Dare to Hold (11 page)

“What’s wrong?” Scott asked.

“I was made. You didn’t tell me your girl was meeting up with your sister.”

Scott swore. “That’s because I didn’t know. I thought she was going with a friend.” And Olivia knew Rick as well as Scott did.

“They treated me to a big-ass happy birthday sundae including singing waiters.”

Scott shook his head, trying not to laugh at the women’s antics because he was so fucking screwed. “Sorry, man. And thanks for the heads-up. I’m almost at her place. I’ll deal with it.”

“Want me to stick around?”

“No, wait for me to get there and then take a break. I’ll call you if I leave tonight. You can cover me then.”

Scott disconnected the call and shot a wry glance at his makeshift celebratory bottle. He’d hoped he’d be spending the night with Meg, but now he wasn’t so sure he’d make it past the front door.

A few minutes later, Scott knocked warily.

Meg opened the door, a surprised expression on her face. Obviously she hadn’t expected him, and that was fine. They hadn’t made plans, but he was happy to see her. Hell, his entire body lit up at the sight of her pretty face and dark brown eyes.

“Before you lecture me, I looked through the security hole,” she said, as if expecting him to reprimand her first thing.

“I figured.” He held out the green bottle of sparkling water. “Care to celebrate my new job with me?” he asked.

She eyed the bottle, a pleased expression on her makeup-free face. “That’s a considerate choice. Come on in.”

He stepped inside, and she locked the door behind him. He couldn’t gauge her mood, and that, more than anything, made him edgy. He wasn’t sure whether or not to bring up the subject of Rick, then decided to take her lead.

He turned to face her. She definitely hadn’t been expecting company. She wore a pair of pale blue silk shorts and a matching silk tank top, no bra. His gaze zeroed in on the pointy tips of her nipples poking through the light material, and desire swelled inside him. But he didn’t kid himself that she’d be interested in fucking him, and he braced himself for the fight to come.

She took the bottle out of his hand and headed for the kitchen. He followed, watching her ass, the faintest hint of rounded skin showing beneath the edge of her shorts.

His mouth grew dry, and he could use a sip of that water.

She collected two glasses from the cabinet and opened the top. “So how did your boss take you leaving?”

“He wished me well. He knew how much I hated the rules… When I thought I could handle something, I resented having my hands tied by regulations.” Scott shrugged. “He said I was better off being someone else’s problem. I let him know I’d be my own boss, and we parted ways on somewhat good terms.”

She finished pouring the drinks and handed him one. “To new beginnings.” She touched his glass with hers, then, keeping her gaze trained on his, she took a sip.

He did the same, completely off-balance at her unexpected good mood. Actually, it was more than good. Her entire demeanor had shifted into a happy space, and he narrowed his gaze, unable to figure her out.

“Okay, dammit, why aren’t you yelling at me?” he asked, unable to wait for her to slam him for placing Rick on her tail.

A sexy smile lifted her lips and she laughed. “Am I making you sweat?” she asked cheekily.

He liked this sassy Meg. “Yes. Care to explain?”

She lifted one delicate shoulder. “When I realized I had someone following me—”

“You mean when Olivia pointed Rick out,” Scott corrected.

Meg raised her hand. “In her defense, I had already mentioned we’d been to Tyler’s and that he was helping me out. She assumed I knew about the bodyguard.”

He inclined his head, less interested in his sister’s role than Meg’s feelings on the subject. “Go on.”

“When I realized you had someone following me, I was furious.”

Her eyes flashed with emotion and he braced himself. “Here it comes.”

“No. Because as I drove home, I realized that, thanks to you, I could get out of my car and walk to my door without looking over my shoulder or fearing Mike would pop out of the bushes to attack me. And I realized how lucky I was to have someone in my life who wanted to look out for me.” She took another sip of her drink and looked at him over the rim of the glass, a light blush covering her cheeks.

“So you aren’t angry.”

“I’m not happy you didn’t talk to me first. Or warn me. But no, I’m not angry.”

He stepped closer, drawn to this softer, more open Meg. “I’d already decided that I’d made a mistake. I would have filled you in tonight.”

She ran her tongue over her lips, and his gut tightened as he followed the sexy movement. “Is that why you’re here? To discuss security?” she asked.

He placed his drink on the kitchen counter. Took hers from her hand and set it down beside his. “No, I’m here because I can’t stay away from you. But I’d much rather get the lecture out of the way so we can move on to more pleasurable things.” He stroked his knuckles over her cheek, around her jaw, and down the soft skin on her neck.

She visibly swallowed hard. “Are you going to ask me before you make decisions that involve me from now on?”

“Yes. Unless you’re not around, in which case I’ll run them by you as soon as possible afterwards.”

She nodded. “And if I don’t agree, we’ll reach a compromise?” she pressed on.

Now she was pushing him to make promises he couldn’t keep. “I won’t compromise on your safety, but we will talk.” It was the best he could offer.

As he spoke, he trailed his fingertips along the loose edge of her tank top. Goose bumps prickled along her chest, her skin there flushed, and her nipples became harder peaks. He was dying to take one into his mouth, but they needed to finish up this conversation, and he shifted positions to accommodate his thickening length. The hard denim of his jeans was damned uncomfortable.

She let out a long sigh. Tipped her head, her hair trailing along the top of his hand. He actually fucking shivered at the soft tickle.

“I’ll accept that for now,” she finally agreed.

He narrowed his gaze. “Can I ask what’s making you so … accommodating?”

And that was the change, he realized. She was suddenly more accepting of him in her life. More of a willing participant in wherever things between them might go.

“I spent the afternoon with someone who knows how to handle a domineering Dare man.” And on that note, Meg wrapped her arms around his neck and settled her soft lips on his.

Chapter Six

O
n the way home from shopping, Meg had thought over everything Riley and Olivia said. Olivia, especially. Meg understood she could keep fighting this thing between herself and Scott or she could enjoy what he offered and move on when he was ready. Once she let go of her fear, it was surprisingly easy to let him in.

Especially when he showed up tonight with sparkling water and in an obvious panic because he’d been caught being high-handed. How could she resist the man when, beneath the control freak, he was so amazingly sweet? Not to mention drop-dead sexy. She’d looked through the security hole to find him on her doorstep wearing a pair of dark jeans that accentuated his hard thighs and a navy tee shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes and showed off the defined muscles in his forearms.

Making the first move was easier than she would have thought, and she’d clearly taken him by surprise, which she had to admit, she liked doing. But the minute her mouth touched his, he groaned, cupped the back of her head in his big hand, and took over. He slid his tongue across her lips once, twice, then plundered. He kissed her over and over, long, drugging kisses that weakened her in the knees. He tugged at her hair, a gesture that she somehow felt in her core. He kissed her like he couldn’t get enough.

She knew she couldn’t. She wanted to feel his hot skin on hers. She grasped his shirt and pulled up at the hem, sliding her hands up his abdomen, feeling the hard muscles beneath her fingertips.

He broke the kiss and pulled in a ragged breath, giving Meg the opportunity to take over. She reached for the button on his jeans, popping it open and yanking down. He attempted to grasp her wrists and stop her, but she was faster, and she wriggled the denim over his lean hips. With a grunt of acceptance, he helped, and the denim pooled around his ankles. His cock sprang up before her, thick and hard, ready for anything.

She grinned and lowered herself to her knees. This wasn’t an act she normally enjoyed, but something about Scott and how well he treated her made her want to give to him in return. And shockingly, the idea of going down on him made her mouth water and her sex ache with need.

“Damn, baby. Do you have any idea what it does to me to see you on your knees like that?”

She glanced up at him, suddenly shy. But if she had any reservations, they disappeared when she caught a glimpse of the heat in his gaze and the look of reverence in his expression as he gazed down at her. Leaning forward, she licked his erection gently at first, a long, teasing stroke of her tongue over his thickening shaft. He pulled her hair into one hand behind her and tugged hard.

The small hint of pain caused a surprising shock of arousal to spread from her scalp to her pussy. She moaned and grasped his erection in her hand. She eased her mouth around him, taking him as far as she could before sliding back the other direction. She wasn’t an expert, didn’t know what he liked, but she did recognize his growl as one of approval. And the hip thrust that pushed him deeper into her mouth definitely told her she was doing things right.

She slid her hand up and down, using the lubrication from her mouth to ease her way. Being Scott, he soon was driving the action, pumping into her mouth with long, fluid strokes. To her surprise, giving him pleasure provided her with even greater satisfaction than she’d ever imagined.

He grunted above her, his hand a steady presence in her hair, every tug causing a wave of desire to wash over her. She moaned, the sound reverberating around him, and he thrust hard, the head of his cock hitting the back of her throat.

She fought not to gag and managed to breathe through, taking him even deeper.

“Damn, Meg, you feel so good.”

So did he. She loved the taste of him, slightly musky, a little salty, and so very male. The idea of taking him all the way was a heady thing.

She worked him with her hand and mouth until suddenly he pulled himself out completely. “Not coming in your mouth, baby.”

He stripped her out of her shorts and panties, leaving them in a pile on the living room floor. And wasn’t that hot, she thought, as he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom with long, deliberate strides.

By the time he set her on the bed, she was panting with need.

“As much as I want to taste you,” he said, positioning her on the center of the mattress, “I need to be inside you more.”

He eased his hips back and pushed into her with ease. She was so wet and ready he filled her completely in one long thrust, hitting her sweet spot immediately.

She arched her back and moaned, feeling the thickness of him everywhere, and her climb toward climax began almost instantly. She wondered if it was the hormones running through her body or whether it was being with Scott, but either way, she’d never been so sensitive or felt so much so quickly. And she wasn’t talking just physically. Pushing those terrifying thoughts aside, she focused on the here and now, on the large man who owned her body when he was buried inside her.

“I love being inside you, baby.” Scott groaned as she clasped him tighter in her hot body.

From the minute she’d wrapped her sweet mouth around his cock, Scott had needed more, and coming in her mouth hadn’t been an option.

“Lift your legs,” he instructed in a rough voice.

She complied, her long legs wrapping around his waist, and she pulled him farther into her heat. Using his upper body for leverage, he took a long glide out before plunging back in, hard and fast. Her slick walls gripped him tighter, her heels dug into his back, and he fucking felt her everywhere.

Sweat broke out on his forehead and back as desire and the primal need to own her washed over him. He took her hard, knowing she could handle it, understanding that she wanted him as much and as badly as he needed her.

They strove toward climax together, her nails digging into his back as she arched and ground against him. Physically, it was fast and furious, but at the core, there was something stronger pushing at him from his subconscious, an emotional connection he’d never experienced before, during or outside of sex. He knew what it was, even as he understood it was too soon, too fast. Even as it scared him.

And then her climax hit, and she screamed his name, shuddering around him, her sex clasping his cock in warmth and heat, and he came hard, emptying himself inside her and thankfully shutting down every other part of him, especially the emotions rampaging through his brain.

He became aware of her heavy breathing beneath him and rolled over, so as not to crush her.

She turned her head and met his gaze, a flush staining her cheeks. “That was … hot,” she said, a grin on her face.