A Little Dare (66 page)

“Dare,”
she
said
returning
the
greeting
in
what
he

considered
a
slightly
skittish
voice.
“May
I
come
in
and
talk
to
you
about
something?”

He
nodded
and
said,
“Sure
thing,”
before
stepping
aside
to
let
her
enter.

His
gaze
skimmed
over
her
as
she
passed
him,
and
he

thought
there
was
no
way
a
woman
could
look
better
than
this,
dressed
in
a
something
as
simple
as
a
pullover
V-

neck
sweater
and
a
long
flowing
skirt;
especially
if
that
skirt
appeared
to
have
been
tailor-made
just
for
her
body.
It

flowed
easily
and
fluidly
down
all
her
womanly
curves.

He
locked
the
door
and
turned
to
find
her
standing
in
the

middle
of
his
foyer
as
though
she
belonged
in
his
house,

every
day
and
every
night.
“We
can
go
into
the
living
room
if
you
like,”
he
said
trying
not
to
let
it
show
just
how
much
he
had
missed
being
alone
with
her.

“All
right.”

He
led
her
toward
the
living
room
and
asked,
“Are
you
hungry?
I
just
finished
making
a
pot
of
chili.”

“No,
thanks,
I’m
not
hungry.”

“What
about
thirsty?
Would
you
like
something
to
drink?”

She
smiled
at
him.
“No,
I
don’t
want
anything
to
drink.
I’m

fine.”

He
nodded.
Yes,
she
was
definitely
fine.
He
didn’t
know
another
woman
with
a
body
quite
like
hers,
and
the

memories
of
being
inside
that
body
made
his
hands
feel
damp.
The
room
suddenly
felt
warmer
than
it
should
be.

He
inhaled
as
he
watched
her
take
a
seat
on
the
sofa.
He,
in
turn,
took
the
chair
across
from
her.
Once
she
had
gotten
settled,
he
asked.
“What
is
it
you
want
to
talk
to
me
about,
Shelly?
Is
something
wrong
with
AJ?”

She
shook
her
head.
“Oh,
no,
everything
with
AJ
is
fine.
I
dropped
him
off
at
the
Sears’s
house.
I
think
he’s
excited
about
spending
the
weekend.”

Dare
nodded.
He
thought
AJ
was
excited
about
spending
the
weekend
as
well.
“If
it’s
not
about
AJ
then
what
do
you
want
to
talk
about?”

His
gaze
held
hers,
and
she
hesitated
only
a
moment

before
responding.
“I
paid
a
visit
to
Ms.
Mamie
today
to
check
on
her
ankle.
I’ll
be
her
home
healthcare
nurse
for
a
while.”

Dare
nodded
again,
thinking
there
had
to
be
more
to
her
visit
than
to
tell
him
that.
“And?”

She
hesitated
again.
“And
she
mentioned
something
that
I
found
unbelievable,
but
I
was
concerned
since
it
seems
that

a
lot
of
the
older
women
in
this
town
think
it’s
true.”

He
searched
her
features
and
detected
more
nervousness
than
before.
“What
do
they
think
is
true?”

Dare
became
concerned
when
seconds
passed
and
Shelly
didn’t
answer.
Instead,
she
moved
her
gaze
away
from
his
to
focus
on
some
object
on
his
coffee
table.
He
frowned

slightly.
There
had
never
been
a
time
that
Shelly
had
felt
the
need
to
be
shy
in
his
presence,
so
why
was
she
now?

Standing,
he
crossed
the
room
to
sit
next
to
her
on
the
sofa.
“All
right,
Shelly,
what’s
this
about?
What
do
Ms.
Mamie

and
her
senior
citizens’
club
think
is
true?”

Shelly
swallowed
deeply
and
took
note
of
how
close
Dare
was
sitting
next
to
her.
Every
time
she
took
a
breath
she
inhaled
his
hot
male
scent,
a
scent
she
had
grown
used
to
and
one
she
would
never
tire
of.

She
breathed
in
and
decided
to
come
clean.
Making
light
of
the
situation
would
probably
make
it
easier,
she
thought,
especially
if
he
decided
to
laugh
at
something
so
absurd.
She
smiled
slightly.
“For
some
reason
they
think
you’re

trying
to
woo
me.”

His
gaze
didn’t
flicker,
but
remained
steadily
on
her
face
when
he
asked.
“Woo
you?”

She
nodded.
“Yes,
you
know—pursue
me,
court
me.”

Sitting
so
close
to
her,
Dare
could
feel
her
tension.
He
also
felt
her
uncertainty.
“In
other
words,”
he
said
softly,
“they

think
I’m
trying
to
win
you
over,
find
favor
in
your
eyes,
in

your
heart
and
in
your
mind
and
break
down
your

resistance.”

Shelly
nodded,
although
she
didn’t
think
Dare
needed
to
break
down
her
resistance
since
he
had
successfully
done
that
a
month
or
so
ago.
“Yes,
that’s
it.
That’s
what
they

believe.
Isn’t
that
silly?”

Dare
shifted
his
position
and
draped
his
arms
across
the
back
of
the
sofa.
He
met
Shelly’s
gaze,
suddenly
feeling
hungry
and
greedy
with
an
appetite
that
only
she
could

appease.
He
studied
her
face
for
a
little
while
longer,
then
calmly
replied.
“No,
I
don’t
think
there’s
anything
silly
about
it,
Shelly.
In
fact,
their
assumptions
are
right
on
target.”

She
blinked
once,
twice,
as
the
meaning
of
his
words
sank
in.
He
watched
as
her
eyebrows
raised
about
as
high
as
they
could
go,
and
then
she
said,
“But
why?”

Keeping
his
gaze
fixed
on
hers,
he
asked.
“Why
what?”

“Why
would
you
waste
your
time
doing
something
like
that?”

Dare
drew
in
a
deep
breath.
“Mainly
because
I
don’t

consider
it
a
waste
of
my
time,
Shelly.
Other
than
winning