Page 47 of Taking Chances

“Shoot, sorry. Again.” My cheeks are probably beet red by now, and his jaw muscles flex. The warm bathrobe envelops me, and I get inside the cozy cabin. He follows me in before we walk upstairs in uncomfortable silence.

“Thanks for that,” I say quietly. This is beyond uncomfortable, but that’s no reason to forget my manners.

“Good night,” he responds.

By the time I get myself ready for bed, alcohol has fully left my system. The desire still courses through me, though, pulling my skin taut. Lying on the comfortable bed, a sleeping Rina next to me, I can’t help but feel disappointment Lennox’s not the one I’m sharing the room with.

Maybe I wouldn’t let it go, then. Maybe I would dare to take a chance. Takehim.

18

LENNOX

Fuck.

A snoring Connor lies on top of the freshly changed bedding as I get in next to him. I jerked off in the shower, but it hasn’t helped—my dick is hard again.

This was a horrible idea, not that my dick cares. She’s emotional, romantic, and sensitive. She was possibly even drunk.Urgh. I rub a hand over my face. She doesn’t know how to separate sex from feelings. Once was already pushing it, but twice—it’s playing with fire. Fire she could only get hurt with. And she’s already been hurt enough in her life.

This was a mistake.But it was probably the best mistake of my life.

Shit, the way she fell apart for me. The way that I could feel her losing her inhibitions as she got more and more turned on. The way her sweet girl façade crumbled, replaced by basic, primal need.

She couldn’t be the perfect girl she strove to be while she was riding my hand. No, she was decadent and unapologetic. And it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

Turning down her offer of returning the favor was physically painful, but it was the right thing to do. Taking from the girl willing to give everything is a recipe for disaster.

By the morning, I barely got any sleep, so I rush into the kitchen, brewing some coffee and pouring myself a huge cup. Connor saunters down ten minutes later, fully dressed. The others are still sleeping, I guess.

“Morning.” I nod in response. “Rina and I will get going soon, we promised Eric to take him for a skate today. Is it cool if Anne rides with you?” He grabs himself a cup before continuing. “We would’ve taken her, but Rina says she’s still sleeping. She must have been exhausted yesterday.”

I almost choke on a sip of still hot coffee. “Exhausted?” I croak.

“Yeah, from the skiing. Anyway, can you drive her?” Thank fuck.

“Sure, no problem.”

“Thanks, man.” He shoots me a smile and begins grabbing his stuff from the living room.

This will be good. A chance to talk to her and clear the air. Talking is not my favorite activity, but it beats her getting hurt. I just need to explain that what happened twice before can’t happen again.

She sleeps for an hour more, Connor and Rina already long gone.

“Where is everyone?” she says, coming downstairs from her room, her voice still groggy.

“Matt, Natalie, Alex, and Noah are having a snow fight outside.” I chuckle. “And Connor and Rina left to pick up Eric.”

“What? They left?” Her sleep mussed hair is adorable.

“Yup, but don’t worry, you’ll ride with me.” Her eyes twinkle at that. Like I said, this is dangerous and needs to be stopped.

The cabin is a mess as we all rush to pack our shit. I’m not a fan of group gatherings, but this one was cool. They are a collection of different individuals that fit together perfectly. And I don’t really stick out like a sore thumb, either. Matt is into hockey, Noah knows his bikes, Alex reads feminist literature like I do, and Natalie is—well, Natalie. You don’t need much to connect to her, she’ll grab you by the throat and take you in. Figuratively, of course.

Anne and I pack everything into my car since she doesn’t let me do it myself.

“Have a safe trip,” Alex says as Matt locks up the cabin. The four of them had a harder time packing all the gear into a single car.

“Thanks. You too.” Anne smiles.

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