Page 50 of Worth the Risk

“So close,” I moan, my body trying desperately to recreate the same response I had yesterday to Austin’s fingers inside my body.

Sweat beads across my forehead, my thighs tremble, falling farther open just as my vibrator sputters and dies.

“What?” I lift my head, bringing the toy up to where I can see it. “No, no, no.” I smack it against my hand but it’s no use. The light has turned off and there isn’t an ounce of charge left in my battery-operated boyfriend.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I close my eyes, flopping one arm over my face as I come down from the disappointment instead of an orgasm. I take in several calming breaths to bring down my heart rate, kicking myself for getting rid of my other toys after the breakup with Noah.

We had only used one together but the other was a toy I’d used regularly, although alone, when I was dating him. This new one was a gift to myself a few months after he moved out. And clearly, I’ve been using it far more often than I charge it.

Too frustrated to attempt any manual stimulation, I roll to my side and reach for my phone sitting on my nightstand. I gave up on sleeping in when I was wide awake before the sun came up, staring at my ceiling and replaying yesterday over and over again in my head.

I still can’t make out where my head is in all this. There’s no denying what my body wants and even when I try to pretend I don’t know what my heart wants, it’s terrifying to imagine letting myself truly feel what I know I feel for him.

I thought I was making the right decision five years ago when I chose Noah. Noah was the safe bet. He was reliable and uncomplicated. No, he didn’t stir that bit of excitement inside of me that Austin did, that risky feeling of the unknown, but that’s not necessary when it comes to true love.

Austin was the risk. Taking a chance on building a company with a complete stranger wasn’t just a risk; it was completely uncalculated and out of character for me. And it worked out, better than either of us probably could have imagined. But I’m smart enough to realize that the odds we not only click as business partners but also as lovers that can make both work successfully without getting in the way of each other are pretty slim.

But even with those odds and that nagging feeling ofwhat ifin the back of my brain, I can’t deny that no man has excited me the way he does. And long before I knew what his lips felt like against mine, my body craved him in a way I don’t think anyone can compete with.

“Oh.” His name on my screen catches my attention and I sit up, grabbing my sheet and pulling it against me as I slide open the screen to read his message. My heart sinks when I see it.

Austin

I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have crossed that boundary with us.

Our conversation from yesterday comes back to me. My fingers hover over the buttons, deciding whether I should reply or not.

Tell him you take it back. Tell him you’re the one who was wrong and that he should come over. Oh! Send him a nude!

No! Shit!

I toss my phone to the side like it burned me and reach down to grab my shorts when a loud knock at my front door sends me tumbling forward off my bed.

“Shit!” I struggle to my knees, then to my feet, jumping from one leg to the other as I pull the shorts up my thighs.

Is it Austin?

“It’s Becca, open up.”

I sigh in relief at the reality that it isn’t Austin.

But how sexy would it be if it was him, showing up to say he’s not sorry and he takes it back.

“Hey.” I sound a little too cheery for an unannounced visit before eight a.m. mixed with the very disappointing battery life of my vibrator. “Coffee?” I reach for one of the large cups she has balanced on a box. “Thank you.”

“And donuts.” She lifts the box, stepping into my apartment.

“From Stan’s?”

“Of course.”

“Yum.” I reach inside, pulling out a plain glazed donut and bringing it to my lips.

“I’ll let you enjoy that first bite in peace,” Becca says, placing the donuts on my kitchen island, “but you are going to have tostart explaining that insanely hot yet awkward kiss within the next few seconds or I’m going to lose my mind.”

I almost choke on the bite as I swallow it down. I’ve been so focused on how my interaction with Austin will go at work tomorrow that I completely forgot how I was going to explain it to Becca.

“Um, yeah, about that. Wait, you thought it was hot?”

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