High Risk

CHAPTER 3

The music volume as she pushed open the bar doors at the Rose and Crown was perfect—loud enough the intoxicating rhythm pulsed in her veins, low enough voices were clearly audible without shouting. Becki took the long staircase two steps at a time, pausing on the second-floor landing to look around, pleased to recognize familiar decor. The dartboard still hung in the same place, there were comfortable chairs gathered in groups, and the scent of smoky barbecue and dark ale filled the air.

The sensation of coming home grew stronger.

Across the room Marcus rose to his feet and waved, and another shot of high-test lust drilled through her. The faded blue cotton shirt that stretched over his broad chest looked soft. Dark hair that was longer than in her memories framed his strong features, while the slight wave still made her itch to drive her fingers into the thick mass and drag their mouths together.

Oh boy.

She reined in her libido and turned her attention to the group sprawled in the overstuffed chairs. She guessed their ages anywhere between twenty-five and forty. Two women and three men not counting Marcus. They looked so completely at ease with each other, they had to be part of his team.

The young blond man taking up an entire loveseat by himself leapt to his feet and scrambled forward, thrusting out his hand. “I didn’t believe Marcus when he said the Rebecca James was in town. I am so fucking excited to meet you—”

“Good grief, Devon. Can you not go ten seconds without putting your foot in your mouth?” The petite woman seated beside Marcus rolled her eyes. “Hi, Rebecca. I’m Alisha. Excuse the puppy, he’s not housebroken yet.”

Becki grinned at the pretty blonde. “Hi, Alisha.” She wrapped her fingers around Devon’s and returned his sturdy handshake. “Devon, nice to meet you, too, only please, call me Becki.”

He winked cheekily, then tugged her toward the loveseat, giving her room to join him. “That is the more familiar name. The one we’ve seen plastered all over the record boards at school. At least until they had to take them down to put up mine.”

Across the table Alisha groaned loudly. “You did not just say that. Someone tell me he didn’t say that.”

Devon shrugged. “It’s true. Well, only the swimming records. Your name is still listed for a few things.”

He twisted to grin at Becki, one hundred percent cocky attitude and self-importance, and she had to fight from laughing out loud.

She could see her younger self so clearly in the young man it was scary.

“You’re such an ass, Devon.” Alisha leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

He tossed a snarky comment in her direction. Becki ignored their continuing banter to answer the touch on her arm on the other side.

A muscular, dark-haired man offered his hand. “Welcome to the madhouse. Name’s Tripp.”

“One of the Lifeline team?”

“Since day one. Ropes and avalanche are my specialties. If you’re going to be in town for a while, I’d love to do a climb with you.” He pointed across the table. “In the meantime, I’ll introduce the rest of the motley crew. Erin Tate flies the bird. Anders there beside Marcus is our winch man.”

Anders waved. Erin raised her glass in the air. “Let us know your poison. We already ordered wings, so they should be here shortly.”

Becki was impressed all over again. The dark-skinned woman who’d greeted her seemed far too young to be the pilot. The woman had to be a rock star.

A quick head count proved the numbers didn’t add up. “Is one of the team missing?” Becki asked.

“Xavier. I’m sure you’ll meet him soon enough. He’s easily recognizable—picture Spider-Man on Red Bull. By the way, don’t mind Devon,” Tripp confided in a softer tone. “He’s been vibrating with excitement since he heard you were going to show up tonight. The bragging is just his nerves talking.”

Becki couldn’t help but laugh this time. “I’m not offended. I’m surprised any of my records stand after this long.”

Tripp pointed to the young woman across the table still in heated debate with Devon. “Alisha’s lead on ropes for Lifeline—she managed to beat your freestyle climbing time her final year in the school. She and Devon are the only ones who were trained here in Banff. The rest of us worked around the country before Marcus hired us.”

The mention of his name made her glance up to discover Marcus staring intently at her with something dangerous and wild showing in the depths of his eyes. Her nipples tightened, and she was damn glad she was wearing both a dark shirt and a bra with enough material to it that her involuntary reaction wouldn’t be noticeable.

She covered the rest of her response by putting in her drink order before turning to pull Devon from his teasing into a rational discussion.

Over the next three hours she consumed more teriyaki and buffalo wings than were strictly necessary, laughter and conversation flowing around her. People changed position to chat with others, but it wasn’t until nine that she finally ended up with Marcus at her side.

It wasn’t as if she’d been avoiding him—not really—but it was easier to sneak glances at him when he was directly across from her.

He offered her another serving of wings. “You enjoying yourself?”

“Yes, but, oh God, take that plate away. I’m going to explode if I eat any more.”

He chuckled as he put the platter back on the table, where Tripp and Devon instantly claimed the remaining contents. “Just so you know, we don’t do this every day. More often we go for something moderately healthy, or do a potluck at someone’s house.”

“A little excess once in a while is fine.”

“Agreed.” He leaned back, which put his body close enough that heat caressed her. “What do you think? Could you handle spending a few weeks helping work them over? Devon especially?”

She laughed. “I like him. I like them all. You’ve got a good group here, Marcus. You should be proud.”

He twisted and moved in closer until his mouth hovered over her ear. He lowered his volume, keeping the conversation private. “I am—but I also know they need a kick in the ass right now. Someone like you setting them on their toes will help them hit the spring and summer season in the right frame of mind. Sharp—ready for whatever gets thrown at them.”

The words he shared were logical, but she was having the toughest time concentrating on anything but the warm caress of air escaping his lips and tickling along her neckline. A shiver rushed her, and it took everything in her to stay vertical. To resist pressing against his torso and allowing their innocent intimacy to become something far from chaste.

“Becki?” Marcus dropped his hand onto her thigh and squeezed lightly. “You okay?”

She lifted her chin to meet his gaze, tossing off the buzz of desire that was turning her mind to mush. “Sorry. I’m drifting. It’s been a long day, and while I’ll admit I’m extremely interested, I need some time to consider.”

“No problem.” He nodded. Paused. “Can I give you a ride back to your room?”

Oh God. There was that darkness in his gaze—nothing frightening except in how much it made her ache. Made her need. Whether he intended it to right now or not, because he didn’t seem to be trying to seduce her.

He was simply a big old bag of catnip, and she a very fascinated cat.

Becki made herself do the right thing. “Thanks, no ride needed. I’ve got my car just outside. Can you give me your contact information? I’ll call you in the morning.”

They stood, and she gave her farewells to the group. Alisha rose as well, pulling on her jacket. “If you’re headed uphill, can I grab a lift?”

“Of course.” Becki turned to Marcus, accepting his business card, ignoring the warmth of his fingers as they brushed together. “I’ll be in touch.”

The cool night air was a needed balm, whooshing over her face and cooling her heated cheeks. She smiled at the younger woman and tilted her head to the right. “Down the street and around the corner one block.”

Alisha nodded. “Thanks for this. I live not far from the dorms. I have a vehicle, but I walked to the pub.”

“You have a place to yourself?” Becki remembered how tough it could be to find accommodations in Banff.

“I do—an attic suite. It’s a little on the small side, but the bonus is there’s no one above me to make noise and wake me. And my landlords are pretty quiet. They don’t mind me taking off at all hours, either, when I get a call.”

They crawled into Becki’s car, and she had to concentrate on dealing with the traffic for a few minutes. “I don’t remember seeing this many people on the road before. Friday night rush?”

“Something like that. It’ll get busier as the summer tourist season rolls in, but you know that from working in Yellowstone. I imagine it’s the same there.” Alisha peered out the window and pointed to the side. “Second turn on the right, and my house is the last one on the block.”

Becki drove in silence for a moment. Yellowstone seemed so far away, and yet it wasn’t. The national park had been a part of her life for many years, and even the thought of the place brought a longing. “Summer rush, ski season—there’s always something to get people into trouble.”

“You miss it?” Alisha asked.

Straight honest truth poured out before she could think it through. “I do. Yellowstone was home. I love the mountains here as well, but something there calls to me.”

“Are you planning on going back?”

Becki marvelled that the seemingly innocuous questions managed to hit nerves so raw and fragile. “Not yet. Maybe someday.”

She pulled in front of the indicated driveway and waited as the woman got out.

“Are you going to be around for a while?” Alisha asked, sticking her head back into the vehicle as she leaned on the open door frame. “Because, well, it’s forward of me, but I would love to have you join me for a climb. Teach me a few things.”

Becki smiled across the car at her. Alisha’s enthusiasm was contagious. Spending time with the Lifeline team wouldn’t be a chore. “From what I hear, you’re a pretty incredible climber yourself. Maybe you can teach me some new tricks.”

Alisha grinned. “That means you’re staying?”

“You might be sick of me before you know it,” Becki warned.

“I doubt it. Will you be around the school tomorrow? Can I catch you there?”

“You’re serious? Saturday and you want to hit the gym?” Alisha gave her a look, and Becki laughed. “Okay, yes, I planned to work out tomorrow as well. I wanted to check out the new climbing wall. Want to join me around ten?”

Instant delight filled the other woman’s face. “That would be awesome. I’ll bring lunch for after we’re done.”

It took only five minutes after leaving Alisha for Becki to complete the drive to her parking lot and make her way toward her dorm room. The place was deserted between semesters, and the peace and quiet was exactly what she needed.

Becki paused outside the doors, then scrambled onto a massive boulder arranged in the middle of a garden area. Stars were beginning to show through the wisps of clouds overhead, and she got herself into a more comfortable position to sit and admire them for a while.

There was no reason she couldn’t take on the training Marcus had requested of her. She’d enjoyed the evening immensely. Search-and-rescue people were a rather obsessed lot. Being around a group of individuals who all had the same focus, the same goals she did—it was refreshing and motivating all at the same time.

Her uncontrollable urge to strip the man himself and ride him until they were both screaming was a separate issue. Something she’d have to deal with, but right now she needed to decide if she was going to take on the teaching challenge. She wanted to. That was the truth.

Only there was no way she could accept the position without letting Marcus know a few important details. Information she’d managed to keep from the media. Let him choose if he still wanted her around his team after he knew the full story.

Staring at the stars and the clouds drifting past was much simpler than figuring out how to explain that although she remembered every second of her and Marcus’s time together in minute sexual detail, she had no memories whatsoever of the accident eight months earlier that had killed her partner.

Marcus tossed his coat on the hook beside the door, kicked off his shoes, and headed directly for the bathroom. He dropped his clothes on the counter, cranked on the water, and stepped in before there was a chance of heat.

The icy cold spray did nothing to ease the aching hardness in his cock.

Fuck it all, the entire day had been an exercise in torture. From the moment he’d laid eyes on Becki, there’d been no stopping the vivid images assaulting him. Memories like her naked and spread-eagle, her fingers dipping into her wet cunt before moving in circles until orgasm shook her entire body.

Or Becki grinning as he tossed her onto the bed and crawled after her, pinning her in place with his body as he kissed the living daylights out of her.

The water warmed, slipping over his skin, chasing away the slight chill in the room but intensifying his need. He grabbed the soap, scrubbing hard in a feeble attempt to distract himself. This wasn’t only about sex. About his attraction to her. Yes, they had a past—but it had been so brief. Fleeting. No matter how impressive the details were of the weekend they’d shared, he wanted her around for more than just another fling.

But goddamn if he didn’t just want.

Another memory assaulted him—Becki on her knees, taking delight in lapping and licking his cock until he’d captured her head in his hands and held her in place. She’d stared at him and opened wide to suck him deep.

It was no bloody use. Marcus gave up and wrapped his fingers around his dick.

Her mouth had been softer than his grip. Wetter—slick with saliva . . .

He rested his cock on her bottom lip and slid in slowly, relishing the heat, the way she rolled her tongue along the sensitive ridge.

“Suck hard,” he commanded, and she pursed her lips, drawing tight around him as he withdrew nearly all the way. His cock glistened in the dim moonlight shining in the window, moisture painting him. “Oh, yeah. That’s it. So sweet. So good.”

He pressed in again, controlling her position, maintaining a smooth rhythm. Only feeding her a portion of his length as he delighted in the intoxicating draw of pressure.

Becki dropped her hands between her legs, fingers moving steadily, little gasps escaping her as she played with her clit.

“You want to come?” he asked.

Her green eyes opened wide, answering without words. But she also tilted her head slightly and relaxed her neck, allowing him to press forward and bury his cock so deep the crown bumped her throat.

“Fuck, yeah. That’s it. Take it all. I’m going to come, and you’re going to swallow everything. Every drop, understand?”

Becki nodded as much as she could, her half-lidded gaze focused on him, her face flushed with passion. Her nostrils flared as she breathed slowly and accepted his increasingly erratic thrusts.

Her body shook.

“So close. God, I love watching you come. You are so beautiful. So fucking beautiful.”

Becki squeezed her eyes closed and shuddered hard, the hand between her legs slowing, the other gripping his hip with bruising pressure as she wavered, fighting to keep her balance.

All through her orgasm he supported her. Watched her. Held on to his control by sheer willpower until she was done.

Then he went wild.

He pulsed forward. Again. Again. Balls tight, pressure building until he buried his cock as deep as he could and his climax tore from him. Pulse after pulse filled her throat and he drew back, his cock still jerking, seed escaping to splay over her lips.

His balls were empty, his cock spent, and Marcus leaned his forehead against the wall of the shower stall and tried to calm his breathing. Holy fucking shit—he hadn’t had that violent an orgasm since . . .

Yeah. Pretty much since the last time he’d imagined Becki was sucking him off. Or under him as he fucked her hard. Or otherwise being submissive to his sexual commands.

He twisted, leaning his shoulders on the wall as he stared into the steam. He was old enough to keep work and pleasure separate if necessary, but damn if he wanted to this time. If Becki agreed to help train the team, great. But one way or another he wasn’t going to stop pursuing her.

He wanted her. He was pretty sure she wanted him, too. And if there was one thing he hadn’t lost, it was the ability to pursue a goal. Becki James had briefly, yet powerfully, impacted his past.

Rebecca James? She was going to be a very pleasurable part of his future, and he’d make damn sure it was more than pleasurable for her as well.