Worth the Risk

by Anne Lange

  She peered into his eyes. Blinked.

  He waited. She dropped her gaze to the ground, and then raised her hands, covering her face for a few moments. She started to massage her temples. Two fingers on each hand moving in slow circles at each side of her head. He continued to wait. She finally managed a couple of deep breaths and then dropped her hands to her sides.

  “There’s something I need to tell you. Something I probably should have told you a long time ago. But I can’t carry this secret around anymore. Not if I want to be happy for my friends.”

  Shit, what kind of secret could have her so worked up? She strolled a few feet away. Squaring her shoulders, she spun around to face him. “The reason I broke up with you—” An array of emotions played across her face. Pain. Fear. Sadness. Pain, again. She closed her eyes. When she opened them and stared straight into his, they were filled with resigned determination. “I had a miscarriage.”

  His mouth opened, but no words came out. He blinked a few times and swallowed. A tiny gray rabbit scampered out of the brush and froze when it spotted them. Its nose twitched as it tested whether they were friend or foe. Making its choice, it scampered away.

  “Excuse me? What do you mean? When were you pregnant?”

  Molly clasped her hands together, wrung them, and started to pace back and forth. She stopped. Her voice shook when she spoke. “I found out I was pregnant before our last Christmas together.”

  He stumbled two steps and curled at the waist, his breath expelled in a rush. He fought to suck in some badly needed oxygen. Desperate to make sense of what she had said, he put up his hand. “Wait. That last…you were pregnant?” He paused for a long moment while the thoughts in his head swirled. A baby. “You lost our baby. And you didn’t tell me?” Ten fucking years ago. A baby.

  “Yes. I planned to tell you over the holidays. It was supposed to be a surprise.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me when you found out?”

  “I didn’t want to distract you during exams.”

  “And what about after exams?” He gritted his teeth.

  “Well, by then it was…too late.”

  “And then?”

  “I never found a good time.” Her voice had softened to a near whisper.

  “Too late? A good time? Fuck.” He caught himself before he yelled. He paused to take a calming breath. “It’s never too late to tell a guy he’s going to be a father.” He stalked toward her and grasped her shoulders in his hands. “And there’s certainly time to tell him when it’s gone.”

  Tanner pushed the words out, leaving a bitter taste on his tongue. His tone sounded unforgiving, even to his own ears, but he didn’t give a damn. She paled and tried to step away, but he held her arms pinned at her sides. He finally let his hands drop away and retreated a few steps, running his fingers through his hair. “Christ, I thought we loved each other. Would have a future together.” His voice cracked. He swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat. “How could you not tell me something so fucking important?”

  He stomped around the clearing. She waited him out. When he regained a modicum of restraint, he circled back to face her. “Is that why you wouldn’t see me at Christmas?”

  She nodded.

  “What happened?” His voice, thunderous in the silence of the small clearing, made her jump. Even the wildlife stilled.

  “A few days before Christmas, I woke up bleeding. My parents rushed me to the hospital. I hadn’t told them yet either.” Her face flamed red, and she bit her lip before she looked away.

  His insides ached. When he spoke, his voice came out more severe than he intended, raw with emotion. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have been there for you. Damn it, I should have been there for you.”

  “I didn’t want pity, and I couldn’t face the possibility of you blaming me either.”

  “Blame you? Blame you for what? You didn’t give me the chance to do anything. I don’t know how I would have reacted, but I wouldn’t have blamed you for getting pregnant. Christ, I was there too.” He drove his fingers through his hair again. “You should have trusted me. I would have helped you through it.” He paced the clearing. “How far along were you?”

  “About four months.”

  “Four months? Four fucking months, and you didn’t say a word to me in all that time?”

  “I’d only known for a few weeks.”

  A painful sense of loss ruptured his soul. Not for a baby he’d known nothing about, but for not having the opportunity to share her grief, to comfort his girlfriend when she needed him most. Parenthood came with obligations. Losing the chance to become a parent also came with responsibilities. She’d taken away his responsibility.

  “We’d been living together for over three years. Didn’t I mean anything to you? Didn’t you love me at all?” He paused, his body shuddering on his next exhale. “It was my baby too.” Spinning on his heel, he walked over to one of the boulders that ringed the area and, with his back to it, slid down to the ground.

  * * *

  Molly rested against a tree, staying while Tanner wrested with his emotions, struggling to absorb her confession. Maybe he didn’t want her here, but she couldn’t leave him just yet. She remained quiet but watchful as tears slipped from the corners of his eyes to run unchecked down his cheeks. He’d sit for a bit, jump up and pace the small clearing, and then return to perch on one of the boulders. He repeated the routine, oblivious to or most likely ignoring her presence.

  When at last he stood and simply stared at her, she jumped up, brushing pine needles and grass from her backside and legs. For long moments, he continued to observe her, no expression on his face, but his suffering was palpable. She waited.

  He strode toward her, his gait stiff. He stopped an inch away from her toes and regarded her in silence, his eyes dark, shuttered. He hesitated before reaching out to pull her into his arms. This time, she stepped into his embrace willingly.

  He didn’t utter a word. His gentleness unraveled her. Every ounce of pain, the guilt, the heartbreak, but most of all the relief of finally sharing it with somebody, with the one somebody she should have, exploded out of her in deep, gut-wrenching sobs. The suddenness and extent of her grief surprised her, embarrassed her, but she couldn’t stop.

  She cried for a lost baby, for a friend who lost ten years with his family, and she cried for losing out on the opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to spend the rest of her life with the only man she ever loved.

  Chapter Seven

  Her sobs switched to soft hiccups. He cupped her face in his hands and tipped her head back. He wiped away the remaining tears and then lowered his head and joined his lips to hers. He licked along the fold and into the corners of her mouth, sipping at the salty moisture captured there. If only he could absorb her pain.

  A shudder racked her body as a sigh escaped. He dipped his tongue inside her mouth, stroking the tip of her tongue. Passion for this beautiful woman surged through him, leaving him shaken with the depth of his emotions for her. Deepening the kiss, heated desire swelled his cock to uncomfortable proportions.

  Draping her arms around his neck, Molly pushed her fingers through his hair, made fists, and pulled his head down to hold him in place. He explored her warmth as though they had all day. His mind raced with a variety of things he wanted to do, but he put the mental brakes on, not wanting to risk her running again.

  She pressed her body close. Her nipples beaded into hard little points, drilling his chest. She began to pant, stuttering every so often, the aftereffect of crying for such a long time. Her tongue tangled with his. His memories guided him as he withdrew from her lips to plant kisses from behind her ear, down to her collarbone. He licked his way back to a particularly sensitive spot below her ear. Her head fell back, exposing her throat. She twisted her head to the other side. He’d happily kiss her wherever she wanted him to.

  Starting at the hollow of her throat, he swept his tongue along the soft skin on her neck. A moan bubbled from her
lips, and her body quivered in his arms. He repeated the process on the other side before returning to recapture her mouth in a bruising kiss. He drilled into her mouth and anchored his hips to hers, his plea blatant. She tilted back and peered up, her eyes open, the lids heavy. Excitement sped through his body.

  “I need you.” His request rough, his throat scratchy, sounded more caveman-like than he was comfortable with, but he got the point across.

  * * *

  Molly scanned the area around them, ensuring their little oasis remained private. Other than rabbits, squirrels, and the occasional bird, they were alone. The sun filtered through the trees creating a patchwork of shade. Earth and aroused male were the two scents strong enough to interest her. Her hands trembled as she reached out for Tanner’s shirt, her fingers fumbling with the snaps. A deep yearning overwhelmed her. Here, now, with nature their single witness she craved him. She hoped once sated, the hunger would go away.

  Telling him the truth smashed down a barrier she hadn’t realized existed. She still had plenty to explain, to apologize for, but right now, at this small moment in time, this was what she wanted, and to hell with the consequences. She needed him. She had waited long enough.

  She ran her hands over his chest, stopping to rub his small brown nipples into hard little pebbles, before she tipped forward to sample a taste of his flesh. She followed each brush of her lips with a flick of her tongue and a gentle bite, elated when he sucked in his breath, hissing through his teeth. Encouraged, she worked her way first across his very fine upper chest and then down the middle toward his taught belly.

  His muscles tightened beneath her fingers as she made her way down his body until she kneeled in front of him. She peeked up through her lashes. She raised her hands as high as she could reach, and in a slow, sensual glide, raked her nails down his stomach. He quivered, delighting her with a lusty male groan. She paused at the waistband of his jeans. Tilting her head back, she stared deep into his eyes and licked her lips. His breath caught. His intent gaze fixated on her tongue, his pupils dark and dilated. She imagined she could hear the pounding of his heart.

  She undid his snap and reached around to grab the back of the waistband, pushed it over his hips, down to his knees. She sat back on her heels. She’d never seen a sexier, more vibrant man. His erection stretched long, thick, and heavy in its aroused state. The dark plum-colored head spilled precum from the tiny slit. Wrapping one hand around his length, she moved in tight, firm strokes up and down. His skin soft as velvet and warm, he seemed to pulse in her grip. She flexed the fingers on her other hand and raised it to cradle his balls.

  Molly leaned closer, her tongue slipping out to lick at the pearl of liquid gathered at the tip. Her eyes drifted closed as she swallowed. She opened wide and covered the head of his cock, filling her mouth until it rested atop the bed of her tongue. Then she closed her lips, surrounding him.

  His breath whooshed out of his body as he sagged against the large boulder holding him up. She smiled; her lips stretched wide around him and closed her eyes in ecstasy. Humming her appreciation of his salty taste and male scent, she moved her mouth up and down in slow, deep glides, taking him to the back near her throat on every other stroke.

  He thrust his hands in her hair. Using gentle manipulation, he tried to control her speed. She consumed him, taking him as deep inside as she dared, and then withdrew, applying suction when she neared the top.

  Again and again, she repeated the maneuver, twisting her head on the occasional upward movement to provide pressure at different points. He strengthened his hold and began to thrust his hips, his cock tunneling in and out her mouth.

  “Oh, man, honey, that feels fantastic. Your mouth is so hot.”

  Molly eased back to run her tongue around the top, stopping to flick against the sensitive spot under the rim. She caressed his balls in the palm of her hand, massaging them with her fingers while she licked and planted kisses around the head.

  “More. Suck me some more. Harder.”

  She nodded, eager to oblige. Oh, yes, this was exactly what the doctor ordered. One last time with Tanner.

  * * *

  Tanner leisurely pumped in and out, captivated by the glide of his dick through the circle of her lips. She covered his cock like a heated blanket. He loved to see her mouth around him, his shaft shiny and wet each time she eased back and then swallowed him up again. His balls pulled uptight, the need to come building to an urgent state, but he didn’t want to explode in her mouth. It had been too long. He wanted to experience that particular pleasure buried deep inside her body. With a mixture of regret and anticipation, he gave her hair a firm tug.

  She stopped and peered at him with glazed eyes. The unfocused stare, her face clouded with lust, his cock shoved halfway to the back of her throat, made him growl low and harsh. “I need you to stop. If you keep going, I’ll lose it, and I want to come inside you.”

  He drew back until he fell from her mouth with a soft pop. When she pouted and licked her lips, he almost changed his mind. However, his need to taste her won out. The warmth flowing over his fingers last night had been exquisite. Now he wanted her flavor on his tongue. His mouth watered just thinking about it. He wondered if she was as sweet as he remembered.

  Yanking up his jeans, but leaving them undone, he reached down to help her stand. He removed her shorts and panties, placing the shorts on the rock to cushion her rear as best he could. He eased her down and knelt before her. Then it was his turn to gaze up.

  Face flushed, eyes bright, this gorgeous woman sat perched before him, her lips red and swollen from sucking his cock.

  “My turn.” He spread her thighs, lifting her legs to place her feet over his shoulders. He inhaled as he surveyed her, intimately spread open before him. Her pussy glistened with dew-like droplets. The scent of her arousal fanned the fire in his gut. He bent forward, his tongue flicking out to steal a sample. A moan rose from deep inside as he kissed her silky flesh.

  He toyed with her clit, licked along the length of her opening, sucked and nibbled on her engorged lips. Her body vibrated. With each pass over the aroused little pleasure point, and every dip into her warm entrance, she bucked against his chin.

  “Please.” She panted. “Make me come.”

  He chuckled. “Soon.”

  “Now, Tanner. I need to come now.”

  He flicked her clit again, enjoying the shivers that travelled through her body, the increased trembling in her legs. He pressed a finger deep inside, her juices seeping out around it. He shoved in a second finger, pumping both in and out while he alternated between licking and sucking on her pussy lips. The walls of her vagina clenched, trying to pull him in deeper. He worked his tongue and fingers faster. The quake in her thighs increased until at last, her body clamped down like a vise, clutching his fingers, and she uttered a carnal cry of release.

  She spilled onto his tongue, her intoxicating cream covering it. He lapped up every drop he could catch, slowing his strokes to soft sweeps. He remained mindful of her tender skin, but strove to extend the pleasure for as long as possible. Her breathing returned to normal, and a purr of satisfaction reached his ears.

  * * *

  Molly sagged, her body limp and relaxed, but they weren’t finished yet. He stood, and with his gaze locked on hers, put the fingers he’d had in her pussy, into his mouth. He closed his lips around them and sucked, licking them clean—even the web between each digit. Her stomach clenched. Oh man, that was hot.

  “I need you inside me.” There had been no one since Tanner who could make her feel the way he did. Mistake, or not, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting it or from taking what he offered.

  His eyes darkened as he plucked his wallet from his back pocket and extracted a condom. Pushing his jeans down with one hand, he held the package to his mouth with the other, and ripped it open. His gaze never strayed from hers as he rolled it over his erection. Jerking her to her feet, he removed her tank top, and spun her around to fac
e the rock. With a firm hand on her back, he urged her to lean forward until her upper body stretched over the surface and she grasped the opposite edge with her fingertips. He stepped in behind and cradled her hips in his hands. With her ass snug against his pelvis, he bent over her back and brushed his lips along the back of her neck, then trailed his tongue down her spine. She shuddered.

  He reached around between her chest and the boulder to rub his palms across her peaked nipples. He pinched them, bringing a sting of pleasure to the tips and a gasp of desire to her lips. Then he removed his hands and, placing one palm against the center of her back, pressed her down to bring the tips of her nipples in contact with rock.

  The cool, smooth texture against the hot, hard surface of her nipples was one of the most sensuous things she had ever experienced. Moisture flooded her pussy, and she bowed further, rubbing her chest back and forth. The abrasion alone brought her closer to climax.

  From behind, he entered her, inch by thick, hard inch. Her eyes widened, and she grunted low in her throat as he stretched her open. He pushed until his cock kissed her womb, until his balls tickled her clit.

  “God, you’re tight.” He voice sounded strained; he had to work to get the words out. “You feel so fucking wonderful. I’ve missed this, sweetheart. I’ve missed you.”

  As he withdrew, pulling across sensitive tissue, she whimpered at the emptiness. Going from simmer to a fast boil, pressure began to a built, low in her belly. He plunged back into her depths, withdrew, plunged again. Before he had acted as though they had all the time in the world—now he wasted none.

  He quickened his pace, pumping harder, faster, the force of the movement rocking her torso back and forth against the rock. Each drag of her nipples across the rough boulder heightened the erotic sensations, catapulting her toward orgasm.