A Little Dare (6 page)

“I
need
his
real
name.”

She
couldn’t
open
her
mouth
to
get
the
words
out.
It

seemed
fate
wouldn’t
be
as
gracious
as
she’d
thought
after
all.

Dare
was
looking
down
at
the
papers
in
front
of
him,

however,
the
pause
went
on
so
long
he
glanced
up
and
looked
at
her.
He
had
known
Shelly
long
enough
to
know
when
she
was
nervous
about
something.
His
eyes

narrowed
as
he
wondered
what
her
problem
was.

“What’s
his
real
name,
Shelly?”
he
repeated.

He
watched
as
she
looked
away
briefly.
Returning
her
gaze
she
stared
straight
into
his
eyes
and
without
blinking
said.
“Alisdare
Julian
Brockman.”

Two

A
ir
suddenly
washed
from
Dare’s
lung
as
if
someone
had
cut
off
the
oxygen
supply
in
the
room
and
he
couldn’t

breathe.
Everything
started
spinning
around
him
and
he

held
on
to
his
desk
with
a
tight
grip.
However,
that
didn’t
work
since
his
hands
were
shaking
worse
than
a
volcano
about
to
explode.
In
fact
his
entire
body
shook
with
the

force
of
the
one
question
that
immediately
torpedoed

through
his
brain.
Why
would
she
name
her
son
after
him?
Unless
..

He
met
her
gaze
and
saw
the
look
of
guilt
in
her
eyes
and
knew.
Yet
he
had
to
have
it
confirmed.
He
stood
on
non-
steady
legs
and
crossed
the
room
to
stand
in
front
of

Shelly.
He
grasped
her
elbow
and
brought
her
closer
to
him,
so
close
he
could
see
the
dark
irises
of
her
eyes.

“When
is
his
birth
date?”
he
growled,
quickly
finding
his
equilibrium.

Shelly
swallowed
so
deeply
she
knew
for
certain
Dare
could
see
her
throat
tighten,
but
she
refused
to
let
his

reaction
unsettle
her
any
more
than
it
had.
She
lifted
her
chin.
“November
twenty-fifth.”

He
flinched,
startled.
“Two
months?”
he
asked
in
a
pained
whisper
yet
with
intense
force.
“You
were
two
months

pregnant
when
we
broke
up?”

She
snatched
her
arm
from
his
hold.
“Yes.”

Anger
darkened
the
depths
of
his
eyes
then
flared
through
his
entire
body
at
the
thought
of
what
she
had
kept
from

him.
“I
have
a
son?”

Though
clearly
upset,
he
had
asked
the
question
so
quietly
that
Shelly
could
only
look
at
him.
For
a
long
moment
she
didn’t
answer,
but
then
she
knew
that
in
spite
of
everything
between
them,
there
was
never
a
time
she
had
not
been
proud
that
AJ
was
Dare’s
son.
That
was
the
reason
she

had
returned
to
College
Park,
because
she
felt
it
was
time
he
was
included
in
AJ’s
life.
“Yes,
you
have
a
son.”

“But—but
I
didn’t
know
about
him!”

His
words
were
filled
with
trembling
fury
and
she
knew
she
had
to
make
him
understand.
“I
found
out
I
was
pregnant
the
day
before
my
graduation
party
and
had
planned
to
tell
you
that
night.
But
before
I
got
the
chance
you
told
me
about
the
phone
call
you’d
received
that
day,
offering
you
a
job
with

the
Bureau
and
how
much
you
wanted
to
take
it.
I
loved
you
too
much
to
stand
in
your
way,
Dare.
I
knew
that
telling
you
I
was
pregnant
would
have
changed
everything,
and
I

couldn’t
do
that
to
you.”

Dare’s
face
etched
into
tight
lines
as
he
stared
at
her.
“And
you
made
that
decision
on
your
own?”

She
nodded.
“Yes.”

“How
dare
you!
Who
in
the
hell
gave
you
the
right
to
do
that,
Shelly?”

She
felt
her
own
anger
rise.
“It’s
not
who
but
what.
My
love
for
you
gave
me
the
right,
Dare,”
she
said
and
without

giving
him
a
chance
to
say
another
word,
she
angrily

walked
out
of
his
office.

Fury
consumed
Dare
at
a
degree
he
had
never
known

before
and
all
he
could
do
was
stand
there,
rooted
in
place,
hell-shocked
at
what
he
had
just
discovered.

He
had
a
son.

He
crossed
the
room
and
slammed
his
fist
hard
on
the
desk.
Ten
years!
For
ten
years
she
had
kept
it
from
him.
Ten
solid
years.

Ignoring
the
pain
he
felt
in
his
hand,
he
breathed
in
deeply
when
it
hit
him
that
he
was
the
father
of
John
Doe.
No,

she’d
called
him
AJ
but
she
had
named
him
Alisdare

Julian.
He
took
a
deep,
calming
breath.
For
some
reason
she
had
at
least
done
that.
His
son
did
have
his
name—at
least
part
of
it
anyway.
Had
he
known,
his
son
would
also
be
wearing
the
name
Westmoreland,
which
was
rightfully