Page 59 of Worth the Risk

“Please just talk to me next time. That’s all I ask,” I concede.

“I promise. Cross my heart.” She flashes me a bright smile while making a cross symbol over her chest.She’s so cute.

Tentatively, she balances on her tiptoes and gives me a quick kiss. I allow it even though I’m still hurt by her accusation.

“I’m going to jump in the shower and wash this sweat off me.”

After I give her a peck to her forehead, I head to the shower. I’m under the water when Kylie saunters in naked. Opening the glass shower door, she steps inside. “Let me make it up to you.” She peers up at me through her long lashes, then drops to her knees, grabs my length, and strokes me.

I’m hard in five seconds flat.

Taking me inside her mouth, she hollows her cheeks and sucks.

Oh yeah, all is forgiven.

* * *

After making up in the shower, we lie in bed with Kylie’s head on my chest and her hand rubbing my abs while I run my fingers through her hair. I feel so close to her, but I want to talk to her about my past so she will understand me better.

“I was worried you might leave while I was out on my run.”

“Why would I leave?” She stops rubbing for a moment, then starts again.

“Sometimes people do. My mom did.”

That grabs her attention. She lifts her head and cocks an elbow, placing her head on it to gaze down at me. “You don’t talk about her,” she mutters.

“It’s not something I like to talk about, much less think about,” I admit.

“Will you talk about her with me?” she asks with sincerity in her voice.

I want her to understand why I didn’t have a relationship before her, how hard it is for me to trust, and why it irritated me each time she left, so I explain to her what a great and loving mother my mom was to Sophie and me growing up. About the love she and my father showed to each other daily. Then how one day it all changed.

How she just left. No goodbyes and no looking back. How it affected my father and his depression and drinking. How she refused to meet face to face with Dad for the divorce. Everything being handled through lawyers and how she had no problem leaving with a nice chunk of money.

Kylie listens and doesn’t interrupt. She lets me release it all, and I find a sense of calm when I finish.

“I was upset with you,” I admit.

“I don’t understand. Why were you upset with me?” she asks, her brows furrowed.

“You kept leaving, and it fucked with my head. I should have known then that what I was feeling was different from anything I ever experienced with anyone else.”

She likes my confession. Leaning down, she places a gentle kiss on my lips. “I’m sorry, Leo.” She closes her eyes for a moment. “My leaving wasn’t intentional. I want you to understand that. What I was feeling for you so quickly had me second-guessing myself.”

I understand what she’s saying because I was confused about her as well.

“But I have a confession. I thought something may have happened with your mother. After we had sex that first time and I didn’t hear from you, I googled you. I wanted to know more about you and noticed there were many pictures of you and your family. There were some of your mother, but none of them were recent. You never talked about her, and I wanted to ask but didn’t want to pry.”

“Kylie Sullivan, you stalked me?” I ask as I widen my eyes, faking shock.

“Are you mad at me?”

I tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. “No, I’m not. I’m flattered you were thinking of me enough to do it.”

She opens her mouth to say something but closes it.

“What is it?”

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