The Risk-Taker by Kira Sinclair Page B

think that was a good sign, that she didn’t trust herself to without doing something she’d regret.
    Which is exactly what he wanted to push her to do—although he had every intention of making sure neither of them regretted anything.
    Throwing him a mumbled excuse, Hope walked away. He expected her to head for the snack bar or the ladies’ room. When she beelined for the front door the only thought he had was hell, no. She was not going to run away and leave him here alone.
    Gage shot to his feet. He was halfway across the space before he realized she’d left her purse sitting beneath her seat. She couldn’t be trying to duck out on him.
    So what was she doing outside in the rain?
    Even beneath the long overhang covering the front of the building, a fine mist filled the air. Beyond that a steady sheet of rain turned the late afternoon into a drab gray wall.
    At the far end of the overhang, Hope leaned against the metal building and stared out into the rain.
    He knew the moment she noticed him, as she jerked away from the wall and stood straight.
    “I needed some air. It’s stuffy in there.”
    The flush across her skin suggested she was telling the truth. He had to think the eighty odd people inside had something to do with it. Because he was feeling the same way—severely claustrophobic. Penned in by everyone else when what he wanted was to be alone with her.
    She stared warily up at him. He took a step closer. Her feet shuffled and she moved backward, straight into the steady drip of rain from the lip of the roof above them.
    Air whistled through her teeth as she sucked in a gasp. The shoulders of her shirt were soaked even though she was only there for a heartbeat. Crystalline droplets glistened in the crown of her hair. She shook her head, dislodging them. Several hit him square in the chest, leaving perfect circles of moisture.
    With an expletive, she reached up and ran her hands through her damp hair, pushing off any remaining water.
    She was beautiful and they were alone, cut off from everything and everyone by the walls and rain.
    Surging forward, Gage grabbed her and crushed her against him. He devoured her, taking everything that he’d ever wanted from her. She didn’t stop him. That was all the invitation he needed to keep going.
    Her back bounced against the wall, the sound of rippling metal crashing right along with the thunder of the storm. Water washed down his back. He wasn’t sure where it came from. Had his momentum pushed them both out in the middle of the downpour? Did it matter?
    Her arms wrapped around his neck, boosting her up so that she could get a better angle on their kiss. She practically climbed his body, anchoring her legs around his waist so that she could tower above him. And he was perfectly happy to have her there. Have her anywhere.
    He tugged greedily at the hem of her shirt, yanking it from the waistband of her jeans until he could find bare skin. She gasped, breaking their kiss when his fingers grazed the plane of her belly.
    Her eyes smoldered at him from beneath lowered lids. Water droplets collected in the hollow of her throat. Dipping down, he licked them away, loving the rain-soaked taste of her skin.
    She shuddered and dropped her head backward to give him better access.
    “Hope, where are—”
    Together, their heads swiveled to look at the half-opened door and Willow standing there, staring at them, her mouth open wide enough that if she’d move two feet forward she could drown.
    Her jaw snapped shut. She cleared her throat. “Yeah, it’s your turn, but I’m guessing you’re not coming back to the game.”
    “What makes you say that?” Hope asked, her voice soft and steady, as if she didn’t currently have her legs wrapped around Gage’s waist and his hand wedged between them both.
    Willow’s eyes widened. He could have sworn that wasn’t physically possible a few seconds ago.
    “Well...” She waved a hand at them as if she didn’t need words. She found