Worth the Risk: (A Contemporary Bad Boy Romance) Read online

  Dani's mind cataloged the series of events that had led to her current predicament. The world had become an absurd place. First, the forest ranger, his body seemingly carved from stone, had driven her to a night of pleasure ripped straight from her naughtiest dreams. And now her boss was attempting a drunken seduction.

  Was she giving off some kind of irresistible pheromone that drove the men around her crazy? If so, it was a relatively new development.

  Despite Jeffrey's desire, there was no way she was going to surrender to his come-on in the hopes of getting his professional approval. She thought momentarily about turning him in for harassment but knew that dramatic accusations like these tended to follow someone for the length of her career, even if they were entirely true.

  That meant she had to beat him at his own game. But how?

  Her eyes lit on the mini fridge beside the television, and she prayed that it was stocked. She opened the door and found an array of small liquor bottles. Success! Dani grabbed a handful of bottles and headed toward the bed. She laid them out between herself and Jeffrey as a buffer zone and met the dean's puzzled gaze.

  "Since we're stuck here tonight, how about a friendly drinking game?"

  Jeffrey's smile was so dazzling Dani was sure it could be seen from space. "That's my girl!" he crowed. "What's the game?"

  "Since we're both scientists, we'll start off with something easy. I'll name a genus and species, and then you name another one starting with the last letter of the species that I said. It continues on until someone can't name another genus and species before the ten second time limit expires. Ready?"

  Jeffrey nodded, his eyes ablaze with the certainty that he would receive his sweet reward this evening.

  "Hyla cinerea"

  "Uhh...Alligator mississippiensis!"

  "Spea hammondii"

  "Um...let's see...that was an "i", right?"

  "Eight seconds," she said, not cutting him any slack.

  "Right...I...I...oh darn it!"

  "Time's up!" she shouted, unable to hide her glee. "Drink up, Dean of Sciences."

  The game progressed rapidly after that. The dean was evidently unskilled at holding his liquor. After failing at the game a few times, he insisted that they play something else. He called the front desk and requested that a deck of cards be brought up to their room.

  "What game are we going to play now?" she asked with feigned nonchalance. Her luck at card games was terrible.

  "How about we make things interesting?" Jeffrey said, his eyes sticking to her body like they were dipped in glue.

  "How?"

  "Weren't you in a sorority?" he asked, catching her off guard.

  "Yes, for a semester."

  Sorority life hadn't suited her serious scholarly image, and she'd told herself that she wasn't into all the girl talk sessions and mani-pedi parties.

  "Then you should be familiar with the classic game of Strip Poker."

  "Come on," she groaned. "We're adults. Aren't we too old for strip poker?"

  "Whatssammata? Gallus domesticus?"

  "I am not a chicken!" she insisted.

  A cursory glance told her that the dean was already very drunk. It would only take a few losing hands for her to run out of clothing, but if she could keep him drinking, perhaps he would pass out before she was forced to expose herself.

  How much was she willing to risk, to keep the mood cordial? Not that much. If he tries to touch me, I'm out of here. I don't care if there aren't any other hotel rooms, I'll sleep on the beach before I let him put a hand on me.

  "All right, you're on," she said, "but first, how about a toast?" He smiled as she opened another tiny liquor bottle for him, and one for herself. "To absent frogs," she said, raising her bottle high.

  Jeffrey let out a high-pitched giggle and repeated her words, then took a sip from the bottle. When he went to pull it away from his, lips she grabbed the bottom of the bottle, forcing it upward and causing the liquor to pour down his throat. She didn't release it until he finished the entire thing. He coughed heavily but luckily didn't notice that she hadn't drunk from her own bottle.

  The first hand was dealt, and of course, Danielle lost. She bent down to pull off her tennis shoes. "Doesn't count," Jeffrey protested, so she pulled off her socks as well. He grumbled, but she ignored him. The next hand went the way of the first, and Dani was forced to pull off her sweater.

  "Nice," Jeffrey said, leering at the hint of cleavage shown by her slightly unbuttoned shirt. She wanted desperately to button it but would show no fear.

  She won the following hand and forced him to celebrate her two pairs by taking off his shirt and drinking another toast. His eyes were beginning to droop, and she prayed he would succumb to unconsciousness soon.

  Unfortunately, the next hand left Jeffrey holding three kings and Dani deciding whether to sacrifice her pants or her shirt. She decided on the pants, as her shirt was long enough to cover her underwear. Jeffrey was nearly drooling on the bedspread now as he watched her slide the pants down her legs.

  Her hands started to shake as the next hand was dealt. What if she'd played this all wrong? What if the dean didn't pass out?

  She could tell him no, obviously she would, if he forced the issue, but what would that do to her reputation? She couldn't afford to lose another hand, or she'd be left vulnerable. There was only her bra and panties to protect her from his lecherous intentions.

  Dani frowned down at her cards. She had a pair of twos, but she was sure by the hungry look on Jeffrey's face that those cards wouldn't beat whatever he was holding. Sure enough, he laid down his cards and smiled a predator's grin up at her. "Three of a kind!" Now let's see some skin!"

  Shit. Dani took a deep breath, realizing that it was now or never. Either he'd pass out, or she'd have to explain why exactly she wouldn't get naked with him when so far she'd seemed receptive to his advances.

  Time to go for broke. "Down boy," Dani whispered in a seductive voice. "I'll take it off for you, but first, how about another drink."

  "Dunno," Jeffrey slurred. "I think I've had enough."

  "Aww... The big dean can't keep up with a lady scientist?"

  "Fine," he grumbled, taking another tiny liquor bottle from her. "Now you owe me a shirt!"

  "Ok, ok, keep your clothes on," she said, giggling falsely at her own pun, then she stood and walked a short distance from the bed. Dani kept her back to him but turned her head over her shoulder to address him. "Drink up, and I'll take this one off nice and slow."

  Jeffrey's eyes blazed with desire and triumph, and he gulped the liquor down and tossed away the empty bottle. Dani twitched her hips to unheard music and began to slowly unbutton her shirt.

  Inside she was terrified that her gamble wouldn't pay off and that she was encouraging the very behavior she wanted to avoid. She slid her shirt down, exposing her pale shoulders while risking a glance at her companion. He'd moved up the bed, his back resting on the pillows, fully reclined.

  She noticed that his eyes were beginning to droop, and it gave her the courage to continue. Sliding the shirt down further, she revealed a black bra that contrasted starkly against her smooth white skin.

  His gaze still followed, but she could swear that his breathing was getting deeper. At last, she slipped the shirt off entirely and crossed her arms over her bra before turning around.

  When she looked at the dean again, his eyes were closed. His breathing was deep and even.

  She had succeeded.

  Quickly she pulled her shirt and pants back on, buttoning every button securely. Dani sat down on the edge of the bed and waited until she was sure that he wouldn't wake up again. How was she going to explain this tomorrow?

  If the dean believed his seduction had been victorious, perhaps it would take the pressure off, and he'd leave her alone, having gotten what he wanted.

  Dani frowned at the thought, reminded of the ranger who'd made it clear that sex was all he'd wanted from her. She shook her head to clear
it, refusing to give way to the guilt she felt lurking inside, waiting to lecture her over her actions with the ranger. Guilt could get in line, right behind dignity, who she knew would want a word with her after its sacrifice this evening.

  Dani was above all a pragmatist, and she knew it couldn't hurt to have the dean's positive opinion in her tenure committee meetings. So her tactics were sneaky. They were no less devious than Jeffrey's had been in trapping her in this situation in the first place.

  Being careful not to wake him, she pulled off his socks, then unbuttoned his shorts and pulled them off as well. Finally, she undid several buttons on his shirt.

  There, he looks properly disheveled, she thought, but I don't. With a sigh, she pulled off her slacks, and undid the top two buttons on her shirt. That will have to do, she told herself as she climbed into bed. Thankfully she could huddle under the blankets while he slept atop them. Before long she drifted off to sleep, praying that her little lie would go unnoticed.

  * * *

  Dani was up and showered before Jeffrey ever cracked open an eyelid the next morning. She made horrible smelling coffee and prayed it would wake the dean up, but finally had to resort to shaking him awake. "Jeffrey," she cajoled in what she hoped resembled a playful, friendly voice, "time to take me home. Get up."

  Several groans later, the dean managed to sit upright. "What happened last night?" He was holding his oversized head in both hands, fingers tight in his salt-and-pepper hair.

  "I think we had a little too much to drink," Dani answered. At least you did.

  Jeffrey stood, swaying slightly but finally catching his balance. It was comical to watch his voyage of discovery as he realized he was not wearing pants. First shock, then comprehension, and finally satisfaction flittered across his squint-eyed face. "Did we..." he drawled, meeting Dani's eyes.

  "A lady never tells," she answered with a smug smile. Let him make of that what he will.

  Clearly, he took it as a definite affirmative, and his smile was so wide she thought his arrogant face might crack in half. "Look," she said in her most professional tone, "we really must get going. I have to get back to my camp, and I'm sure you've got plenty of work to do on campus."

  "Of course," he said, stumbling to the bathroom. "Just let me grab a shower. Unless you'd care to join me...?"

  Dani giggled, inwardly wanting to retch. "Already had one." She turned her back to him and primped in the mirror. When the door was closed she stuck out her tongue at his now-absent reflection. An hour later she finally got him out of the hotel and into his car.

  "Now, how about some breakfast?" he asked, leaning back against the leather seats and sliding one arm around her shoulders.

  "Could we hit a drive thru?" she practically begged. "I've got a schedule to keep, and I don't want to miss any activity. Pacific Tree frogs are always busiest around midday." This wasn't strictly true, but any excuse was a good one if it meant getting away from him faster.

  "Surely your frogs wouldn't mind if you had a hot meal." Jeffrey wasn't one to give up without a fight.

  "They might not mind, but I do." Dani nearly growled in response, then frowned as she saw the dean's hands tighten on the steering wheel. Anger wasn't going to win this battle. Time to change tactics.

  "As a fellow scientist, you must understand how important timing is in these matters." Her voice was soft, and she placed a hand on his arm for a moment. This small action seemed to calm him and he, at last, gave in.

  "Oh, all right. But when you finally come out of those blasted woods, you'll have to let me treat you to a proper breakfast." His eyes said that he hoped that breakfast would follow another night of passion.

  She prayed that he wouldn't discover the first night of supposed passion had never happened.

  The remainder of the ride was uneventful. It took about two hours to get back to the parkland, a marked improvement over yesterday's trip. Her bad mood seemed to evaporate as she got closer to her camp. A pair of blue eyes appeared in her thoughts, and she allowed herself to smile as she remembered the feel of his lips against hers, his hands on her body.

  She knew she shouldn't be thinking about Caleb, shouldn't be anticipating her return as he'd likely ignore her when she did. Still, he'd hung around her campsite after they'd had the most incredible sex in her limited experience. Maybe he wasn't as serious about his one-night restriction as he claimed.

  When the Mercedes finally pulled up beside her car and the ranger's truck, she was excited to resume her work. And to see the handsome ranger again. But when she looked up and saw him sitting on the steps of his porch, steaming coffee cup in hand, she immediately noticed his rigid posture and deep scowl.

  Sudden realization overtook her, chilling her like a blast of frozen mountain air. She'd just spent the night away from camp. Oh shit, what does this look like? First I hop into bed with him the day after meeting him, then I leave to spend the night with my boss soon after.

  Dani took a deep breath and climbed out of the car. Fuck my life.

  Chapter 8

  Caleb watched the shiny black Mercedes pull up in front of him and wondered how the top of his head didn't fly off. He'd spent the night wide awake, watching for a pair of headlights that had never shown, his anxiety climbing as every hour passed.

  As the sun crept over the trees this morning, he'd realized jealousy had him by the balls. It was a curious feeling, like a hundred fishing hooks tearing up his insides, one he'd never experienced before. He didn't get jealous because he didn't care about the women he'd been with because he never saw them again.

  But this time, this time he couldn't keep the tension inside him from boiling over.

  There was no reason for him to be so angry. No reason except that the delectable Professor Greenhorn had just spent the night with another man.

  His inner-devil had a point. And yet, he had no official claim to Danielle, and thus no legitimate reason for harboring such irritation toward her. Legitimate reason? Harboring irritation? Let's face it, you're furious. And who gives a damn about legitimate reasons -- that pansy asshole has no right to put his hands on your woman.

  And that, his conscience responded with perfect logic, is precisely the problem. She isn't your woman, and you shouldn't be feeling such strong emotion. Isn't that exactly why you've hidden yourself so deep in the woods?

  Caleb inwardly groaned. He felt wild like his control was hanging on by a thread. Was he just like his parents as he'd always feared? Would he lose control, hurt himself or those around him?

  Would he hurt her?

  More than she could hurt him?

  Caleb tried to push his unruly thoughts away as Danielle, and her dean stepped out of the car. He watched silently as Jeffrey met the little professor at the front of his car and tugged her small hands into his.

  The dean attempted to pull her close, and Caleb thought that perhaps she resisted, but she ultimately submitted to the hug. The embrace seemed to last an eternity to Caleb's distorted perception, but it finally ended, surprisingly enough without a kiss. He couldn't help leaning in to catch their words.

  "Thank you for an enchanting evening," the beanpole dean was whispering huskily. Caleb thought he caught a faint blush staining Danielle's cheeks.

  "Thank you for dinner," she replied, pulling her hands out of his and looking away. Was she embarrassed by their closeness? By the deviant acts they had no doubt committed last night? Or did she have the good sense to be self-conscious of their public display of affection, right in front of his cabin and his very eyes?

  Dean Fischer, at last, made his departure. The professor watched the sedan depart, unmoving. Then she turned and met his eyes, and he felt his heart almost stop in his chest.

  After they'd made love, he'd been shaken by his feelings. He hadn't wanted to go, hadn't wanted to shut her out like all the other women. He didn't know why, he just knew that for the first time, not seeing a woman again had seemed worse than the alternative.

  He'd thought abo
ut letting her in, but he recognized now that it wasn't possible, not with the feelings that erupted inside of him whenever the professor was close by. They made him feel crazy, unhinged, unpredictable. Everything he'd promised to himself that he would never be.

  Hell, he'd carved himself a private place out here in the woods. He'd separated himself from the rest of civilization, just to avoid these kinds of feelings. Feelings that took him back to a cold, unhappy place he never wanted to see again.

  If he wanted to keep himself sane, to keep them both safe, he had to freeze her out. And stay frozen himself.

  * * *

  Dani approached the cabin, telling herself that it wasn't a walk of shame. She'd done nothing, and yet she felt defensive. Not only had she been subjected to an uncomfortable evening of the reprehensible dean's not-so-subtle and thankfully thwarted seduction, but now she had to deal with Caleb's censure too. She hoped the confrontation with the ranger would be short, and that her honest explanations would be accepted.

  Dani didn't know why it was so important that she not seem like an easy woman. A slut. Even if she knew that was what the situation looked like.

  He probably won't even care. You were just a lay to him, so why should he care if you've moved on. Shit, he probably moved on the second he slid the condom off.

  She stopped at the bottom of the steps and looked up at the attractive ranger. His face was quite striking, high cheekbones, a strong jaw, and lips that could have been sculpted by the gods. A flash of memory -- the softness of those lips pressed hungrily against hers -- sent blood flowing rapidly to all of her most intimate places.

  But the most stunning aspect of his appearance was his gorgeous blue eyes, blue eyes that were currently meeting hers with the intensity of a winter snowstorm. She shivered, a sudden chill racing across her skin.

  "Hi," she almost whispered, anxious that her estimate of their confrontation was entirely inaccurate.