High Risk (3 page)

It was like going back in time, and a shiver raced up her spine.

She’d agreed quickly enough when David Landers asked her to accept a teaching position,
then gotten to ponder the why of her rapid decision at leisure the entire trip from
Jackson, Wyoming, to Banff. She wasn’t twenty-three anymore. She wasn’t the headstrong,
dynamic leader admired and hated in turns by her classmates.

Only she wasn’t really sure who she was instead. Somewhere along the way, she’d lost
track.

And when you got lost, you went back to the beginning and started again.

On an impulse, Becki slid open the desk drawer. She pulled out the set of coloured
markers she suspected she’d find there. A sheet of paper joined the markers on the
desktop, and without any further consideration she wrote in block letters.

BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP

She tacked the bold statement in the middle of the bulletin board before stepping
away to examine it. As a motivation, that was all she needed. She didn’t have to solve
all the problems of who she was right now, who she’d be in the future. One step at
a time, she’d find out.

The sunshine beckoned, so she exchanged her travel clothes for running pants, adding
a water bottle holder. She was debating gloves or no gloves—temperatures were still
nippy—when there was a knock on the door.

She peered out the security peephole and nearly died.

Marcus.

His face had matured. She’d thought him handsome before, all those years ago, but
at thirty he’d still been young. Not
babyish
—that word would never have crossed anyone’s mind in describing Marcus—but more like
unrealized potential
. Now? His cheeks and jaw were firmer, his blue eyes just as alert. Small character
lines extended from the corners, and she wanted to touch them. To smooth away the
crease marks between his brows.

His shoulders were as wide as she remembered, his open jacket stretched over a firm
chest. Her mouth went dry recalling exactly how firm his body had been. Was.

He knocked again and she jerked into action, even as memories tumbled in her brain.

* * *

As the door opened, Marcus dragged on his best manners.
See, David, I can be something better than an asshole when I want to be.

He pinned his smile in place as he spoke to the woman slowly coming into view. “Rebecca
James? I don’t know if you remember me. . . .”

A rock slide couldn’t have hit with more impact. Even knowing she was going to be
there didn’t reduce the shock. The face before him wasn’t only pretty, it was familiar.
Very familiar. He hadn’t seen it in real life for years, but he’d seen it plenty in
his mind.

Her eyes lit for a split second before her smile faded, as if she weren’t sure what
to do next.

He
sure the hell didn’t.

“Hi, Marcus. Nice to see you again.” She straightened, clutching the front of her
water bottle holder. “Are you visiting David?”

“I live here.”

“In Banff? Since when?”

“For the past four years.” He gestured into the room, still reeling from the shock.
“And you’ve gone back to your student days.”

Suddenly that was the worst possible thing he could have said, because all he could
picture was her naked and spread before him—on the bed, in the giant tub at the Banff
Springs Hotel. Up against the wall, her skin slick with moisture as he pinned her
in place and rocked his cock into her willing body again and again.

One wicked weekend. Taking him and breaking him apart with her sensuality.

He was staring—he knew he was. But her lips were still firm, that hint of mischief
there as she smiled. While her dark brown hair was pulled back into a tidy ponytail,
his mental images were of it tousled around her head as he held himself over her,
intimately connected. The curves of her body were clearly visible under her tight
running outfit, and he had the urge to strip her and see exactly how well his memories
lined up with the new reality.

The door shifted position and Marcus snapped his gaze off her hips, where he’d been
momentarily trapped.

Her smile had gotten bigger. “Seems you haven’t changed much.”

Her teasing tone saved his butt. She wasn’t pissed off; that was good. He leaned against
the door frame, and this time it was his turn to have her touch him with her gaze,
assessing, weighing.

He saw it on her face, the moment she spotted his arm. Or more accurately, where his
arm wasn’t. The empty lower sleeve on his left was pinned up so it wouldn’t flap.
It was a simple enough solution that at a glance left tourists in town completely
oblivious.

“Oh, damn. Marcus? When . . . ? I’m so sorry.”

The sexual buzz died in a flash as he prepared to reassure her, and be all understanding
and shit. The usual hassle he went through when dealing with someone about to freak
over his missing limb.

He expected her to flee into her room in disgust, or stand frozen uncertain what to
do—the two most common responses to his amputation. It shocked the hell out of him
when she moved forward instead and planted her hand on his shoulder. He was the one
rendered speechless as she lightly squeezed lower and lower until she found the end
of the stump, just past his elbow.

She nodded briefly a second before deep crimson flushed her face. “Oh, dear. That
was really, really rude. I’m sorry.”

He caught her with his right hand before she could step back. “No worries. Refreshing
response, actually. It’s nice to see you’re not going to run screaming in terror.”

Her jaw dropped. “No. Way. You’re telling me that—no, later. First, how long ago?”

“Four years.”

Understanding lit her eyes. “Way to be welcomed home. I am sorry. You mind talking
about it?”

He released his grip on her upper arm, letting his fingers slip over the soft fabric
of her running shirt like a caress. There was more to the woman now than when she’d
been a hotshot rock star on the climbing wall. Getting her to help train his crew
was no longer the only thing on his agenda.

“I don’t mind telling the story, but I’m interrupting your run. Shall I come back
later? Can I take you out for lunch? I’d like to talk to you about a few things.”

More than a few things.

She didn’t hesitate. “You want to run with me? I can wait until you get changed.”

Oh God. He hadn’t lied to David when he said he’d been keeping in shape the best he
could, but if Becki was anything now like she’d been years ago, he didn’t expect a
run with her to be a light stroll through the park. Becki always had been all about
the challenges.

What the hell. He’d never stepped back from a challenge before. “I have workout gear
in the staff room. Meet me by the gym doors?”

Becki nodded as her thorough examination of him resumed. Marcus forced his thoughts
to icebergs and math equations to keep his body from responding to the heat in her
eyes. Running was going to be bad enough without his dick being hard.

She was finally done, the seductive smile that had first caught his attention so long
ago firmly back in place. “Then I’ll finish getting ready and see you there.”

He was still staring at her ass when she closed the door on him.

CHAPTER
2

She set one foot on the railing and stretched as she waited, wondering again if her
instinctive urge to blurt the first thing she thought of would ever lessen.

Asking Marcus to join her? Fine—they had years to catch up on. They hadn’t had much
of a relationship before he’d disappeared, and even casual acquaintances could enjoy
a spur-of-the-moment workout. A
get to know you better
outing.

But join her on a
run
?

She’d have to stop the post-training images from distracting her. The ones where he
stripped off his shirt as they stretched, the slick of sweat on his skin highlighting
his muscles. He had aged well. She wanted to know if his abdomen was still rock solid,
and if when he pressed his body over hers if he’d be able to hold her trapped with
one hand—

And that was exactly where this wasn’t supposed to go.

She sighed. Taking control of her rampaging thoughts, she leaned against the side
of the building and stared into the forest, skimming her gaze over the bits and pieces
of the city visible in the distance. As if someone had taken a snapshot of her years
ago, and she’d stepped back in time. It was familiar, and yet she wasn’t the same
person. This wasn’t about going home, not really. It was a new beginning.

The door beside her opened and Marcus walked out, his head snapping toward her as
a sexy melt-her-panties smile lit his face.

Starting new? They’d had only one weekend. Who was to say they couldn’t simply have
another sometime?

He held out water, condensation glistening on the surface of the plastic. “I grabbed
you a cold one from the staff fridge.”

Becki accepted it happily, pouring the icy water into the bottle that fit in her belt
holder. Marcus threw the empty into the gym and tugged the door shut behind him.

“How long and how hard?” she asked. The question escaped before she could consider
the innuendo. Her face must have been beet red.

His grin widened. “An hour, and I’m game for hill repeats, if you are.”

The old training routes around the school were still etched into her mind. “Heartbreak
Hill?”

He nodded, and they moved in unison to the relatively level warm-up path. The wide
trail wove through the forested area, small rises and dips, nothing too imposing.

The temporary silence between them felt easy, but her curiosity needed to be answered.
“You returned four years ago? So that means you got back a year after I left.”

Marcus dodged a fallen branch. “I needed a home base. David was still happy here in
Banff, and I figured, why not?”

“Are you teaching, then?”

“No, I organized a private search-and-rescue company. The federal government can’t
keep up with the demand to haul people’s butts out of trouble, so I stepped in.”

Becki nodded. It was exactly the kind of job she’d expected him to be involved in.
“I hear you. I’ve been doing something similar in Yellowstone for the past couple
of years.”

* * *

They fell silent as the incline increased. Marcus enjoyed the pump of blood through
his limbs, the sense of energy he always got when pushing his body. Becki ran with
an effortless gait, her muscles firm as they flexed and extended in rhythmic rotations.

“Five repeats?” she asked, and Marcus swore.

“Glutton for punishment?”

Becki jogged on the spot as they eyed the steep slope of the hill before them. “Preventive
maintenance. It’s been years since I set foot in the candy shop, and I’d far prefer
to pay for my overindulgence prior to devouring the fudge than after.”

Flashbacks to drizzling chocolate sauce over her skin and licking her clean weren’t
going to help him finish this workout. “Fine. Set number one.”

He took off immediately, thinking to get the jump on her, but she’d turned as he’d
spoken, and he found himself staring eye level at her ass. The curve of where her
long legs met her gently rounded cheeks flexed right there in front of him.

His goddamn dick got hard.

Fortunately the incline they headed up was enough that the pain setting into his muscles
offered distraction. It was a near-vertical sprint, like racing a set of stairs in
the fire hall, although without the hose over his shoulder. Together they dodged the
rough footing, the massive exposed rocks creating a maze to weave between. They crested
the summit of the hill and slowed. Breathing heavily, chests rising and falling, they
sucked for oxygen and jogged the cutline back to the base for round two.

“You’re in good shape,” he managed, without sounding too much like a pack-a-day smoker.

Becki gave him a grin. “One of the rules you taught me. Give one hundred percent.”

“Ha, you remember those lessons?” A flush of desire swept him. What was he saying?
He remembered in freakish detail everything she’d taught
him
that weekend.

They were at the bottom of the hill, and Becki turned toward him. Her chin went down
slightly, and she stared from under her lashes. “Those lessons were very memorable.”

Goddamn fucking yes.
He wasn’t sure whether he should smile or run like a scared little girl as her expression
grew more sultry by the second.

Did he want a repeat of their wild fling? Hell, yeah, but he wasn’t sure of the big
picture right now, and if she was going to talk about rules, then he was going to
go back to the first one he’d insisted on teaching her so long ago.

Be patient.

They were here now, and adults—they had more to explore than simply the brain-melting
physical attraction they’d shared. If things worked out, the sex would come later.
He wanted to know more about where she’d been, and what she was doing now. Since David
had persuaded her to join the school, she’d be around for at least a year. Time enough
to reignite the sheets.

So he took the easy out.

“Round two?”

She was gone without a word, and once again he faced the torment of staring at her
ass the entire sprint up the hillside.

* * *

The gym had been renovated since the last time she was there. The mats were sparkling
new, super-cushiony, and an incredible selection of auto-belayers lined the south
wall. The entire face of the east wall was also covered from floor to ceiling in climbing
holds, including a lovely overhang section that made her fingers itch to test them.

She finished admiring the renovations from her relaxed position flat on her back.
With one leg raised to the ceiling, she flexed her ankle, pulling the limb closer
and groaning at how good it felt to stretch the tight muscles.

Stony silence greeted her from her left.

“Did I wear you out?” she asked, hiding her amusement. Marcus had been less talkative
the second half of their run, and she didn’t think it was because he was exhausted.

The mats squeaked as he rolled farther away from her, rising to face the wall as he
stretched his hamstrings. “A little.”

Liar.
Every move he made screamed she was driving him crazy. She’d been the center of focused
attention before, his and other men’s. She knew when someone was checking her out,
and the tingle inside was no less inspiring than it had been years ago.

“I’m impressed with what David has done to the place. You ever stop in and help with
the classes anymore?”

This time he turned to face her, and the heat in his eyes was enough to send a streak
of fire through her core. Oh God, she was going to melt right there on the crash mat.
She debated squeezing her legs together to ease a little of the throbbing in her clit,
but that would be as obvious as rubbing a hand over herself.

He cleared his throat and glanced away. “I’m usually too busy to come and deal with
the students. I’ve got my team in place—don’t need anyone new right now.”

The steam building between them was borderline tangible. Touchable, boiling-point
hot, making her needy and aching all at the same time. The weariness in her limbs
had been replaced by another sensation altogether, and if she wasn’t careful, she’d
be jumping him right here and now.

She took pity on him, and herself, and rocked to a sitting position. His stare remained
locked on a spot a few feet from her body, and she had to assume it was so he’d stop
stripping her in his mind.

Too bad.

Good lord, she was pathetic. This wasn’t the way to make an impression. Not to mention
she would be working for his brother—this wasn’t the time to do anything stupid. She
had to slow down, at least a little.

She casually pulled on her jacket and switched positions to a less provocative stance,
even as she continued stretching. “Tell me about your team. You said you have six
on the squad?”

Marcus nodded. “Pilot, winch man, paramedic, and the rest on ropes or whatever else
it takes to get to the emergency. I work the call centre, or there’s a trained EMT
who assists. Couple of them are water experts, with scuba skills and such, but we
don’t get many of those calls—it’s mainly winter avalanche or rock disasters outside
the Forestry and RCMP abilities.”

She would have died to get onto a team like that out of school. “Incredible. Where
were you when I was first looking for work?”

He hesitated. “Probably getting in trouble overseas.”

Shit. A wash of sympathy and dismay struck. How stupid of her to not have realized.
“Oh, Marcus, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

He gave her a wry grin. “Forget it. It was a joke, but obviously a poor one. You would
have enjoyed the first team I assembled—you would have been the only woman.”

She followed his lead and ignored her blunder, partly because she was shocked at his
admission. “You don’t hire women? I’m surprised.”

He shrugged. “I hire the best. That year, none of the successful candidates were female.
There’s been a little turnover, and now I’ve got two ladies on the squad. You’ll like
my lead rope hand—she’s as cocky on the wall as you were.”

Their eyes locked again—and memories of how her brash attitude had brought them together
for the brief fling surged up like some pornographic lust track.

His dark head between her legs, tongue doing indescribably wonderful things. She buried
her fingers in his hair and tugged until he was in the perfect position. Tension building,
her limbs shaking . . .

Becki tore her gaze away and contemplated upending her water bottle over her head.
Sweet lord, it was hotter in the gym than she remembered. She scrambled for something
to say. Anything, now desperate to switch her mental track to safer topics. What had
they been talking about?

The team. His team.
Right.

“Your squad is based here in Banff?—Hang on, I
have
heard of you.” There’d been a news article she’d read in the past couple of months.
“Didn’t you recently win some kind of award?”

A long, weary sigh escaped him.

Not the reaction she’d expected. She lifted a brow.

He nodded. “Sort of. Media attention’s been a pain in the ass.”

Becki snorted. “Actually, I know a little about that. Getting lots of notice for doing
my job? No thanks. Dodging newshounds got really old, really fast.”

Evading the reporters who’d incessantly hounded her for information regarding her
rescue of the girls had been bad enough. Worse were the horrid, unanswerable demands
for more details of what happened to Dane. A shiver went over her skin, and suddenly
she felt a little dirty for flirting with Marcus. It had been barely eight months
since her lover died. Why was she acting like a groupie with a feverish crush?

Because you’re not the one who died
, her mind taunted.

She scrambled to her feet and covered her unease with a long drink from her water
bottle. She lowered it to find Marcus focused on her.

“And that brings me back to you. David said you’re joining his teaching pool—starting
the summer semester.”

“June fourth is my first class.”

He was still staring, but now there was a calculated twist to his expression. “I’m
running my crew through boot camp for the next three weeks. Need a rope trainer. David
says you’re the best. You interested in a temporary job?”

Already? Teaching was what she’d come here to do, but she thought she’d have a couple
of weeks to brace up her defenses before actually beginning. “David thinks I’m the
best—that’s good to hear. What’s your opinion?”

“I haven’t seen you climb in a long time, but you always had the potential.”

“You want me to take a test? Submit a training program? Anything like that before
you offer me a position?”

Marcus smirked. “Nope. Rule three.”

It was the last thing she’d expected him to toss her way. Instant heat flushed her.
His words took her back to their weekend fling. To the rules that were burned into
her flesh as deeply as they were etched into her brain. “
Trust your team
? How does that fit into this situation?”

“My brother says you’re the best. He enticed you to join him, and if that picky son
of a gun wants you, then I want you, too.”