High Risk (4 page)

Oh, the places she could take that comment.

She gathered her things together as she thought it through. “Full squad?”

“Yes. Pilot for basic refresher only—she doesn’t need a full workup on ropes, but
she needs to remember people are working like hell on the other end when she’s in
the air swinging them.”

Okay, that was impressive. “She? Your pilot is a woman?”

He pushed open the gym door and held it for her, his grin firmly back in place. “Erin’s
the best.”

She blinked as she stepped into the sunshine. Deep breaths filled her lungs with more
than the crisp mountain air. Filled her soul with a familiar peace she’d been missing
ever since the accident.

“Becki?”

His tone had dropped a notch, and she turned to face him.

“I didn’t mean to rush you. I know it’s something you probably need to think about,
but the offer is there.”

“I wasn’t expecting work right away, but I’ll seriously consider it.”

He nodded. “Great.”

They were already halfway back to the dorms, her footsteps following the familiar
path from so long ago. “You live right in town, then?”

“Found a great place. Big backyard that’s nice and private. Wide-open deck with a
hot tub . . .”

His voice died away, and suddenly her sticky sweaty self was back on the
sweating for a different reason
track. Thoughts of hot tubs and Marcus were not on the current agenda.

He cleared his throat again. “I’ve got an idea. Come out tonight and meet the team.
No pressure in terms of the training, but since you’ve moved back to Banff, they’re
a great group of people to spend some time with.”

She snatched greedily at the change of topic. “That sounds fun. Anywhere in particular?”

“You know our usual stomping grounds.” He chuckled. “I think you were the one who
started the tradition.”

No. Way.
“Rose and Crown? The pub is still around?”

“Yeah, and they continue to throw out David’s students on a regular basis, but if
you promise to behave maybe you can get away without being arrested this time.”

Drat, it seemed her school–days sins were far too well known. There was no use in
wallowing in doubt, though. “I’d love to, only I’ll warn you, I’m not as big on the
jalapeño-eating contests as I was back then.”

“Oh God, no. We’ll stick to wings and chips.”

She groaned, her mouth instantly watering like some damn Pavlovian dog. “We should
have done ten hill repeats if we’re going to eat that crap.”

He stepped back, full grin in place. “Meet you at six?”

“Perfect.”

Marcus was gone before she’d made it through the dormitory doors. Her body screamed
for a shower and a rest, her mind filled with a morass of questions and scattered
images of the time she’d spent in the school in her past.

Including shockingly detailed memories of the most intense sexual experience she’d
ever had in her life.

Returning to Banff was turning out to be far more complicated, and far more interesting,
than she ever expected.

She was removing her bottle holder before she realized that other than when he’d attempted
to joke about it, she’d never once thought of Marcus’s missing limb.

CHAPTER
3

The music volume as she pushed open the bar doors at the Rose and Crown was perfect—loud
enough the intoxicating rhythm pulsed in her veins, low enough voices were clearly
audible without shouting. Becki took the long staircase two steps at a time, pausing
on the second-floor landing to look around, pleased to recognize familiar decor. The
dartboard still hung in the same place, there were comfortable chairs gathered in
groups, and the scent of smoky barbecue and dark ale filled the air.

The sensation of coming home grew stronger.

Across the room Marcus rose to his feet and waved, and another shot of high-test lust
drilled through her. The faded blue cotton shirt that stretched over his broad chest
looked soft. Dark hair that was longer than in her memories framed his strong features,
while the slight wave still made her itch to drive her fingers into the thick mass
and drag their mouths together.

Oh boy.

She reined in her libido and turned her attention to the group sprawled in the overstuffed
chairs. She guessed their ages anywhere between twenty-five and forty. Two women and
three men not counting Marcus. They looked so completely at ease with each other,
they had to be part of his team.

The young blond man taking up an entire loveseat by himself leapt to his feet and
scrambled forward, thrusting out his hand. “I didn’t believe Marcus when he said
the
Rebecca James was in town. I am so fucking excited to meet you—”

“Good grief, Devon. Can you not go ten seconds without putting your foot in your mouth?”
The petite woman seated beside Marcus rolled her eyes. “Hi, Rebecca. I’m Alisha. Excuse
the puppy, he’s not housebroken yet.”

Becki grinned at the pretty blonde. “Hi, Alisha.” She wrapped her fingers around Devon’s
and returned his sturdy handshake. “Devon, nice to meet you, too, only please, call
me Becki.”

He winked cheekily, then tugged her toward the loveseat, giving her room to join him.
“That is the more familiar name. The one we’ve seen plastered all over the record
boards at school. At least until they had to take them down to put up mine.”

Across the table Alisha groaned loudly. “You did not just say that. Someone tell me
he didn’t say that.”

Devon shrugged. “It’s true. Well, only the swimming records. Your name is still listed
for a few things.”

He twisted to grin at Becki, one hundred percent cocky attitude and self-importance,
and she had to fight from laughing out loud.

She could see her younger self so clearly in the young man it was scary.

“You’re such an ass, Devon.” Alisha leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

He tossed a snarky comment in her direction. Becki ignored their continuing banter
to answer the touch on her arm on the other side.

A muscular, dark-haired man offered his hand. “Welcome to the madhouse. Name’s Tripp.”

“One of the Lifeline team?”

“Since day one. Ropes and avalanche are my specialties. If you’re going to be in town
for a while, I’d love to do a climb with you.” He pointed across the table. “In the
meantime, I’ll introduce the rest of the motley crew. Erin Tate flies the bird. Anders
there beside Marcus is our winch man.”

Anders waved. Erin raised her glass in the air. “Let us know your poison. We already
ordered wings, so they should be here shortly.”

Becki was impressed all over again. The dark-skinned woman who’d greeted her seemed
far too young to be the pilot. The woman had to be a rock star.

A quick head count proved the numbers didn’t add up. “Is one of the team missing?”
Becki asked.

“Xavier. I’m sure you’ll meet him soon enough. He’s easily recognizable—picture Spider-Man
on Red Bull. By the way, don’t mind Devon,” Tripp confided in a softer tone. “He’s
been vibrating with excitement since he heard you were going to show up tonight. The
bragging is just his nerves talking.”

Becki couldn’t help but laugh this time. “I’m not offended. I’m surprised any of my
records stand after this long.”

Tripp pointed to the young woman across the table still in heated debate with Devon.
“Alisha’s lead on ropes for Lifeline—she managed to beat your freestyle climbing time
her final year in the school. She and Devon are the only ones who were trained here
in Banff. The rest of us worked around the country before Marcus hired us.”

The mention of his name made her glance up to discover Marcus staring intently at
her with something dangerous and wild showing in the depths of his eyes. Her nipples
tightened, and she was damn glad she was wearing both a dark shirt and a bra with
enough material to it that her involuntary reaction wouldn’t be noticeable.

She covered the rest of her response by putting in her drink order before turning
to pull Devon from his teasing into a rational discussion.

Over the next three hours she consumed more teriyaki and buffalo wings than were strictly
necessary, laughter and conversation flowing around her. People changed position to
chat with others, but it wasn’t until nine that she finally ended up with Marcus at
her side.

It wasn’t as if she’d been avoiding him—not really—but it was easier to sneak glances
at him when he was directly across from her.

He offered her another serving of wings. “You enjoying yourself?”

“Yes, but, oh God, take that plate away. I’m going to explode if I eat any more.”

He chuckled as he put the platter back on the table, where Tripp and Devon instantly
claimed the remaining contents. “Just so you know, we don’t do this every day. More
often we go for something moderately healthy, or do a potluck at someone’s house.”

“A little excess once in a while is fine.”

“Agreed.” He leaned back, which put his body close enough that heat caressed her.
“What do you think? Could you handle spending a few weeks helping work them over?
Devon especially?”

She laughed. “I like him. I like them all. You’ve got a good group here, Marcus. You
should be proud.”

He twisted and moved in closer until his mouth hovered over her ear. He lowered his
volume, keeping the conversation private. “I am—but I also know they need a kick in
the ass right now. Someone like you setting them on their toes will help them hit
the spring and summer season in the right frame of mind. Sharp—ready for whatever
gets thrown at them.”

The words he shared were logical, but she was having the toughest time concentrating
on anything but the warm caress of air escaping his lips and tickling along her neckline.
A shiver rushed her, and it took everything in her to stay vertical. To resist pressing
against his torso and allowing their innocent intimacy to become something far from
chaste.

“Becki?” Marcus dropped his hand onto her thigh and squeezed lightly. “You okay?”

She lifted her chin to meet his gaze, tossing off the buzz of desire that was turning
her mind to mush. “Sorry. I’m drifting. It’s been a long day, and while I’ll admit
I’m extremely interested, I need some time to consider.”

“No problem.” He nodded. Paused. “Can I give you a ride back to your room?”

Oh God.
There was that darkness in his gaze—nothing frightening except in how much it made
her ache. Made her need. Whether he intended it to right now or not, because he didn’t
seem to be trying to seduce her.

He was simply a big old bag of catnip, and she a very fascinated cat.

Becki made herself do the right thing. “Thanks, no ride needed. I’ve got my car just
outside. Can you give me your contact information? I’ll call you in the morning.”

They stood, and she gave her farewells to the group. Alisha rose as well, pulling
on her jacket. “If you’re headed uphill, can I grab a lift?”

“Of course.” Becki turned to Marcus, accepting his business card, ignoring the warmth
of his fingers as they brushed together. “I’ll be in touch.”

The cool night air was a needed balm, whooshing over her face and cooling her heated
cheeks. She smiled at the younger woman and tilted her head to the right. “Down the
street and around the corner one block.”

Alisha nodded. “Thanks for this. I live not far from the dorms. I have a vehicle,
but I walked to the pub.”

“You have a place to yourself?” Becki remembered how tough it could be to find accommodations
in Banff.

“I do—an attic suite. It’s a little on the small side, but the bonus is there’s no
one above me to make noise and wake me. And my landlords are pretty quiet. They don’t
mind me taking off at all hours, either, when I get a call.”

They crawled into Becki’s car, and she had to concentrate on dealing with the traffic
for a few minutes. “I don’t remember seeing this many people on the road before. Friday
night rush?”

“Something like that. It’ll get busier as the summer tourist season rolls in, but
you know that from working in Yellowstone. I imagine it’s the same there.” Alisha
peered out the window and pointed to the side. “Second turn on the right, and my house
is the last one on the block.”

Becki drove in silence for a moment. Yellowstone seemed so far away, and yet it wasn’t.
The national park had been a part of her life for many years, and even the thought
of the place brought a longing. “Summer rush, ski season—there’s always something
to get people into trouble.”

“You miss it?” Alisha asked.

Straight honest truth poured out before she could think it through. “I do. Yellowstone
was home. I love the mountains here as well, but something there calls to me.”

“Are you planning on going back?”

Becki marvelled that the seemingly innocuous questions managed to hit nerves so raw
and fragile. “Not yet. Maybe someday.”

She pulled in front of the indicated driveway and waited as the woman got out.

“Are you going to be around for a while?” Alisha asked, sticking her head back into
the vehicle as she leaned on the open door frame. “Because, well, it’s forward of
me, but I would love to have you join me for a climb. Teach me a few things.”

Becki smiled across the car at her. Alisha’s enthusiasm was contagious. Spending time
with the Lifeline team wouldn’t be a chore. “From what I hear, you’re a pretty incredible
climber yourself. Maybe you can teach me some new tricks.”

Alisha grinned. “That means you’re staying?”

“You might be sick of me before you know it,” Becki warned.

“I doubt it. Will you be around the school tomorrow? Can I catch you there?”

“You’re serious? Saturday and you want to hit the gym?” Alisha gave her a look, and
Becki laughed. “Okay, yes, I planned to work out tomorrow as well. I wanted to check
out the new climbing wall. Want to join me around ten?”

Instant delight filled the other woman’s face. “That would be awesome. I’ll bring
lunch for after we’re done.”

It took only five minutes after leaving Alisha for Becki to complete the drive to
her parking lot and make her way toward her dorm room. The place was deserted between
semesters, and the peace and quiet was exactly what she needed.

Becki paused outside the doors, then scrambled onto a massive boulder arranged in
the middle of a garden area. Stars were beginning to show through the wisps of clouds
overhead, and she got herself into a more comfortable position to sit and admire them
for a while.

There was no reason she couldn’t take on the training Marcus had requested of her.
She’d enjoyed the evening immensely. Search-and-rescue people were a rather obsessed
lot. Being around a group of individuals who all had the same focus, the same goals
she did—it was refreshing and motivating all at the same time.

Her uncontrollable urge to strip the man himself and ride him until they were both
screaming was a separate issue. Something she’d have to deal with, but right now she
needed to decide if she was going to take on the teaching challenge. She wanted to.
That was the truth.

Only there was no way she could accept the position without letting Marcus know a
few important details. Information she’d managed to keep from the media. Let him choose
if he still wanted her around his team after he knew the full story.

Staring at the stars and the clouds drifting past was much simpler than figuring out
how to explain that although she remembered every second of her and Marcus’s time
together in minute sexual detail, she had no memories whatsoever of the accident eight
months earlier that had killed her partner.

* * *

Marcus tossed his coat on the hook beside the door, kicked off his shoes, and headed
directly for the bathroom. He dropped his clothes on the counter, cranked on the water,
and stepped in before there was a chance of heat.

The icy cold spray did nothing to ease the aching hardness in his cock.

Fuck it all, the entire day had been an exercise in torture. From the moment he’d
laid eyes on Becki, there’d been no stopping the vivid images assaulting him. Memories
like her naked and spread-eagle, her fingers dipping into her wet cunt before moving
in circles until orgasm shook her entire body.