A Little Dare (26 page)

of
days
when
they’d
been
together
there
had
been
other

people
around.
Now
it
was
just
the
two
of
them,
alone
in
this
house,
in
this
room.
He
had
to
fight
hard
to
dismiss
the

thought
of
taking
her
right
there
on
the
table.

He
inhaled
deeply.
If
Shelly
knew
what
thoughts
were

running
through
his
mind
she
would
probably
hightail
it
up

the
stairs,
which
wouldn’t
do
her
any
good
since
he
would
only
race
up
those
same
stairs
after
her
and
end
up
making
love
to
her
in
one
of
the
bedrooms.

That
was
something
they
had
done
once
before
when
her
parents
had
been
out
of
town
and
he
had
dropped
by

unexpectedly.
A
slow,
lazy
smile
touched
the
side
of
his

mouth
as
he
remembered
the
intensity
of
their
lovemaking
that
day.
That
was
the
one
time
they
hadn’t
used
protection.
Perhaps
that
was
the
time
she
had
gotten
pregnant
with

AJ?

“What
are
you
smiling
about?”

Her
question
invaded
his
thoughts
and
he
shifted
in
the

chair
to
alleviate
some
of
the
tension
pressing
at
the
zipper
of
his
pants.
He
met
her
gaze
and
decided
to
be

completely
honest
with
her,
something
he
had
always
done.
“I
was
thinking
about
that
time
that
we
made
love
upstairs
in
your
bedroom
without
protection,
and
wondered
if
that
was
the
time
you
got
pregnant.”

“It
was.”

He
regarded
her
for
a
second.
“How
do
you
know?”

She
stared
at
the
floor
for
a
moment
before
meeting
his
gaze
again.
“Because
after
that
was
the
first
time
I’d
ever
been
late.”

He
nodded.
The
reason
they
had
made
love
so
recklessly
and
intensely
that
day
was
because
he
had
received
orders
a
few
hours
earlier
to
leave
immediately
for
an
area
near

Kuwait.
It
was
a
temporary
assignment
and
he
would
only
be
gone
for
two
months.
But
at
the
time,
two
months
could
have
been
two
years
for
all
she
cared.
Because
of
the

danger
of
his
assignment,
the
news
had
immediately
sent
her
in
a
spin
and
she
had
raced
up
the
stairs
to
her

bedroom
so
he
wouldn’t
see
her
cry.
He
had
gone
after
her,
only
to
end
up
placing
her
on
the
bed
and
making
frantic,

uncontrolled
love
to
her.

“What
did
Jared
have
to
say
yesterday?”
Shelly
asked
him
rather
than
think
about
that
particular
day
when
they
had

unknowingly
created
their
son.
Straightening,
she
walked
over
to
the
table
and
placed
the
coffee
and
rolls
in
front
of
him,
then
sat
down
at
the
table.

He
took
a
sip
of
coffee
and
responded,
“Jared
thinks
that
whatever
we
decide
is
the
best
way
to
handle
letting
AJ
know
I’m
his
father
is
fine
as
long
as
we’re
in
agreement.

But
he
strongly
thinks
I
should
do
whatever
needs
to
be

done
to
compensate
you
from
the
time
he
was
born.
And
I
agree.
As
his
father
I
had
certain
responsibilities
to
him.”

“But
you
didn’t
know
about
him,
Dare.”

“But
I
know
about
him
now,
Shelly,
and
that
makes
a
world
of
difference.”

Shelly
nodded.
She
knew
that
to
argue
with
Dare
would
be
a
complete
waste
of
her
time.
“All
right,
I
have
a
college

fund
set
up
and
if
you’d
like
to
contribute,
I
have
no
problem
with
that.
That
is
definitely
one
way
you
can
help.”

Dare
leaned
back
in
his
chair
and
met
her
gaze.
“Are
you
sure
there’s
no
other
way
I
can
help?”

For
a
moment
she
wondered
if
he
was
asking
for
AJ
or
for
her.
Could
he
detect
the
deep
longing
within
her,
the
sexual
cravings,
and
knew
he
could
help
her
there?
She
sighed,

knowing
she
was
letting
her
mind
become
cluttered.
AJ

was
the
only
thing
between
them,
and
she
had
to
remember
that.

“Yes,
I’m
sure,”
she
said
softly.
“My
job
pays
well
and
I’ve

always
budgeted
to
live
within
my
means.
The
cost
of
living
isn’t
as
high
here
as
it
is
in
L.A.,
and
my
parents
aren’t

charging
me
any
rent,
so
AJ
and
I
are
fine,
Dare,
but
thanks
for
asking.”