Worth the Risk

by Anne Lange

  Biceps bulging, he lifted her over his straining erection and slowly lowered her onto his shaft. His jaw clenched tight, his muscles straining as he fought the impulse to ram into her.

  When he was finally sheathed in her tight channel, he stilled and drew in a lungful of air, desperate to gain control over his intoxicating need to pound into her. She wriggled around him.

  “Fuck.” He grasped her hips and began moving her up and down the length of his cock. “You’re so freaking hot.” The glove-tight sensation of gliding the flesh on his cock back and forth against the smooth walls of her vagina sent ripples of pleasure running through his body. Hot, slippery fluid warmed his dick. He rocked his body into hers, grinding his groin against her pelvis, pressing to fit himself as deep as he could get.

  “Oh, God, I’m going to come again. Go faster.”

  “Oh, yeah, honey. I can do faster.” His arms trembled as he shifted her up and down on his lap. Sweat dripped from his brow. The smack of her ass hitting his thighs was erotic as hell. He muttered between clenched teeth. “I don’t think I can. I can’t hold on, honey. You feel…tight and so fucking hot, babe.”

  She moaned deep and guttural in the hot, closed-in space. Her breaths came in hard pants. She raised her hands to her nipples. The sight of her pinching and pulling her pert tits kicked his craving up another notch. He growled like an animal. Swooping forward, he nudged her hands away with his chin and licked and sucked at each breast. Moving between the two, he rocked his hips faster.

  “Tanner.”

  “I’m almost there, honey. Just…another…minute.”

  Then she put her hands on his chest, tugging at his nipples. The sensation stunned him. He let her breast fall from his mouth and threw his head back against the headrest, his jaw slack. Ah, God. His balls and spine tingled. His cock was hard as steel inside her, ready to detonate.

  The pressure began to build, spiraling tight. Seconds from blowing, he somehow managed to increase the pace, thrusting deep as she rode him hard, searching for that sweet spot. She reached behind her, arched her chest, and cupped his sac in her hand, closing her fingers around him. She tugged and squeezed with just the right amount of pressure.

  Lightning flashed. Thunder crashed. She screamed and he roared as he erupted. His body jerked as he held her in a bruising grip and drove his cock home one last time, stopping when he bottomed out against her womb.

  With a long, throaty groan, spasm after spasm ripped through his core. How could so much fluid come from one man? He slumped back against the seat of the car, drained, sated, and euphoric. How in God’s name could he ever live his life without this woman in his bed, by his side, sharing the good times—and the not-so-great times?

  * * *

  Molly collapsed against Tanner’s chest, both working to get their breathing under control. His heart kept time with hers. Holy shit. Sex, even with Tanner, had never been this intense. She lifted her head, but had to will her arm to lift so she could clear a small area of condensation off the glass. The storm had stopped, and a gentle rain fell now. The fogged-over windows would ensure their retreat remained private for a while longer yet. He cascaded his hand over her hair and stroked down her bare back.

  “Wow.” His voice was deeper than normal, husky, sexy.

  “Yeah.” Her heart blossomed with love. Wild fantasies of a happy ever after flashed through her head. She had decided long ago that she wouldn’t find love again. Not one as she’d had with him all those years ago. After seeing him again, making love with him, baring her pain to him, she wondered if it was possible for her to be with him again. Could she take the risk? Did he even want her? She reflected over the weekend, remembering the tender glances, the soft-spoken words, the gentle touches.

  While her internal struggle continued, he caressed her back with soft lazy strokes. She sighed and settled against him, her arms reaching to loop around his neck. She lifted her head to gaze into his eyes. Excitement mingled with hope at what she believed she saw staring back at her.

  He leaned in and kissed her. “I’ve never stopped loving you.”

  “But—”

  “I want you back. I don’t want to pick up where we left off. I want to start over. I want to get to know the beautiful, sexy woman you are today. I want us to have a life together.” When she opened her mouth, he placed a finger against her lips. “Just listen. I want you in my life. It’s the reason I came home. It’s the reason I’m buying the restaurant. I can make you happy, I promise. If we’re fortunate enough to have children, that would be wonderful. And if not, well, there are other ways.” He stopped, but she waited, sensing he had more to say.

  “I spent the last ten years separated from you. Part of that time, I was angry. After a while, I discovered I was more hurt than angry. I didn’t understand then, but I do now, at least some of it. I’ve never found another woman who even came close to being somebody I wanted to share my life with. Please, give us a chance.” He eyes shimmered with pent-up emotion.

  “I love you too. I don’t know if I’ll have other problems with getting pregnant or the pregnancy itself, but I do know that I want to be with you, regardless of whether we can have a child of our own or not.” She paused. “I’m scared, but I’m willing to try. I think you’re worth the risk.”

  He enclosed her in his arms. Molly laid her head against his chest and released the breath she’d been holding for what felt like forever. Savoring the moment, they lay wrapped together, basking in the afterglow, while she listened to the light patter of rain on the roof.

  In the wee hours, he made love to her again, this time unhurried, but no less powerful.

  Chapter Eleven

  Molly hated saying good-bye to her friends. Although most of them lived within driving distance, they didn’t get together often enough. Breakfast was a relaxed, quiet affair. She sat with Tanner at one end of the picnic table. At her age, it was hard to believe shyness still existed, but she found herself casting quick peeks in his direction, somewhat fearful that the previous night had been a dream.

  When his glance swung to meet hers, the emotions displayed on his face and the hungry heat in his eyes left her mouth dry and her heart thumping double-time. His arm snaked around behind her to rest against her lower back, before moving to caress up and down her spine. He seemed happy and content—a man in love.

  They spent the remainder of the morning dismantling tents, packing clothes and bedding, storing food, and clearing the site of waste. Molly multitasked, using the time to replay the events of the past few days in her mind. In less than four days she had fallen in love. Or had she every really fallen out of love? So much had changed. Tanner was home, and he wanted her back. The guilt she had been living with for the past ten years didn’t run so deep anymore. She discovered that with the right person at her side, she could be strong enough to take any risk, because that person would share it with her.

  She gazed over to where he stood by the cars joking with the other men. He glanced up, and he curved his lips into a slow smile. The warm feeling that filled her almost made her dizzy. At the end of the day, right or wrong, the past was the past and with a shared history, and a shared pain, they at least didn’t need to start from scratch. She could now move forward from here.

  Colleen drew Molly aside, her eyes wide with curiosity. “What’s going on between you and Tanner?”

  “Nothing. Why?”

  Colleen narrowed her eyes and scrunched her forehead. “Don’t give me that innocent crap. You’re my best friend. I know you. Something’s up. Spill.”

  “Um…I don’t really want to talk about it right now or right here.”

  “Why not?”

  Molly widened her eyes.

  “You guys had sex, didn’t you?”

  She dropped her gaze down to the chipped polish on her toes.

  “Let me see your face.” Molly raised her head. Colleen let out a tiny squeal. “When?”

  She offered a teasing grin. “The first time or
the last time?”

  “Oh, my God!” This time, her shriek captured the interest of their other friends.

  “Can you keep it down please? You’re attracting attention.”

  “Details.”

  “Not here. Besides, I want to keep things low-key for a while.” She kicked at a stone. “At least until we know where this relationship is going, until it’s more stable.”

  Serious now, Colleen studied her. “I can understand that. Are you OK though, honey?”

  “Yeah, I’m very OK.”

  “What happened? It’s been ten years. What happened then? What happened now?”

  “This really isn’t the place for me to go into the details. But I will tell you. I promise.”

  “Fair enough. What about what happened this weekend, between you and Tanner.”

  “Let’s just say we’ve discussed the issues that separated us long ago and want to see where things can go from here.”

  “Was the sex hot? Can you tell me that at least?” Colleen had a wicked gleam in her eye.

  Molly fanned herself.

  “Oh, we so have to schedule a girls’ afternoon—real soon.”

  Molly chuckled. “Tanner still has to finalize the restaurant deal. While that happens, he’ll be going back and forth between his parents place and mine. But don’t worry. I’ll make sure I keep my schedule open for you too.”

  Colleen had tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. “I’m happy for you.” She gave her a long, tight hug before moving away to finish packing.

  Long before the others had started the day, Tanner and Molly, cuddled in the back seat of the car, had discussed plans for the summer, striving to work those plans around their budding relationship. He planned to go back to town with Brad and spend a few days with his parents, but promised to drive to Ottawa to see her the following weekend. She would have to settle for some heated phone sex until then. She’d never had phone sex before, but the concept thrilled her.

  Both agreed to take their time. They wanted to do this right. Molly strolled over to join the others standing by the cars.

  “It sure was a surprise to see you this weekend.” Violet placed a hand on Tanner’s shoulder. Turning to see Molly approach, she grinned. “A nice surprise, I believe.”

  Tanner shifted his stance when Molly come up beside him, hooked an arm around her waist and hugged her close, treating her to a special smile. “I couldn’t agree more.”

  Brad studied them for a moment and grinned. “Hey, man, we have some more catching up to do on the ride back to town.” She felt her cheeks heat as Tanner gave her a squeeze.

  “Let us know if you need some help with the renos.” Matt was stuffing a cooler into the back of his SUV. “And don’t forget to invite us to your opening.”

  Tanner chuckled. “You can expect personal invites. Once I finalize my plans, I’ll let you know how you can help, and we’ll set up a private event to celebrate. Dinner will be on me.” He moved away from Molly and walked over to give Sam a pat on the back before he pulled Olivia into his arms. “Congrats again. You’re going to make wonderful parents.”

  Time to leave. With a few tears, Molly wished them well and backed away to stand beside Tanner and Brad as the others drove away in their respective cars, waving until they disappeared around the bend.

  Brad hugged Molly and then climbed into his car. Tanner swiveled to face her. He hauled her close and pressed his lips to hers. “I can’t wait to see you again. It’s going to be a very long week.”

  She leaned into him. “It’s four days. I’m sure you want to spend some time with your parents. Count yourself lucky if you manage to get away on Friday.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about that. I will be in your apartment by dinnertime. Wear something special for my arrival.” He winked.

  “How about heels?”

  “Just heels?”

  “You’ll have to wait and see.” She felt alive, ready to take on anything the future tossed her way. With a growl, he gave her a final hug and a deep, searing kiss that singed her lips.

  “Get in your car before I change my mind about visiting my parents. Brad and I will follow you out of the park.”

  She hesitated, looking down at his chest rather than in his face. “Tanner?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m glad you came back, and I’m glad you don’t hate me. I can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve missed you.” The last came out on a near sob.

  “I know. I missed you too, honey. We’ll take it one step at a time.” He smiled, and inclined his head in for yet one more heated embrace. “I’m looking forward to playing house with you this summer.”

  She laughed, swatted his ass, and gave him one last quick smooch. Then she ran to her car and jumped in before she changed her mind about him visiting his parents.

  The trip home was the opposite from her drive to the park on Friday. Instead of visits down memory lane, she dreamed of bright possibilities ahead. Caught up in blissful happiness, she sang along with the radio on the way home, her smile honest and true for the first time in years.

  Epilogue

  Five Years Later

  “Come on, Molly, we need to get on the road. I’d like to be there before the burgers are cold and beer is warm.” Tanner’s favorite pastime these days—teasing his slow-moving wife. She ambled over, her smile radiant, her hands hugging her swollen belly. Pregnant with their second child, she remained the most stunning woman he had ever laid eyes on, and he loved her more each day.

  Their daughter, Ava, clinging to the hem of Molly’s blouse, toddled along beside her.

  “I’m ready to go. I was waiting for your daughter to take a final potty break before we put her in the car. It’s a long drive to the park for a two-year-old.”

  He laughed. Ava released her hold on Molly and ran toward him, her chubby little legs churning and sporting an ear-to-ear grin. Her eyes went big and round as she pulled her arms back, elbows pointed, hands curled into tiny fists. He was familiar with that look and recognized the signs.

  Tanner bent down low, ready to catch her. Ava came in at full tilt, leaping as only a spirited two-year-old could. In one fluid motion, he grabbed his daughter around the waist and stood, swinging her high in the air, eliciting screams of little-girl pleasure, before he turned to settle her into the car seat, and buckle her in. Leaning inside the vehicle he kissed her on the forehead. She rewarded him with a pat on the cheek, and she giggled when he closed the door and then pressed his face against the glass.

  Molly got in and secured her own seat belt. He gave his wife a resounding smooch on the lips before closing her car door and then walking around to climb in on the driver’s side.

  “Go park, Daddy, go park.” Ava clapped her little hands, delighted to go on an adventure.

  They were off for their annual May Two-Four weekend. Now, however, it was more of a family get-together. Sam and Olivia would be there with their twins, as would Colleen and Steve, who married not long after Ava’s birth. They lived in Ottawa now—eagerly expecting their first child in October, right around Thanksgiving.

  Brad and his new wife would be there too, and Matt and Violet, who eventually hooked up—to the surprise of everyone but Molly. Wedding bells were in the future for those two. Seeing his friends happy and settled in their lives went a long way in making up for the time he lost with them.

  With the help of a therapist, he and Molly had worked through their past. He had spent time discussing his feelings about the baby and a sense of loss for something he had known nothing about. Thankfully, Molly’s other pregnancies had been normal.

  After six months of renovations and then decorating, they’d opened their restaurant, and even with a small handful of hiccups, it had turned into a wise and successful business venture.

  Life was better than good. He and Molly had found their way back to each other, proving in life, and in love, some risks were worth taking.

  ~ About the Author ~

  Whil
e embarking on a career as a romance author, Anne Lange juggles a full time job and a family. She grew up in Southern Ontario, Canada, but now makes her home in a small town in Eastern Ontario where she lives with her husband, three children, and Rocky, the bearded dragon.

  Find out more about Anne Lange here

  Blog: http://authorannelange.com

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/Anne_Lange

  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anne-Lange

  Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/Anne_Lange

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  ~ More Erotic Romance from Etopia Press ~

  Stranded Temptation

  April Angel

  Stranded together, their passions will run wild.

  Kara has a deep dislike for her boss, Max. She also wants him so badly it’s making her nuts. He’s a workaholic, a robot man. And he’s never shown the least bit of interest in her or anything else that wasn’t recorded in the corporate minutes. But when their plane crashes on the way to a meeting, leaving them stranded on a deserted island…just the two of them, all alone with all that ocean around them…Kara decides it’s time to start living. And by living, she means using Max for all the hot sex she’s been denied.

  Max wants Kara—has wanted her for a long time. Unable to come out and cross the line between professional and personal, he makes her accompany him on business trips just to have her around. When they crash land and Kara shows him how much she wants him, he decides to quit being so professional and take the woman of his dreams. After all, what happens in the middle of nowhere, stays in the middle of nowhere. Until they’re rescued.

  Back in the real world, things aren’t as easy. Kara is afraid to start a relationship with a man who completely ignored her until she took off her clothes, and Max is afraid she’ll never be able to trust him. But when someone makes it clear that Kara’s in danger, Max has more to protect than Kara’s feelings. And now that he has her, he’s not about to let her go.