Risk It

by Isabelle Drake

  “We should do one with you and Connor.”

  Gwen’s neck nearly snapped when she spun to look at Jerry. The next thing she knew, he was calling Connor over and getting out his phone. Connor finished adjusting the metal rack then came over, his face expressionless.

  “Yeah?”

  “Let’s get a picture with you and Gwen.”

  “What for?”

  “The website, Twitter… You know, the social media stuff everyone is always pestering me about.”

  “I have to get the vegetables from the cantina before they overcook.”

  “This will only take a minute.” Jerry shoved Connor so that he was standing beside Gwen. Smoke, sweat and the particular scent that she now recognized as Connor’s own swirled around her, making her heart thump.

  Jerry pushed them closer together so they stood side by side, not looking at each other. He seemed not to notice the panicked look on Gwen’s face as he snapped a couple of shots. “All righty. That’ll do.” He smacked Connor on the shoulder. “See? That didn’t take long.”

  Connor glanced at Gwen, his gaze unreadable. “Hope you enjoy the dinner. The settler beans are my own recipe.”

  She started to tell him she looked forward to trying them but he’d already turned and walked away.

  “He isn’t always that antisocial,” Jerry said, leading her over to the trio of guys still deep in conversation. Once they were close enough, Gwen finally figured out what they were so interested in—the latest comic book movie. Jerry waited for a pause, added his opinion then skillfully brought Gwen into the conversation. Each of the guys seemed okay but she could already tell there were no sparks flying.

  Within an hour, she’d uncovered the basics. August, the surprisingly sexy nerd, was an MMA fighter and game designer. Derek, the guy in the khaki shorts was a White House Clerk, and Tommy Z was a DJ she’d actually heard of.

  She did her best to stay in the verbal fray but her heart wasn’t in it. She couldn’t stop herself from watching the way Connor’s jeans pulled against his thighs when he bent down to poke the smoldering logs or the way his shoulders swayed when he walked. The heated stares he returned every time she managed to catch his attention weren’t helping either.

  Later, when she was alone with Tommy Z, she was still thinking about Connor. She and Tommy had fun with Sookie and Kevin, posing and pretending to be totally into each other but Tommy had confessed to Gwen that he’d only come to the ranch because his best friend had dared him. They’d had a great laugh over Sookie’s desperate attempts to get them to look like they were sneaking off into the woods to do it. In the end, they’d agreed to walk away from the camera, holding hands as they disappeared between the dark trees. Once they were far enough from Kevin, they exchanged kisses on the cheek and offered each other a chaste goodnight.

  * * * *

  The Friday schedule was three basic parts. After breakfast, Sookie did private interviews with Gwen then with each of the guys. Gwen was thankful for that because it gave her some time to go for a run, something she desperately needed to do after the restless night she’d spent, waking up every couple hours, remembering the dirty details of dreams featuring her and Connor.

  After the interviews was the trail ride led by Jerry and his wife Betsey. She and Tommy shared some laughs at Derek’s inability to stay in the saddle, even though they walked most of the time. The guy fell off his horse twice, which had to be some kind of ranch record. The guy’s sour attitude made Gwen dread the third part of the day, her date night with Derek.

  For that meal, Connor had made box dinners and provided them with a blanket and a couple of bottles of wine. He’d even drawn them a map, showing the way through the woods to the perfect opening to spread out the blanket and admire the rolling hills of the Appalachians. Sookie made a fuss over Gwen’s blue halter-style dress and insisted Kevin get several clips of her alone walking along the trail. Everything was fantastic—except for Derek. Sookie and Kevin, must have been irritated by the guy’s bad attitude too because they got what they needed then left. Gwen was glad she hadn’t been asked to do any pretending, like she had with Tommy. She was good at creating dresses but not acting. That was probably why—after Sookie and Kevin were gone and he’d complained about his horse, the saddle, the other guys and even about Jerry—she totally lost her patience and got up and left.

  Gwen stopped at her cabin long enough to drop off her bags and slip into a pair of flip-flops then made her way down the footpath leading the way from the cantina.

  What a waste of a night.

  On the bright side, at least she didn’t have to worry about hurting Derek’s feelings when she didn’t put the hat on him—because obviously he didn’t have any.

  Two nights down, one more to go.

  When she reached the fork at the bottom of the hill, she took the right turn that led to the lake. The hazy moonlight illuminated the path so it was easy to find her way through the thick brush that hid the small lake. She paused, scanning the area to be sure she was alone. No movement. No sound. No sign of anyone. Perfect solitude. Exactly what she needed—a chance to burn of the frustration of the evening.

  Chapter Four

  From the far side of the floating raft, Connor watched Gwen lift the hem of her dress and take the first step into the water. He should say something—call out, let her know he was there. That would be the decent thing to do.

  He lay still, watching, every muscle in his body tense as he willed her to peel that dress off so he could finally see what was underneath.

  He held in a groan of disappointment when she backed out of the water, making her way along the edge. But she didn’t leave. He breathed in slowly, concentrating on moving as little as possible as he watched her step back into the water. She was considering the temperature, maybe. Maybe it was her nerve she was testing. Were fancy girls from the city supposed to swim naked in a dark lake?

  Please let the answer be yes.

  His breathing stopped altogether when she reached behind her neck. He waited. The top of her dress fell, revealing a mouth-watering pair of breasts. The rest of the dress fell with two quick shakes and she stood at the shore, all bare skin and fuckable curves.

  Three, four, five steps later she was waist deep, her arms spread, her back arched, ripples of water breaking the smooth surface behind her. Keeping his gaze trained on her sleek body, Connor slowly twisted to give his swelling cock room to expand.

  She stretched her arms overhead and dove in, her motions creating even more ripples as she swam underwater toward the raft. When her head rose above the surface, he whistled then called her name.

  She stopped about ten feet from the raft, treading water with long sweeps of her arms.

  “It’s me, Connor, on the raft.”

  She didn’t say anything but he could tell she’d spotted him because her fluid movements turned jerky. Water splashed around her hands and he noticed that she sank deeper into the dark water. He was lying on his stomach, so there was no way for her to know he was totally hard, pressing against the damp wood beneath him.

  Would she turn back? The soft rush of the water’s ripples mixed with the soft pants of her breath, the sensual sound making his heart thump. Light from the moon cut through the clouds, giving him enough illumination to see the pale glimmer of her skin beneath the surface. If he lifted himself up he might be able to see beneath the surface, but he stayed down, waiting, hoping she’d come closer on her own.

  He should stick to his resolution of avoiding engaging with her but asked, “Have a nice dinner?”

  She scoffed. “He was a jerk.”

  The laughter mixed in with her scorn made him smile. “I meant the meal,” he lied.

  “You know the food was fantastic.” She laughed again, this time without the scorn, and he admitted to himself that he really did want her to stay. “It was him. He was horrible. He talked about himself then did a comparison of me to his past girlfriends. To see if he and I could be a match.”
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  “No hat for him.” He knew he shouldn’t ask but he couldn’t help himself. “So what happened last night with Mr. Perfect DC, after you two ran into the woods together?”

  She swept her arms wider and he got a glimpse of the top of her breasts. “That was staged.” Then, more softly she added, “Sookie got us to do it.”

  “That’s okay, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  Her reply wasn’t convincing, so he said, “It’ll be better tomorrow.”

  “Yeah? How do you know?”

  Jerry had mentioned Gwen’s dress-making business and how her looking gorgeous in the clips Sookie posted would benefit the ranch as well. He’d come up with something. “I have a special dinner planned—four courses, candlelight, flowers. You’re going to wear another one of your dresses, right?”

  “Sure.”

  “What color?”

  “Pink.”

  “Perfect. I’ll make sure the flowers match. I can let Jerry’s wife know too, so she won’t wear pink.”

  “Jerry’s wife?”

  “She’ll be serving dinner. Kitchen is going to be busy.”

  She moved forward and he was certain he spotted her nipples. “You won’t be around for dinner?”

  “I will, but I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  She moved closer then stared up at him, her arms circling beneath the water. He could see the full outline of her breasts and the shadow of her long legs churning deeper in the water. “You’ll be in there the whole time?”

  “Yeah. I will.” He smacked the side of the raft. “Come here. Hold on underneath.”

  She glanced at the raft then looked into his face, her arms still slicing through the water, her breath soft. His heart thumped.

  “I think I’d better go,” she said without moving away.

  He shifted forward. “You sure?”

  She turned away and swam. Her long arms sliced through the dark water, creating ripples. She rose from the water gradually, not turning back once. Instead of putting her dress on, she wrapped it around herself as she headed back up the trail

  * * * *

  “I’m not going to stop unless you tell me to.” Connor pressed his mouth to her ear before moving his hands again, one gliding over her thigh, the other shoving her skirt up. The humid afternoon breeze whispered across her bare skin but the moisture in the air was nothing compared to the liquid heat curling through her. Wanting more, she scooted forward. The edge of the picnic table cut into the back of her legs so she hooked her ankles behind Connor and placed her hands behind herself for balance.

  He moved his mouth down her neck then pressed his lips to hers. Immediately, he deepened the kiss. With light, slow strokes, he ran his fingers up and down the wet fabric between her legs, putting the tiniest bit of pressure on her clit. When he leaned forward to brace himself with his other arm, he went after her mouth with a demanding thoroughness.

  Back and forth, he caressed her stiff nub through the thin fabric, teasing her with light pressure. Gwen parted her lips farther, begging him with her tongue to give her what she needed between her legs. He held back, returning her kiss but continuing to stroke her softly and slowly with only his thumb. Tension gathered in her spine, her back arched, forcing her legs further apart. He moved closer and gave her what she wanted, switching to the backs of his knuckles to give her more pressure and quicker motion.

  The tension in her spine increased and she rocked her hips in rhythm to their kisses. Within seconds, she was panting as she ran her wet lips across his, her motions frantic. The first flickers of her orgasm came from deep inside but stalled. Gwen stilled, dropping her head back to pull in a needed deep breath as the explosion whipped through her, leaving her limp and blinking against the sun.

  He tugged her skirt down to cover her thighs then took her hands in his, lacing their fingers together. “You’re gorgeous.” He moved back enough for her to see into his eyes.

  Gwen kicked against the sheets, struggling to fully wake. Even after her eyes were open, the sexual longing lingered, teasing her body with a thick electric hum.

  She lay still, waiting for the sensation to ebb. Five minutes later she was still waiting.

  With a groan, she threw off the covers, stood and peeled off her sweat-soaked sheer yellow nightie. She flipped on the shower, rubbing her palms up and down her arms while the water warmed up. Once she stepped into the spray, the soothing water flowed across her shoulders and trailed down her spine. She dropped her head back, tipping it to one side then the other.

  The flickers of sensual heat continued to flare in her center. She arched her back and angled her body so the water streamed across her chest, tantalizing her nipples. She cupped her breasts with her palms, squeezing the soft flesh then flicked her nipples with her thumbs. The tendrils of arousal thickened. She lowered one hand and tucked it between her legs, sliding it higher to use the side of her thumb to caress her clit.

  She pressed her back to the tiles and spread her legs, giving herself better access to her pussy lips and clit. It was only enough to tease her with the possibility of release. Frustrated, Gwen moved her hand faster, breathing deeply and focusing on the back and forth rhythm. Gradually her body responded, the swirl of need coming alive inside her, twisting and churning. She rocked her hips, hoping to increase the sensation. Her orgasm flickered up and vanished so quickly it actually left her even more frustrated.

  Damn that cook.

  * * * *

  Saturday’s schedule was set up similar to Friday’s, with private interviews in the morning then a group activity then her date. The exception was the afternoon activity. Sookie had arranged an all guys’ retreat so Gwen had had the afternoon to herself. Every minute of the afternoon she’d spent doing anything she could think of besides walking past the cantina or fire pit.

  How obvious would that look?

  Very.

  At least she didn’t have to see him again. The dinner tonight was a small, very cozy, candlelit dinner for two. Her pink dress was hanging in her closet. The other dresses were already back in her car. In less than twenty-four hours she’d be back home.

  The afternoon hours had dragged by so agonizingly that Gwen was happy to hear Sookie’s knock at six-thirty. It took Gwen a few seconds to figure out what, or in this case who, was missing.

  “Where’s Kevin?”

  “Can I come inside?” Instead of waiting for Gwen to agree, Sookie brushed past and stepped right into the center of the room, planting her hands on her hips. “We’re screwed. August left.” She dropped her arms and flipped her palms out. “We were screwed, but I came up with a solution.”

  “What do you mean he left? I thought we weren’t allowed to leave?”

  “You aren’t. But he has a legit emergency. Somebody hacked into his company’s mainframe. He’s the only one with the firewall passwords.” She shrugged. “So he had to go.”

  A trickle of tension rolled down Gwen’s spine. Why wasn’t Sookie screaming mad?

  “Yeah. I was pissed. But then I figured why freak out when there is an even better guy? I’ve already done the spin, using a couple angles from that kiss and Kevin and I already started promoting him.”

  Gwen swallowed. “Him?”

  “Sure.”

  Gwen’s stomach flipped. “You mean Connor, the cook, right?”

  “Of course I mean Connor the cook. Who did you think? Jerry?” Sookie burst out laughing. “I wanted to let you know, so when you show up for dinner and find that rugged brown haired hottie instead of spindly August, you won’t start drooling. That would not look good on camera.”

  “No, it wouldn’t.”

  “And that’s one thing we can both agree on—you looking good on the camera.”

  “Right.”

  Sookie zipped past Gwen again, her high-heeled boots tapping on the floor as she headed for the door. She paused just before going through. “One more thing.”

  As if that little piece of news wasn’t enough? Gwen
lifted an eyebrow.

  “Connor can’t win.”

  Gwen felt her mouth drop open.

  “’Cause he works here. Legal stuff. Ya know?”

  “Sure.”

  “So try not to be so obvious about how you want to jump him. Okay?”

  Numb, Gwen nodded.

  “Great. You’ll do fine.” Sookie gestured at the dress hanging on the back of the closet door. “Just wear that sexy dress and look hot for the camera. It’ll be easy.”

  * * * *

  Connor had insisted on not calling Jerry’s wife and instead was carrying the dirty plates back to the cantina himself.

  Gwen waited at the table for two, which was covered with a crisp white linen tablecloth. The place settings had been a combination of tin plates and jelly jar glasses. Those had all been cleared away but candles set in lanterns remained, casting a white glow across the table. A low bouquet of wildflowers sat in the center. Rows of tiny lights crisscrossed the area, dangling from the trees, creating a festive glow. Single leaves twisted in the breeze, causing the blue, yellow and pink rays to flicker in the moonlit night. It was the perfect romantic setting but the meal was over now and soon they’d be saying goodnight.

  The distant crunch of boots on gravel sounded from a distance, causing Gwen’s heart to stall. Tomorrow the whole weekend would come to an end.

  Connor reached the table and held out his hand. “Come on, I’ll walk you.”

  She slid her palm into his, stood and they left the pretty setting behind. He gripped her fingers lightly as they went down the trail. The porch light from her cabin came into view after they came out from between the trees shadowing the trail. Connor slowed. “Thanks again for saying all that about the dinner.”

  When his gaze met hers, she said, “I wasn’t just saying it. It was all that and more.”

  “I meant what I said about your dress. That one”—he gave her a quick once-over—“and the others.”