A Little Dare (30 page)

“Yes,
and
we’re
on
the
team
and
bring
home
the
trophies
every
year.
If
you’re
good
he
might
let
you
join.”

AJ
shrugged,
not
wanting
to
be
around
the
sheriff
any
more
than
he
had
to.
“No
thanks,
I
don’t
want
to
join,”
he
said.

“Well,
I’ve
got
to
go,
since
I
can’t
be
late.”

“How
long
do
you
have
to
go
there?”
Morris
asked
standing
aside
to
let
AJ
get
to
his
bike.

“The
rest
of
the
week,
so
I’ll
be
free
to
ride
home
with
you
guys
starting
Monday
if
you
still
want
me
to,”
AJ
said,

getting
on
his
bike.

“Yes,”
Cornelius
answered.
“We’ll
still
want
you,
too.
What
about
this
weekend?
Will
your
parents
let
you
go
look
at
the
deer
with
us
this
weekend?
Usually
Mr.
Miller
gives
his

permission
for
us
to
come
on
his
property
as
long
as
we

don’t
get
into
any
trouble.”

AJ
was
doubtful.
“I’ll
let
you
know
tomorrow
if
I
can
go.
My
mom
is
kind
of
protective.
She
doesn’t
like
me
going
too
far
from
home.”

Morris
and
Cornelius
nodded
in
understanding.
“Our
moms
are
that
way,
too,”
Morris
said.
“But
everyone
around
here
knows
the
Millers.
Your
mom
can
ask
the
sheriff
about
them
if
she
wants.
They’re
nice
people.”

“Do
you
want
to
ride
to
school
with
us
tomorrow?”
Cornelius

asked
anxiously.
“We
meet
at
Kate’s
Diner
every
morning
at
seven-thirty,
and
she
gives
us
a
carton
of
chocolate
milk
free
as
long
as
we’re
good
in
school.”

“Free
chocolate
milk?
Hey,
I’d
like
that.
I’ll
see
you
guys
in
the
morning.”
AJ
put
his
bike
into
gear
and
headed
for
the
sheriff’s
office,
determined
not
to
be
late
for
a
second
time.

Six

H
er
mouth
still
knew
him.

A
multitude
of
emotions
tightened
Dare’s
chest
as
he
sat
at
his
desk
and
thought
about
the
kiss
he
and
Shelly
had

shared.
Very
slowly
and
very
deliberately,
he
took
his
finger
and
rubbed
it
across
his
lips,
lips
that
less
than
an
hour
ago
had
tasted
sweetness
of
the
most
gut-wrenching
kind.
It

was
the
kind
of
sweetness
that
made
you
crave
something
so
delightful
and
pleasurable
that
it
could
become
habit

forming.

But
what
got
to
him
more
than
anything
was
the
fact
that

even
after
ten
years,
her
mouth
still
knew
him.
That
much

was
evident
in
the
way
her
lips
had
molded
to
his,
the

familiarity
of
the
way
she
had
parted
her
mouth
and
the

ease
in
which
his
tongue
had
slid
inside,
staking
a
claim
he
hadn’t
known
he
had
a
right
to
make
until
he
had
felt
her

response.

He
leaned
back
in
the
chair.
When
it
came
to
responding
to
him,
that
was
something
Shelly
could
never
hold
back
from
doing.
He’d
always
gotten
the
greatest
pleasure
and

enjoyment
from
hearing
the
sound
of
her
purring
in
bed.
He
used
to
know
just
what
areas
on
her
body
to
touch,
to

caress
and
to
taste.
Often,
all
it
took
was
a
look,
him
simply
meeting
her
gaze
with
deep
desire
and
longing
in
his
eyes,

and
she
would
release
an
indrawn
sigh
that
let
him
know

she
knew
just
what
he
wanted
and
what
he
considered

necessary.
Those
had
been
the
times
he
hadn’t
been
able
to
keep
his
hands
off
her,
and
now
it
seemed,
ten
years

later,
he
still
couldn’t.
And
it
didn’t
help
matters
any
that
she
had
kissed
him
as
though
there
hadn’t
been
another
man
inside
her
mouth
in
the
ten
years
they’d
been
apart.
Her

mouth
had
ached
for
his,
demanded
everything
his
tongue
could
deliver,
and
he’d
given
it
all,
holding
nothing
back.
He
could
have
kept
on
kissing
her
for
days.

Dare
ran
his
hand
over
his
face
trying
to
see
if
doing
so

would
help
him
retain
his
senses.
Kissing
Shelly
had

affected
him
greatly.
His
body
had
been
aching
and

throbbing
since
then,
and
the
painful
thing
was
that
he
didn’t
see
any
relief
in
sight.

Over
the
past
ten
years
he
had
dated
a
number
of
women.
His
sister
Delaney
had
even
painted
him
and
his
brothers
as
womanizers.
But
he
felt
that
was
as
far
from
the
truth
as
it
could
be.
After
he
and
Shelly
had
broken
up,
he’d
been
very
selective
about
what
women
he
wanted
in
his
bed.
For
years
he
had
looked
for
Shelly’s
replacement,
only
to

discover
such
a
woman
didn’t
exist.
He
hadn’t
met
a

woman
who
would
hold
a
light
to
her,
and
he’d
accepted

that
and
moved
on.
The
women
he’d
slept
with
had
been

there
for
the
thrill,
the
adventure,
but
all
he’d
gotten
was
the
agony
of
defeat
upon
realizing
that
none
could
make
him

feel
in
bed
the
way
he’d
always
felt
with
Shelly.
Oh,
he
had