Worth the Risk by Karen Erickson Read Free Book Online Page A

within her body. He stilled for a brief, telling second before he said her name on a ragged groan and came. He shuddered again and again, and she ran her hands up and down his back, marveling at the strength and vulnerability that he revealed to her in this moment.
    Hunter collapsed on top of her, pressing sweet, damp kisses to the side of her throat. “I’m crushing you,” he muttered and giving her one last kiss, rolled from the bed. Went into the bathroom and most likely disposed of the condom before he came back into the bedroom. Strolling nonchalantly, as naked as he pleased, he crawled into the bed and tugged the comforter over the both of them before he hauled her back into his arms.
    Lying there, stiff and unyielding, she grew more uncomfortable with each passing second. She didn’t do cuddling during the aftermath. She usually didn’t stay long in a man’s bed either. And she didn’t allow them to stay long either, kicking them out pretty quickly after the deed had been done.
    It was some sort of unspoken mutual agreement she’d never had to spell out. Did it have something to do with the men she chose as bed partners? Not that she’d had a lot. Not even a handful.
    Funny how she went from blissed out and in the zone to uncomfortable and freaked out in a matter of minutes.
    “Relax,” he murmured, dropping a kiss on her forehead. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze, forcing her to rest her head on his bare chest. “Let’s try and sleep a bit before I take you back to your place.”
    “Uh…” She trailed off when he gave her another, firmer squeeze about the shoulders.
    “Seriously, Gracie. Relax. I’m tired and I bet you are too. And I know the traffic must still be hellish. Let’s doze for an hour or so and then we’ll take you home. I promise nothing else will happen.”
    He fell asleep quickly while she lay awake in his arms, snuggled close to his too warm body. Her mind raced with unwanted thoughts, images… This wasn’t supposed to happen. She thought she was so strong, so brave, so willing to do what it took to protect herself.
    She fell apart with a few choice words and flirtatious glances. Scorching hot kisses and assured hands, fingers that knew how to bring her to orgasm in minutes…
    Frowning, she lifted her head and glanced at the clock. She should leave before they ended up doing this again. And she so couldn’t do this again, no matter how badly she secretly wanted to.
    Weakling that she was, she couldn’t help but want to be with him again. Kiss him, touch him, feel him move inside her…
    A few stolen moments with Hunter in his bed had her feeling like an addict.
    An addict who wasn’t ready to go to rehab anytime soon.

Chapter Five
     
    It was difficult, avoiding the man who gave her three orgasms in one night. A night she couldn’t shake from her memories, no matter how hard she tried. Considering it had been almost three weeks ago, she guessed she could forgive herself. Sort of.
    Gracie did her best to push past it, just as she’d promised Hunter she would. She kept her attention on the brand marketing project she was currently in charge of for the upcoming Worthwhile spring line. Losing herself in the brainstorming, in the strategic planning that kept her at her desk late, night after night, that became easy. The project was exciting, the members of her small team within the marketing department beyond enthusiastic, almost as enthusiastic as she.
    They were all young and bursting with progressive ideas to take Worthwhile that much further to the edge to appeal to the wealthy, trendy set. She was so involved with the project she had a hard time falling asleep at night, too excited to think of anything else.
    And when she finally did manage to slip into unconsciousness, she would usually dream of Hunter. Of the way he’d touched her, kissed her, looked at her every single day like they shared a delicious secret—which they did.
    She would wake