Dare Me (5 page)

“A one-size-fits-most red teddy.” He held a flimsy see-through nightie against his torso then tossed it at her. “Fuzzy handcuffs.” He spun them on his index finger. “Edible body paint. Candy.” He dropped a sachet of conversation hearts on the bed. “A candle. Flavored massage oil. Chocolate Kisses.”

“Are there any, ummm…condoms?”

“Uhh, no. This is a honeymoon basket. They probably don’t care much about getting pregnant if they’re already married. But since you mentioned it, I carry one in my wallet, just in case.”

“Really?”

“Don’t sound so shocked. Most guys do.”

“Like a business card? How convenient.”

“More like a lottery ticket. ‘Hey, ya never know.’ I’m not always planning to have sex, but if the situation comes up it makes sense to be prepared.”

“Did you carry a condom in your wallet in high school?”

“Since tenth grade.”

“Did you go through a lot of condoms, ya know…under the bleachers?”

“We’re back on that subject?” Adam sighed. “All I did was take their pictures.”

“
Sher
ya did.” Misty rolled her eyes so high into her head she swore she caught a glimpse of her brain. “Gimme a break, Adam. I may be gullible about some things but I’m not
that
gullible.”

“They were just subjects for photography class.”

Misty snorted, recalling the senior elective she’d passed over in lieu of Business Dynamics. “Sooo, ya didn’t sleep with any of ’em?”

“Look, Misty, I’m not gonna lie. I slept with a few. But not under the bleachers.”

“And after graduation?”

“I slept with few more.”

“Few plus a few equals quite a few.” Misty’s mind whirled, imagining all the sex Adam had over the years.

“Would you prefer if I were a virgin instead?” Adam frowned. “Would that make you happy?”

She shook her head, stunned by his quiet explosion.

“Uhhh, wait a min—” Adam winced. “You’re not a virgin, are ya?”

“Nooo. Of course not.”

“So, we’ve both had sex. With other people. The playing field is level. We’re both the same.”

“Not really. You’re sex is intercontinental. Mine is isolated to Scenic View.”

“It doesn’t really matter where it happened, as long as it happened.”

“I only slept with two guys. I dated one of them for seven years and planned to marry him until he broke it off because he’d met someone else. Sooo…” Embarrassment flamed her face. “I slept with his younger brother, partly out of revenge, mostly as a rebound. Technically it shouldn’t even count.”

“That’s it.” He smiled, wide-eyed. “Two?”

Misty nodded.

“I’m sorry things didn’t work out.” Adam shook his head. “No. That’s a lie—I’m not sorry. I’m glad things didn’t work out because I wouldn’t have this chance to be with you. Can’t we do this conversation over?” He cleared his throat. “I’m thirty years old. I’ve traveled the world. I’ve had some sex in my life. Had I known then that I’d be with you now I might’ve had less sex to avoid this awkward moment, but the fact is it happened more than two times. I was selective. I used protection. I get tested during my annual physical. Unfortunately I don’t carry the lab results in my wallet. If you’d like to speak to my doctor, they’re closed now, but they’re open Monday.” His rambling words crowded her mind.

“Shut up and kiss me.” Like a lioness on the prowl, she leaped over the bounty from the basket and landed on Adam’s chest, knocking him backward on the mattress.

He restrained her with one hand clamped around her wrists and rolled her off with ease, straddling her hips. Gazed straight into her eyes. “I really need to know you’re okay with my past, Misty. Otherwise I can’t let anything else happen between us.”

“Sure you can.”

“No. I can’t. I can’t be with you if you have a problem with me.”

“I don’t have a problem. God, I feel stupid for harping on it. Your sexual history shouldn’t bother me so much. It’s just…it’d be nice to think this is something special between us and not another romp for you.”

“Trust me. I understand, I really do. But this
is
special, because you’re special…you have no idea—”

“Lines. More lines.” Although she had an inkling he was sincere, the champagne made everything seem more surreal than it already was, compounded by the unknown of what might happen beyond tonight.

“They’re not lines. I don’t want to do something we’ll regret later. I want this to be right. Not just
right now
.” He climbed off the bed and bolted from the room. It was only a matter of seconds before the front door slammed on his way out.

Misty didn’t bother going after him. She closed her eyes and willed him to come back although Adam leaving was probably the best thing for both of them. He was an unexpected distraction when she needed to concentrate more than ever on her prime objective: her career. After the blood, sweat, and tears she’d put into the family business, she wasn’t going to let her parents drop it in the lap of someone who wouldn’t appreciate her grandmother’s legacy.

Instead of running out the door, Adam returned with his wallet—otherwise known as his
convenient condom carrier
.

The pang of relief that he hadn’t left her flat—on her back—helped Misty breathe again, but the oxygen didn’t circulate the good sense to the wisecracking part of her brain. “So, should I bother to undress? Or is spreading my knees gonna be enough for you?”

“Not funny.” He flipped open the wallet, but didn’t whip out a condom. With care, he removed a piece of paper and unfolded it. “Look. Don’t touch,” he said when she tried to snatch the tattered scrap from his fingers. “I’ve had it forever.”

It was an aged photograph of Misty standing beside Adam: she was Tinkerbell and he was a Superman. “Why do you have this?”

“I told you. I loved you since kindergarten. This is the only picture I had of us.”

“You carry me in your wallet. Next to your condom? That’s sooo special.” The snarky tone leaked out before she could cork it. Damn champagne. Biting off her tongue would be less painful than seeing the hurt in Adam’s eyes.

“Actually…” A fleeting smile curled his lips. “I keep you in a separate compartment. And in here…” He pressed the faded image to his chest—to his heart—before putting it away. “I’ve kept you in here for so long, seeing you in the flesh after all this time, my past sex-life may have screwed up my chance to be with you, but at least I can die happy now that I’ve told you how I feel.”

Why did she always presume the worst? She may as well poke his bleeding heart with a stick as if he were roadkill.

Regret boiled inside her—burned the backs of her eyes, her throat, her gut—for doubting his good intentions and tainting his innocent memento.

How hard could it be managing both a career and Adam? Lots of women juggle more balls. She ought to be able to handle business and pleasure, right? The sooner she figured this out this
thing
between them, the better she’d feel.

Adam’s white-clad chest in her face was like staring at a blank screen. A clean slate. A do-over.

Determined to fill his memory bank with something new, something he’d never forget, Misty stood on the mattress to meet his lips, seeking the answer to the future in his kiss.

“Oh, Adam,” she murmured against his mouth, cradling his face in her hands. God, his name never sounded so good, as natural as rain, like she’d sung it all her life. “I’m sorry for doubting you.”

The fervor in her kiss was everything he’d hoped for and nothing he’d ever felt before. Sweet, long, deep. He could easily lose himself if he wasn’t careful.

“Misty,” he moaned.

She sucked his bottom lip, making his toes curl. Angling him this way and that, as if she couldn’t get enough of his taste, she maneuvered like a pro, making him feel like the rookie. Every corner of his mouth received her special treatment. How wonderful it would be to fit the hardness of his arousal in this loving place.

When he thought he might burst below the waist, he eased away.

“What?” she gasped with drunken eyes.

“I need some air.” He pulled the curtain cord then slid the window wide, letting in a flurry of flakes with the cold.

Molding herself behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Expert fingers worked the tiny shirt buttons then tugged the tails from his trousers. She grazed his nipples under the ribbed tank top before inching south, filling her hand with his girth.

When did the good little girl get such smooth moves?

“God, you are rock-hard.”

“Easy, slick.” Grabbing her wrist, he turned and pulled her into his arms, heartbeat to heartbeat. “What’s the rush?” His lips trailed down her neck.

“I need you now.” She loosened his buckle. “Let’s get you out of these awful clothes.”

“You first.” His hands skimmed her hourglass shape. Lifted the hem of her dress. Slid down her pantyhose as he knelt, making the sweet discovery of naked flesh at the top of her thighs. “No panties? No nothing.”

“I hope you don’t mind. I, ummm, cut down the whole forest.”

Dumbstruck, Adam swallowed hard to clear the lump of excitement.

“What’s to mind?” For a split second, he dared to wonder why a single girl with no romantic plans would go through the bother but came to his senses and thanked God instead. “Is it okay if I kiss you here?” he panted against her bare sex, inhaling the scent of musk mingling with baby powder.

“Yesss.” She ran her fingers through his hair, urging him closer.

He pressed his lips to the warm, smooth skin. Dipped his tongue between the plump folds moistened with her own brand, misty morning dew. One lick wasn’t enough. He urged her thighs further apart.

“Oooh, Adam…” She clenched the top of his head.

He stopped spiraling his tongue to ask, “Does it feel good?”

“You’re making me dizzy.”

“Me?” With a small shove, she landed backward on the bed. “You sure it’s not all that champagne?”

“It’s…it’s everything—the champagne, you…”

He hooked her ankles over his shoulders and nuzzled between her legs, lavishing the inside of her thighs with kisses before devouring her little slice of heaven.

She wriggled beneath him, grinding against his face, whimpering. “Ohhh, God…”

Her wonton cries inspired him to grip her hips tighter while his mouth worked vigorously to please her.

“I can’t take it,” she squealed, and like an escape artist, was off the bed and on her feet.

“I thought women love a man’s mouth on them. You don’t?”

Adam flicked his gaze guilty toward the camera on the tripod he’d strategically aimed at the mattress. Maybe he ought to mention the camera was capturing video. Should have asked permission first.

“I do. But…” Misty tore the dress over her head and got stuck inside it until he helped free her from the fitted fabric. She seemed unaware of the red dot glowing in the brightness of the bedroom as she struggled to unclasp the bra. “I want something more. Please.”

At the sight of her rosy-tipped breasts, the pang of guilt vanished and any bit of good sense rushed to his throbbing groin. With a finger curled beneath her chin, he tilted her face and searched her eyes. He needed to know exactly what she wanted and how she wanted it with words. “Tell me.”

“You know.” She glanced down at the inseam of his pants then pressed her palm to the zipper. “I want this…inside me.”

The request inflated his ego as much as his erection. He’d been with his fair share of women, but none made him feel this potent. This virile. This desirable.

“Come and get it,” he teased, sounding cockier to his own ears than he intended.

Misty tackled him as if he fired the starting pistol. Tugged off his clothes. Pinned him down and straddled him, hovering over her target.

Adam braced for the blessed penetration.

“Wait!” She readjusted her position. “On second thought…” Turning head to toe, she wiggled her heart-shaped bottom by his chin as she stroked his length, slow, gradually getting faster. “Let’s try this first. Yin-yang.”

Sixty-nine was on his mind but was thrilled she suggested it first. “Take it easy down there, okay?” he joked.

She glanced over her shoulder with a crooked smile. “Oh, yeah, sure…I’ll go easy.” Gentle fingers cupped his twin jewels, massaging them with care, while her tongue teased the sensitized tip.

His pulse pounded until it drowned out the jazz from the radio playing in the other room.

When her lips sealed around him he clenched his teeth. Up and down, her endless rhythm proved too much for him bear. He would lose himself if he didn’t hold on tight.

Clasping her thighs, he pulled her down within reach of his kiss. Held her steady with one hand on the soft curve of her hip, while the other hand joined his lips as he slipped the middle finger inside her.

God, she was tight. Just right for the taking. Patience…patience.
He coaxed his climax away from the edge and slipped in a second finger to distract her, wrecking her momentum. He must have hit her sweet spot because it triggered a muffled cry that vibrated from her lips to every cell in his body.

“Oh. My. God,” she wailed before collapsing.

****

Misty squeezed her eyelids tight, praying the room would stop spinning.

Sure, it was a while since her last
sexcapade
, but this was just foreplay, what would the real deal do to her?

“Are you okay?” He rolled her limp body aside then stood. “Lemme get’cha some water?”

She struggled to the headboard but her chignon made it impossible to rest comfortably on her back. “I haven’t…I mean, I wasn’t expecting you to be so…skilled at
that
. I couldn’t keep up. I thought you’d finish with me.”

“I wanted it to be good for you so I held out.” A small proud grin cracked his concerned face before turning wolfish. “But don’t worry, I will. After you get your head on straight. Here, let me help you with this.” He sat beside her and pulled bobby pins from her hair and dropped them on the nightstand.