Taking Risk Series Read online

  I laugh as I lean down, bracing my hands on her knees, which results in my being closer than I can handle. Her eyes are dark, swirling with want, and when her pink tongue comes out, wetting her plump lips, I almost groan loudly. “Instead of begging, you could just be patient,” I suggest, my lips itching to be on hers.

  “Yeah,” she says breathlessly, “but I’m not very good at being patient when I want something.”

  Yup, my dick is so hard that it hurts. Swallowing again, I lean toward her. My heart is pounding, and my knees feel like at any moment they could give out. As much as I want to get lost in her luscious lips, I know I want to wait until the moment she’ll remember forever. Going for the side of her mouth, I grin before pursing my own lips to meet at the sweet spot where a dimple lays, but before I can, she turns her head, meeting her lips to mine. Heat explodes everywhere, and I can’t breathe. Fuck, there is no stopping me now. Her lips are as soft as I imagined, plump, and taste sweet like her. Pulling back, I stand up, reaching for her before she can say anything, to set her to her feet. Her eyes are locked on mine, and when I drop my mouth to hers, she gasps as I try to deepen the kiss, running my tongue along her bottom lip, hoping for entrance.

  Thank God, she gives it to me.

  Pushing my tongue in her mouth to play with hers, my fingers bite into her hips as I bring her closer to me. I want her to know her little game just turned into something bigger. When her hands run up my chest and lock behind my neck, I groan against her lips at the mere pleasure of her sweet hands on bare skin. This has to stop before I do something that neither of us is ready for. Pulling my lips from hers, I inhale deeply as my eyes lock with hers. Her face is flush, her lips swollen, and fuck, she looks so damn edible.

  “Whoa,” she breathes, her breasts touching my chest as she takes long pulls of air.

  I nod in complete agreement. With that kiss, I was supposed to blow her away, but I’m the one who is having a hard time breathing. “Told ya to wait.”

  She laughs. “No way, that was perfect.”

  I smile, leaning my head against hers. “And to think, it’s only the start of our date.”

  “Well, damn, this is gonna be some date then, huh?”

  I nod as I lace my fingers with hers. “Damn right, it is.”

  Pulling her to me again, I brush my lips on hers and smile. “I’m more than likely going to do that more often than needed.”

  She grins as she goes up on her tippy toes, placing a small kiss on my lips. “And I’ll more than likely enjoy it each time.”

  Running my nose along hers, the thought of staying in the car and making out the whole time seems like Plan C, but I think I owe her more than that. So, pulling way, I kiss her knuckles before pulling her toward my car. “I better take you on this date.”

  “Yeah, before we end up making out in your car the whole time, huh?”

  I nod. “Exactly.”

  Chapter 15

  Amberlyn

  Declan makes my heart race.

  Like seriously. This feeling is new and exhilarating. It has me grinning so hard that I’m afraid my face will stay like this permanently, but then I am okay with that because he put it there. We haven’t said anything since the “knock you on the ass” kiss he gave me. I mean, words can’t describe the way he rocked my world. My heart is still pounding in my chest. My lips are still tingling, and my body is humming with awareness for him. I want to reach out, cup his neck with my hand, and slowly trace the veins in his neck with my thumb.

  It’s been two days since the night we sat on the dock and spilled our souls to each other. Since that moment though, I’ve never felt so free in my life. Declan is honestly the best listener in the world and makes me feel safe when I’m with him. Since leaving me that night with only a kiss to my palm, I’ve thought of him constantly. When he would text me, I’d get this grin on my face and then do this disgusting, girly giggle before answering him back just as fast as I could. Nothing matters but texting him back and waiting for his reply. It’s pathetic, but it is what it is. I can’t help it. I’ve never felt like this before.

  Like I’m flying.

  With a content grin on my face, I reach out, lacing my fingers with his. When he squeezes my hand and sends me a wink, I’m breathless. He looks good every day, but after that kiss, he looks hot. Like superhot. He has that damn beanie on, but his eyes are dark, his lips puffy from our kiss. He’s wearing a thin, white tee with a grey striped one over it with fitted jeans. When he glances over at me, a smile pulls at his lips, and his eyes are radiant as they hold mine for a split second before looking back out at the road. He makes me feel so warm, from the inside out. I tried to explain it to Fiona, but she was too busy gushing over the almost kiss and how silly I was to wait for one. She was the one who suggested I just do it. I have to admit I am buying her a gift card to the tanning place tomorrow because her idea was spot-on.

  I don’t know where we are going, and to be honest, I don’t care. I sit contentedly in the car as we drive down the weaving roads along the countryside. When we come to the large gate that surrounds his property, I wonder if we are going back to the dock. That’s fine with me, I love it there, but instead of taking the road to the pond, he takes another one, and soon we are lost in the lush greenery of his land. It’s spectacular, and I can’t wait to see the main house, or anything for that matter. Declan promised to take me on a tour of the distillery, and I wonder if that is what we are doing. When we pull up next to a large barn, I peer out the window, in awe of the massive building.

  “That’s a big barn.”

  He smiles as he gets out, grabbing a bag out of the back before coming around to help me out of the car. “Yeah, we only have about an hour and a half before it gets dark, so let’s get Cathmor and get going. Do you have a problem riding in the dark? We might have to after we eat.”

  “Oh, we are riding?”

  He nods before glancing down at my feet. I know he is thinking the same thing I am since I am wearing flip-flops. “Yeah, I forgot to tell you to get boots or something since you basically pulled me out of the pub and devoured me,” he says before winking at me. “But I’m sure you can fit in Lena’s boots.”

  “Okay,” I say, but then he looks back at me, his brows together.

  “That’s okay, yeah?”

  I nod my head earnestly. “Yes, of course, I’m excited. The last time I rode, though, was before my mom got sick, so it might take some getting used to.”

  He smiles, his eyes filling with compassion as he laces his fingers with mine. “It’s like riding a bike. Come on.”

  I go willingly, and when we enter the barn, I am completely astonished. It is state of the art and the poshest barn I’ve ever seen. There are about six horses, all tucked in their little living quarters. Their stalls are bigger than my room, big troughs are full of fresh veggies, and then there is one with water. It’s so nice that even I wouldn’t mind living here.

  When a pair of boots and socks appears in front of me, I reach for them before smiling up at Declan. He’s gushing with excitement, and it fuels my own. Dropping the boots, I lean over to slide the socks and then boots on. When I stand, I am pleased they fit.

  “Good?” he asks.

  I nod. “Perfect fit.”

  “Awesome, okay, let’s go,” he says, leading me down to a stall that holds a gorgeous, white mare. I smile when she comes toward me, running her nose along my face for a kiss. My mom loved horses, said when she was younger she wanted to own a billion of them and love each one. She never got the chance, but that didn’t mean we didn’t ride a lot. Those were some of my favorite memories. We’d all pack lunches, go rent some horses, and spend the day riding before having a nice lunch by the lake. It was fun. With my throat tight, I look over at Declan to catch him watching me.

  “You okay?”

  I nod. “Sure.”

  “We don’t have to ride. We can go somewhere else if you like.”

  I shake my head. “No, it’s n