A Little Dare (37 page)

“But
I
must
admit
there
was
this
one
time
when
they
were
ready
to
disclaim
me
as
their
brother,”
Dare
said,

chuckling.

Shelly
rested
her
back
against
the
post
and
crossed
her
legs.
“And
what
time
was
that?”

“The
night
I
ended
things
with
you.
They
thought
I
was
crazy
to
give
you
up
for
any
reason.
And
that
included
a
career.”

She
nervously
rubbed
her
hands
up
and
down
her
arms,
not
wanting
to
talk
about
what
used
to
be
between
them.
“Well,
all
that’s
in
the
past,
Dare.
Is
there
anything
else
about

tonight
I
should
know?”
she
asked,
trying
to
keep
their

conversation
moving
along.

“Yes,
there
is
something
else.”

She
sought
out
his
features,
but
could
barely
make
them
out
in
the
darkened
corner
of
the
porch.
“What?”

“I
gave
AJ
reason
to
believe
that
I’m
interested
in
you
again.”

Shelly
nodded.
“And
how
did
he
handle
that?”

Dare
smiled.
“He
had
something
to
say
about
it,
if
that’s
what
you’re
asking.
Just
how
far
he’ll
go
to
make
sure
nothing
develops
between
us
I
can’t
rightly
say.”

Shelly
nodded
again.
Neither
could
she.
Personally,
she

thought
AJ’s
dislike
of
Dare
was
a
phase
he
was
going

through,
but
a
very
important
phase
in
his
life,
and
she

didn’t
want
to
do
anything
to
make
things
worse
with
him.

“In
that
case,
more
than
likely
he’ll
have
a
talk
with
me
about
it.”

Dare
leaned
back
against
the
swing.
“And
what
do
you
plan
to
say
when
he
does?”

Shelly
sighed.
“Basically,
everything
we
agreed
I
should
say.
I’m
to
let
him
know
he’s
the
one
who
has
a
beef
with
you,
not
me,
and
therefore
I
don’t
have
a
problem
with

reestablishing
our
relationship.”

Dare
heard
her
words.
Although
they
were
fabricated
for

AJ’s
benefit,
they
sounded
pretty
damn
good
to
him,
and
he
wished
they
were
true,
because
he
certainly
didn’t
have
a

problem
reestablishing
anything
with
her.

He
looked
over
at
Shelly
and
saw
how
she
leaned
against
the
post
while
silhouetted
by
the
glow
from
the
moon.
His
gaze
zeroed
on
the
fact
that
she
stood
with
her
legs

crossed.
Tight.
She
had
once
told
him
that
she
had
a

tendency
to
stand
with
her
legs
crossed
really
tight

whenever
she
felt
a
deep
throbbing
ache
between
them.
Evidently
she
had
forgotten
sharing
that
piece
of

information
with
him
some
years
ago.

“Well,
if
that
about
covers
everything,
then
we’d
best
call
it
a
night.”

Her
words
interrupted
his
thought,
and
he
figured
they
could
do
better
than
just
call
it
a
night.
Calling
it
a
“night
of

seduction”
sounded
more
to
his
liking.
Some
inner
part
of
him
wanted
to
know
if
she
wanted
him
as
much
as
he

wanted
her,
and
there
was
only
one
way
to
find
out.

“Come
sit
with
me
for
a
while,
Shelly,”
he
said,
his
voice
husky.

Shelly
swallowed
and
met
his
gaze.
“I
don’t
think
that’s
a
good
idea,
Dare.”

“I
do.
It’s
a
beautiful
night
and
I
think
we
should
enjoy
it
before
saying
goodnight.”

Enjoy
it
or
enjoy
each
other?
Shelly
was
tempted
to
ask,
but
decided
she
wouldn’t
go
there
with
Dare.
Once
he
got
her
in
that
swing
that
would
be
the
end
of
it.
Or
the
beginning
of
it,
depending
on
the
way
you
looked
at
it.
Her
body
was

responding
to
him
in
the
most
unsettled
and
provocative

way
tonight.
All
he
had
to
do
was
to
touch
her
one
time

and…

“Let
me
give
you
what
you
need,
Shelly.”

He
saw
her
chin
lift
defiantly,
and
he
saw
the
way
she

frowned
at
him.
“And
what
makes
you
think
that
you
know

what
I
need?”

“Your
legs.”

She
raised
a
confused
brow.
“What
about
my
legs?”

“They’re
crossed,
and
pretty
damn
tight.”

Shelly’s
heart
missed
a
beat
and
the
throbbing
between
her
legs
increased.
He
had
remembered.
A
long,
seemingly

endless
moment
of
silence
stretched
out
between
them.

She
could
see
his
features.
They
were
as
tight
as
her
legs
were
crossed.
And
the
gaze
that
held
hers
was
like
a

magnet,
drawing
her
in,
second
by
tantalizing
second.

She
shook
her
head,
trying
to
deny
her
body
what
it
wanted,
what
it
evidently
needed,
but
it
had
a
mind
of
its
own
and

wasn’t
adhering
to
any
protest
she
was
making.
The
man

sitting
on
the
swing
watching
her,
waiting
for
her,
had
a

history
of
being
able
to
pleasure
her
in
every
possible
way.
He
knew
it
and
she
knew
it
as
well.

Breathing
deeply,
she
found
herself
slowly
crossing
the

porch
toward
him,
out
of
the
light
and
into
the
darkness,
out
from
temptation
and
into
a
straight
path
that
led
to

seduction.
She
came
to
a
stop
between
his
spread
knees
and
when
their
legs
touched,
she
sucked
in
a
deep
breath
at
the
same
time
she
heard
him
suck
in
one,
too.
And
when
she
felt
his
hand
reach
under
her
skirt
skimming
her
inner
thigh,
her
knees
almost
turned
to
mush.