Worth the Risk (2 page)

She opened the door and stepped into the hall. As she inched down the hallway, the silence of an empty apartment engulfed her. When she reached the kitchen, her eyes were drawn to the table. In the very center lay a lone silver key. She walked over and picked it up; the metal chilled her hand. A solitary tear slid down her check. Tanner was gone.

Chapter One

Present Day

Oh. My. God.
She stumbled backward, hit a chair, and plopped into the canvas seat. The chair tipped, but she grabbed the arms and wrestled it down into place. Holy shit. Did he recognize her? Crap. She didn’t need this. Not now
.
Molly dropped her head into her hands, hiding her face. What the hell was Tanner Daivies doing there?

Shrieks filled the air as her friends spotted and recognized him. While they ran over to greet their long-lost friend, Molly rose from the chair. Moving around behind it, she stepped back a few paces. Spinning, she stumbled again, but an arm reached out to steady her. Molly peered into her best friend’s surprised face. Colleen’s sweet, open personality typically drew people in, encouraging most to confess their sins or fall at her feet and do her bidding. But not Molly—and not for lack of trying on her friend’s part.

Knowing her own smile wobbled, she opened her mouth to make light of her clumsiness, but nothing came out. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Colleen’s current boyfriend, Steve, grinning like a fool, heading into the fray. This new addition would no doubt cause Tanner to question his memory of their cluster of friends
.
He didn’t need to worry—nobody had met Steve prior to this weekend. Her friend changed boyfriends like she changed handbags.

Colleen grasped Molly’s shoulders and leaned in close, her voice dropped low. “Are you OK?”

It was really him. Curiosity got the better of her, and she glanced back over her shoulder. Memories assaulted her as he removed his six-foot-plus frame from the car to stand in the center of the welcome circle. Her friends were all talking at him, their voices filled with excitement. Judging by his glazed expression, their reaction left him a little overwhelmed.

Ten years.
She rubbed her chest, thinking back to the invisible ache that had bothered her earlier on the drive here. She’d struggled the entire two hours to keep her focus on the road and not on painful memories from her past.

She flexed her fingers. Maybe the cause of her earlier distress was the fact that this year served as a milestone. Ten years since graduation, ten years since she last saw Tanner, and ten years since…
fuck.
When did she start counting? Molly searched the area for possible escape routes.

Colleen’s gentle shake brought her back to the moment. “Brad texted me earlier and said he took the afternoon off. He also said he was bringing a surprise with him. He’s been dating somebody new. I just assumed—”

“Um…yeah. I wouldn’t have expected Brad’s surprise to be Tanner either. It…ah…caught me off guard. That’s—”
Oh, crap.
“I just need a few minutes.”

“You’ve got no color in your face. I’m sure it will be OK. Awkward, yes, but probably fine.”

Molly’s heart palpitated. Colleen’s mouth moved, but the buzz in her ears drowned out the words. She swallowed hard. Air, she needed air.

“Besides, the others won’t let him cause a scene. You’re the one we’ve stayed close to over the years, not him. Our allegiance is to you, honey.”

Molly swung her gaze to where her childhood friends had gathered around the car, effectively pinning Tanner against it. Sam and Olivia, a couple since they were in diapers, were married now, and both glowed like beacons.

Violet, a transplant from Toronto when her parents divorced, hovered close, waiting for her turn to say hi.

Brad and Tanner had been best friends through grade school and high school. Brad had been pissed when Tanner left town without a word to anyone. Looked as though he got over it.

Molly had never told anybody why she and Tanner broke up. She’d stressed over it at the time, deflecting comments from friends about him disappearing days before graduation. She hated the thought of being subjected to the pity she’d see on their faces if they knew the truth. Everybody just assumed the breakup had been his doing. She never corrected them, just implied she’d agreed with his decision.

Colleen’s words began to cut through the insistent noise. Molly nodded. “Thank you. That means more to me than you know.” Unshed tears burned her eyes. She opened her mouth and sucked in a shaky breath, but at least she had oxygen in her lungs now. “You’re right. It will be…fine.” She gulped. “Why don’t you go over and say hi?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’m going to wait here for a few more minutes.” She began calculating the odds of sneaking past her friends and making a quick getaway before any of them noticed. She made a mental note to back her car in next time.

“OK.” Colleen gave her a final squeeze and walked over to join the others.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Molly closed her eyes, wishing for a paper bag. A really big one. She so did not need this in her life right now.

* * *

His friends charged toward him, grinning wide, excitement in their voices, the girls squealing. Tanner’s mind jumped back to a time when they were young, gangly teenagers. Thinner versions of what faced him today, with longer hair, and carefree attitudes ready to take on the world. It seemed no time had passed.

When he’d run into Brad while getting beer in town, Tanner had tried to wiggle out of the invitation to reunite with his old friends for their annual camping trip. Being reminded of what he’d been missing out on over the last decade didn’t sit well. After apologizing to his parents for yet another sudden departure, he joined Brad on a drive around town, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of spring in a small town—nothing had changed.

Unable to speak through the noisy assault, he struggled just to stay standing, shaking hands with a guy he didn’t know while the girls hung from his shoulders. Their exuberant welcome humbled him. He’d run out of their lives without a word to anyone. And in all the years in between, he never reached out, not once.

As he greeted them, his gaze kept straying to the one person he both needed and feared to see. When Brad first drove in, Tanner had feigned dropping something to avoid looking for her. No such luck. Whatever mechanism in his body or his brain that ruled him—maybe it was his dick—forced his eyes to seek her out. Like a missile detecting her heat, his gaze zeroed in on the target—Molly Simpson. Then his heart tripped, it actually seemed to skip a beat, startled by the impact of seeing her again. No mistaking the fact that she recognized him. Her eyes had widened, the blood drained from her face, and she had dropped her mouth open in obvious shock before she stumbled into a chair.

Now, she stood by the fire, angled away from him, sneaking furtive glances in his direction. The stiff way she held herself betrayed her attempt at nonchalance. He could almost hear the questions racing through her head.

Damn, she was beautiful
.
The grown-up Molly stole his breath. Ash-blonde hair, cut in a fashionable style, fell in gentle waves around her shoulders. Standing in a campground, surrounded by trees, even dressed in shorts, a T-shirt, and runners, she projected an impression of understated sophistication. It was as natural to her as breathing.

She stood a solid eight to ten inches shorter than him. He remembered teasing her about her height every time he bent down to kiss her. God, he missed kissing her. He curved his lips into a smile as his gaze wandered over the rest of her. Still slender and toned, she had the strength of an athlete and the grace of a dancer. He had been so hot for her back then, certain their love would last forever.

He didn’t know if anyone knew why he and Molly had broken up. Hell,
he
didn’t even know why it happened. One minute they were getting ready to graduate from university and start their lives together and the next she was telling him she wanted to be on her own. Well, he’d granted her wish. He’d left without saying good-bye and hadn’t seen her or any of the rest of his family or friends since. Nobody understood how much her rejection had hurt him back then. Nor was he ready to admit the real reason he’d come back home now.

He shook his head to dislodge the memory. In the past, every time he’d thought about that day, his blood would boil. But now the anger wouldn’t come. In its place he discovered disappointment, and something else…resignation maybe? What changed? Over the years he’d had relationships with other women, though not one of them evolved beyond casual dating.

Maybe time had simply worked its magic. His hurt outweighed the anger. He also still had—and would always have—feelings for her.

Did she think about him? Feel anything for him? Was she even available? For all he knew she was happy, married, with a couple of kids. She deserved that. He tried to ignore the knot in his stomach. But the mere idea of another man’s child growing in her belly pissed him off.

Damn it.
He was entitled to answers. If she had moved on, fine, he would be gracious and back away—he hadn’t come home to interfere. But, if she hadn’t, then perhaps a possibility existed for them to…what? To be friends? To start over?

“I can’t believe it’s you, man. It’s great to see you.” Sam’s deep voice penetrated his thoughts.

Tanner reached out to shake his hand, while he enticed Olivia to step closer for a hug. “Look at you two. I heard you finally got married last year. Sorry I couldn’t make it back for the wedding. My parents said you looked stunning, Liv.”

The petit brunette blushed, sidled next to her husband, and circled his waist with her arm. “Not to worry; we have lots of pictures. Are you in town for a while?”

“Yeah, I’m—”

“Hey, guys.” Brad smiled at the crowd. “Why don’t we let the man step away from car? Help us get our tent pitched, and then we’ll let him fill us in on what he’s been up to over a beer. I don’t know about the rest of you, but it’s been a long week for me and I’d love to sit down, put my feet up, and get this long weekend started.”

Thankful for the slight reprieve, Tanner helped Brad unload their gear. Soon enough, he’d have to face Molly and the inquisition.

Chapter Two

Ten years.
Molly stood rooted to the ground as her friends welcomed Tanner back, looking away each time his glance clashed with hers. Oh, God. Should she stay, get it over with, or run and hide? Was he home to stay or was he visiting? She knew his parents didn’t see him as often as they’d like. He’d fled to Vancouver, and as far as she knew, he’d never been back, forcing them to travel west to see their son. Tanner had left their apartment late that night and never returned. He didn’t even show up for graduation.

Molly had stayed in Ottawa. She liked living in the city, and she loved her job as a magazine editor. She excelled at it, and she had friends there. However, these trips were the highlight of her existence. Each year, she needed to reconnect with the people who really understood her. After losing her parents, this reconnecting grounded her.

The crunch of gravel drew her gaze. A dark blue SUV rolled into park behind her red Mazda. The last of the bunch, Matt, picked the perfect moment to arrive. However, the placement of his car created an effective barrier. She wasn’t going anywhere now.

He climbed from his car and retrieved something from the back. Colleen jogged over to help him. Desperate for a distraction, Molly dragged her attention from Tanner and, through sheer force of will, switched it to Colleen and Matt. They rummaged around for a couple minutes in the back of his car and then backed out with three trays of coffees and two boxes of donuts.

Caffeine and sugar. That should make her feel better. A beer would work faster. She kept a speculative eye on Tanner through lowered lashes. Time passed in a haze of memories. Tanner extricated himself from the group and sauntered toward her. She jerked back to the present, straightening her spine.

He studied her, his head cocked slightly to the right. He approached as though he expected her to flee. With each step that brought him closer, her heartbeat picked up and her nipples hardened until they peaked stiff beneath her shirt. Molly crossed her arms over her chest. Warmth unfurled low in her belly. She couldn’t do much about her damp panties. It had been a long time, but seemingly her heart and her body hadn’t suffered from memory loss and after a decade of yearning, decided to go for broke.

Tanner stopped five feet away and then closed the distance by three. She’d forgotten how tall he was. His dark hair grazed his shoulders in a shaggy, but masculine mess
.
The years had been kind to him. Her mouth watered for the second time today. And again, some oxygen would be nice.

He wore a pair of chocolate brown boots, well-worn jeans, and a body-hugging black T-shirt made with his specific measurements in mind. It outlined every muscle he had, and he had plenty. She pressed her lips together, tight. No need to embarrass herself by drooling.

“Hello, Molly.” His voice was deeper, his face leaner, and though he’d dropped his shades over his eyes when he got out of the car, she remembered their swirling gray depths. Regardless of his mood, looking into his eyes always made her picture an overcast day, the clouds heavy with the promise of rain.

“Tanner.”

The sounds of her friends talking, other campers arriving and setting up, and children playing a game of tag over in the field all became background noise, fading away while they stood, drinking each other in. He had matured. His body, his demeanor, everything about him spoke volumes of the man he had become—a harder version of the young man she had known, of the boy she had loved. He oozed confidence and sensuality.

Her body hummed its approval. Visions of her arms and legs, entangled with his, danced through her head. Wow. Good thing she packed extra undies.