Page 21 of Worth the Risk

“Um… yes, we’re close,” I say, then change the subject. “You and Sierra seem tight. Have you been friends long?”

Her face lights up. “Yes, we’ve been friends since we were eight. Sierra came to live with her uncle Tony when her mother passed, and he and his husband, Mark, took over guardianship of her. Our families are close.” She beams as she talks about her family, and as much as I enjoy her body, I admit I also love her smile.

She speaks of her family with such fondness. For me, it’s my dad and sister. We’ve been together through good times and bad, although those bad ones nearly destroyed us. Because of my mother, it’s hard to trust anyone outside the three of us. Trust is especially important to us. Nash falls into the category of a friend who I also consider family. I trust that guy with my life.

“And your dad? Are you close to him?” I ask.

Her smile falls, and I instantly miss it. She takes a few moments to ponder before she speaks. “My father passed away when I was eight. He was on his way home from work and lost control of his car. I have fond memories of him, and I remember how much he loved my mother.”

That I can relate to as I also understand loss. It shaped me into the man I am today. However, our losses are completely different. Her loss was not a choice made by her father. My mother had a choice, and she didn’t choose us.

No longer wanting to continue our conversation, I stand up. It’s hitting a little too close to home for me and is bringing up memories I don’t care to think about.

“How about we join the others?” When I hold out my hand to her, she gives me a strange look before taking it. I glance down at our intertwined fingers, enjoying how her tiny hand is swamped by my bigger one.Funny, I never felt the need to hold a girl’s hand before.

Not wanting to dwell too much on the thought, I lead her to the patio to join our friends.

Slipping into the hot tub next to each other, Sophie clearly notices something has changed in my demeanor. She raises her brow in silent question, asking if I’m okay. I shake my head subtly, demanding she not ask out loud. Talking with Kylie has triggered emotions I’d rather keep hidden.

Few people know about my mom and dad. Their relationship has me wary of trusting people with my heart, but Kylie is quickly becoming a game changer.

I’m not sure if the fact should have me running to her or far away from her.

ChapterNine

Kylie

Leo’s mood lightens a little as the night goes on, but he is still lost somewhere in our earlier conversation. It hadn’t escaped me what he did in his room. Something about the topic didn’t sit well with him, so he ended it. What it was, I don’t know, but I want to talk to him about it.

I have the feeling it isn’t pleasant for him to remember, but it makes me want to hold and comfort him. However, I don’t think Leo is a man who wants to cuddle. I also believe Sophie knows more about what’s bothering him than she lets on. I notice the silent exchanges constantly passing between them.

The night is wearing on and getting late. I figure Sierra and I should leave, but I want to spend more time with Leo. I don’t know when or if we will see each other again. His time here is limited, and he will eventually head back to New York.

Whatever time he has left here, I hope he wants to spend more of it with me.

Climbing out of the tub, he grabs my hand. “It’s getting late. We should probably get going,” I say, answering his unasked question.

“We have an extra room if you want to stay. I’m sure the boys will give you a shirt to sleep in,” Sophie offers.

I check with Sierra to see if she’s good with us spending the night, and she nods. “Thank you. If you’re sure it’s okay?” I ask, shifting my gaze to Leo.

He regards me for a moment and nods.

Stepping out of the hot tub, everyone dries off with the supplied towels and heads into the house. We follow Sophie to her room while Nash and Amber go to their rooms. Once inside, Sophie grabs some nightwear out of her closet and goes to the bathroom, telling us she’ll be right out.

Handing me my cell phone, Sierra says, “You should text your mom, and I’ll text my uncles a message that we’re safe and spending the night here. If we don’t, Uncle Mark will have a search party out for us come morning.”

Just as our texts send, a soft rap hits the door. I open it to find Leo holding out two T-shirts. He’s still in his trunks from the hot tub, so I do another scan of his body. Before tonight, I never got to see him without a top.

The first time I saw him in just trunks, I tripped over my feet. Talk about chiseled abs. Leo rocks an eight-pack. If I didn’t already think he was an Adonis, I have no doubts now. His abdomen points to a V-muscle starting at the top of his hip bones, and a happy trail leads to his manhood. A tribal tattoo of some sort covers his left shoulder and goes down his arm to his elbow.

The man is perfection.

“Kylie…” Leo says, snapping me out of my dreamy fog. When he holds the shirts out to me, I take them from him, and he gives me a sexy smirk, alerting me to the fact that he caught me checking him out.

“Are you okay, Leo?” I ask, recalling how he became distant earlier.

He waits a moment before answering. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

---