddened and swollen from our kiss. A hazed look in her eyes, as she blinked a few times as if to clear her thoughts.

  “I love,” I paused seeing the reaction it caused in her. Her eyes widened, her mouth gaped just a little. “The way you look in this dress, but I think I’m ready to see it off now.” I wanted to say more, I wanted to tell her that she had me wrapped around her finger but I wasn’t sure if she was ready to hear it yet.

  So instead, I showed her with my actions, moving slow, taking my time to appreciate every angle, ever small dip, the way if I kissed her at the base of her neck she arched it so that I could have better access.

  I took my time, memorizing every part of Sadie, and etching to memory the sighs and please moans that escaped her.

  She was quickly becoming my everything, quickly becoming my world.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Sadie

  * * *

  I arched my back when I felt his hand glide over my bare ass and continue upward, until his palm remained in the center, just between my should blades. The feeling of soft kisses being left in the same path.

  I smiled into the pillow, feeling overwhelmed with what I felt for Wyatt. He was gentle, but demanding and I never knew just how much I could love that type of partner. The man knew what he was doing, and he knew it very well.

  “Are you hiding from me?” His warm breath fanned out over my shoulder and tickled my neck.

  “No.” Turning my head to the side I accepting the kiss he offered.

  Without warning, he slowly turned my body and suddenly I was on my back with his strong body coming to rest over my own.

  Hours ago, I had fallen asleep in his arms after we’d danced for hours and then snuck away to my house.

  Being woke up with him exploring my body was a mighty fine interruption.

  “I had to run home to take Gus out,” it hadn’t even crossed my mind that Cujo would be waiting at home. I felt a little sad for the big guy thinking of him all alone waiting for Wyatt. I’d been so exhausted form our earlier events that I’d not even realized Wyatt had snuck away.

  “He’s probably sad you’re not home,” I should really give Gus another shot, I may have been a little too harsh in my judgements.

  “He’s fine now,” he assured me, kissing over my neck and making me quickly forgot all about anything else.

  Settling in between my legs, I felt how hard he was. My body still ached in the best possible way and I knew I wanted more. Giving in to the way he made me feel with a simple kiss of touch of his hand, I arched upward and he shifted against me.

  Without attempting to stop it, I moaned and matched his movements, feeling the top of his hardness glide over me. “Is this okay?” I knew he was referring to the fact that he was bare and every time before this he’d worn a condom. I nodded, continue to move hoping that he’d proceed with what I knew we both wanted.

  And when he did, when I felt him push inside of me, my body again c
ame alive.

  I became someone I did not recognize when I was with Wyatt. Someone that wasn’t afraid to take what I needed and demand what I wanted. It was a whole new side of me and I knew that she’d always been there, but had been with all the wrong men.

  Wyatt gave me the courage to be this version of myself, he managed to drive me on with nothing more than a look or a gleam in his eye. The attraction between us was so strong and it only seemed as if it grew daily.

  Our night together was incredible, and it continued on into the early hours of the morning.

  I stood behind the counter, staring out at the man that walked around the store looking through the coolers. Miley walked alongside him, as he tried to pick out the perfect arrangement of flowers for his wife to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary.

  It was sweet how meticulous he was being.

  I was so lost in my own thoughts. Lost in the way my body was still remembering how it felt to be touched by Wyatt throughout the night. His hand always on me as if needing the connection as much as I did. Each kiss, every single glide of his hands, chills covering my arms and neck when I remembered looking down and seeing him feast on me like I was his last meal.

  I had no doubt in my mind that he'd be good in bed, we'd danced around one another long enough and with words alone he'd made me melt, but his mouth, those hands, my God they were inconceivable. I'd never felt so alive, so aware of the person I was with and what they were feeling. His pleasure, it was written all over his face, he did nothing to hide it. The soft whisper of my name as he moved himself inside of me, the assurance that he'd loved what he was feeling. It was one of the hottest moments I've ever experienced.

  "Excuse me?" My body jerked in surprise and I was immediately brought back to the present. My cheeks felt flushed and I was thankful for the thick sweater I was wearing because my nipples were so hard that there would be no way to hide them. "I was wondering if you could help me?"

  I cleared my thoughts and looked up, immediately feeling my body tense. I hadn't seen her since the day at the coffee shop, but Karlie stood opposite me, wearing a smile I knew was fake. She was the kind of girl that always had a hidden agenda. Nothing was innocent, it never had been.

  This girl was a raging bitch in high school, loving the idea that she'd gotten what I'd wanted. She fed on the attention and made sure that she used it to her advantage as much as possible.

  "What were you looking for?" Biting back the words I really wanted to say I held my tongue and waited.

  "I was wondering what a good plant was to give to someone as a housewarming present?"

  I looked past Karlie hoping that I'd be able to gain the attention of Miley and possibly pass her off to her. Only she was still completely invested in helping the confused man and she had her back to me.

  I moved around the counter, counting to ten over and over inside my mind as I walked toward the display of plant in the corner of the shop. Without looking back at Karlie, I tried to be professional when what I really wanted to do was trip her and watch with satisfaction as she face planted to the cool tile beneath my feet.

  "Are you looking for something low maintenance, or something that blooms possibly?" Honestly, I was seconds from grabbing the first one I could and insisting it was the best choice. The less time I spent with her was the best option. I cannot guarantee her safety because right now I was feeling pretty aggressive.

  "Well, he's a guy and I think we can both agree that something low maintenance is the best option."

  I scanned over the potted plants, trying to control my irritation.

  "You could go with an English Ivy, or maybe a Aglaonema." Reaching out I lifted one of the pots and held it out to her. She glanced at it quickly, ran her fingertips over the leaves and then turned her head as if to quickly dismiss it without any words.

  If I hadn't hated to waste a plant, I would have tossed it at her head and felt completely okay with the outcome.

  "What about this one?" I placed the plant I was holding back onto the stand and turned around just in time to see her pick up a Peace Lily. "It has pretty blooms on it, does it take much to maintain?"

  “There actually pretty easy to care for."

  "What is it called?"

  "A Peace Lily," I replied, already stepping around her.

  "That's perfect," she mumbled, and I didn't stick around to ask what she meant by that. Finding my way back to the counter I was already ringing her up with hope that she'd be on her way and fast. The euphoric buzz I'd been feeling since the moment I climbed out of bed with Wyatt this morning was long gone. Replaced with annoyance and irritation I just wanted the source to disappear.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Wyatt

  * * *

  I stepped outside the front door of the station and froze when I’d seen Karlie leaning against the side of her car. The same car that I’d bought her and finished paying for after she’d left. It was just one of the many things I’d been stuck handling after she moved out of the small place we’d shared.

  Standing tall, she held the strap of her purse and I could sense she was nervous.

  “Hey Wyatt,” she said, taking a step in my direction. I remained where I was. I didn’t want to be an ass, but how many times did one have to tell another that they had nothing to say to them before they accepted it?

  “It looks like I’m gonna be sticking around for a while.” Karlie worried her lip liked I’d seen her do so many times before. The way she would bite it over and over, slowly releasing it. “Gram’s cancers is back.” Karlie’s grandmother was all she had left. She’d never known her father and her mother died in an accident the year after we’d graduated high school. She’d always been closer to her grandmother than her own mother and I knew that this news had to be hard on her. Lois was honestly all Karlie had left.

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Dismissing her felt wrong, because I could see the sadness in her eyes. But I also knew my limits with Karlie, and I knew that she’d do anything or say anything she could to get her way.

  “I know you don’t want to hear it, and I know that no matter what I say it will never change what I did, but I am sorry Wyatt.” Looking down at her feet I could visibly see her chest rise and fall with a deep breath. “You loved me once.”

  Did I? I mean did I truly love her or just the idea of her?

  “I know that what I did was unforgivable,” lifting her gaze once more her eyes locked on mine. “I don’t know what I’m asking Wyatt, but I know that I miss you.”

  “Karlie—,”

  “I know, you don’t have to say it,” a tear escaped her eye and ran over her cheek. “I just wanted you to know that I regret the way things turned out with us. I honestly could have had an amazing life and I messed it up.”

  What do I tell her?

  Should I say, yes, you did and now you can leave?

  “I wish more than anything that I could go back and change what happened.”

  “But you can’t.” I’m not sure I felt the same. Going back would have meant that what I have with Sadie didn’t exist and frankly I’m a better man now that I am with her. She makes me happy, happier than I ever was with Karlie. “It’s time to move on.”

  Karlie bites on her inner lip, looking away from me trying to hide her tears. “What if I can’t? What if my life without you doesn’t make sense?”

  “You have to,” I replied. This was all part of her act. Karlie was dramatic, she always had been.

  She move in quick, pressing her palm to the center of my chest and my reaction was to step back. Bumping my hip into the railing leading down from the front door of the station I reached out to stable myself.

  “What if we tried again?” Was she fucking crazy? “What if what happened only made us closer now, almost like a life lesson that proves we’re better together than apart.”

  “We’re not.” We never were.

  “But…” I griped her wrist and removed her hand from my chest. She stopped ta
lking and looked up at me, pleading with me.

  “I’m in love with someone else,” I confessed, but honestly even if I didn’t have Sadie I wouldn’t want to be with Karlie. I’d never noticed it when I was with her but I was miserable, we made one another unhappy. “I don’t want to go back, Karlie,” the confession felt amazing. “I’ll never go back, that time is over.”

  She dropped her hand to her side, but continued to stare at me.

  Karlie was a pretty girl, she had the bluest eyes and perfect heart shaped lips, but she had nothing on my brown haired beauty. Sadie was stunning, and it wasn’t just her looks that made me weak in the knees, she was the ultimate package.

  “You’re in love with Sadie?”

  “I am,” I replied undeniably.

  Karlie and I stood there, facing one another, only staring at the other. Thoughts of Sadie dancing in my head and her… well, I wasn’t sure. But when she stepped back and gave me a forced smile I felt my chest grow tight. Karlie didn’t like to lose, she didn’t like not getting something she wanted. She was and has always been spoiled.

  “I’ll see you around.” Turning toward her car she climbed in behind the wheel and offered me a little wave before driving off.

  After she was gone, I walked to my truck and climbed up inside. Taking a few minutes before pressing the button and starting the engine, I didn’t want to take any of this shit home with me.

  When I drove passed Blossom's, taking the long way around I noticed that Sadie’s car was gone. The little clown car stood out in a town of bigger SUV’s and trucks. She’d be needing a ride daily once the first snowfall came.

  I stopped by the grocery store, picking up a few things I’d run low on and grabbing a couple steaks for dinner.

  When I got home, I gathered my bags and started toward the door. Again feeling a little disappointed that Sadie wasn’t yet home. Stepping up to the back door I immediately noticed the plant sitting on the step, with the Blossoms tag on the side of the pot and I smiled. Maybe this was a step in the direction of her adding her own little touches to my home.