A Risk Worth Taking (19 page)

“I
wasn’t sure until after it was done. Afterward, I realized I felt nothing, no
sadness or regret, and I knew it was the right thing. I care about him as a
friend but no part of me was heartbroken at losing him. And I knew I didn’t
want to be like—”

“Like
your mom,” he finished.

I
nodded. “I didn’t want to spend my life with someone who was just nice. Or I
just liked. Same goes for a job in the city. I wasn’t excited about any of it.
In the end, I think it would’ve felt like settling. Does that make sense?”

“Plenty.
You should never settle. Life’s too short. Do things that make you happy.”

I
tilted my head, studying him. “Is that how you live? By doing the things that
make you happy?”

“Absolutely.
Every day.”

The
way he said it, what I knew about his life, it fit. “You make it sound so
simple.”

“It
is. That’s the beauty of it.”

I
gestured to the room. “And if decorating this office doesn’t make me happy?”

He
shrugged. “Leave it.”

“And
do what?”

“What
would make you happy right now?”

I
allowed myself a moment to honestly think about it. A grin spread across my
face as the answer came. “A mushroom bacon burger from Sadie’s
.
Fries with lots of ketchup. And a chocolate milkshake.”

“Well,
now, I can’t allow you all the happiness for yourself. Let’s go.” He swept his
hand out in a gesture for me to lead the way and followed me out.

Ford

“Sex is the
consolation you have when you can't have love.”

―Gabriel
García Márquez

I
followed Summer into her office, the air conditioner blowing on my face and
combatting the sweat I’d worked up from spending the morning outside counting
empty pots and bags of soil. If this inventory thing never ended, it was fine
by me. I’d never had so much fun doing simple addition. Or maybe it was the
breaks in between that had me eager to count supplies and check off boxes on
spreadsheets.

We’d
worked outside all morning, the heat nothing compared to the humidity behind
it. As the sun had risen higher in the sky, Summer had pulled her hair into a
bun. Now, small droplets of perspiration left a trail down the back of her
exposed neck. The sight of it was enough to make me hard, and I had the sudden
urge to pull her in and lick a trail down her shoulder. 

She
sank into her rolling chair with a deep sigh and kicked her boots under the
desk. Her head rested on the chair, eyes closed. I imagined she was soaking in
the A/C just as much as I was, and I couldn’t help but stare. These moments she
didn’t see me watching, when she let her guard down and relaxed, were my
favorite.

I
sat contentedly in my own chair, appreciating the view. As I watched the subtle
rise and fall of her chest, I remembered that phone call with my dad last week.
I’d been pissed because I hadn’t wanted to admit my feelings. Not to him and
not to myself. Now that I had, I realized Summer was exactly what my dad had
said: an adventure. Every day, every moment I spent with her revealed something
new. I found myself seeking her out for conversation as much as sex. She had
become my friend, my best friend. After only a few weeks, I couldn’t imagine my
life without her.

That
worried me. This wasn’t supposed to feel permanent. She was supposed to be a
good time, meaningful but not indispensable. I wasn’t sure what to do about it
all, but I had no intention of ending it early. I was too far gone for that.
For better or worse, this would play out. And I would do my best to make her
happy along the way. She deserved that.

Summer
was silent so long, I half expected she’d dozed off. I sat back and closed my
eyes, ready to do the same, but a moment later I heard the chair creak. I
opened my eyes and watched her stretch before scooting to her computer and
powering it up.

“You
awake?” she asked, giving me a smile.

That
lazy smile did more for me than was proper. It was the same smile she wore
after sex. I would do illegal things to earn that smile. Shit, according to the
state of Virginia, I probably already had.

“I’m
awake,” I said, repositioning myself so my hard-on wasn’t quite so painful
inside my jeans. Dammit, it’d been less than twenty-four hours since I’d been
inside her and my body was already complaining.

Summer
pulled up the spreadsheet used for logging inventory items. For the next ten
minutes, I read off the needed information from the clipboard. The computer
continued to freeze up; even it was affected by the suffocating heat. 

I
could tell Summer was slowly becoming irritated by the way she hit the keys
just a little bit harder as time went on.  There was something about her
getting angry at the insignificant … Not even the A/C could cool off what was
going on in my pants right now.

“Let
me go grab you a Coke,” I said, needing a change of pace. 

“That
sounds great.” She stood up to stretch, and I left to get the sodas. 

When
I returned, she was in her chair, head back, eyes closed, hands placed
delicately in her lap. She’d gotten rid of the bun, and her light brown waves
glowed in the sunlight peeking through the blinds behind me.  I walked around
the desk, trying not to disturb her. In this moment, she was the most beautiful
thing I had ever laid eyes on.

I
opened the can of soda with a soft click. Her head still tilted back, Summer
opened her eyes and looked into mine in a way that made my heart stutter.  When
I leaned over and set the soda on the desk behind her, my hand brushed against
her shoulder. I paused, our faces inches away.  The air inside between us grew
thick. 

“Thank
you,” she whispered, her breath tickling my face.

My
voice had deserted me. I imagined my body full of magnets, all pulling me
toward her. I wanted her so badly, but I only nodded and began to straighten.
If we got distracted—again—this work would never get done. Usually, I was the
one initiating things. I wanted to show her I could do the responsible thing.

Before
I could move away, she wrapped her right arm around my neck, pulling me closer.
I took a deep breath. Her chest rose toward me, letting me know she wanted more
than just a quick kiss. She pulled me down until our lips met. In a burst of
passion from both of us, our mouths melded as one. Her hands ran through my
hair and over my back, pulling my body closer to hers.  Knowing she wanted this
just as badly as I did was enough to undo me. So much for inventory.

With
careful movements, I slid the chair out until she faced me directly. Without
removing my lips from hers, I lowered myself to my knees and scooted her to the
edge of the chair. She responded by wrapping her golden legs around my hips.

She
squeezed her thighs together, letting me know she wanted more.  The very
defined bulge trapped behind my zipper was evidence of my agreement.  Her fingers
found the button on my jeans, but I stopped her. “Not yet,” I whispered.

When
I untangled myself and stood up, I thought Summer was going to snap. She stared
me up and down, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. I almost ran to the
door in order to lock it and get back to her. My shirt made a stretching sound,
almost tearing in my attempt to remove it. I stopped in front of her, noticing
the way she drank in the sight of me.

Summer
stared at me like a kid on Christmas morning, and I was the present she’d
always wanted.

Before
I could bend down to kiss her again, she unbuttoned my pants and tugged. They
fell to the ground, revealing all of me. I watched the tip of her tongue dart
out to lick her upper lip. She wanted me, and the desire in her eyes was more
of a turn-on than any words.

Summer
leaned forward and trailed kissed across my stomach. Her fingertips made slow
tracks down my back, sending chills through my body. She raised her head just
enough to smile up at me before going lower, one hand moving to grip my shaft.
Her kisses turned teasing, skirting around the edges of my hips instead of
stopping in the one place that ached for her mouth.

When
her teeth scraped lightly against the inside of my hip, I tensed and let my
fingers tighten where they’d tangled in her hair. Her lips hovered over my
pulsing hard-on. I held my breath. Instead of taking me inside her mouth, she
licked me from the base of my shaft to the tip. I shuddered, and she did it
again. When her lips finally closed over my rigid length, I had to lean on the
desk just to keep from falling. 

Her
tongue worked itself back and forth across the tip, and I barely held back a
groan.  Summer. Her name sounded good as I repeated it in my thoughts.  I
wanted to yell it. Using one of my hands to keep her hair out of the way, I
shuddered again, and used the other hand to grip the desk.  The way she moved,
back and forth, up and down—it was a sensation that nearly paralyzed me with
pleasure. When I thought I couldn’t take anymore, she paused long enough to
raise her head and gaze up at me with those big doe eyes.

I
wasn’t sure what she was asking, but I knew what I wanted. Without hesitation,
I pulled her shirt off and reached around, unclasping her bra. I leaned her
back in the chair so that I could take in the sight of her. The shape of her
breasts was glorious. I knelt down and took one of them into my mouth, gently
rolling my tongue over one taut nipple while grasping the other with my hand.
She leaned her head back and pushed her still-clothed groin into mine.

The
clasp on her shorts came undone with ease.  With my hand against her back, I
guided her to the edge of the chair once more. I cupped her ass and stood her
up in front of me. On my knees I was eye level with the zipper on her shorts,
but I paused and looked up at her face. I wanted to see her desire.

Summer
didn’t disappoint. She smiled down at me before biting her lip seductively.
Almost without effort, her shorts fell off—as if they’d known the plan all
along. Red lace underwear stared me in the face.  I slid them down, using my
teeth before kissing my way back up her thigh. Her grip on my shoulders tensed
and released with every flick of my tongue as I kissed trails over her thighs
and up her hips. My mouth wandered steadily closer to its target with each kiss
placed.

My
left hand wrapped around her back, holding her still against the squirming. She
wanted more and I was eager to give it to her. My right hand found its mark,
teasing and tickling before slipping my finger inside of her. Kissing and
licking her clit, I continued to massage her insides with my finger. With each
stroke of my tongue and each thrust of my finger I went deeper.

Summer’s
squirms became rhythmic, building to a crescendo. Her whimpers turned to a moan
and she bucked before falling still again. Her muscles went limp as she relaxed
into the orgasm. I loved feeling her come.

When
she stilled, I got to my feet. I kissed her neck, turning her so that her back
was pressed to my chest. I caressed her in my arms then pushed her shoulders so
that she bent toward the desk.

“Are
you ready?” I asked.

Summer
looked over her shoulder at me, brown eyes just dying for me to be inside of
her, to become a part of her.  “Yes,” she whispered.

I
unwrapped and slid on a condom. With one hand, I move the tip of my cock inside
of her. She tensed in pleasure. Gently, I slid the rest of my shaft inside. 
Summer moaned and leaned her head back in enjoyment. I pulled back and thrust
again, keeping it slow. I ran a hand over her back and into her hair, pulling
on it just enough to make her moan again.  Summer’s knuckles whitened with the
grip she had on the desk. She braced herself, pushing against me.  I thrust
harder and she let out another muffled moan. With each movement, I traveled
deeper inside of her.  The passion in the air was so thick; I wanted to bottle
it for later use.  Not that Summer and I would ever need it. What we had was
natural. Pure. A lifetime’s supply.

I
leaned over to kiss her neck, close to my climax.  My rhythm slowed; I didn’t
want this to end, ever.  Summer began to shake, and I knew she was close as
well.  Just the thought of her coming pushed me closer to the edge. Just like
when I’d gone down on her, the shaking increased and she bucked underneath me.

“Ford.”
It came out on a whisper but felt as if she were calling my name to the world.
Except in this moment, she and I were the only two on earth.

She
grabbed my ass and pulled me deeper into her once more.  Once more was all I
needed.  As I came, my entire body shook. 

For
a moment, I couldn’t move a single muscle. Not on purpose. Not beyond the
reflex tremors that seemed to ripple deep inside in my bones. I was paralyzed. 
That was fine by me. I didn’t want to move anyway. 

When
I regained mobility, I pulled us up so we stood straight and held her close to
me with both arms wrapped around her stomach.  I kissed her neck, tasting salt.
“Mmm. That was …” I couldn’t think of a word that properly described what’d
just happened.  “I don’t have words.  Amazing falls short of what you are.”

She
turned her head just enough to let me see her smile. That lazy smile—the one
that’d started all this in the first place. We stood there, breathing in
unison, swaying back and forth in a slow dance.  I breathed when she breathed.
I moved when she moved. In this moment, we were one.