Risking It All. Stephanie Tyler

his legs, he groaned against her mouth and she knew she had to explore every inch of him. She slid her hands inside the opened zipper and touched him, moved her hands up and down his long, hard length without fully freeing him.

      And when neither of them could stand the slow bump-and-grind anymore, she rolled to the side and helped him strip off his jeans because she wanted him inside her.

      He eased her back, covered her body with his and spread her legs. He pushed inside of her, gently at first, more firmly when she grabbed him and began to thrust back against him.

      “Rina,” he groaned as he arched his neck while she hooked her ankles around his lower back, wanting him deeper.

      “So good,” she whispered, more to herself than to him, although the way he looked at her after she’d said it made her turn inside out. “Knew you’d be so good at this. Knew from the way you looked on the video.”

      “You liked watching me ride the waves?”

      “I’m going to like watching you ride me better.” she said, and he groaned again, louder this time. One hand cupped the smooth curve of her ass while he used the other, palm down on the mattress, to steady himself above her.

      God, he was big and she was tight. Very tight, and it felt so much better than she remembered. Probably because it had never been that good—except in her dreams.

      This was no dream. And, watching Cash poised above her, the muscles in his arms sleek with sweat and straining as he kept them both in motion and oh, she would never let him stop.

      Who cared about videos and X-treme sports and grants? Who cared about anything but her arms wrapped around his strong shoulders, his thumb reaching down to hit the spot that most men ignored in favor of their own pleasure.

      Cash didn’t seem to be finding any shortage of his own pleasure, either. He’d closed his eyes and tipped his head back, and the smile on his face told her that he was having as good a time as she was.

      When he picked her up, mid-stroke, and carried her outside to the terrace, she didn’t bother to protest. She stayed wrapped around him on the lounge chair, let the night air waft around her and her cries mingle with the sounds of the ocean rolling in to shore.

      “THAT’S MY KIND OF APOLOGY,” he murmured against her neck hours later, his skin damp against hers, from sweat and salt water and, oh, yeah, that was amazing. More so because Rina hadn’t known what she wanted—instead, she’d just wanted.

      The sex had been hot and sweet. And he had to get out of there before he found out that she was engaged or married or something, even though he knew that wasn’t going to be the case. And that might prove to be even more dangerous than anything else that had happened to him.

      “Aren’t you a little bit sorry you didn’t sign the release?” she said out of nowhere, pulling him right back into reality. Justin was sure to kill him.

      “Not at all,” he said. He pulled the sheets around her because he noticed her shivering slightly. She hadn’t wanted to come in from the patio, wanted to sleep under the stars, but he’d insisted on bringing her back to bed.

      And now, he didn’t want to leave.

      “And you called me rude,” she said sleepily. “And, for the record, I didn’t sleep with you to apologize.”

      “I know.”

      “Did it to prove to you that I’m not uptight.”

      “Well, yeah, not anymore. But if you keep talking work, you will be soon enough.”

      “I won’t be seeing you again,” she murmured. He didn’t bother to agree with her, because yeah, that’s usually the way these things worked. No matter how that thought churned his gut this time.

      “You’re leaving later today?” He asked because he had to know for sure. She’d already made it clear that this was a one-night stand. If she ever found out why exactly, no doubt there’d be hell to pay.

      “Leaving tomorrow,” she murmured dreamily. “Going to Africa.”

      “Africa?” he asked, wondering what kind of cosmic joke the universe was playing on him.

      She nodded against his chest. “Hoping to do a documentary there. Getting a grant. Finally get to do what I want to do.” Then she looked up at him. “See? I’m not that scared after all.”

      “No, I guess you’re not,” he agreed and swore to himself he would follow his gut from that moment on, no matter what his other body parts stood up and told him.

      RINA’S WAKE-UP CALL came at five that morning. Cash was already long gone. He’d left her aspirin and a bottle of water on the bedside table, his scent on her pillows and a sexual experience that easily outdid the videotape in terms of fantasy material.

      Last night, with her ass balanced on the balcony railing, and her legs wrapped around his waist, she’d experienced Hawaii in a way she’d never dreamed she would. Being held in his strong arms, her breasts pressed tight against his chest, she remembered repeating his name. And she was pretty sure he’d been saying hers like a prayer, too, at one point.

      Yes, Cash the surfer did have an excellent sense of balance. Even if he did ruin her video.

      Every time she thought about that, her head throbbed more. And, she was annoyed to note, she was turned on as well. Stella would never let her live this one down.

      Yes, Cash had lived up to his bad-boy promise, and then some. Still, he could’ve at least waited around until breakfast.

      “Jerk,” she muttered, and covered her head with the pillow. Then she remembered that they’d ventured outside, on the terrace and the beach and she was so glad to be checking out today because how could she face the hotel’s patrons?

      Between the darkness and the sounds of the ocean, and Cash supporting her, she’d felt comfortable enough to forget the fact that they had been outside. In public. Naked.

      He had, at some point, assured her that no one had seen them.

      But I can’t promise that no one heard us, he’d said, and then he’d grinned and done that thing with his tongue and she hadn’t cared.

      Now, huddled in bed alone, she cared very much. And when her phone rang, she winced for a second, pictured the hotel manager calling to tell her about the complaints they’d received. Until she realized that it was her cell phone and not the hotel phone.

      “Rina, it’s Jenny. Is this a bad time? I know it’s early.”

      “Not at all,” she said. She’d hadn’t been close to her mother’s younger sister until recently, and now she thought of her aunt more like a sister. Jenny had even told her to drop the aunt-and-uncle stuff because it made her feel old.

      Growing up, Jenny and Mac never came to Rina’s house for the holidays. Together, the couple had remained something of a cross between the black sheep and a mystery in her family. And then, Rina’s uncle had called her with an opportunity to do a recruitment video, which she shot a few months ago, so she’d grown close with her aunt in a very short period of time.

      It was something Rina’s mother wasn’t too happy about, claimed her aunt was going to be a bad influence on her. It was partially the reason Rina hadn’t told her mother about the possible Africa project. She knew her mother would blame Jenny for influencing her, and she wouldn’t have been all that wrong. She and Jenny had spent hours talking about her uncle and Jenny’s brother, thumbing through photo albums and old letters and when Jenny had told her that she reminded her of David, she’d never felt prouder.

      “I tried your home phone first and then I remembered you’d mentioned being away,” Jenny said, drawing Rina into the present.

      She sat up and groaned, then fell against the stacked pillows. “Yes, I’m living the glamorous life in Hawaii.”

      “I’m jealous, since we’re expecting